For this impuls, I was listening to another episode of the Team Deakins Podcast, a collection of casual conversations between Roger and James Deakins with people from the industry. In this specific one, Steve Nicolaides, a producer (e.g. When Harry met Sally) talks about how he balances budget and what he thinks are the most important qualities of producers.
Nicolaides accidentally became a producer early in his life when his father dragged him to the Filmways Studios where he worked to get some experience at just 11 years. After climbing the ladder in L.A. he became a production manager.
The talk was very interesting and I could name a lot of different parts of this over one hour long conversation. However, there was one part in particular that stood out to me. When asked what the most important qualities are for people who want to be production managers or producers Steve answered that you 1) have to be able to work long hours and 2) have to always find the joy in life. Especially the second part stuck my and I was thinking: What does the joy in life have to do with producing? Well, Nicolaides went on to say that producers and production managers have the ability to lead this super important team where during a production everyone will have at least one bad day. If you have the power to bring the good spirits back, the work will be better and more productive.
The second interesting point for me was the budget part. Steve described how he is always the one stamping and reviewing the budgets for films. He also talked about the steps to budgeting in this field. According to Nicolaides, you have to first do a rough production schedule before you can then estimate a budget which will be approved (or not) by the production company. Meanwhile, they search for a director with whom the budget is talked about again before starting the actual work. What was so striking for me is the fact that a lot of work goes into a budget even before the film has a director. I mean, I knew that the budget was a big deal but it never occured to me that it might be more important than who will be doing the movie in most cases.
The conversation between Steve Nicolaides and the Deakins Team went on and touched on other topics such as a producer’s role in post-production. As they talked about it very thoroughly, adding all the details would make this blog post explode. Therefore, and because VFX and Animation will not be part of my Master’s project, I will have to skip this part. However, if anyone is interested in that topic, feel free to visit the podcast website as mentioned below.
Finances is probably the most frightening aspect of a movie pre-production. For me, budgeting has always been something that I was happy to avoid. Until now! Today, I want to make friends with movie money. And show you why you should too!
What is a Movie Budget?
When we think of a movie budget, according to Mike Bedard via StudioBinder, most people instantly think of crew and cast costs, money for building sets, make-up, VFX and everything included in a classical production.
However, that’s only half the battle in Hollywood. From there, you need to market the film so that people actually know it exists. For major productions, this is readily apparent in the form of trailers, billboards, radio ads, and everything else you can possibly slap a poster on.
Mike Bedard via StudioBinder
So far so good. But in the case of independent productions or indie films, production managers will not have such a big budget. Therefore, they will have to find alternative ways of marketing the movie. Besides the already mentioned ads on billboards, radio and posters, social media could be a big part of the distribution budget. (Bedard, StudioBinder)
According to Newbie Film School, “an average short film costs between $700 to $1500 per minute.” Of course, this number can fluctuate depending on what kind of short film you are planning to make and how big the production will be. That is why it is smart to make a budget breakdown before you are starting to shoot and actually do work on the project. (Newbie Film School)
How to Calculate a Budget
Newbie Film School goes on to describe how they plan their budgets for shooting short movies (a short movie being anything under 40 minutes). According to them, the most important thing to know is the length of the movie. If you follow the standard way of calculating one minute per script page, you can easily determine how long your film will be. Still, the costs for a 20 minute film can vary between $2000 and $30000 which is a really big range. To narrow this down it might be smart to additionally consider the so-called production value of your movie which is the sum of the following costs:
Pre-production cost
Production cost
Location
Cast
Crew
Types of equipment
Art design
Other production services
Post-production cost
Editing
Sound design and music
VFX
Digital Intermediate
Marketing and promotion
So, let’s dive into these in more detail. (Newbie Film School)
Pre-Production Cost
These costs include every step of planning a movie from location scouting to visualization in a storyboard. Still, they are manageable and should not exceed $500 but rather be around $250. (Newbie Film School)
Production Cost
These costs are estimated to make up 75-80% of your overall budget. If you want your budget to not exceed in the end, it would be smart to include the following points in it.
Location
Your location needs to have some sort of power supply. For independent productions it is smart to use free locations to keep the costs at a minimum. However, calculating between $250 and $500 is smart to have as an extra for shooting permits you might need.
Cast
Working with pupils from acting schools or freelancers is the smartest for independent productions. That way, you save additional costs for insurances. On average, one can calculate approximately $100 per person per day. However, if you negociate wisely this price can be brought down. Still, calculating with $100 is smart and having a little surplus in the end is not bad either.
Crew
Cinematographers don’t usually charge higher rates for short films. It ranges from $150 to 300 per day. […] The Sound Recordist is vital if you need to record sync sound and hence the costs range between $150 to $250 a day. The Direction team should cost anywhere between $100 and $150 per day. […] The Gripper and the Gaffers should add up to another $200 per day in total. Costume if needed should be dealt with the designer on a negotiated price. If you rent them, it should not add up to more than $100 per day for the entire cast.
Newbie Film School
In total, that makes up for around $750 per day. However, if your script does not require special costumes, etc. these costs can be minimized.
Types of equipment
Equipment will add to your overall budget! In total, cameras, lenses, grips, jibs and lighting will cost an average of $500 per day. The wage for the sound recordists usually already include the gear so at least there is no need to rent this.
