John O'Hara: Cinematographer, sound mixer and producer in Rockledge, Florida.

Brad - Funding for last Aprils feature primarily came from 5 executive producers who had also provided some funding on the producers previous films. These executive producers were not movie moguls they were elderly friends with money who believed in the writer/director/producer. The executive producer/writer/director had previously done several shorts and a micro budget feature which he arranged for distribution with the current distributor. This distributor is focused on the niche faith-based market and has a certain trust level with the producer. This time the distributor did all the post work at their expense (a major budget reduction), and of course the DVD reproduction. The distributor also sells licenses for group showing by churches. So you just need a distributor to endorse the project if possible. If their is endorsement their is trust. If their is trust by the distributor then it can be easier to find investors. The key is for people in charge having an existing relationship with people who believe in them. So the greater the trust the greater the opportunity. It is more about WHY you're doing it than what you are doing that will motivate people to invest. Sometimes it is not about finding a handful of investors but finding a lot of investors. A classic case are the executive producers of the "Blair Witch Project" (all from UCF here in Orlando) who collected about $2K from 50 different investors (they spoke at a meeting I attended). To date the project has grossed $248M. Here is a recent story that provides some insight into where they have progressed http://today.ucf.edu/gregg-hale-project/ . You have indicated that you have relationships with previous investors via the producer. If those investors got a previous return, trust and believe in him that can be a good starting point to see if they are interested or know someone. Find trusting wealthy retirees who believe in why you want to create the film. Start multiple levels of crowd source funding campaigns. Find trusting friends who have real estate investments. Often they have an interest in the arts. Find financial advisors who believe in your WHY. Possibly offer cameo appearances or executive producer credits. Many other things are possible as well. Personally, I am not a horror fan and have found that the genre is highly saturated. I have found great success, some really nice A and B list actors, and revenue in the faith-based genre.

Steven- I have heard of the book, but I haven't read it. Perhaps I will finally get off my ass and take the plunge. Thanks for the advice. Where in NY are you based out of? (I'm in Brooklyn)

Thanks for for the Connection

Peggy, I would post your project and your needs in our JOBS section. Good luck.

Contact me for interesting true christian stories in the future if you'd like. Incredible testimonies.

CONTACT ME FOR TRUE ACTION PACKED WITH A FUN ENDING AS AN EXAMPLE 1(661)547-4726

It's a month since you asked this. What did you do? Can you share you experience with us?

For $3000 to $6000, you can hire an accomplished SAG actor for your short, get a really good caterer, have a wrap party, etc. Really sounds like personal feels are clouding the judgement of the original poster.

Thanks everyone for your feedback. We offered him a better role in a bigger project, so it all worked out. When you want to work with someone, you make it work. Rachel Rath, I learned so much from your post. Thank you very much. I greatly appreciate it. #alwayslearning

How do you find these brands that are soliciting for spec commercials ?

You'd have to do your own "due diligence", check filmaking magazines, etc. The other option is actually producing a commercial on spec. for a specific brand and product and submitting it to their advertising department.. I've worked on a few spec commercials, but not being a Producer or Director didn't know or care about the origin of the request.

thanks guys for the advice's

Hi Amanda, I can only say that it depends. I'm assuming this is your first whack at it. Which is fine. Everyone has their rate and then everyone has the money they are willing to work for. I think you should find out how much the budget is overall. Then try to break that down. If you PM me I can give you a break down of what I paid a few key positions on my last film and what I am trying to pay this time around. Before it was all about getting the job done. So the budget was very small. And I have a lot of talented ppl that are close to me who believed in the vision (and it didn't take up too much of their time.) This time, the budget won't increase too much but I would like to provide more $$. There will be a lot of factors that you can manipulate. You also have to consider how long your shoot will be. Nothing is set in stone. Get your short made, however you got to do it! Just make sure you work with like-minded, good people who truly love what they are doing. Steer clear of those who are just in it for a paycheck. There has to be a balance. At any level. No one works in short film to get rich, imo. Nothing ruins a set more than someone who is just there and not putting forth passion. Anyway, my two cents.

As a location sound recordist, I've made anywhere from $300-$600/10hr day, but that amount depends greatly on the combination of equipment I am asked to provide. Kit rental is often the way for freelancers to get the pay they deserve...unfortunately. If I'm operating $10K worth of audio equipment in my sound bag, vs. "a boom & a Zoom" there's a big difference in price AND quality. For low, or micro-budget projects, I may be able to offer a low rate for labor, but would require terms for travel, lodging, batteries, etc. On a full-pay shoot, I'm more willing to eat those costs myself, because frankly, it's worth it. I've glanced at posts for sound jobs on Craigslist offering $50-75 bucks A DAY for a boom-op with multiple lav mics, to which I've wanted to respond "I'd spend $30 of that on batteries alone! You're crazy!" So try to avoid that...haha! There are some great bits of information in these replies. Hope they help.

