The SHORT! Guide to Producing

Charles Merzbacher serves on the Film & Television faculty at Boston University. During his long career, he has overseen the production of several thousand student films and has delivered workshops and lectures at other institutions at home and abroad. As a filmmaker, Merzbacher has won several awards for his many productions. His feature film, Jane Street, premiered at the British Film Institute, and his short films have been exhibited around the world, including at the Sundance, San Francisco, Seattle and Montreal International Film Festivals.

Introduction - Looking Before Leaping



Be Prepared
Is There an Audience for This Short?
Defining the Producer’s Role
The Short Dilemma: Who’s in Charge?

Shoebox Redhead
: A Textbook Case
Terminology
Production Management Software

Chapter 1 - Getting Down to Business



Financing Your Film
Television Distribution
Government Support
The Funding of Student Productions
Private Foundations and Commercial Underwriting
Specialized Markets
Profit Versus Non-Profit
Ownership Versus Sponsorship
Online Fundraising Platforms
Appealing to Friends and Family
Setting Up to Do Business

Chapter 2 - Preproduction



Safety First
Clearing Rights to Intellectual Property
Copyright and the Public Domain
Story Rights
Screenplay Rights
An Overview of Preproduction and a Timeline

Chapter 3 - Script Breakdown



What Exactly Am I Producing?
Numbering Scenes
Measuring Scenes
Marking Up the Script: Know the Code
Putting the Code into Action

Chapter 4 - Breakdown Sheets



Creating Breakdown Sheets
How Many Sheets?
A Sample Sheet
Filling in the Header
Some Tricky Details
Pushing On

Chapter 5 - The Schedule



Building the Shooting Schedule
Options for Laying Out the Schedule
What Has Priority?
How Many Days?
Taking a Stab at It
The Arc of the Shoot
The Schedule in Overview

Chapter 6 - The Budget



The Secrets of Budgeting
The Architecture of a Budget
Different Kinds of Zeroes
Fringes, Per Diems and Other Budgeting Terms
Negotiating Rates with Vendors
To Buy or To Rent
A Budget Template

Chapter 7 - Beyond Budgeting Basics



Revealing Details
How Food Can (and Should) Eat Up Your Budget
Taxes, Mileage and Other Details that Can Break the Bank
A Walking Tour of a Budget
Stunts and Special Effects on a Budget

Chapter 8 - The Crew



How Big Is Big Enough?
Understanding Departments and Crew Hierarchy
Payments, Deferrals and Favors
Cutting Deals: From Box Rentals to Favored Nations

Chapter 9 - The Cast



The Producer’s Role in Casting
The Casting Process
Hiring a Casting Director
Producing Auditions
Casting Professionals and Actors from Other Regions
Working with the Actors’ Unions
Using Non-Actors, Friends and Other Special Cases
Casting Crowds
Performer Releases

Chapter 10 - Locations



Ask, Don’t Steal
Scouting Locations
Negotiating and Securing Locations
Copyright, Trademark and Fair Use
Insurance
A Note about Operating Vehicles and Heavy Machinery

Chapter 11 - Production Paperwork



Before You Roll: The Final Details
The Daily Production Schedule
Options for Displaying and Sharing Your Schedule
The Call Sheet and Other Paperwork
Purchase Orders
Working Away from Home

Chapter 12 - The Shoot



Once More with Feeling: Safety Matters
Riding the Whirlwind
Conceding, Settling, Hanging Tough and Whittling
How to Manage Crises and Tiffs (and How to Tell Them Apart)
Revising the Schedule During Production
Tracking the Budget Through Production

Chapter 13 - Music



Kinds of Film Music
Music Rights
Using Existing Music
Production Music and Music Libraries
Licensing Commercially Released Music
Working with a Composer
Temp Track Love

Chapter 14 - Postproduction



The Producer’s Role in Postproduction
Pick-Ups
Postproduction Workflow
Fixing It in Post: Color Correction and Other Adjustments
Mixing, Outputting and Archiving
Budgeting for Postproduction

Chapter 15 - Promotion and Distribution



The Ladder to Success
Distribution Strategies for the Short Film
Scarcity Versus Ubiquity
The Festival Circuit
The Press Kit and Other Promotional Materials
Deliverables
Online Distribution

Conclusion - The Long and the Short of It

Appendix A - Script for Shoebox Redhead

Appendix B - Budget for Shoebox Redhead

Appendix C - Contract Templates



Story Rights Agreement
Screenwriter Agreement
Example of Screenwriter Exhibit A
Work for Hire Agreement for Crew
Performer Agreement for Cast
Location Agreement
Synchronization License for Music
Master Use License for Music
Composer Agreement

Appendix D - Further Reading

Appendix E - Contributor Bios

Appendix F - Glossary of Terms

Acknowledgements

About the Author

Index