Art Design and Other Production Services
This part of the budget can be easily avoided if you are not building sets for your film. For indie productions it is recommended to shoot outdoors (and also use natural light to lower the costs there). Other Production Services might include spot boys or caterers. These can also be avoided easily in independent productions. However, keeping a spare budget of around $300 is recommended.
Post-Production Cost
These costs consist of sound, music, VFX and editing post production processes.
Editing
It is recommended to not hire editors who are paid hourly. Rather “offer them a package between $500 to $1500 depending on the length […].” (Newbie Film School)
Sound Design and Music
This will cost another $750 on average. However, it is recommended to look for talents who have not been recognised yet. Maybe you know someone or could hire given people from art schools.
VFX
If possible, avoid having any VFX in your indie production. Costs for this field are very high!
Digital Intermediate
This service includes the coloring of the film. As this can be very expensive as well it pays off to hire students or enthusiasts who will color your entire movie for an average of $500.
Marketing and Promotion
In order to have a decent exposure after the film is finished, one should think of using free tools to send the movie to festivals. There are a lot of screening opportunities that are free. However, some festivals have an entrance fee which is why an additional $1000 is recommended for marketing and promotion. As said already, using social media to promote your movie is also a great and cheap tool to market your work. (Newbie Film School)
Summary
If one follows the points mentioned above, your average movie budget will be around $3800 for fixed costs plus $100 per actor per day plus $1250 per day for crew and equipment. For a 3 day production with two actors your budget should therefore be:
3800+100*2*3+1250*3= 3800+600+3750=$8150 (or around €7700)
As you see, these costs are immense and no indie newcomer will ever have the dollars to cover them. This is where small productions will need to get creative. One example to do so is using a method called Guerilla Filmmaking. More on that in another post.
Still, it is important for filmmakers to know these numbers. And I believe that having an approximate estimate guide such as this post can help you calculate your first budgets. I will use these numbers to calculate my next expenses for a short movie as well and will keep you updated on how that goes.
However, I will leave you with this for now. I think it is already a big enough pill to swallow.
For my first IMPULSE session I sat down and listened to one episode of the podcast Team Deakins. Every episode they talk to and with people from the film industry. In this specific one their guest was Gregor Wilson, the production manager of films such as Inglorious Bastards, Man of Steal, Justice League and others. Let’s see what he has to say about his very wide-ranging role.
Initially having studied Urban Design, Gregor got involved in film after a very drunk night out. After working different jobs such as construction coordinator, he finally found his place in production management. According to him, the responsibilities of his position include hiring the crew, getting the people, getting the equipment (which consumes the majority of time), working on the schedule and the budget. He works closely together with the line producer, who is one step higher up the hierarchy in a big production.
Gregor goes on to describing his standard steps when being onboarded as a PM. First he has a look at the script to have an idea on locations, necessary decisions, cameras, … right away. He then goes on to making his own schedule where he creates breakdowns of the script and a rough shooting schedule (even though normally the assistant director is responsible for the final shooting schedule) to determine possible problems. After that, the cast availability needs to be checked as well as location availability. According to Wilson, this gets harder every time. The more shows are produced the less stage space, gear, etc. is available to everyone.
To continue he briefly talks about his favorite part of shooting movies: Outdoor shoots. He particularely enjoys them because everyone has to be more flexibile with the weather and one can get light situations that they didn’t expect (which is always exciting for the DPs).
Another big point during his interview was of course the budget (which I will write more about in the next post). Something I didn’t know was that in big productions there is actually a production accountant who is responsible for that. However, the PM is involved in regular money meetings and they work together very closely. Gregor did not mention indie productions but I can imagine that in smaller undertakings, this is still a responsibility assigned to the PM.
An additional new thing for me was that apparently the greatest sin PMs and accountants can make in Hollywood is coming in under budget. This is due to the fact that as soon as there is a surplus of money, studios lose control over how it is use. Also, most studios take up loans from banks to finance the shoots. If a production ends up not using all the money, the studio has made a huge minus with all the interests they will have to pay back unnecessarily. Gregors approach to that is to “take it out on post” (which he says with a laugh).
The third and final interesting thing he mentions (although just in one sentence) is the fact that even though there are a lot of female production supervisors there are not a lot of female production managers. This is especially motivating for me to further persue this interest and maybe make a carreer out of it someday.
Some other points Gregor mentions very briefly are production reports and bond companies, which I will have to look up and research in more detail.
The final subject he talks about is stress and working hours. According to Gregor one of the biggest mistakes production managers can make is not having a good stress management. When you are responsible for so many different parts of a production, being able to make good and calm desicions is very important in the case of an emergency or something happening. Even though you have to be able to work insanely long working hours (e.g. in the US there is no penalty for having your film crew work too long, the situation in AUT will have to be found out about in a seperate post) keeping calm is something that is highly regarded and respected amongst your crew.
After making a joke about why all movies are shot in California (the good weather) the two hosts Roger Deakins and Isabella James Purefoy Ellis close the interview.
As mentioned above there are some things I will have to find out more about: production reports, bond companies and the legal working hours for film crews in Austria.
Links:
https://www.industrialtrainer.org/production-report and https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/daily-production-report-explained-free-template/
https://www.wko.at/branchen/gewerbe-handwerk/film-musikwirtschaft/start.html/ and https://www.oesterreich.gv.at/themen/arbeit_und_pension/arbeitszeit.html
The posts I published during the last two semesters only delt with production management in general. As this is a very broad topic my goal for this term is to narrow it down to an applicable master’s thesis topic. Today is my first try.
