Three West

One of the reasons I wanted to write a post about Guerrilla filmmaking is to help you put things into perspective when you are thinking about how to make films and what your goals are for making films. It is my thought that you have to really decide why you want to make films. For me, it didn’t take long for me to figure out that I do it because I absolutely love creating things. My reward for making a film is to see the end result. I see it as simply visual storytelling which compliments my natural love of telling rich stories. It’s really no deeper than that for me. I’m not saying this is the way it has to be for you, but I’m saying some love for the art should be there to sustain the excitement and joy of making films for the long run.

I will write from the perspective that you want to make films because you love visual storytelling and because you love having a bit of fun (well a lot of fun).  This fun I speak of is also the reason why I personally enjoy really bad “b” movies. I always watch them and think “Man I bet they had fun making that!”

So let’s get down to business. Basically there is none! guerrilla filmmaking can be structured or completely on the fly. It’s up to you. One of the things I find important when making films guerrilla style is to work with other people who feel similar to how you feel about making films. Nothing puts a damper on making a film guerrilla style than someone in the cast or crew dying to go to the Oscars. Don’t spend too much time with them. There are plenty of other film projects they can work on.

When you get your fun loving crew together (or you decide to go solo by personal choice or you don’t live near fun loving people), then decide what you are going to film and FILM IT. This is what guerrilla filmmaking is all about to me. Make a decision on a subject and film it. The key is to choose something you can afford or decide how you are going to fund-raise in a reasonable amount of time so that your work isn’t put on the “shelf” because you are spending too much time begging for money. Keep in mind, you can beg for money during various stages of production so you don’t really have to beg for all the money you think you will need before filming. I will write later about how I structure my finances so that I can make movies and live at the same time.

So when you’ve decided to make a film, spend no more than a week or two brainstorming on how to make your film happen. The FREE program I would higly recommend for planning your film from start to finish is Celtx. You just can’t get any better than this program and it’s FREE. So you can’t beat that. You can literally just plan the whole film in this program in a short period of time (if you care to plan at all. Guerrilla filmmaking doesn’t really require planning).

Another fantastic resource for guerrilla filmmakers is Simply Scripts. This is a website that offers FREE unproduced scripts for you to pick and choose from. I’ll tell you a short story. Being able to write creatively is one of the gifts I was born with so I thought I shouldn’t have any problem writing a screenplay. I didn’t have a problem writing it, I just didn’t like it. I’d written a screenplay for a film I wanted to do when I got my new DVX100b. We’ll call it a “screentest” if you will. And I tell you, it was quite time consuming for someone who just wants to start shooting. After that experience, I said from now on I’ll first look for scripts that have already been written first before I decide to write my own script again, unless I really have a story I want to tell that hasn’t already been written. So I decided to do a few shorts and stumbled upon Simply Scripts. I immediately found two FANTASTIC screenplays I wanted to do. I contacted the filmmakers and they were very enthusiastic about having me film their scripts. They were also willing to do rewrites when needed. Who could ask for more?

Don’t forget to use sites like Craigslist for cast and crew. There are always plenty of people willing to work on the same terms you are … FREE or for experience. Paying cast and crew isn’t bad either when making guerrilla films, just be sure to work out terms that are fair to everyone and you will build lasting relationships. Pay when you say you will, treat ALL of your cast and crew with respect and they will enjoy working with you again. This seems to be something filmmakers overlook. If you get cast or crew that are hard to work with, it is in the best interest of the film to let them go. It doesn’t matter what skill they have or how good they are. Don’t be a film whore. It’s your art, don’t let someone dictate it. Keep in mind there are billions of humans on the planet. Trust me, you can find someone else. Again, make sure you are being fair so always do a self-check first.

I find there are many guides out there telling you how to make films and they are usually very helpful. But the bottom line is, you have to make something and you have to do it now, not later. Even if you are just filming a 2 minute short featuring a beetle bug walking across hot asphalt. There is a lot you could do with that creatively and its a great way to learn about shooting from different angles, shooting handheld, editing, etc. Anytime you point and shoot your camera you are creating a learning opportunity for yourself.