35 Tips for Self-Management as a Musician

35 Tips for Self-Management
as a Musicianby Christopher Knab - Fourfront Media & Music - May 2003

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Back to The Academy

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Most musicians say they want to make a lot of money with their music, but when it comes down to it, few are willing to do what it takes to have their music heard, promoted, and marketed. Self-management can be the cure-all for many dedicated, passionate, and talented musicians who are willing to put their careers on the line by working hard to carve out their own unique musical niche. The following tips are suggested for any musician who wants to manage their careers as a business. You need to develop the skills of being a good business manager. Here are 35 tips to get you started.
1. Know what you value most from making your music, and honor your values
2. Set up your music career as a business, (sole proprietorship, partnership, or corporation?) and keep good records
3. Decide what kind of career success you want, & evaluate your creative/business skills
4. Prepare an overview, or draft of a career plan that address your goals
5. Outline specific strategies to achieve your goals, and pick specific tasks to work on
6. Remember that getting there IS the trip, and once you arrive somewhere...where next?
7. Don’t forget that killing time also kills success
8. Don’t let a day go by without doing something to keep you to your plan
9. Stay focused on what you have planned to do, and don’t run away from it
10. Be sure to get regular feedback on your music from the music business contacts you have made
11. Stay informed: read books and articles on the business of music regularly
12. Organize your office space, and keep it organized
13. Practice your communication skills in person, as well as on the phone
14. Be sure to follow-up on any promises you have made to anyone in the business
15. Create a Webpage, and promote it aggressively.
16. Join and support music/musician associations; participate in membership activities
17. Remember that you are not alone as a musician, find unique networking opportunities
18. Don’t stay frozen in one belief system; be willing to let go and learn
19. When something doesn’t work…stop doing it, and don’t do it again
20. Be sure to give yourself time to stop and do nothing. i.e. Rest!
21. Keep your physical self in good shape, and eat a reasonably healthy diet
22. Identify who your most important friends and supporters are, and don’t forget them
23. At least once a year, study some topic you would not normally consider studying
24. Go out! Wherever your office is, take regular breaks, and pace yourself accordingly
25. Seek inspiration from unlikely sources
26. Don’t let any kind of success you create get to your head. Be grateful, and move on
27. Don’t blame other people for your struggles
28. Take advice only from those who have earned it
29. If you can’t or don’t want to do some particular task...don’t; hire out intelligently
30. Find out what your personal work rhythms are, and honor them
31. Nurture your relationship with fans, and communicate with them regularly
32. Only use attorneys, booking agents, and publicists with music business backgrounds
33. Realize that the unexpected may show up at any moment, and be able to react to it
34. Don’t follow trends, observe them and learn from them
35. Realize that performing, promoting, and marketing in non-traditional ways are much easier to do than trying to act like a superstar.

THE SECRET TO BEING A GOOD ARTIST MANAGER

THE SECRET TO BEING A GOOD ARTIST MANAGER

Posted by skindeepdj on November 6, 2012 · Leave a Comment 

A lot of people have been asking me for advice with regards to Artist Management, some are aspiring managers and some musicians looking for managers.
So I then decided to share the little knowledge I know, through my experiences and what I’ve read writen by experts…..

Well here’s my 2 cents worth advice to anyone interested:

*Managing an artist’s career requires interaction with people of all personality types under many pleasant and some unpleasant circumstances
* Among the most challenging can be those times when it is necessary to manage around the ego of another.
* Managing an artist requires patience and understanding of that person’s behaviour and attitude.
* The music business is one where egos thrive, with many trying to be “somebody” or trying to assert that they already are somebody.
* The biggest problem in Managing an artist is when the manager him/herself is arrogant and ego-driven and that’s always the biggest problem in the South African music industry

Leadership is an important skill of a Manager at the beginning of an Artist’s career or at the beginning of the Artist-manager relationship.
* The influence of an Artist Manager on the early planning and development of an artist’s career is what helps the artist develop a focus and an organised purpose.
* It is important for the manager to keep good relations with Booking Agencies/Promoters and key Media people.
* The higher the demand for an Artist, the easier the job is for the manager.

* THE MOST DIFFICULT ARTIST TO MANAGE, IS ONE WITH NO HIT SINGLE OR BRAND VISIBILITY.

- A hit single that is on high rotation on radio and tv attracts the attention of promoters, meaning the manager no longer makes calls for bookings, they automatically come due to the artist’s popularity and relevance.
– In many occasions, I have been approached by artists with no hit singles or songs that have potential to be hit singles and honestly it has always been a challenge for me because my belief is that a Manager is mostly required when an artist can’t handle all the work on their own.
– I don’t believe in artists being “spoon-fed”!!!

