Actor Erick Plata prepares for a scene. Photo by Christian Vasquez. — Actor Erick Plata prepares for a scene. Photo by Christian Vasquez.

WHAT I'VE LEARNED

Not long ago, my short film Keep the Doctor Away moved into full on production mode. I can't count how many drafts of the script came and went. We had several setbacks that postponed shooting all the way from the last November until our actual shoot in late February. We changed scripts, lost an actress and went back into casting, contended with everyone's complicated and full schedules. With every project I learn something new, and this one was no exception. In fact, it was likely the most educational experience in production I've had in quite a while. I want to enumerate some of the lessons I learned. This is for my benefit, to truly burn the lessons into my brain, and maybe it will help someone else out there who is working to bring a story to the screen. These are my first thoughts scribbled in my journal in the days after production wrapped.

Always have a production meeting with the entire crew. This should be before you start setting up for the first shot. Maybe some work has already been done, maybe the cast is in makeup already. What's important is that you get everyone on the same page, take a chance to thank them in advance for their hard work, and let them know the purpose and importance of the project at hand. Why are they there to help? Why is this story or client important? Get everyone started on a positive, professional note.
No matter what time you start shooting, come 1 or 2am people are going to lose steam. They will get tired and the quality will falter. Do what you can with your Assistant Director and Cinematographer to start earlier. I wish we would've blacked out some windows and done our closeups before the sun went down. Our lighting setup relied heavily on moonlight filling in the shadows of the room. If we would've found a workaround to create that look with the windows blocked out (saving our wides and window shots for the night) there would've been more time to get creative with the performances.
How long do you think this shot will take to get? Double that estimate taking into account conditions. Is it cold? Is it late at night? It's better to over estimate. The more you shoot, the closer you'll get to understanding the actual time it takes. However, I think most people, myself included, are guilty of overestimating their abilities and underestimating the time a difficult setup will take.
If you have a specific framing or purpose for a shot, you should communicate it in more than words. Take example stills, storyboards, or a painting. The shot will be visual and so should your explanation of it.
Art Department. Invaluable. Doesn't matter how "natural" your film is supposed to be. The Art Dept. on Keep the Doctor Away killed it. They absolutely knocked it out of the park. Their contribution and creativity will be seen in just about every frame.
Build your production a safety net, whether that's an optional second night of shooting or planning for multiple days upfront. You want to control the compromises in the production. There will inevitably be compromises! The question is - how much will those compromises affect your vision of the film? The more wiggle room you can buy yourself, the less the quality will suffer. For example - An absolutely perfect location that is only available for two hours, or a decent location that will be available for multiple nights? There's no 100% correct decision, and thankfully we didn't face that location decision on KTDA. I do wish I would've built in more wiggle room.
Script - Be clear about the stakes and what your characters want. Also, not all critiques are equal. You have to filter the opinions of others through your gut, but when someone tells you they don't understand the point of the script (or the importance of a moment in the script) you should take them seriously.
If you don't have production insurance, don't borrow what you can't afford or aren't willing to replace. It's not worth the stress. Often, no matter how responsible or careful YOU are (or think you are) there are plenty of people on set. The scene can get hectic, equipment gets moved around, and sometimes things break.
The biggest most expensive camera may not be the best one. With creativity and knowledge, you can get cinematic results with all sorts of equipment. Always take into consideration the size of the crew, your familiarity with the technology, and the amount of hard drive space you can afford! I like to remember that 28 Days Later (Danny Boyle and Anthony Dodd Mantle, you brilliant bastards) was shot on DV tape.
It's cathartic to commit to a risky creative decision. However tempting it is to leave yourself a way out ("we'll just shoot it both ways and decide later") sometimes you just need to say "fuck it. Let's do it." Don't play it safe. Especially if this is a passion project and not for a client, go for it. Take the risk. If the decision fails, hopefully you'll learn why and be able to execute it well next time.

More lessons will become apparent as I move into post-production on Keep the Doctor Away. The transcoding is taking place now. I'm glad to get a little space from the footage. I've been out of town for almost two weeks now, and will return to the process with rekindled enthusiasm. I want to attack the edit while the ideas and inspiration are fresh. I think it's a terrible method to let an edit languish, to drag the entire process out over months and months because of indecision or endless tinkering.

What I've Learned