A Film in Two Weeks: Assembling the Team

This is a series documenting the making of Blanc de Blanc, a feature-length film shot and edited in two weeks. The finished product is screening around Pittsburgh. Or, you can pre-order a DVD from the webpage.

Part III: Pre-production

You know how when you watch the bonus features on a DVD and they show those pre-production meetings where everyone's sitting around a big table in a big room? Everyone's got a copy of the script they've broken down, a big pile of notes, and a Starbucks to-go cup. They all seem so organized. You know the ones I mean? I've never sat at one of those tables. In the no-budget film world, that scene doesn't exist. We have our meetings in someone's living room or at a Starbucks or, if you work on one of my films, at a bar.

Actually, if you want to get people to work on a film without a budget, buying beer goes a long, long way.

Of course, we don't have a script to break down. All we've really got is a story and three weeks before we have to start shooting. Nor do we have a cast. Or a crew. Or equipment. Or money. In short, we're kind of in trouble.

Let's break this down into how we put together the separate components.

1. Cast. We have one cast member on board already. Rachel Shaw, who starred in my last film (gravida), is willing to play the female lead. She's a pretty great actress and we've worked together, so that's a variable out of the way. Plus, I know that she won't require a lot of direction during filming, which is extremely important for our time frame.

But the film centers around a male lead who has to be able to play well off her, so Rachel and I make a list of male actors in the city. Thing is, none of them are available for the dates we need. They all seem to be available in June, but that doesn't really help us. I was in a play[1] a couple of years ago with our first choice, Trent Wolfred, who has some limited availability (and agrees to play Rachel's brother), but suggests Jason Kirsch, a waiter whose restaurant recently closed (and who therefore has tons of time). I saw Jason once in a play, so I know he's pretty good. I meet with him at a coffee shop and he's perfect. He has the exact look we need and has a familiarity with the film's central mystery that you can't really learn.

Article Author: Lucas McNelly

Lucas McNelly @lmcnelly is the award-winning filmmaker behind UP COUNTRY, BLANC DE BLANC, and GRAVIDA. Maybe you've heard of him. Maybe you haven't.

Visit Lucas McNelly's author page — Lucas McNelly's Blog