* Networking is key in building an Artist’s career.
* If an Artist Manager, in the music business cannot get a call returned, they are ineffective, so building a network of contacts & relationships early in a career is extremely important.
* To build a network, a manager must be willing to become involved in both the business and social sides of the music industry.
* When an artist has become popular, there are demands on their time that the manager must try to meet because an artist’s career in the music business has a limited shelf life, and there is an urgency to draw as much from it as possible while demand is there
* As a manager, you must always be prepared for business regardless of the time of the day or day of the week; which means as a manager you do not have set office hours with weekends and holidays off or vacation.
* As an Artist Manager you are responsible for the success of every performance an artist makes.
* Being a manager comes with a lot of stress and pressure, with everyone shifting the blame on you when something goes wrong, it is important to keep a calm and be able to absorb all the pressure under any circumstance.
* Attending industry events, award shows, launches is key in order to meet key players who may be helpful in the careers of both the manager and artist.

- For Artist Managers, being social means having a congenial and approachable style that gives the appearance of being comfortable in many casual and business settings
– An allied social skill is to know the appropriate attire for different types of business meetings and events; not every artist manager enjoys social settings, but being part of them is a requirement of the job.
– Communication is key in an Artist Manager’s job, from communicating the artist and business associates.
-Persistence is highly important in being an Artist Manager, avoid being aggressive in getting your artist out there.

REQUIRED SKILLS TO BE A GOOD MANAGER:

* The best managers understand salesmanship and use those skills to create an interest by others in their clients. They use persuasion to influence and motivate industry gatekeepers on behalf of their artists.
* Artist Managers have a good sense of business, and are good at budgeting both time and money.
* An Artist Manager has the necessary technical skills to deal with everyone from the Promoter to the sound technician at an artist’s performance.
* Managers must keep their focus on the artist’s career, and also keep the artist from being distracted by the frustrations that go along with pursuing a competitive, high-rewards career. The artist too must maintain a focus on goals and it is the challenge of the manager to keep them motivated.
* Another important skill is to be able to solve problems,like defusing conflicts, resolving interpersonal issues, finding other ways to get results and being the “go to” person when major components of an event for the artist begin to fall apart.

HARSH REALITIES OF BEING A MANAGER:

* A lot of people will say no and a lot of gatekeepers will seem immovable. When they say “No”, it is not personal to the manager, it simply means you must find a way to get past the gatekeeper or pursue another that is more likely to give you an audience. Another way to get past them is to find someone in your network who can open that door for you.
* If your phone calls are not returned or your emails not acknowledged, it is not personal, it just means you haven’t developed the perception that you offer something that will improve the other person’s business.
* Keeping the spirits of your artists up during a continuing career roller coaster will be draining for you. Understand that the pursuit if opportunities for your artist will include manny rejections due primarily to competition within the industry
* Many will tell you whatever is necessary to get you off the phone or their doorstep if they think you have nothing to contribute to their business. Things like “I’m in a meeting” “I’ll call you back” and they never do, but don’t take it personal
* People will disappoint you, especially those you dependent on
* The agendas of many people in the music business determine whether you matter to them. If you manage a significant artist, they will stumble over each other to get a conversation with you, if you are a former manager if a major artist or artist that’s not popular yet, you might get a lame hello or none at all from music industry people.

TIPS ON BECOMING A GOOD MANAGER:

* Give yourself a good self-assessment by looking at the strengths you have and how you will use those to the best advantage of yourself and your clients.

* Under every circumstance, act and be professional

* Build and maintain a network of contacts, that means calling on your contacts for assistance when you need it but it also means offering help when they don’t expect it.

* The smartest managers recognise that for a genuine growth, a career requires continuous education. Read books!!!!

* Know the business etiquette for the music industry.

* Be prepared for career setbacks and brace yourself for recovery

* Be better than your competing Artist Managers and become known as an expert

* Look successful even though your career is still a work in progress.

5 Ways to Market Your Talents and Build Personal Brand

1. Know exactly what it is you do to or for others.
You need to be able to express this in a very short, memorable sentence, so that when people have a particular issue that you can solve they immediately think of you. Most 'branders' will tell you it has to be 12 or less words, some say 7, some say even 2 or 3. Whatever it ends up being make it impactful.

