4 WAYS TO BE A PROFESSIONAL FILMMAKER

BEFORE YOU START ROLLING

Professionalism doesn’t start after your graduate film school. If you are serious about being a filmmaker, your professionalism starts before you send out your first cast call. You may think of professionalism as being able to pay your cast or being organized with contracts or call sheets. But, being professional can start way before you step onto set which is important when you are trying to attract other professionals to your production in the first place.

Spelling and Grammar

For me, spelling and grammar tops the list for being professional in any field. This aspect can be so obvious that unfortunately it sometimes gets overlooked. We understand that in a world full of digital, text communication, typos will happen, but paying more attention to your communications will put you above other professionals in an incredibly fast and easy way.

Often, an email or message may be the first way you begin communication with a new cast or crew member (even before you hire them!). This first impression may be all a colleague has to discern your intelligence and attentiveness. Unfortunately for those who choose to not use correct punctuation or grammar, it can waver your credibility immediately. Always make sure to represent yourself in the best light possible. Understanding and implementing correct English conventions will win the trust and respect of your cast, crew and filmmaker community.

Good Communication

Speaking of digital communication, if you’re a producer or director running the show, a sign of professionalism is making sure communication is open and efficient. As soon as you start staffing, make sure you adopt the habit of being available through any means of contact you make known. I.e. if you add your phone number in your email signature, be responsible and answer texts or calls. When you are on the go, make sure to at least tell your cast and crew member that you have seen their message and will respond as soon as possible.

Don’t let emails, messages or texts sit unattended for days when your cast/crew relies on your answers.

PRO-TIP: Gauge your sense of humor. In filmmaking, business precedes friendship when your priority is your final product. Make sure your new cast and crew are comfortable with the production they’ve just signed on to. I once had a director who sent out a crew list labeling himself “Kingpin” and the PAs “minions”. Film sets may be the #1 place where you meet new people and future colleagues, but after just casting them, they are still discerning whether you are serious about filmmaking. Who wants to waste their time on a director who thinks this is a joke?

Honesty and Transparency

There is no faster way to lose the trust and respect of cast or crew than to lie to them. And, remember, lying also includes keeping big details from them that are relevant to their role on set. Horror stories about producers or directors relaying that the role is paid (but it’s not) or they definitely have distribution deals (when they don’t) pepper every local industry. It can also include, for example, springing a nude scene on an actor the day of filming.

Sometimes big plans fall through, or other times you try to hype up the status of your production to seem worth everyone’s time. But managing expectations accurately makes you the more trustworthy and honorable director that everyone will continue to rely on. Read How To Spot A Scam In Your Film Industry to see if you are accidentally tipping off your cast/crew that things are not as they seem.

Awareness of Production Conventions

You don’t always have to follow the rules of filmmaking to a T, but make sure you are aware of production conventions before you take control of a set. What do I mean when I say “production conventions”? Truth is, every set is different: you may want to run your film production your own way. But, having knowledge of proper etiquette when it comes to hiring cast and crew, scheduling your day, managing responsibilities and communicating with everyone is crucial.

Filmmaking has its own language and expectations in order to run production smoothly. The best cast and crew will have worked on a range of sets and have an idea of how they should be treated or what their responsibilities are. Make sure you have been a crew member on other film sets before you barrel into your own production. Take a practical filmmaking course or become a PA on other film sets. You don’t want to hire professionals on your team just to be out of step with everyone else. To be the best boss you have to have been a good student. Learn the ropes before you innovate the field.