“If you build it, they will come”
I’m sure you’ve heard that phrase (and if you haven’t, it’s from Field of Dreams with Kevin Costner).
Well, with a movie, it’s the same way.
If you pick a solid date to shoot your movie, that is unwaivering in your mind, the movie has a much more likely chance of getting made.
One would think that the natural first step (aside from getting the right mindset) would be to put everything in place and then pick a date. That way you are completely ready when the date comes.
Unfortunately, there is a problem with doing all the planning first, before picking the date.
If you’re human and you have any sort of life whatsoever, you probably have things to do. And amazingly, activities such as organizing your address book and clearing your bellybutton of excess lint become higher priorities than making your movie or doing your art.
Also, anyone who has ever planned a big party, like a wedding, knows that things tend to change and shift around with lightning speed. Commitments you thought were solid end up falling away and problems that you didn’t anticipate will show up (even though you feel you’ve been so incredibly thorough that NOTHING could go wrong, you never see the one that gets you!)
Additionally, when you’re looking to get help from people (especially free help), if you don’t give a date for your project, they probably are just giving a ‘general yes’. A ‘general yes’ translates to something like, “I support what you are doing and I want you to know that, but since you haven’t given me a date, I can always say no at a later time if you actually ask me to work.”
A ‘specific yes’ is more of a statement that goes, “I know the dates of your project and that you are asking me to commit my time and expertise. If I can’t do it, it’d be a good idea of me to let you know well in advance or to try to find a replacement so that you don’t think I’m an a-hole for messing up your project and so that I don’t get the reputation as a flake.”
Pick the date and you will feel the pressure of that date weighing on you to get things done. Generally, stress is a negative factor to life, but if that stress drives you to push harder toward your goals, it can provide you with a great amount of initiation energy. Langmeier/4 hour work week quote
I recommend you pick a date that will give you enough time to get things done, but not so much time that you do not feel an urgency to get stuff done.
Do not set a date 6 months from now for a 5 minute short film, and expect to feel the urge to cast actors tomorrow.
I usually go for 1 month of pre-production. So if today is June 1, I plan on shooting around July 1. This usually gets me enough time but is soon enough to create a structured plan for the pre-production phase.
If you already have a lot of what you need (equipment, location, crew, cast), you can plan the date sooner.
If you’re out in the boonies, you might have to plan a bit longer because it can be challenging to find some of the stuff you need.
I’m in LA and I usually need a month for pre-production. I have given myself as little as 2 weeks to challenge myself and “see if I could do it”. I did it, but I was not as satisfied with the results and the shortened planning time detracted from the quality of the piece.
