Hi,

Does any one else have a really hard time with commitment from your cast and crew. For me its expessially bad with the guy who i co-write with, he'll be crazy about a movie one day and a week later he'll bail on me. Do you guys have tricks to keep people excited about a production?

Thanks,
Mike

I have that same problem. I have a feature length script that I'm trying to film this summer and there are 33 cast members I need, most of them will be played by my friends, so that's a lot of people to depend on. If you want to keep people excited, then you have to keep them motivated. To do that you have to give them an incentive to work with you, whether it's money (which most of us don't have), or the possible chance that the film will make it to festivals and/or win money and/or get them recognition (possible chance of either of those happening = 0.000001). At this stage of your life (I assume you're young), try to keep your films short and with a trustworthy/dependable cast n' crew. Hope this kindof helped...if all else fails there is another way of getting people to commit: by using a baseball bat with forks duct-taped to it.

haha! my co-writer did the same thing. wrote the script with me, and then hardly ever showed up, and was more of a hinderance than a help, when he did.

yeah, it is hard keeping people motivated and committed when you're using friends, and not paying.

always feed them. i end up dropping 30-40 dollars each shoot on some pizzas and soda. people, especially college age, love decent non-cafeteria food. buy some pizzas and some soda (or beer), that'll motivate.

its true, but, wow, that'd have been $900 if i did that on my last film!

Yes, I guess food is the best way to keep them motivated, but you should really try to get people who will be dedicated from the beginning. The problem with a large group is that you don't have much choice as you need all the people, but don't be afraid to drop and/or threaten people who lack commitment. Sorry if that was a bunch of BS, I've just started my verreh first production.

Thanks they're all great ideas, I think i'll just buy food.. every one like food, expessially timmy hoe hoe's.

thanks again,
mike

Food is the number 2 cost on many film shoots...

Avoid feeding the crew whenever possible. Keep the crew small, and restrict it to people who will put up with a lot of obstacles and problems to get the film in the can. You don't want a lazy whiner who is constantly checking his watch, because then you will spend more time keeping the crew motivated, and that's not what you should be doing.

In terms of cast, the only advice I can give is to determine from the start who is actually interested in film. You shouldn't have to beg actors to work on the project, unless you want them to give a very halfhearted, insincere performance. Find someone who is excited about the script and wants to see the project through to completion. Of course, that's easier said than done. I'm trying to cast the lead for a short I've recently written and I need more actors to choose from...