An Independent Short Filmmaker's Guide with Darlene Lim: Part Two

The concept is solidified and the financing is locked down for your film. Now what? We pass it off to Darlene again who will address how she assembles the crew and moving forward with marketing the film.

The Crew:

Assembling the Crew:

My biggest concern when assembling a crew is locking down my keys (Director of Photography, Art Director, 1st AD, etc.) Over the years, I've worked with different people in these roles and slowly built up a rapport with certain keys who are always my "first picks" when I take on a project. Compatible working styles, a similarity of vision and the ability to communicate clearly are my main criteria in choosing keys to work with. From there, I usually let the producer and the key creatives pick their own crew to work with but since my projects so far have been independent (read: low or no pay), we also often take whoever is willing and available (to a point, of course).

I usually leave it up to my keys to assemble their own teams. They're the ones who are going to have to deal with them more than I am. However, if there is a crew member who is incredibly negative or antagonistic on set, I may veto having them on a project next time.

Sources for Attaining the Crew:

I think my biggest resource in acquiring capable and experienced crew members who will work for little or no money was my four years in film school, as I mentioned in 'pitching the concept.' Many of the people who work on my films now were fellow students who I met while I was at Ryerson. They work in the film industry and get paid well to do so, but because they know me, they will also come and work on my little independent shorts. I met my regular DOP and 1st AD in film school, as well as the editor on my last two projects. I've also got film school friends who will come on to a project and fill in the gaps where I need them, like catering or PAing, just to help me out. Favours also go a long way in this business. My producer and I called in a lot of favours to crew up my last short.

Try posting notices in film schools or ask people you know if anybody they know might be looking to add some credits to their resume. Don't be afraid to approach people that you want to work with and pitch your project to them. The worst they can say is no and then you're exactly where you were if you didn't ask. Also, they might not be able to help you out but they may know of other people who can. Have a solid grasp on how you are going to pitch your film. If people really like a project, they are more likely to work on it, even if you can't pay them well. Sometimes you can attract people by offering them a key position. If, for example, someone is usually a paid camera assistant but wants to move up, they will take on a project for free if they get to be the Director of Photography.

Other than that, I'd say people will want to work with you if you have a worthy project and have a good professional track record. I haven't made anything that's made money but I do promote my films and they get a fair amount of international play in festivals and on television, so people know that I'm serious. I also can't stress how important it is to treat your crew decently and maintain a degree of professionalism. It is important to give people a proper amount of turnaround. It is important to give reasonable breaks. It is important to feed your crew well. These things are even more essential in independent film, where people are often donating their time and labour. Of course, there will always be exceptional circumstances where you need people to go above and beyond the regular call of duty, but try to make them the exception and not the rule. And always, always remember to thank your crew. They'll be a lot more likely to go the extra mile if they know you really appreciate what they're doing, and more likely to come back and work with you again.

Marketing:

Types of Marketing:

I will only discuss marketing in regards to shorts, as that is where all my experience lies. Shorts generally do not require extensive marketing. There aren't a great deal of distributors or venues for shorts, but if you are determined to find a distributor for your film, one of the best ways to get their attention is to create a buzz around it, often by screening at film festivals.

For the level at which I'm working right now (small, independent shorts), postcards are the most effective and accepted way of marketing your film at a festival, which is traditionally where you're going to be screening a short. There will be a lot of postcards on a display table at any festival, so having one with a really captivating or arresting design can help you stand out from the crowd. If you feel like going the extra mile, having a nice poster can also generate some interest in your film, but with dozens of shorts, these often don't get displayed.

"Buzz" or word of mouth is really the best way to get people to see your film. If a short has a good festival buzz, people will hear about it and go out of their way to see it. While this is generally created if you've made a good film, you can also encourage buzz by attending the festival parties, meeting people and letting them know when your film is screening. If enough people go to the initial screening and like it, then there are that many more people to create a buzz if the film is good.

Film Festivals:

Before you begin applying to and screening at film festivals, you need to do your research. Many festivals (e.g. the Montreal Film Festival) will only screen premieres or give preference to premieres. If you want to debut at one of these, you should make sure to apply to these first before you apply and screen at your "B-list" of festivals that will take you regardless of where you have screened. Premiering your film at the Lake Ogopogo Festival may tank your chances of screening at a bigger festival or another, more prestigious festival in the same area. And if you are screening at fewer or less prestigious festivals, this may inadvertently affect your chances of being picked up by a distributor.

Meeting your Maker:

Writer/Director Darlene Lim made her professional directorial debut with Hitting Zero. Her student short, "Little Moments", played at film festivals around the world and received the Norman Jewison Filmmaker Award, the Golden Key Performing Arts Showcase Award and was a semi-finalist in Hollywood's Angelus Awards competition. "Hitting Zero", her latest project, was produced through the prestigious NSI ZeD Drama Prize program and was nominated for "Best Drama" at the Yorkton Short Film and Video Festival. An Honours graduate of Ryerson University's Film Studies program, Darlene has sat on juries for Sprockets: The Toronto International Film Festival for Children and the Freeze Frame International Film Festival. She has worked in television as an Associate Producer on CBC's "Street Cents" and also earned the illustrious title "Temp of the Month" during her glamorous early days in the film industry. She has recently completed a treatment for a feature-length film, but can't divulge too many details about the project at this time.