Throughout the years I have found the following problems in independent filmmaking groups:
1) Lack of proper organization, policies, and procedures. The group is treated as a volunteer non-profit group, so people don’t commit. There’s no structure or authority. A film set cannot function without order and authority. Accidents and mistakes happen that affect the entire project.
2) During production Heads of Departments are led by those without experience. This jeopardizes the entire film set. It’s okay to have production assistants and interns learning on the job, but the one running the department should have some type of experience.
3) Most filmmaking groups make amateur student films that go nowhere. In the end, there’s bad sound, bad acting, horrible plot, cliché and trope dialogue, the writing is bad, the camera work is subpar with out-of-focus shots, etc. In the end, after all resources and manpower have been spent, the group is left with a poor product that cannot be used in anyone’s portfolio and is not worthy of festival submission. The core of the project, the script, must be amazing and proper screenwriters need to be in the group.
4) Egos, envy, and drama. Countless stories of bickering and pettiness on productions, power grabs, and screwing each other over. Not to mention, not respecting the equipment that is used. Interns and Production Assistants need to be properly trained to use the equipment.
5) Sexual tension, perversion, and hook-up culture. Many times members come looking for a relationship or cause female members to feel uncomfortable and invaded. Sometimes it was consensual, and the constant flirting and advances made on set became an unwanted distraction. This caused tons of drama and sexual tension on set which affected the entire crew during production.
6) Flakes and trying to create amazing projects without strong and firm commitments. Since most of the filmmaking groups were free and volunteer based, when it came down to consistent participation, collaboration, or sacrificing certain weekends to film, most members flake. They had no true stake in the community, so it didn’t matter to them whether they fulfilled their commitments or not. A strong community is built on the commitments of its members, and there must be a social contract or agreement between members to ensure this.
7) Time and scheduling. Because there is no real commitment, most members do not prioritize production dates or flake on commitments. Within reason, this is understandable, but there has to be a certain level of time commitment and sacrifice if the community wants to get some serious projects completed. Goals and time limits need to be adhered to. A set time for pre-production, production, and post-production. I remember one time we waited 3 months for our editor to finish editing a short we produced. It was ridiculous. A proper production schedule needs to be set, and the entire team needs to adapt to that schedule.
8) Finally, lack of a professional and ethical environment. The group is treated like a hobby or non-profit and is not taken seriously. In order for any group to see success as a group and produce good products, it has to be treated like a business with purpose, procedures, and professionalism.
And so seeing all these problems in other filmmaking groups, The Collective was born.
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