Thu, 26 Aug 2010 09:44
Why create a schedule? Because it will help you organize your shoot and help you budget correctly for your film. It’s really that simple – without a correct schedule your budget is worth nothing and your shooting experience is likely to turn into complete chaos (if you ever get there).
To start working on your schedule, print out a copy of your screenplay and arm yourself with a pen, some paper and possibly also a computer where you can finalize your notes.
Here are some suggested steps to follow to complete your schedule (so that you can move onto your budget):
1. Read your script thoroughly once (or several times if you can)
2. Do a script breakdown. Most screenwriting software have tools for this, but if you don’t have access here is one way to do it:
a. Number all your scenes and measure each scene’s page length (be as thorough as you can, usually each page is broken down into 1/8 sections)
b. Create a sheet for each of your scenes, so that you can separate them out and reorganize them for your shoot
c. Break down each scene into location, exterior/interior, day/night, characters present, special wardrobe requirements and other props needed – put all your info on your scene sheets
d. Make sure all your characters are numbered and that you know how much/how often each appear in each scene
3. Organize your scenes by location (since that is how you will move your shoot around, from location to location) and give your locations numbers – for example “Location A”: Scene 4, 7, 8, 12….”. Simply put, if you do this correctly you should now have your scene sheets organized by location.
4. Go over each location, scene and then estimate how many days it will take you to work through each one before you move onto the next location. Assuming your cast and crew are fully available (make note to check before dates are booked).
5. Start outlining your schedule by day, and you will get a full picture of how long your entire shoot will take.
Creating a schedule will help you get a good overview of your different locations, your cast and costs involved in shooting each scene. Basically, a thorough and detailed schedule can save you money. For example, maybe you have a location that only appears in one single scene, if you don’t need it now is the time to cut it and save money. Or, maybe you have characters that you don’t need to advance your story, play around with your other characters and see if you can save money – and time - by reducing your cast.
If your screenwriting software doesn’t help, there is software out there for both budgeting and scheduling – we’ll cover that in another section of this series. Of course this means you’ll have to buy the software, but you will probably end up happy you made that investment.
Got suggestions or tips for scheduling? Add them in the comments for everyone to see
Posted By frances