Directing Movies With Inexperienced Film Crew
An experienced crew can get your movie shot faster and easier. An experienced crew needn't be taught how to do their jobs or watched over closely to prevent mistakes. An experienced crew wants to get paid, wants to follow union rules, and isn't in the mood for too much outside of the prescribed film making experience.
As a filmmaker that makes independent, interesting films that will not make a lot of money, an experienced crew is something you will never be able to afford. Though using an inexperienced crew is fraught with difficulty and uncertainty there are lots of advantages.
Cheaper, More Room For Experimentation
An inexperienced crew will be paid next to nothing and with that you are free to be more brave with many filmmaking aspects. For instance your subject matter can be much less commercial. Your shooting schedule can be much longer. You can create a low-pressure set that encourages improvisation.
More Eager, Obedient
These people have no financial reward coming, they are running on enthusiasm alone. They also aren't indoctrinated in the ways of Hollywood, so they won't be as persnickety when it comes to roles and responsibilities. These eager beavers will be more likely to defer to your judgment and often less pushy about their own ideas. They will be more likely to try something new since they have no idea how it's normally done. They'll savor the opportunity to put their mind to work to make something come together.
Happy Accidents
They aren't skilled but sometimes that works in their favor. When you give amateurs access to what was once a professionals-only environment, they bring a fresh approach. They may come up with a camera angle that you never thought would work. They might offer a note on a scene that helps you change it so it works.
Teaching Helps You Learn
The one thing that will be constant with an inexperienced cast and crew will be you teaching them how to do something. This will take a good portion of the time and may even become a major annoyance. The one thing that teaching someone constantly will help you do, is be better at what you do. You will have to synthesize it so you can easily pass it along and it may make you better at what you already do.
An inexperienced crew will be easier to obtain and make it so the production starts quicker. Don't lament the fact that you don't have the money to hire a "real" cast and crew, use what unskilled people offer to full effect.
Wow!
I'm actually working on a movie with inexperienced cast and crew, and this info is going to help me quite a lot. Thanks so much.
well what a way to justify not being able to afford the right people. This is merely a guise on how to "use" people. what you call enthusiasm , i call inexperience. Do not disgard professional level of enthusiasm. Film can be hell, and no matter on any level that is why somebody does it. There are so many better jobs that won't require to work at least 12 hour days, standing in the cold of the night, eating shit for food, for non union folks no insurance and no pension.
so please stop with your bullshit. anybody who buys this idea merely wants to strip good hearted people of their humanity.
please title your piece to below
"you throw enough shit at the walk , something is bound to stick"
eat a dick
To the people that think working on a movie means you "deserve" regular pay , all the things that workers in a commercial venture should get, I need to let you know: not all of us are making movoes for money.
So if you want to get paid, which is of course reasonable -- go find someone making a commercial movie. There's plenty of garbage and great stuff with money behind. Ah, now the problem is that those people with money can pick who they want- and it may not be you- and you may see non-money movies happening, and say, "Hey, THAT should be a paying job too." But it isn't. We don't HAVE any money to give you.
The US constitution guarantees us freedom of association, and we want to make a movie together and not exchange money, that is our legal and moral right.
There is also of course an amendment regarding involuntary servitude. I never saw an intern with leg chains on.