Scary Cow Productions, the San Francisco Bay Area filmmaker cooperative, commemorates its fifth year by hosting the Prime Cuts Indie Film Festival—a one-night only special movie screening at the Castro Theatre.

1.  Make the cast your top priority.

Treat your actors like royalty.   I’m not kidding.  Their needs come before everyone else’s if you want to run your production efficiently.  An insecure actor equals delays, frustration and confusion.   Having recently spent time in front of the camera I can testify that insecurity comes from a variety of places:  uncomfortable wardrobe, tricky stunts, complicated blocking, long monologues and plain old inexperience.  Any one of these factors can affect an actor’s ability to perform if you, the director, don’t give their concerns your top priority.  You must answer their questions and concerns first, with confidence, before you talk to your AD or your DP or check the playback of the take.  If you lose your actor’s confidence, it’s over.  I’ve seen it happen – an otherwise perfectly nice, agreeable, famous actress retreats to her trailer and summons the director, delaying the work.  While one never uses the t-word to an actor’s face, “keep the talent happy” is a common refrain whispered among crew members on every professional shoot.  Because the mood on-set trickles downhill, everyone knows that if the actors are happy, the odds of wrapping on time are excellent.

2.  Be the good cop. 

Let someone else be the bad cop.  That’s what AD’s and Producers are for.  As the director, you cannot afford to lose your temper, show signs of frustration, or complain that you’re tired.  EVER.  Especially on no-budget shoots, but even on union shows where everyone on the crew is taking home a hefty paycheck, it’s important that your crew remains loyal and solidly behind your mission of accomplishing the work of the day with a positive attitude.  If your attitude sours or weakens, so does everyone else’s.   If you get angry, you lose the confidence of the crew and you may not be able to get them back.  It is no fun working with a crew that hates you.

3.  Get back from lunch on time.

Stick to the schedule.   Be the first one on set in the morning and the first one back from lunch. Most professional crew members are well-practiced at being on time because lateness is not tolerated on a major feature film set.  Don’t make them feel like their time is being wasted while you loll about in the catering tent or, worse, in your trailer.

4.  Know what you want.

Shot lists, wardrobe choices, props and all other creative decisions should have been decided upon during pre-production.  Schedule as much time as you need to prepare so that when you are finally on set with your cast and crew, you can focus on getting the shots done.  I was actually on a set once, on location east of Palm Springs on a very hot morning in September, where 200 crew sat around on the tailgates of 10 18-wheelers drinking coffee while the director made changes to the shot list and scouted new locations.  We all bonded in that moment of resentment, but we all hated the director forever after.

I’ve witnessed directors handling these issues, for better and for worse, on no-budget Scary Cow shoots and on big-budget Hollywood studio features, and I’ve made these mistakes myself.  Crews work long hours, and sometimes days at a time, away from their families and friends, so make them happy they chose to work with you by adopting these four policies as part of your standard operating procedure.

The budget award winners with amount won are:

Ketheron’s Bucket-Mending & Hymen Emporium: ……………… $3,125.00

Smart Home: ………………………………………………………………. $2,125.00

The Dildos: ………………………………………………………………… $1,125.00

Two Words from our Sponsors: ………………………………………. $1,125.00

Drip: …………………………………………………………………………. $1,000.00

Second Wind: ……………………………………………………………… $1,000.00

An African Haiku: ………………………………………………………… $125.00

All In My Head: …………………………………………………………… $125.00

Baby Snatchers: ……………………………………………………………  $125.00

The Interview: …………………………………………………………….. $125.00

For a complete break down of which monetary and recognition awards were won, please click here.

Thank you again to all of our filmmakers and our audience for making this such a great screening possible.

We look forward to seeing you at our Round 16 Screening scheduled for March 3rd, 2012!

There is no free lunch. You are going to have to give to get. All negotiations whether they are social or professional, artistic or intellectual need to work from that fact.  If you are not skilled at fair negotiating, it will show in your film as well as bring you a million headaches while in production and make it very hard to attract crew or get invited on crews.  Here in Scary Cow we are a cooperative.  You want your negotiating tactics to be cooperative, not entitled or sloppy.

In low budget filmmaking we tend to have no or very little money to use as a motivation and/or compensation for goods and services. So we make choices to work without the things that will only be traded for with cash or we use what little cash we have for the things and people that will not accept anything else. Learn what your choices are as well as other the forms of compensation you have to entice people to work with you.  There are many ways to compensate another person for their services, time and goods. Money is the most versatile and therefore most popular, but it is still only one. I personally find it thrilling to troubleshoot all this and find it a fun way to build lasting personal and professional relationships.