Most working crew in L.A. who are any good command union scale, regardless of union status ( note that non union gets no benefits / pension contribution or qualifying hours).... but that gets cut based on the kind of project. There are also more than one union contract and scale depending on type of show ( Commercial, Feature Tiers, etc). The ocean of DIY filmmakers that have sprung up in the past digital decade have increased supply hundreds of times, I am sure. The demand hasn't increased proportionately for pro-budgeted work. So it's a producer's market, and many abuse it into the dirt. That said, to get good crew at low rates, you'll need a good project and a very good sales pitch. Most would rather wait for a day on a commercial than take 5 longer days for a new director and the same take home pay.

I see you were in Finding Eden. I worked with Rodney and Cody on several films including "God Where Are You?"

Yes! They are fantastic to work with!

A GOOD READ JOHN. REMAIN GIFTED.

I second everything @RB said and also Jacob. You need an AD to keep everything running. Your First AD is the keeper of the clock and will make sure things are running smoothly and, more importantly, safely.

As a producer, cinematographer, and production sound mixer key talent outside of writer and director in order of importance is usually the lead actors, production sound mixer (unless you have no dialogue), DP, and script supervisor. That typically covers 80% of the key talent.

If you're both Writer and Director and this is your first feature here are the bare bones crew I suggest: A Producer... even if it's your spouse or best friend or somebody who was a PA two weeks ago on another film. Of course an experienced producer is best, but what you really need at the ultra low budget level is someone to handle the day to day check writing, cast managing, location fixing, and disaster handling so you can focus on directing and working on the set. On ultra low budget pics, the producer orders the pizzas for lunch, makes sure there's water for the crew, writes checks all day long, handles barking dogs and holds the hose to make the rainstorm outside the window when nobody else will. Casting director... Good actors are essential, but finding them can be tough. Paying a little fee upfront for someone who has access to them in your area is worth the expense. Every town or region has a talent agency of some kind. Hire the local talent agency. Sure you'll probably have to cast some of their roster, but they probably have most of the better actors in the area already on that roster. And you can weed out the flakes easier with a third party vetting them. Director of Photography... You'll probably wind up hiring someone who has their own equipment package. Good. They should know their equipment. But don't accept bad lighting or bad composition. Know how to use their equipment as well as they do so you can get what you need. Sound Mixer.... Even if you throw a Zoom H6 on your brother in law and say "hold the mike over his head and push the red button." You must record good (or at least decent sound). Camera microphones sound terrible and pick up more ambience than dialogue. Editor... unless you have a pretty good understanding of editing software hire an editor. If you can, have them start assembling a rough cut as you shoot so they can tell you if anything is missing before you wrap. Post Production Supervisor... You can fake the artsy things like directing and writing. You can't fake the technical end of deliverables and QC. Talk to a real Post Supervisor before you shoot and make sure your camera settings are acceptable and everybody agrees from day one on what frame rate, aspect and format you're working in (and if you don't know what terms like Non Drop frame rate, 24P and 4K are, you need a post supervisor even more than you realize). Sound Editor... Worth it. Right up there with a good sound mixer. Composer... even if all you can afford is a theme and some incidental music, get a composer who can give you some original music. Anyone else is a bonus, but in my book, those are the must haves. Good luck!

Product placement is about the audience size which is often related to the pictures budget. Companies want to know that a large relevant audience will see the product. So they want to see the script to know who the audience is, how the product is used, and is there significant viewing. Product placement is usually easier for an episodic than a movie because of the repeated viewing. Product placement has never been about funding a film, and unless you have a large audience major companies are likely to ask you for money for displaying a product rather than pay you to place their product.

Well said, John. There are also a myriad of businesses out there that handle this exact thing.

Not so sure you make money out of product placement more than the company placing the product and the filmmaker get mutual benefit from the arrangement. There are companies specialising in product placement and they usually make their money by charging the product placer a fee for their services. The benefit to the filmmaker is usually getting something for free that for which they otherwise would have had to pay. I've used product placement at the Rob Knox Film Festival and would always consider it when producing a film.

Tara@amazonranch.us http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1117753/

I know two people and they're a power couple. Rachel Harrison and Tim Martin. I don't know if they're on Stage 32 but I can get you contact with them.

I know two people and they're a power couple. Rachel Harrison https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6647880/?ref_=nv_sr_3 and Tim Martin https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3699458/?ref_=nv_sr_5. I can put you in contact with them. They're the best in the business.

