Making Your First Feature Film: Lessons I Learned the Hard Way

The tools for independent filmmaking are more accessible today than ever. Yet there is much more to successfully creating a film than access to equipment and software. Chronicling the making of his debut feature film, A Convenient Truth (2015), the author describes the practical preproduction steps needed to take a project from early concept to the first day of photography--details most filmmaking guides don't include. A scene-by-scene breakdown describes the transferrable lessons learned during the production and postproduction phases. Filmmakers' options for what to do after completing their first feature are also covered.

Table of Contents:
Table of Contents Acknowledgments Preface Part One: ­Pre-Production Deciding to Make an Independent Film Set a Date for Your Shoot Build Your Film Crew Three Indie Film Casting Considerations Casting Script Breakdown Scheduling/Stripboarding Budgeting Pre-Production ­Wrap-Up Part Two: Production A Convenient Truth—Scene 1 Stock Footage Can Be Your Friend—Scene 2 Film Locations Equal Production Value—Scene 3 Using Green Screen—Scene 4 Acting While Directing—Scene 5 Give Your Actor a Beat—Scene 6 Man-on-the-Street Interviews—Scene 7 Actors Who Write—Scenes 8 and 9 A Good Film Editor Will Save Your Ass—Scene 10 Talking Head Interviews—Scene 11 Directing Flexibly—Scenes 12 and 13 Improv—Scene 14 Camera Movement—Scene 15 Pre-Reveal in Film—Scene 16 The Reveal—Scenes 17–20 The Reaction—Scenes 21 and 22 Script Departure—Scenes 23–27 Use Your Actor’s Face—Scene 28 Character Introduction—Scene 29 Direct First, Produce Second—Scene 30 Inserts and Reaction Shots—Scene 31 Free and Easy ­Pre-Visualization—Scene 32 Pre-laps and ­L-Cuts—Scene 33 Picking Your Shot (and Why Windmills Are Unpatriotic)—Scene 34 Four Considerations for a Joke in Your Film—Scene 35 Locations: Just Ask, and When to Bend Your Own Rules—Scene 36 Framing and Visual Match Transitions—Scenes 37 and 38 Conflict in Comedy—Scene 39 Structure in Your Film—Scene 40 Evergreen Satire—Scene 41 Static vs. ­Non-Static Frames—Scene 42 Directing Is Listening—Scenes 43 and 44 Jump Cut (for My Love)—Scene 45 “Cheating” Multiple Locations—Scene 46 Transition Scenes and Your Film’s Spine—Scene 47 Burleson Labs Advertisement #1—Scene 48 Free Color Correction—Scene 49 Building Sequences—Scenes 50–53 Creative Character Introduction—Scenes 54–56 Shoot the Script and Then Check Your Gut—Scene 57 Long Takes—Scene 58 How to Know When You’re Done Editing—Scenes 59–61 Creating a Stylistic Look—Scene 62 Film Arcs—Scenes 63 and 64 Tempo and Sequences—Scenes 65–67 Serendipity in Filmmaking—Scene 68 Rule of Threes—Scene 69 Acting Is Reacting—Scenes 70 and 71 Four Lessons from a Montage—Scene 72 Resourceful Filmmaking—Scenes 73 and 74 Offensive Satire—Scene 75 A Scene in Three Shots—Scene 76 Planning a Scene—Scene 77 Get an Impossible Shot … with Two Shots—Scene 78 Language Sequence—Scenes 79–88 Mining Film Locations—Scene 89 Slapstick Comedy—Scene 90 Pacing: The ­One-Hour Mark—Scenes 91–93 Offensive Satire, Revisited—Scenes 94–96 Five Ways We Fixed a Dull Scene—Scene 97 Editing Choices—Scene 98 Staging the Casual—Scenes 99 and 100 Context Changes Everything—Scene 101 Your Time Is Limited—Scene 102 Saying No to My Entire Film Crew—Scene 103 Changes from Script to Screen—Scene 104 Additional Production Writing—Scene 105 Scheduling Can Breed Creativity—Scene 106 Seven Images, Seven Lessons—Scene 107 Serendipity in Editing—Scene 108 Beginning of the End—Scene 109 Final Scene: Make It Count—Scene 110 Part Three: Post ­Post-Production So You’ve Made a Feature Film Independent Distribution Eleven Kickstarter Campaign Lessons The ­Four-Wall Experience Digital Distribution of Your Independent Film Plan for ­Self-Distribution from Day One What’s Next? A Note About ­Post-Film Recordkeeping Podcasts to Keep You Going Don’t Quit (or Apologize for) Your Day Job References Index

About the Author :
Dominick Bagnato is a screenwriter and director in New York City.