You can lose crew and your reputation if you are disorganized, tardy, untruthful or lazy and just want others to make your film for you while you claim all credit. Those attitudes and behaviors are barley tolerated by folks that are paid by the hour to put up with them, volunteers run screaming from them!

The list of things people like to receive and will do things for is long. So you have more leverage here than you might have first thought you did, yea! First you need to know what other than money works and if you can make that happen in exchange for what you are seeking. Nice old-fashioned terms for this are bartering or horse-trading. Then determine the value and effort of what the person has and needs to do to get you what you want. Some people will do great things for something as simple as little forms of ego gratification. Others require you do something equally as laborious as what you are asking of them later for them on their project. Others are motivated by having something fun to do or learn and if your production style makes room for that in any part of the production process you will hook them in. Some people are all about the social rewards; the idea that they might get laid, make new friends, or get new professional contacts that they think only you and you crew can offer. Knowing what motivates people to perform for you is a crucial Director skill. In low budget filmmaking, it is crucial that the Producers also have this skill and knowledge about people, as they are the collectors of the resources of which crew is the most important part of.

Always ask yourself prior to contacting people to volunteer and throughout their working relationship with you: What is in it for them to work with me?  Start any request with 1) a statement of what you have to offer in return and 2) questions about what the potential crew member needs from you to do the job.  3) Never, ever assume they are just going to magically read your mind and show up with no enticement. Then once you have their commitment to you, nurture that commitment to keep it dynamic. The best way to do that is to be committed to them as well and respectful of their time and resources.  These people are arranging their precious free time to help you; they are also paying the same amount of member dues as you  are to get these experiences. Never forgot to re-pay favors that were granted to you by others.  Always be prepared no matter what your crew role is or if you own the project to cheerfully fetch coffee, sweep up debris and listen.  The people who tend to be the very ones with the more exciting and organized movie sets notice those actions and that cooperative attitude.

Giving proper credits on a film people are proud of is a strong enticement. But it requires that you understand exactly what the role is that you are crediting them for. Do not be sloppy or inaccurate with your credits, it will be discovered and cause resentments or mislead people who think someone has experience in a role that they do not and cause them and others to not learn of their real talents.  Don’t deny someone who helped you write your script a co-writing credit, which is also not cool.  Your film and its credits are a fairly permanent thing and will be referred to as a portrait of how you do business for all to see. The more accurate and fair you are the more attractive you are to quality crew people in the future.

Here are some examples of what I am doing as project owner and the producer/director. A) Being new to the herd I had to work harder to gain trust so I made a point of agreeing to work on any project that anyone on my project needed me on. I have done makeup and PA cleanup up for Erin Kane, she in return has given me great advice.  B) Jason my husband has been doing FX work on a few films that loaned us props or worked for us C) I got some new cows on my team that were having trouble finding places on other projects so I gave them new skills to learn on my set (sound and script supervision) and then I recommended them to other top crews. D) I put a lot of effort into hooking people up into carpools and making homemade healthy warm meals. E) I remind myself that these folks are giving up time with their families to work with me and I work hard to have the best AD and Co-producer Veronica Craven  (I really owe her now;) to keep us on time and organized to respect this sacrifice from people who may not even know me.  F) I got a top DP and remind him that I will do whatever he needs in return for the long physical hours and the use of his expensive gear. I have given him use of my home for meetings for his projects and I am still in great debt to him. G) I make it my business to ask if everyone is getting his or her monthly dues worth to work for me. H) I do not wait for a complaint, I check in with folks frequently but if a complaint comes in my attitude is the buck stops with me and I fix it. I do not shrug it off or blame others.

In our co-op here at SC, you are in friendly competition with other project leaders to gain the attention and limited free time of the more skilled crew members.  If you mistreat a PA one day, you might find that in the next round, they’re the project owner of a great film you now can’t get on!  If you fail to do the above you will burn a bridges and people may see you (and warn others) as a disorganized user that will waste their time and that you are not a cooperative person to happily trade skills and goods with.  Another way to work with this is to take extra time in your production to train people so you are adding more skilled people to the herd.  Everyone on your crew is paying dues to work together, they have a stake in getting their needs met for joining the herd and learning is a top priority for most of us. After all everyone is paying monthly dues to learn, make a movie, get credits and have a good time…not just the project owners, producer or directors.

Can you walk and talk?  If the answer is yes, we’re not only willing to have you on our crew, we need you.