The title might suggest as if I am trying to reinvent production management. I am not! However, I was thinking of making it more seminal. In the approaching AI era, I want production management to be a part of filmmaking that will not lose its importance. And I asked myself: How can I do that?
Well, the answer I found was somehow primitive. I know that production management is already a very important part of filmmaking. A lot of trial and error has been done by a bunch of people before me. Still, I feel like the processes that we follow when planning a movie production are very inflexible and therefore not really viable. What they lack in my opinion is a focus on current topics such as sustainability.
For this reason I have decided to not only work on production management for outdoor movies in general but narrow it down to:
Sustainable Production Workflows for Independent Outdoor Filmmaking
I believe that production management has the potential to be a positive force for this industry’s impact on climate change. And I hope that for my master’s thesis I will be able to unlock it.
The plan is to find out more about the following (adapted) research questions:
Which parts of classical production management can be improved in order to be more sustainable?
What sustainability measures can be taken by production managers?
How does sustainable production management impact a production’s budget compared to classical production management?
Does it make sense for independent productions to switch to sustainable production management?
How does sustainable production management work in the field?
I am excited to start working on this altered topic even more as I think it could be interesting to people beyond my master’s thesis. For now, I will leave you with this quick update.
Just recently I was thinking about how unfortunate it is, that my main resource so far has been a book in German (as I will be writing the thesis in English). While starting a glossary for my future work (which obviously will include terms used in production management) I found out that I don’t have a clue what “Pensen” or “Stäbchen” are called in English industry standards. So here’s a short table explaining what each of them are and how they are called in English.
Spoiler: “Stäbchen” are not called chopsticks.
German
English
Definition
Stripboard
Stripboard
A production document looking like a list in which you can organize scenes by using strips.
Stäbchen
Strips
Parts of a stripboard used to plan shoots. There are three different types: scene strips, daybreaks and banners.
Pensen
Shooting Order
The result after ordering the strips by various parameters like location, actor availability, etc. divided by banners.
Daybreak
Daybreak
A black strip that marks the end of a shooting day. All strips above the daybreak will be shot that day.
Banner
Banner
Custom strip that represents time which is not meant for shooting. Might be used for breaks, moves, meals, etc.
Friedhof
Boneyard
Strips that are non-essential or have been removed due to changes in the skript or delays go to the boneyard. Works like an archive.
Drehplan
Film Production Schedule
The plan every production follows to ensure a smooth execution. A breakdown of information necessary for a successful shoot.
Drehplan (für einzelne Departments)
Call Sheet
A document distributed to the cast and crew that provides specific details about the shooting schedule for a particular day, including call times, scenes to be shot, locations, and other important information.
Day/Night Ext./Int.:
Day/Night Ext./Int.
These abbreviations indicate whether a scene will be shot during the day (Day), at night (Night), or both (Ext./Int.). It helps organize the schedule and allocate resources accordingly.
Setwechsel
Unit Move
The relocation of the entire cast and crew from one shooting location to another. It involves the coordination of logistics, transportation, and equipment.
The beginning of some sort of glossary
As the previous table states, this is just the beginning and first attempts at making a glossary. This list will grow over time as I read and learn more about production management.
After writing and learning more about shooting plans during the work on my last post, I found out that a shooting plan can be influenced by several factors when put into practice. These factors might differ when talking about outdoor documentaries rather than a classic film set. Therefore, I want to dive deeper into this special form of work with the shooting plan today.
Disclaimer: Since my main source for this post is a book written in German, the following information will also be in German. The source can be found below.
Was muss ich speziell bei Outdoor Dokumentationen beachten?
Bei der Drehplanung müssen während der Erstellung diverse Faktoren beachtet werden. Zum Beispiel muss sich das Planungsteam auch im regulären Film umfassend mit dem Wetter befassen.
Beim Drehen und Planen von Outdoor Dokumentationen sind Einflüsse, die durch Naturgewalten bestehen, besonders in Betracht zu ziehen. Nicht nur das Wetter, sondern auch andere Punkte wie Sonnenaufgang und Untergang und Logistik sind hier speziell zu beachten.
[Aus eigener Erfahrung] Allerdings kann mit verschiedene Wetterverhältnisse im Dokumentarfilm (entgegen einer Spielfilmproduktion) wesentlich leichter umgegangen werden. Denkt man an die Ansprüche, die die beiden Zielgruppen an den jeweiligen Film haben, merkt man schnell, dass es beim Drehen von Filmen mit Authentizitätsanspruch weniger schlimm ist, wenn es leichte Lichtsprünge oder Wetteränderungen gibt.
Vor allem im Bereich des Bergfilms können solche leicht gerechtfertigt werden. Im alpinen Gelände kommt es schnell zu Änderungen der Bedingungen und jede Person, die schon mal auf einem Berg war, weiß, wie unbeständig die Verhältnisse dort sind. Das Planungs- und Regieteam sollte sich in diesem Fall während der Planung vermutlich mehr auf die Sicherheit des Teams fokussieren, als auf die perfekten Wetterbedingungen. Dazu wird deshalb ein separater Blogpost folgen.