Well, I won a Denecke SB-3 in an auction. Once it arrives, I'll hit my soldering bench and make some cables.

My Denecke SB-3 arrived in the mail today. So, like I said, the first step will be to start building various BNC cables for reading and jamming timecode between recorders and cameras. I did download the Denecke "TC Toolbox" app, which easily jammed with the SB-3 via my phone's 1/8" headphone jack. Off to a good start. Stay tuned!

UPDATE: Success! Rather than buy the $40 BNC to TA3F cable, I made my own for about $3 bucks. The blue LED timecode indicator (see photo) is lit and I can now offer sync sound. Achievement Unlocked!

Are you looking for an audio only reel? Or editing mp4 video? My company or numerous others can do both. Lots of choices.

Post this in the Jobs section. Mandy dot com too.

Here is a list of mixer links across the country http://www.trewaudio.com/mixerlinks/ There is one listed in Lansing, MI - Dave Jones - but he has no hyperlink on this listing.

Yes, I have worked with directors who obviously didn't like children. I just kept trying to make them laugh or smile

Very nice article. Wish you can come to San Diego International Kids' Film Festival and make a talk at the panel.

Thanks Sdkids Tang! My short film One Nation was accepted for THIS YEAR's San Diego International Kids' Film Festival! I would love to speak on the panel. I have been a speaker before at events and a film festival. Please email my mom at KerriAmI@aol.com to talk about it. I will ask her to email you too through this website. I am so excited!!

The number one incentive for the actors I hire is an IMDB credit added by me. Some producers however are to lazy to get it done (they could always delegate).

I've had the same problem, which is why I knew this post would come in handy!

Thanks John, most of my workflow begin after picture lock. But, during the production im working on, the picture changed so, I was forced to reconform. Really it is a pain. For workflow, I open pro tools; DAW of choice, then import everything from an .omf file. After the .omf is imported, I open up my guide track usually a .wav file sent from the video crew, then I import my .mov file and bring in the audio from the video. I sync the guide and video up after audio is loaded from the video. Then check sync of my .omf tracks. After sync is completed, I open up additional blank mono audio tracks , or stereo tracks if the stereo tracks are needed. Usually, I open 6 tracks labled Dia A-F, 2 tracks labled 2 VO A-B, then open up 6 more tracks and lable those Scene A-F, then I add in 4 tracks labled PFX A-D, and add 2 more and label those Work 1 and 2, then an additional 2 more and label those Junk 1 and 2. After all tracks are labeled, I go through and listen to the .omf tracks. Usually 2 mics are provided, and I check for any doubling up of audio as in two of the exact same audio takes are playing at once. I check this by inverting one of the tracks with a plugin. If I dont here anything, I delete one of the duplicated tracks. I do this for every track in the .omf until the end of the reel. After removing duplicates. I then copy and paste all those tracks in the .omf to the Dialogue A-F staggering to every other track, I work this out scene by scene until then end of the reel. Once tracks are copied I hide all the tracks from the .omf, usually during the copy of tracks or listening for duplicates, I end up adding in markers to split up my scene boundaries. After the .omf tracks are hidden, I go through the session again and split out any unblanced room tone on the adjacent track below the corresponding track, with splitting out any production sfx to the PFX tracks. If a scene is something on related to an interview like people playing cards I move the entire scene to a Scene track. After, everything is moved. I do a quick mix with clip gain and balance the levels of all the tracks. That is really the beginning of my session setup. After that I begin editing and correcting. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated. thanks, Andrew Macht

Andrew, A couple of things right out of the bins I see is to consider having them cut each scene as a separate sequence. That way each scene is in a separate container and changes to cuts in one scene will not affect unchanged scenes. Then contain each scene in the DAW. I'm a little confused about the "guide track" you are using. Normally a "guide track" is sync audio from the camera and would be contained in the .mov in sync with the video on the NLE timeline. Anything direct from camera (video crew) doesn't make sense. So you really need to explain your use of "guide track" as this SOUNDS like a lot of extra work.

Hey John, The .wav file I receive is easily synced, just adds an extra step though. However I do this because having a video editor process both audio and video into one file can compress the audio to the video specs. I want to have the best audio provided for when I do A/B comparisons. This step can be avoided if you so choose. For the reconform, I usually split up the tracks to scenes, having the scenes fall adjacent to each other. I believe we are on the same page as this, just you diverted in video editing. Hopefully, the video editors knows how to edit because if the are not making use out of sequences for each scene it will make more of a headache down the line. If you could attach photos in this app, I would send you a picture of the session to help clear this up.