7 Tips for Solid Film Production Management
Standard multi-media projects for Indermaur Media consist of a two-person crew. We have also worked on visual projects that involved photography and filmmaking throughout North America with a much larger cast and crew, sometimes up to 50. No matter the size of a production project, there will always be the need for strong film production management.
The very step within any visual project is always the initial discussions with the client, getting clear on what their vision is, and what needs to happen. This conceptual stage is really important because we’ll talk about the level of creativity that can be balanced with the budget.
If we are in the visual concept stage, I like to discuss ideas as if we had a larger budget within reason. This idea may spark a new visual concept that does fit into the vision, budget, and scope of work. Here are a few tips for healthy film production and what are the expectations of an excellent Production Manager:
FILM PRODUCTION TIPS
Budget - this is very important, and we strive to stay within budget. There may be surprises, and when there is a new expense, we revisit the budget to see what can change to make this new expense work. In some cases, we will need to increase the budget, or other times we can eliminate an expense we decide we no longer need.
Scouting - Securing the locations and scheduling the crew. At times this is easy as it's our typical Indermaur Media crew and at the client's office. At other times, we have to scout new locations, hire a local film or video production crew for the area we are visiting. When we do arrive, a walk-through of the locations is always a part of reviewing the film production schedule and make sure all our planning makes sense.
Scheduling - A shooting Schedule is essential, as it lays the foundation that keeps everything moving, on time, capturing the visuals we need, and on budget. Important things to look at is the deadline, schedule during the production, scheduling of crew, booking travel plans, getting permits—even a simple assignment with a team of three needs a good film production schedule to be successful. If we have five scenarios to be photographed in a day, a detailed plan allows everyone involved knows what we are capturing and where we need to be. If a scene's production gets behind schedule, we may go into overtime or miss out on capturing the visuals we need for their marketing campaign.
Management - With a more extensive video and photography production, it is essential to have a production manager. That person is the liaison between the crew, models, and the photographer or Director of Photographer and the client. They are also in charge of keeping production on schedule. When someone doesn't show up, or a last-minute prop change is needed, the Production manager makes it happen and smooths out the unexpected hiccups. In smaller productions, the production manager is a hat myself, or my assistant wears. The experience of large productions helps us maintain the same professionalism and accountability with our more modest productions.
Office administration - Post-production is the last stage taking place in the production office to put all the pieces together and wrap up loose ends from the production. This stage can be the return of the items we rented and collecting all receipts from the vendors. Compile all the receipts and model releases and review them for any oversights.
Thank you - Follow up with thank-you notes to people that were part of the production and made it a successful multi-media production. A good thank you and connection with your crew creates a long lasting working relationship.
Final deliverables - The project doesn’t end until all the editing the photography and videos are delivered to the client. The budget may need to shift in post-production. Video production direction can change, and that will affect the budget. Additional retouching of photographs may be requested. Also, this is a good time for myself and the production to speak with everyone involved to see what went great and what we can improve on next time.
These simple seven steps are the foundation for creating a successful photography assignment and video production. Even smaller productions with myself and an assistant require a basic level of film production management experience that will set the stage for a thriving digital marketing campaign.