Der Spezialfall Wetter in der Praxis
Grundsätzlich sind Niederschlag und Temperaturen kein allzu großes Problem in der Drehplanung, wenn die Bedingungen dramaturgisch nicht relevant sind. Lediglich die Dreharbeit an sich kann anstrengend und langatmig werde. Allerdings:
Man kann von einem Team erwarten, dass es für alle klimatischen Bedingungen ausgerüstet ist und den Drehablauf bei jedem Wetter bedienen kann, egal wie anstrengend und nervig das sein mag.
Jesper Petzke
Petzke beschreibt in seinem Buch Drehplanung die Arbeit mit Niederschlag als recht zeitintensiv. Im Spielfilm mit fixem Drehbuch muss bei Regen gewartet (sofern er dramaturgisch ungewollt ist) und danach das Set wieder getrocknet werden. Das nimmt sehr viel Zeit in Anspruch und kann leicht den Ablauf eines Drehtages in Gefahr bringen.
Ist das der Fall, gibt es zwei verschiedene Möglichkeiten, die Pensen im Drehplan zu verschieben. In der Praxis plant man dann einen Außendreh nur halbtags und für den anderen Tag ist ein Innendreh geplant. So kann man auf Wetter reagieren und die beiden Halbtage einfach tauschen. Das geht jedoch nur, wenn das ungewünschte Wetter nicht den ganzen Tag anhält.
Die zweite Möglichkeit ist ein Pensentausch zwischen verschiedenen Tagen. Ist absehbar, dass die Pensen des Außendrehs aufgrund des Wetters nicht erreicht werden können, gibt es die Möglichkeit, die geplanten Drehtage zu tauschen. Allerdings muss hier eine frühzeitige Bekanntgabe an die Crew und den Cast erfolgen. Sonst ist eine geordnete und qualitativ hohe Arbeit an den geplanten Bildern nur erschwert möglich, da jedes Department eine gewisse Vorlaufzeit für Einrichtung braucht. Bei Wetterentscheidungen gilt dann: So früh wie nötig aber so spät wie möglich.
Ein solcher alternativer Drehplan (Dispo) nennt sich Wettercover. Von einem Coverset spricht man dann, wenn das alternative Set, welches zur Ablöse von unerwünscht regnerischen Tagen verwendet werden kann, während der ganzen Drehzeit als solches bereit steht. Hier muss jedoch der Nachteil der Kosten in Betracht gezogen werden. Auf der anderen Seite meint Petzke:
Für eine Produktion, deren Gelingen in starkem Maße vom Wetter abhängig ist, kann die Bereitstellung eines Coversets allerdings überaus wertvoll sein.
Jesper Petzke
Grundsätzlich steht und fällt jegliche Wetterentscheidung mit der Art der Kommunikation. Es müssen nicht nur Produktion und Regie mit der Entscheidung im Reinen sein, sondern auch die Crew ist angewiesen auf eine rechtzeitige Kommunikation der Änderungen. Das Ziel sollte hier sein, ein gutes Gespür dafür zu entwickeln, wann eine wetterbedingte Anpassung wirklich notwendig ist und wann man das Risiko in Kauf nehmen sollte. So kann zusätzliche Belastung für alle beteiligten Departments niedrig gehalten werden.
[Aus eigener Erfahrung] Wie oben schon erwähnt, sind bei einer Outdoor Dokumentation solche Tauschs eher sicherheitsbedingt als dramaturgisch bedingt. Oft kann ein Wetterwechsel sogar von der Regie und Produktion begrüßt werden und stilistisch in die Geschichte einfließen. Hier ist eine hohe Flexibilität von Drehbuch und Arbeit am Set nötig.
Even though the production team has a lot of responsibility over decisions which influence the whole team, there are various strategies to avoid stress and pressure on the production during weather changes. For documentary filmmaking, the focus is probably more on safety while a feature film puts dramaturgy first.
After writing this post, I am now eager to learn more about weather related safety measures that can be taken and planned for the production of outdoor documentaries. Afterall, the planning of high-altitude shoots has to include information far more detailed than the planned weather cover.
Today, I will elaborate a little on what’s at the core of production management: The shooting plan.
Disclaimer: Since my main source for this post is a book written in German, the following information will also be in German. The source can be found below.
Warum mache ich einen Drehplan?
Ein Drehplan ist die Niederschrift aller Faktoren, die während den Dreharbeiten ihren Einfluss entfalten werden – Besetzung, Motive, Crew, Auflösung der Regie, etc. Laut Jesper Petzke, Autor des Buches Drehplanung, ist er ein Dokument, das für fast alle Departments einer Filmproduktion relevant ist. Auf ihm basierend werden einige Entscheidungen wie zum Beispiel das Budget getroffen.
Deshalb ist es von Vorteil, schon so früh wie möglich an einem Drehplan zu arbeiten. Auch wenn dieser noch nicht alle Fragen beantworten kann und sich beinahe täglich ändern wird, ist er eine der wichtigsten Aufgaben von Regieassistenz und Aufnahmeleitung.
Was beinhaltet ein Drehplan?
Ein Drehplan besteht klassischerweise aus sogenannten Stäbchen. Diese sind mit diversen Informationen beschriftet und farblich gekennzeichnet. Hinter der Methode der Stäbchen steht eine Reihe an Erfahrungswerten und die Arbeit ist größtenteils weltweit vereinheitlicht. Was auf den Stäbchen oben ist und wie sie angeordnet werden wäre eine eigene Bachelorarbeit in sich, weshalb ich heute nicht genauer darauf eingehen werde.