From the crew’s point of view, Production Assistants are the main source of information on a film set.  It’s an entry-level job, but an important one.  Each day, good PA’s arm themselves with as much information as they can get their hands on – call sheets and shooting schedules, the moment-to-moment whereabouts of every key crew member and the cast,  where the bathrooms are, and where and at what time the crew will be eating lunch – and each day they are relied upon to convey that information to everyone who asks.  Despite being at the bottom of the film industry food chain, they are expected to know everything and if you do, it can pay off in all kinds of opportunities to learn and network your way to a better job.
Read on to see the PA Checklist…

The PA checklist

At the beginning of each shoot day, arm yourself with the following items:

• 4 ballpoint pens, 3 of which you will likely loan out
• 1 red sharpie for changing call sheets on the fly
• 3 copies of the day’s call sheet, 2 of which you’ll probably give away
• 1 copy of the shooting schedule
• a wristwatch (NOT your cell phone)
• C47’s for the crew– as many clothes pins as you can clip to your clothing
• 2 extra walkie-talkie batteries

How to spend your day

• Show up 10 minutes before your call time and be on walkie-talkie before the Assistant Directors
• Know where key personnel are at all times so you can find them when needed
• Loudly (quietly, if you don’t have shooting permits) call out the commands you hear over the walkie from the AD’s to the rest of the crew, i.e. “Picture’s up!” “Rolling!” “Cut!”
• Keep the crew quiet while the camera is rolling or when the director is speaking on set
• Review your call sheet often so you always know what’s happening next
• Pay attention and learn to anticipate what or who will be needed on set
• Go to the camera for every new set up so that you know what the shot is and can help the crew understand where to stand or stage equipment during filming
• As assigned by your AD, guard doors, driveways and sidewalks from passersby who may ruin a take; politely stop them until you hear “Cut!”
• Run everywhere

See?  You’re qualified!  That’s it.  It’s a simple job, but an exhausting one.  Then again, 12-hour shooting days are exhausting for everyone, aren’t they?  Don’t worry, you’ll catch up on sleep on your day off.

First up is Devious, Inc. It’s having its premiere on April 15th at the Victoria Theatre as the conclusion to a whirlwind night of some of the most interesting and diverse shorts out there as part of the San Francisco Underground Film Festival. Devious, Inc. is the second feature Scary Cow has released to the public and we’re so excited to see xuxE and the entire Hella Fresh Films crew bringing this colorful, creative, and certainly unique feature film to the big screen!

At the same festival we’ve got two more films that were accepted into the program: A must-not-miss zombie film called “7 Minutes from Hell” from our own Alexa Fraser-Herron and “Lazarus Go Home” by the always inspiring Rowan Brooks.

So go see some amazing films and also support Scary Cow and local bay area filmmakers! You can pick up your tickets to the festival by clicking here.

If that wasn’t enough news, we also have two films just announced in the Sonoma International Film Festival! We’re happy to announce that Anton H. Gill and Christopher McGilvray‘s film “Damage” will be shown in the Shorts Program II! Also, showing in the Short Docs Program, you’ll find “Behind The Bush” -Kristian Ruggieri and Alison Hawke’s exploration of the Bushmen of San Francisco.

Screenings start next week and tickets can be purchases by clicking here.

Congratulations to all of the filmmakers, crew, and cast that brought these simple ideas to life. Scary Cow is so proud to have helped such great group of people bringing their ideas to life and watching them find audiences to spread their message to.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Actor - Bruno Kanter

