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Whirlwind Pt 2: Pre Production

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By Andrey MedinaPublished 4 years ago 4 min read
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Whirlwind the saga of my disasterpiece continues.

The script is “finished” and by finished I mean that the script is “Script finished” what is “Script finished” you might ask?

It’s jargon I just made up to explain that in the world of filmmaking, a movie script is drafted every single time you realize a new draft needs to be made or else crippling self doubt will consume you whole. But! I’ve already drawn the storyboards so we’re not going to be tweaking that much more beyond just dialogue ...or scenes ...or character names.

Pre Production

By this point we are already in the planning stage. I always storyboard after we lock the script, always. I’m a visual guy and like to see the whole movie before we pick up any cameras. I think it’s important to see a storyboard as well so that one knows what’s in frame and what one needs to buy and what one doesn’t. Werner Herzog once said “Storyboards are for Cowards” and that’s why he’s known for documentaries. You see, I make narrative fantasy, there’s not much that’s happening that probably won’t need special effects or a rehearsal. Sure there are happy accidents on set sometimes, but most of the time you’re actually trying to limit as many accidents as you can. So I always shoot narrative in studio if possible so we don’t get audio problems or wind that we can’t control. That’s the issue with movies, everyone and everything that isn’t part of the movie is working against you. An airplane flying by while recording could mean the difference between a usable take and garbage. A person walking by could look into the camera. An actor could not show up one day. A key crew member could bail. A prop could not work. The set could collapse. Aliens could invade earth. So it’s best to prepared. Knowing how much inventory, accessories, or food you will need each day will save you from certain doom. Clothes pins and tape are essential. Getting a good assistant director could be the difference between wasting the day to shooting the movie on time.

I had 54 person crew in the entirety of the shoot. I met snotty producers who would only give money to project if they turned it into a commercial. I hired costume designers who had to leave last minute due to medical emergencies. I had whole shoot days scrapped because of faulty permits. I saw over a hundred actors for the cast. Auditions for this thing was really ridiculous, we put up casting calls on backstage and we got people from the city to show up. I often wonder about the safety of the whole thing as our school allowed up to hold auditions in their studios unattended, quite a few weirdos showed up. It felt something akin to American idle.

While that was happening I was having meetings with the prop department to see what we needed to get for the movie hoping that I could entrust them with the task at hand.

While that was happening I was meeting with my producer constructing a well thought out schedule for the movie.

While that was happening I was also meeting with costume department to ensure costume plans were being made.

While that was happening I was meeting with the cinematography department to ensure we had a crew and also made plans in sync with my producers guidelines.

While that was happening I was speaking with the audio team to ensure the movie would have that cinematic sound.

While that was happening I was meeting with a composer to see what he had been making for the movie in terms of music.

While that was happening I was also trying to maintain above a 3.5 average as I was on thin ice for not returning to a class due to extreme public humiliation.

While that was happening I was also juggling time between family, my partner, and my friends who all started to feel like I was lost in the sauce of making this project.

There’s a scene in the Disney Channel Original Movie Brink where the main character has a day where he tries to please everyone while simultaneously still achieve his own goals and ends up with a day so crammed and packed that his only respite is when he sleeps. Well I had those days, everyday, during those days.

Making a movie is like running a marathon while also being tied to other runners who all have different opinions on which route to take. Some acquiesce to the leader others rebel some even purposely sabotage.

When in preproduction for a movie, you must always remember that this is actually the most important part of the process because the people you choose to work with are going to be the ones you tie yourself to before the big race.

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About the Creator

Andrey Medina

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