Was jedoch noch wichtig ist, ist das weitere Verfahren. Nachdem diese Stäbchen erstellt wurden, müssen sie nämlich in die gewünschte Reihenfolge gebracht werden. Wie man das macht ist unterschiedlich je nachdem ob man analog oder digital arbeitet. Beide Arten haben ihre Vor- und Nachteile. Was aber jedenfalls daraus resultiert ist ein Drehplan, der die Stäbchen in der richtigen Reihenfolge beinhaltet.
Zu guter Letzt muss ein Drehplan auch spezielle Einflüsse wie zum Beispiel das Wetter beinhalten. Nachdem vor allem diese Aspekte im Dokumentarbereich spannend sind, werde ich mich diesen im nächsten Post genauer widmen.
Wie erstelle ich einen Drehplan?
Die Drehplanerstellung zieht sich laut Petzke sehr lange durch diverse Produktionsschritte. Der Startschuss dafür ist allerdings in der Finanzierungsphase. Hier entsteht ein sogenannter Kalkulationsdrehplan. Dieser unterstützt die darauffolgenden Überlegungen zum Budget.
[…] man kann sich das bildlich vorstellen wie einen Kuchenteig, der zum ersten Mal ausgerollt wird und von dem niemand weiß, für wie viele Kekse er ausreicht.
Jesper Petzke
Dieser Kalkulationsdrehplan ist allerdings nicht die Version, mit der Regieassistenz und Aufnahmeleitung dann weiterarbeiten. Laut Petzke beginnen die meisten Teams bei der Erstellung des tatsächlichen Drehplans wieder bei null. Er beschreibt diese neue Erstellung in mehreren Schritten:
Chronologie Die Chronologie beschreibt den Prozess, die Stäbchen, aus denen die Planung besteht, in die Reihenfolge laut Drehbuch zu bringen. Das hilft allen am Set, während stressigen Zeiten den Überblick über den Drehbuchablauf zu behalten und wichtige Informationen hinaus zu lesen.
Motive Der zweite Schritt ist eine Clusterung aller Stäbchen in einzelne Motive. Diese werden anschließend auf die Drehorte verteilt, an denen sie abgedreht werden. So erlangt man schon eine grobe Struktur für die darauf folgende, genauere Drehplanung.
Pensenbildung In Schritt drei werden die Motive in sogenannte Pensen eingeteilt (Pensen ist die Mehrzahl von Pensum, hab ich auch nicht gewusst). Hier gibt es wieder mehrere Faktoren, die die Pensenbildung beeinflussen, jedoch den heutigen Rahmen sprengen würden. Kurz: Man versucht, die Motive in Tagespensen zu unterteilen. Kommt man dann drauf, dass die Gesamtanzahl der Pensen (also der Tage) nicht dem geplanten Produktionsaufwand entsprechen, muss gekürzt oder mit anderen Departments verhandelt werden.
Kalender Nachdem die Pensen feststehen, erstellt man den tatsächlichen Drehkalender. Dieser muss den rechtlichen Anforderungen entsprechen und orientiert sich klassischerweise an einer Mo-Fr Woche mit dem darauffolgenden Wochenende. In der ersten Drehwoche ist es wichtig, einen Tag für den Aufbau bzw. eventuelle Anpassungen einzuplanen. Bei einem Ortswechsel werden ebenfalls ein oder mehrere Tage zum Auf- und Abbau eingeplant. Spezielle Drehtage, die zum Beispiel an einem Wochenende sein müssen, verlangen eine anschließende Anpassung der restlichen Drehtage. Der Kalender muss auch Informationen zu Sonnenauf- und Untergang beinhalten.
Verteilung der Pensen In diesem Schritt werden die Pensen in den fertigen Drehkalender eingefügt. Dieser Schritt nimmt oft die meiste Zeit der Drehplanerstellung in Anspruch, da man jetzt erst merkt, wie gut die Arbeitsschritte davor ausgeführt wurden. Die Verteilung der Pensen endet mit dem finalen Drehplan. In seinem Buch schreibt Jesper Petzke abschließend über diesen Schritt: “Es gibt dabei nicht die eine Lösung, sondern immer nur Näherungswerte – das Limit ist der eigene Anspruch.”
Optionen einbauen Im vorletzten Schritt geht es darum, alle Eventualitäten in alternativen Drehplänen abzubilden. Das erfordert lösungsorientiertes Denken und präzise Planung der Alternativen. Wenn man an einem Kalkulationsdrehplan arbeitet, ist die Arbeit an dieser Stelle beendet.
Überprüfung und Aktualisierung Mit allen Abteilungen wird hier der Drehplan entweder besprochen, oder es werden Feedbacks gesammelt. Ein guter Drehplan wandelt sich ständig und passt sich kontinuierlich an neue Anforderungen an. Deshalb ist die Arbeit am Drehplan auch erst mit dem letzten Drehtag beendet.
As we see, working on a shooting schedule not only requires precision, but also dedication and time. Of course, the work on this part of the production needs to be scaled according to the size of the project. I am looking forward to learning more about shooting plans in documentary filmmaking in my next post.
Next up in the series of interviews with inspiring people from the Production Management field is Lena Krins. She works at FreibeuterFilm in Vienna and has a lot of experience in the field of Production. I got together with her on Zoom and we talked about what it means to work in the Austrian film industry!