Actor - Constance Hasapopoulos

Actor - Jan Freifeld

Actor - Suzanne Birrell

Actor - Scott Bergquist

Actor - Michael Tatmon

Actor - Alicia Alexander

Actor - Cherie Arnold

Actor - Steve Barkow

Actor - Candace Brown

Actor - Jana Clark

Actor - Roy Chittivaranow

Actor - Rick Downey

Actor - Nailah Franklin

Actor - Kathy Ferraez

Actor - Carol Griffin

Actor - Tim Griffin

Actor - Tom Hanan

Actor - Tim Hendrixson

Actor - Angela (Rune) Horner

Actor - Suzanne Jones

Actor - Mary Knoll

Actor - Shelly Kudrov

Actor - Joseph Liggio

Actor - David W. Pearson

Actor - Kiri Lo

Actor - Jan Rhoades

Actor - Mirion Lowry

Actor - Caitlin McBride

Actor - Mariah McKay

Actor - Jeff Newberry

Actor - Martha Pearson

Actor - William Earl Pulliam

Actor - Jack Sochan

Actor - Thomas W. Stewart

Actor - Jane Stillwater

Actor - David Sytkowski

Actor - Vicki Trent

Actor - Tony Washington

Actor - Dorothy Wilder

Actor - Kevin Worley

Actor - Anne Worley

Actor - Sonny Yamanchi

Assistant Camera Operator - Sara Bennett

Assistant Director - Erin Kane

Assistant Director - Robert Hammond

Associate Producer - Alex Lin

Best Boy Electric (Lighting Tech) - Jimmy Houng

Best Boy Electric (Lighting Tech) - Amy Puzia

Camera Operator - Scott Krinsky

Camera Operator - Chris McGilvray

Camera Operator - Albert Casselhoff

Colorist - John Pilgrim

Director - Chris McGilvray

Director of Photography - Scott Krinsky

Editor - Aaron Fischer

Gaffer - Rich Wells

Gaffer - Terry VerHaar

Graphic Artwork - Sergey Berezin

Makeup Artist - Maria O’Reilly

Makeup Artist - Jennifer Pons

Makeup Artist - Debbie Rakotomalala

Music - Alex Kelly

Post-Production Sound Designer - Richard Ross

Producer - Anton H. Gill

Production Assistant - Gary Weber

Production Assistant - Brenda Bryant

Production Assistant - Edward Calderon

Production Assistant - Danita Eason

Production Assistant - Bryan Irwin

Production Assistant - Matthew Moenich

Production Audio Engineer - Richard Ross

Script Supervisor/Continuity - Alexa Fraser-Herron

Writer - Anton H. Gill

Other - Heather Morrison

Other - Eamon Banta

Other - Derek W. Adam

Other - Aida Daay

Other - Stan Ng

Other - Amy Puzia

Assistant Director – Fabian Fernandez

Associate Producer – Scott Krinsky

Camera Operator – Scott Krinsky

Camera Operator – Aaron Fagerstrom

Director – Rowan Brooks

Director of Photography – Chris Rasmussen

Gaffer – Terry VerHaar

Post-Production Sound Designer – Michael Schrecker

Production Manager – A.Z. Ocoza

Production Assistant – Suzanne Connolly

Production Assistant – Dex Tarantan

Production Assistant – Danita Eason

Sound – John Howard

Actor - Angelyne Tompkins

Actor - Gregory Jacobs

Actor - David Johnson

Actor - Larry Woods

Actor - Nikki Araguz

Actor - Simon Nelson

Actor - Eliane Mueller

Actor - Karen Nelson

Actor - Dan Annis

Actor - Qian Mo-Falgairette

Actor - Juliana Grist

Actor - Robert Heart

Actor - Jenise Kelleher

Actor - Paul Lopez

Actor - Tatum Radcliffe

Cinematographer - Terry VerHaar

Cinematographer - Eric Odland

Composer - Jake Kaufman

Composer - Jack Waldenmaier

Director - Kristian Ruggieri

Director - Alison Hawkes

Editor - Edmondo Tinetti

Post-Production Sound Designer - Edmondo Tinetti

Producer - Kristian Ruggieri

Producer - Alison Hawkes

Production Assistant - Christine Anderson

Production Assistant - Naseem Badiey

Production Assistant - Shereen Daly

Production Assistant - Debbie Rakotomalala

Production Assistant - Jonathan Smith

Production Assistant - Ariel Sugar

Sound - Alison Hawkes

Sound - Kristian Ruggieri

Other - Aida Daay

Actor - Devin Kordt-Thomas

Actor - Liam Hughes

Actor - Paul Baird

Actor - Raul Bustamante

Actor - Devin Kordt-Thomas

Actor - Tim Lajcik

Actor - Stephen Pawley

Actor - Bob Saenz

Actor - Nick Frangione

Actor - Wes Fisher

Actor - Rick Osmon

Actor - Tyler Kowalski

Actor - Beltrán Luque

Actor - Frank Lucatuorto

Actor - Franck Tabouring

Actor - Joshua Smith

Art Director - Harmony Nichol

Assistant Art Director - Tyler Kowalski

Composer - John Turner

Director - Devin Kordt-Thomas

Director of Photography - Dipayan Pathak

Director of Photography - Dipayan Pathak

Editor - Franck Tabouring

Editor - Franck Tabouring

Graphic Artwork - Garrick Naguit

Lighting - Beltrán Luque

Makeup Artist - Jihyun Kim

Makeup Artist - Kimiya Hicks

Producer - Devin Kordt-Thomas

Production Assistant - Puppet Mills

Production Assistant - Wes Fisher

Production Assistant - Lettie Villavicencio

Production Assistant - Rick Osmon

Script Supervisor/Continuity - Maxine Stover

Sound - Darcel Walker

Writer - Devin Kordt-Thomas

Other - Frank Lucatuorto

Other - Nick Frangione

Other - Joshua Smith