Pre-Planning and Team Building

After producing "Z-Day" (with Jaysen, Jennie Prince and Andy Kahn) in my second 48 (2006), I became "addicted" to the 48 Hour Film Project process. That weekend was such a roller coaster, punctuated by scrapped footage and the heart attack that came from shooting an "alternate" (but Better) ending on Sunday at 2 pm, 5 hours before scheduled delivery. When we completed that weekend, we had a film that made up for its lack of polish and sophistication with a charming sense of zaniness and fun. The film won an Honorable Mention award for screenwriting (thanks to Nisha and Ed for creating this second layer of awards... I wish we did that Every year) and we found our new passion for our weekends.

I begin Pre-Planning earlier and earlier every year it seems. I think I learned the value of good planning on a film set from Ken Randall, who always suggested conference calls and the like prior to a 48. I found that such planning sessions made us far more focused that first night of a 48, and that's a critical time that can also be a time for some Fun amongst the production staff. IF you have planned ahead. We would strategize last minute details, make sure we had our locations (as far as we could tell) lined up, craft services arrangements made, and any sorts of other business. After the 2009 48, I switched into "pre-production" mode (for the 2010) at the Awards Ceremony. I had already pitched the team idea to Mike Cordes before we had even left the theater that night... He agreed, and the first piece of the puzzle was in order.

It's currently early February, and I've got all my critical positions filled, minus a sound expert, a lighting director, and a key grip. It might be nice to have some flashy computer whiz on the team, but I already have graphics and the like covered. Anyway, these are all positions that can accentuate the "polish" of a movie, but might not even be needed, minus a key grip of course. So, having planned this far ahead, I feel pretty good about the direction of the team.

Now... I'm just waiting for the Date...