Before we begin, I have two important pieces of information to share:
I talked with Lena on January 11 2023 (just for transparency purposes)
The interview was conducted in German which is why the following part of the post will also be in German. That way I can ensure that her answers are reflected authentically.
Ein ständiges Hin und Her
Wie in meinem Interview mit Barbara Eppensteiner im Dezember, habe ich Lena als erstes gefragt, was man als Produktionsleitung eigentlich macht. Neben einem stetigen Austausch mit den Kreativen über Ideen und Budget ist laut ihr die Produktionsleitung
[…] ein ständiges Hin und Her und ein gemeinsames Erarbeiten, sozusagen, der Machbarkeit und Durchführung des bestmöglichen Films.
Lena Krins
Während ihren weiteren Erzählungen über die Zuständigkeitsbereiche wie Budget und Gagenverhandlung habe ich schnell gemerkt, wieso Lena diesen Job so gerne macht. Für sie ist es der rege Austausch mit fast allen Beteiligten der Produktionskette. Bis zum Abschluss der Dreharbeiten ist sie immer für alle da und lernt so die spannendsten Menschen kennen.
Auch die Flexibilität, die bei dieser Arbeit von ihr gefordert wird, scheint sie als positiv zu sehen.
Die Produktionsleitung […] ist dann dafür verantwortlich, dass wenn wirklich ganz grobe Schnitzer sind, das mit den Produzent*innen zu besprechen oder innerhalb dessen, was eigentlich geplant war wieder Wege zu finden, um das was passiert ist, oder das, dass abgefangen werden muss, wiederum zu integrieren.
Lena Krins
Nur nicht die Klappe halten!
Im weiteren Verlauf unseres Gesprächs habe ich Lena nach dem ihrer Meinung nach größten Fehler gefragt, den man in ihrem Zuständigkeitsbereich machen kann. Ihre Antwort hat mich erstaunt.
Kopf in den Sand und abwarten, dass Dinge vorbeigehen. Das ist glaube ich das Schlechteste, was man machen kann.
Lena Krins
Man merkt, Lena ist eine Macherin. Aber während ich diesen Eintrag schreibe, merke ich immer mehr, dass sie vollkommen recht hat. In einer Filmproduktion treffen so viele verschiedene Menschen aufeinander, dass es eine Person braucht, die sich auch mal traut, Dinge anzusprechen, die gerade nicht nach Plan laufen. Und das funktioniert nur dann, wenn die Produktionsleitung den Kopf nicht in den Sand steckt. Deshalb der Tipp von Lena: Klappe auf wenn was nicht passt!
Erfahrungen sind Gold wert
Am Ende unseres Interviews hat mir Lena noch ein paar Tipps mit an die Hand gegeben, die ihr in ihrem Werdegang sehr geholfen haben. Einen davon möchte ich hier gerne noch teilen.
Laut Lena ist die beste Möglichkeit, sich auf die Tätigkeit als Produktionsleitung vorzubereiten, in vielen verschiedenen Teilen einer Produktion einmal mitzuarbeiten. Erfahrungen in den Bereichen zu haben, mit denen sich die Produktion auseinandersetzt, ermöglicht einen verständnisvolleren Umgang auf Augenhöhe. Wer schon mal als Kamera am Set dabei war weiß, welche Dinge hier wichtig sind und kann in weiterer Folge die Wünsche an die Produktionsleitung besser nachvollziehen.
Lenas Apell an alle, die gerade erst anfangen lautet also: Probierts aus! Wechselts Position! Rotierts einmal durch eine ganze Filmproduktion, wenn möglich! So bekommt man das Rüstzeug, das man für eine gute Produktionsleitung benötigt!
Learnings
For me, talking to Lena revealed one very specific aspect of Production Management: The people you work with. It not only taught me, that honesty and bravery are two very important skills in the film business, but also how fulfilling this position can be. And I am looking forward to experiencing this when going further down the Production Management road.
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Sources
All information is from my interview with Lena Krins via Zoom on January 11 2023. If you require more details and are interested in the exact timecodes, I am happy to share them with you. Please write me an email at hannah.drobir@edu.fh-joanneum.at and I can send you the transcript.
By now, I already know that being a production manager is a lot of planning work. Before talking to Barbara Eppensteiner at the beginning of December (see the last blog post) I thought the go-to tool to work on Dispos and other plannings was Excel. However, she told me that there are better ways to work on pre-production!
Initially she recommended a tool called Fuzzlecheck that her workplace uses for said purpose. However, they do not offer a free license or trial time with which I could have tested and used the program. For that reason, I did my own research and stumbled across another, visually way more pleasing option called StudioBinder. I tried it out for a small private project and would love to share my findings with you.
What is StudioBinder?
According to their own website, StudioBinder is an industry leading software for the production of various sorts of media such as photo, film, TV and movie. It is said to be used by a lot of big networks including BuzzFeed. Their producer says the following about the software:
StudioBinder is an invaluable tool for our production workflow. The sleek design and smart features like call sheet tracking bring organization, efficiency and automation to our shoots, and greatly increases our productivity.
Trevor Fernando (Producer at BuzzFeed)
Above that, what cought my attention was the variety of features the program offers:
Screenshot from StudioBinder’s Website (https://www.studiobinder.com/)
It seems that one can find every single feature any production manager could dream of. So it makes sense that after spotting the “TRY FOR FREE” button I just had to download it immediately! And after creating an account, I could get started with my own project right away.
