A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO MAKING YOUR OWN SITCOM: PART 2
Hello and welcome to part two of my beginner’s guide to filming your own sitcom. Like all good guides – maybe – this guide comes in three parts. The first one can be found here and focuses on what to do before the shoot. This part, aka the one you are reading this very second, offers tips on how to ensure the shoot itself goes smoothly and part three will look into post-production.
The reason I have written this guide is because this year I decided to make my own sitcom pilot called OLD. For more information on OLD, you can visit this British Comedy Guide page.
Although the characters for OLD have been with me for many years, I started this filming project in January 2018. It is currently being premiered and will shortly be available to watch online. While I am still a novice when it comes to film making, I am certainly learning a thing or two over these nine months (like a pregnant woman might). I hope this guide is useful for anyone who is also considering filming their own work.
So without future ado, here are my 8 TIPS for DURING THE SHOOT.
1. FEED ‘EM UP!
I covered this a little bit in the first part of this guide, but I think it is worth hammering home here. If you are hiring cast or crew on low budget, or no budget, then the least you can do it feed them well. Robin Bailes, who I met through London Comedy Writers and who assisted with the filming of OLD, first served up this valuable piece of information. Even though time can be tight on set – I think having a designated lunch break everyday with food that is healthy and not too stodgy is definitely worth any ‘waste’ of time. People aren’t machines – and they are more productive, happier and funnier with something in their bellies.
2. DO SOME REHEARSING (if possible!)
Okay, fine, we didn’t do this on OLD – but that’s because the actors came from different parts of the country and we were stretching ourselves to the max filming 30 minutes in four days. But I do think that if you have time for rehearsals on set then it is a wise idea. When I managed to get two of the actors in the same room for a line read-through, we considerably improved their dynamic, so I can only imagine that a proper rehearsal would benefit a production. What we did do on OLD though was a line read-through with the whole cast (including someone we Skyped in) the evening before the shoot. This was valuable because I could hear it aloud – and the actors got a chance to suss each other out – we also socialised and ate together which I think was a good way to start the shoot.
3. BEEF UP YOUR CREW
On OLD, we had two assistants helping on the set – Robin Bailes and Maddy Couch. Before the shoot I thought one would be enough, but the truth is you probably need two – and three might be even better. If you think about how many people work on a TV set then it makes sense that if you can get good and reliable people involved – then do. Also making sure someone has transportation – aka a car – can be invaluable if you need to transport people or food around (I owe a lot of thanks to Maddy here!). And delegation is key – on the first day we sort of used the assistants when we needed them but that meant there were times when they didn’t know exactly what they should be doing. I would advise writing up a to do list for each runner/assistant so they know if they are doing props, following the script, taking notes, or being the actors fluffer. Okay, not an actual fluffer (do some googling!), but someone who looks after the actors and keeps them feeling positive. I spent the first day with a massive folder in my hands, trying to follow the dialogue, and that’s not what a director should be doing. The director should be looking through the camera’s monitor – which I think I learnt to do on the third day…
4. MAKE TIME FOR PRODUCTION MEETINGS
Trust me, the last thing you feel like doing after a day of filming is having a production meeting. But you must – or so said my cameraman Graham Trelfer – who turned out to be very right. These meetings are important to have so you can plan what you are going to film the next day, what time the actors need to come in, what scenes can be bumped forward if time runs out. It is also useful to be flexible – you might be tempted to stick to your call sheet (see part 1) – but that should only be a guideline. For example, you don’t need all the actors in at the crack of dawn if some of them are only in the final scene of the day. They will appreciate it if you give them a lie in if possible – and be in better spirits later on. You should also have a production meeting in the morning just to reconfirm the plan for the day. For example, if it is raining and you planned to film all your outside scenes – then you need to do some rearranging – and quick smart.
5. TRACK THE LIGHT
When it comes to filming, light is very important. If you have been planning properly, then you will know the hours of daylight for the time of year you are filming and therefore how long you have for the daytime/outside scenes. But light is more complicated than that because it changes throughout the day – so it is wise to consider if it is changing too much within a scene. If you cannot afford to use a colour grader in post-production, and you don’t have someone doing the lighting, then try to film scenes in the same light and also avoid filming by a window as overexposure is very hard to avoid. And it looks really bad.
6. BE PROFFESH
So this is basic stuff but we are all basic people, right? It is good to film your production as professionally as possible so purchase a clapperboard, as firstly they are mega cool and secondly it saves a lot of time in post production. The clap of the clapperboard marks a point on the audio so it helps the editor synchronise picture and sound – or something like that. So you’ve heard of lights, camera, action – the order for our shoot – was:
- ‘speed’ (which is what the sound person says when they are recording – ps. you need a sound person)
- ‘rollin’’ (what the cameraperson says when they are filming)
- ‘clap’ – goes the clapperboard
- ‘action’ (what the director says, if they remember!)
7. RUN THROUGH THE WHOLE SCENE
If you are up against the clock, it can be tempting to just pick and choose lines for the actors to deliver from particular angles/shots. However, the problem with doing this is that you can miss some priceless reaction shots from the actors. It may feel boring, and pointless, but making sure you have a good take of the whole scene from every angle is a good idea. Note, that take doesn’t have to run straight through though. As a first time director, the temptation is to stop the take every time one of the actors makes a mistake. However, this isn’t possible unless you have a lot of time, so you need to put your editing cap on, and that means if you have already got that line/part in the bag, you don’t need the actors to deliver the whole scene perfectly. I think this is a skill that develops with practice – and therefore it is why it is so important to have an experienced crew around you – particular camera person – as they will know when you need to do retakes. Especially if they also know how to edit.
8. KEEP CALM AND COMEDY ON
Being a director of your own script is a nerve-wracking experience. Firstly, if this is a passion project, it is going to mean ever so much to you as you have a fair amount of pride riding on it – as well as some investment behind it. There are also a lot of people on set relying on you to know what you are doing. You have gathered all these people together to make something, and you should have a feeling of responsibility for them. Are they okay? Are they alive? Did you kill one of them? This sort of thing. But if you are a director that carries that stress on your face, it is likely you will drag the whole ship down. Anxiety, negativity, worry – it all travels. However, how do you hide that stuff? Well I think while it is kind of tricky, there are possibly two ways to keep yourself calm on set – 1) surround yourself with an experienced, friendly and fun crew 2) surrender some things to fate. Because there are so many different elements at play when you create a piece of film, you are inevitably going to get things wrong. But I think you are much more likely to get things right when you are relaxed about proceedings. When the people around you are laughing – you should take that as a good sign.
Part two over and out. Oh – actually – one final thing that Graham also made me do – was to give each member of the cast a round of applause after their final scene and to say ‘that’s a wrap for (insert character name)’. It is things like this that keep actors chirpy and the energy up – so it’s gooood. I will be back with post-production tips at a later date. If you have any questions, then fire away below or on my OLD Comedy Crowd project page.