2. Make it impossible someone to say no to you after they have met you.
If you have managed to do all the hard work and gained someone’s attention, make sure that you provide them with enough that they feel they cannot leave the interaction without wanting more. Might be another meeting, a request to follow up or to see a portfolio.

3. Do not shy away from what you do and love what it does for others.
If you are not passionate about what it is you do, if you are embarrassed when people ask, then its draining and negatively impacting on all that you do. Find something that connects with your values and delivers a difference. This is perfectly possible in a corporate environment.

4. Do not be like the cobbler and his children.
Quite often I hear the phrase "Typical, its like the cobbler who's children had no shoes.....” I will admit it, even I am guilty of this sometimes. But bottom line is that we should always be walking our talk - if you are in finance be sure your personal money is in order, if you are in IT don't have an overflowing inbox, if you are in marketing have a portfolio that reflects that.

5. Do more of what you are good at, leverage your talents.
What are you particularly known for, your unique ability? How can this be weaved more consistently in to your everyday actions? Become known for something that proves to be invaluable, because then you are.

Acting Methods:

Acting Methods:
 "Exactly What Are They And What Will They Do For You?"

Acting Technique, Acting Methods, Acting Styles,

Let's clear a few things up first about these different terms and what they really mean.....

Acting Technique

Teaches you how to analyze and breakdown a script, discover who your character is, their relationship to others and their place in the story, explore what actions they do and how to justify them .

It's how you train to be an actor. It's the foundation, a repeatable process, by which you base how to act.

Acting Methods

Over the years several different teachers pioneered their own methods to help actors to produce a realistic approach to understanding a character and making them believable.Is simply an interpretation of how to teach acting technique.

This why there are various schools of thought, first started by Stanislavski and inspiring other methods to branch off from this by Stella Adler, Sanford Meisner and Lee Strasberg.

Because these acting methods originated from the one source, they all cross over each other with things in common as well has having differences.

And then came another acting method called practical aesthetics but that's for another day, I don't want to confuse you.

Acting Styles

Now this is a different kettle of fish altogether!

To me it means the medium in which your performing.

Let me explain.....although you use your acting technique to prepare for acting roles, you have to understand what your performing in.

Acting for film and television is a different acting style compared to theatre acting. Comedy sitcom acting, although it's television is a different style to television drama. Voice-over acting is different to commercial acting.

These are all different acting styles which you apply your acting technique to.

What Is Method Acting?

Method Acting is an acting technique used by many actors to create a realistic character out of imaginary circumstances.

Encouraging the actor to rely on their own personal memories and past experiences to build a character and their life around them.

Originally known as 'The System' it was developed by Constantin Stanislavski in the late 1890's out of the Moscow Art Theatre. And continued throughout the twentieth century with the foundation of the Group Theatre and the Actor's Studio in New York.

However..... three actors in the group, Stella Adler, Sanford Meisner and Lee Strasberg couldn't agree on how to teach this new method of acting technique and soon parted ways, branching off to form their own methods. Using their own interpretation of how this acting technique should be taught.

It was from here that Strasberg adopted the term 'The Method'.

So What Are The Differences Between These Acting Methods?

To tell you about the differences I have to introduce the teachers who taught them.

Just so you get a better understanding of why they tweaked the original Stanislavski method to suit what they thought would be better for the actor.

So let's play a game of Who Is....?

Who Is Stella Adler?

Stella Adler was the only one of the three who actually trained under Stanislavski intensively for five weeks, after moving to Paris in 1934 with her then husband Harold Clureman.

Her disagreement with Strasberg was thatactors should rely upon imagination and the use of actions to produce a realistic, truthful response, and not their own personal memories. Stating that:

'' Drawing on the emotions I experienced, for example, when my mother died to create a role is sick and schizophrenic. If that is acting, I don't want to do it! ''

Taking this to Stanislavski, he agreed and revised his old theories, saying he had abandoned emotional memory work. ( I don't think Strasberg got that memo!)

Both believed instead that extensive research was required by the actor tounderstand characters experiences of different values and different cultures. For example, if a character is a boxer then the actor has to research boxing.

Stella Adler combined this technique with sense memory exercises, physical characterization of the body and vocal training.

In the years after the Group Theatre disbanded, Stella Adler set up her own school and taught the likes of Marlon Brando.

Yes boys and girls, he was an Adler student, not a Method student! Even writing the foreward in her book ' The Art of Acting '.