The Test
As mentioned above, I wanted to test the software with one of my own projects to see how applicable it would be for an average filmmaker who is just getting started. As my skills in production management are not that sophisticated yet, I concentrated on the features that I would profit from the most at the moment: Scripting, the Shot List and the Production Calendar.
As a test project I chose my latest crazy idea – a scripted mountainbike short movie about the freedom of bikes (my first ever non-documentary project). I know, as my topic is about the production management of documentary films it might not be the best to use my first scripted project as an example. However, this time it just made more sense because I could test the scripting and script distribution features StudioBinder comes with. Also, this is the only project I have going on right now that has passed the “I’m talking to potential protagonists” stage (and is therefore the only one I could have used in the first place).
1. Scripting
Long story short: I got started by writing my script in StudioBinder. And let me tell you, their scripting feature is awesome. It not only automatically has the right form and fonts but it also gives you some buttons on top where you can choose if the line is the charachter description, a dialogue, a location, director’s comments, etc.! The program then adapts the form according to the type of content you have chosen. This is especially handy if you’re just trying out your first script drafts or have a limited amount of experience in that field.
Here’s a screenshot where you can take a closer look at everything. Please ignore the way I mixed in camera comments into the script and keep in mind that this is my first script (selftaught) hence there are for sure some mistakes. We’re here to test the software, not to judge my script skills.
Screenshot of the scripting option in the StudioBinder software
For those who are already a little bit more sophisticated in script writing, you can also import existing scripts. Also, there’s a feature where you can turn your scenes and other parts of the script into scenes for your shot list, storyboard and production plan. Generally, a lot of features are intertwined with each other in StudioBinder which allows you to work seamlessly and optimize your time. That way, you don’t have to rewrite the contents of your script when it comes to your shot list planning.
2. Shot List
Speaking of, the shot list in StudioBinder was the second thing I tried out. As I had marked my scenes in the script already, the software automatically suggested these for the creation of the shot lists. I don’t exactly know if that’s the way to go for big, professional productions but for me it made sense to write a shot list divided into the different scenes. What I ended up with was a list of shots already numbered with a lot of information that was nice to have before the shoot. Here’s a screenshot of two of them:
Screenshot of the StudioBinder Shot List tool
As you can see, you can add a lot of different information to every shot. You can customize the details you would like to display and add. That way you only see what you need. There’s also the possibility to create setups. On top of that, you can add your frames from the storyboard and will end up with a perfect collection of shots to shoot on set.
If you’re done writing your shot list, you can access the print view and print out your shot list. That way, you don’t have to carry your laptop everywhere to tick of shots and can easily come back later to simply update your list. The print view is well-designed and has all the details at the same time. It will look something like this:
Screenshot of the Print Preview of the Shot List
With all these features the shot list in StudioBinder can be a valuable tool in your production management workflow.
3. Production Calendar
The final feature I wanted to try was the production calendar. As a small filmmaker I mostly work as a one-woman show. Being able to manage and have an overview of all the different tasks combined with a calender therefore is worth a lot. StudioBinder offers exactly that!
The production calendar is divided in different sections which can be seen in the left collumn in the following screenshot. You can then go ahead and drag your to-dos across the dates you’ll be working on them. After that, you can assign colors (which makes every designer’s heart beat faster), add to-dos for every single task, add collaborators, assign roles and so on. You’ll then end up with a production calendar that is accessible to everyone and is easy to understand. Here’s a quick screenshot of how that could look:
Screenshot of the Production Calendar feature in StudioBinder
You can also share the production calendar with people who are not users of StudioBinder. I sent the calendar to my protagonist and we could easily discuss dates and deadlines with this as a basis. I also enjoy that for every event in the calendar, StudioBinder automatically creates a Workflow element that can be viewed in a seperate tab. It works like a to-do list and is divided into categories such as “on hold”, “in progress” or “needs review”.
Final Opinion
After using StudioBinder for the production planning of a small project (and using the printed version of my script and shot list during the shoot itself) I am 100% sure that I will continue using this software. However, I quickly want to mention the limitations of the free version before I close off this post.
When using the free StudioBinder version, you can only have one project at a time, the number of calendar entries is limited as well as the number of shots for your shot list and storyboard contents. For me personally that is no problem. As I am not obligated right now by sponsors or customers to keep my project plans, I can just delete them after downloading the print version and screenshotting the calendar. If you wanted to use the software for more serious stuff or bigger projects, I would definitely recommend buying a license.
The licenses can be bought via the website and can be billed annually or monthly. There is the possibility to get a student discount if you have created your profile with your edu email adress. After that you just have to write them a quick message and they will tell you more about the discount.
To sum up, I really recommend trying out the software at least for one project. It might take some time until you understand the various features but I am sure it will pay off. Project management is one of the most important skills every filmmaker (especially if you’re kinda just starting to be one) should learn.
If you need help with that, StudioBinder also has a really great Blog where you can find tips and tricks on a lot of different Media Design topics.
That’s it for this blog post and my StudioBinder test. If you want to try it out and need some help, hit me up. Other than that, enjoy the rest of the year!
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Sources
StudioBinder: A seamless production workflow — all in one place. In: StudioBinder, https://www.studiobinder.com/ (last seen December 28 2022)
As mentioned in my previous post, I have planned some interviews with inspiring people who work as production managers in the Austrian film industry to find out more about this part of a movie production.
Today, this inspiring woman is Barbara Eppensteiner. She is the production manager at berg hammer film, a film company specialized in documentary filmmaking.
Before we begin, I have two important pieces of information to share:
I talked with Barbara on December 5 2022 (just for transparency purposes)
The interview was conducted in German which is why the following part of the post will also be in German. That way I can ensure that her answers are reflected authentically.
Was macht überhaupt eine Produktionsleitung?
Auf die Frage, welche Aufgaben denn eine Produktionsleitung hat, gab mir Barbara die folgende Antwort:
Die Produktionsleitung betreut sozusagen ein Projekt von dem Moment an wo eine Produktion beschließt, dass man in die Herstellung geht bzw. [sie] versucht die Herstellung zu finanzieren bis zu dem Moment wo abgedreht ist, wo alles was man ausgeborgt hat, wieder zurückgegangen ist, alles, was in der Drehphase an Kosten angefallen ist, bezahlt wurde.
Barbara Eppensteiner
Weitere Aufgaben, die sie in ihrem Beruf als Produktionsleiterin hat, sind die Drehplanung, die Erstellung sogenannter Dispos (Planungen für jeden einzelnen Drehtag) und jegliche mit der Finanzierung des Films zusammenhängende Bereiche. Hier geht es zum Beispiel um den Finanzierungsplan, aber auch um Förderungen. Auch die Verträge mit den Crewmitgliedern und die Verhandlungen mit Equipmentverleihs usw. zählen zu diesem Bereich dazu. Und alle diese Aufgaben erfordern höchste Konzentration.
Die Schwierigkeit ist ja, dass oft einmal kleine Fehler einfach große Wirkungen haben können.
Barbara Eppensteiner
Barbaras Beruf bei berg hammer film besteht allerdings nicht nur aus Pre-Production. Während den Drehs muss sie immer wieder den Kostenstand des Projekts überprüfen und auf jegliche Wünsche der Crew bezüglich des Equipments oder anderen spontanen Ideen eingehen.
Die Produktionsleiterin muss dafür sorgen, dass es allen gut geht, ohne dass deswegen das Budget aus dem Ruder läuft.
Barbara Eppensteiner
Darüber hinaus verwandelt sie sich aufgrund der kleinen Crew während den Dreharbeiten auch zu einer Aufnahmeleiterin. Dieser Posten geht oft Hand in Hand mit dem Bereich der Produktionsleitung und ist dafür verantwortlich, das Sprachrohr zwischen Crew, Regie und Protagonist*innen zu sein. Auch diverse Einverständniserklärungen und die Drehdokumentation fällt in diesen Aufgabenbereich.
Was muss man als gute Produktionsleitung können?
Für ihren Beruf bei berg hammer film hat Barbara folgende Skills hervorgehoben, die besonders wichtig sind:
Planungstalent
Das eigene Ego zurückstellen können
Stressresistenz
Planungstalent ist durch die vielen Planungsaufgaben vermutlich recht selbsterklärend. Was ich an ihrer Antwort spannend fand, ist der Umgang mit dem eigenen Ego. Laut Barbara treffen während einem Filmdreh so viele verschiedene Departments zusammen, dass man als Produktions- und Aufnahmeleitung schon genug damit zu tun hat, die Egos der anderen in Schach zu halten. Es gilt, die Balance zwischen dem zu finden, was alle wollen und was in einem realistischen und möglichen Rahmen ist. Dafür muss man selbstlos denken und auch so kommunizieren.
Für mich war das ein neuer Punkt, an den ich noch nie davor gedacht hatte. Und auch die Antwort auf die Frage, welche Fehler einer Produktionsleitung passieren können, hat mich überrascht.
Geliebt werden wollen ist ein Fehler?
Ganz richtig gelesen! Während meinem Interview mit Barbara hat sie hervorgehoben, dass man als Produktionsleiterin eine stark vermittelnde Funktion zwischen Produktion und Crew hat. Wenn man diese Aufgabe richtig macht, dann schaut man, dass man während der Produktion möglichst viel für die Crew herausschlägt. Allerdings muss auch das Budget genau eingehalten werden, was unter Umständen dazu führen kann, dass man sich schnell unbeliebt macht. Aus diesem Grund ist es laut Barbara ein großer Fehler, von allen geliebt werden zu wollen.
Für mich passt dieser Ansatz sehr gut mit dem oben genannten Selbstlossein zusammen. Ich kann mir vorstellen, dass auch das Persönlichnehmen von Dingen am Set schnell zu Spannungen führen kann, weshalb es im Interesse aller ist, dass sich eine Produktionsleitung neutral, aber bestimmt verhält. Wie man das am besten machen kann, erfahre ich hoffentlich in meinem nächsten Interview Anfang Jänner.
*switches back to English because she’s done talking about the interview*
Spoiler Alert
During my talk with Barbara I found out about two topics that I would love to dive in deeper in the upcoming posts. I will not tell you what they are in detail but they will involve funding and a cool tool for your dispo planning.
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Sources
All information is from my interview with Barbara Eppensteiner via Zoom on December 5 2022. If you require more details and are interested in the exact timecodes, I am happy to share them with you. Please write me an email at hannah.drobir@edu.fh-joanneum.at and I can send you the transcript.