Who else were Adler students? Let's see.....Robert DeNiro, Benicio del Torres, Mark Ruffalo, Selma Hayek, Sean Astin from the Lord of the Rings, the Fonz! Henry Winkler, Antonio Banderas and his wife Melanie Griffith.

Who Is Sanford Meisner?

Sanford Meisner, having been a student of Strasberg, also rejected emotional memory work in favour of his own acting method.

Emphasis being placed on an actor's response to other people and circumstances, resulting in a specific behaviour to produce an emotional, truthful performance without 'faking it'.

Sounds very similar to the Adler Technique, since a specific behaviour is really an action, only the acting training differs.

One acting exercise Meisner used was a repetiton exercise involving two actors facing each other, repeating a phrase over and over until it takes on new meaning, tone and intention.

Teaching the actors to listen to each other and respond naturally.

Who Is Lee Strasberg?

Lee Strasberg took on the mantel of Method Acting relying on Stanislavki's earlier teachings involving the use of emotional memory work. (Later Stanislavski was to agree with Stella Adler that this was harmful to the actor.)

Basically encouraging actors to use their own personal memories to remember past experiences in their own life to summon emotions for a character during a scene.

This what Stella Adler and Sanford Meisner didn't agree with.

Even Stanislavski went back on this and revised his own teachings!

Everything else to do with use of actions, research and sense memory seems to have remained largely the same as the other techniques.

If These Acting Methods Came Out of America, What Came Out of Britain?

The British acting method was born out of British Theatre and was referred to as a more classical acting technique.

Emphasizing precise dialogue delivery and stylized reactions in a more refined and controlled manner.

Actors often committed the whole play to memory rarely deviating from the original text.

A complete contrast to the American methods using improvisation techniques and 'getting in touch with your feelings '.

However.....famous students of this classical acting technique are now all Knights and Dames appointed by Her Majesty the Queen of England and include, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Sir Lawrence Olivier, Dame Judy Dench and Dame Helen Mirren.

 How Do You Choose Which Method To Study?

Since most of these acting methods were born out of the one source, they all cross over, sharing similarities.

The main end result being, to produce a realistic, truthful performance where the audience forgets they are watching an actor at work.

So take your time to research the various methods before choosing which one might suit you.

Other acting methods have also flourished and stood the test of time with the likes of Michael Chekhov and Uta Hagen.

A new one on the scene is practical aesthetics, developed by playwright David Mamet and actor William H. Macy. Based on the teachings of Stanislavski and Meisner. But these are discussions for another day.

Where Does My Heart Lie?

I chose to study the Stella Adler Acting Technique based on the fact that, like her, I didn't want to relive emotional memories from my past to elicit an emotion for a character.

I don't want to have to keep remembering how sad, upset and tearful I was when in mourning for the loss of my teenage cousin, just to be able to cry during a scene.

What nonsense, it's just not healthy for an actors mental health.

I'm so biased towards this method because I had an amazing, nurturing experience there.

Being taught by teachers who are also working actors and who trained under Stella Adler directly. Cutting my teeth performing on stage in Hollywood, surrounded by talented, creative people.

I was completely and utterly inspired and in my element!

One More Thing.....

Whichever acting method you choose, master it and you can't go wrong.

It will provide such a strong foundation for you that even if you take a break for a while and put your acting on the back burner, you can always go back and pick up where you left off.

You will always have your training!

Event organiser:Job description

Event organisers are responsible for the production of events from conception through to completion. Events can include:

• exhibitions and fairs;
• festivals;
• conferences;
• promotions and product launches;
• fundraising and social events.

They work in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors and can work for event management companies, in-house for an organisation or freelance.

The role of event organiser is hands-on and often involves working as part of a team. Event organisers must be able to complete a wide range of activities requiring clear communication, excellent organisational skills and attention to detail. They must work well under pressure, ensuring the smooth and efficient running of an event.

Typical work activities

The role of event organiser varies depending on the organisation and type of event involved. Activities often include:

• researching markets to identify opportunities for events;
• liaising with clients to ascertain their precise event requirements;
• producing detailed proposals for events (e.g. timelines, venues, suppliers, legal obligations, staffing and budgets);
• agreeing to and managing a budget;
• securing and booking a suitable venue or location;
• ensuring insurance, legal, health and safety obligations are adhered to;
• coordinating venue management, caterers, stand designers, contractors and equipment hire;
• organising facilities for car parking, traffic control, security, first aid, hospitality and the media;
• identifying and securing speakers or special guests;
• planning room layouts and the entertainment programme, scheduling workshops and demonstrations;
• coordinating staffing requirements and staff briefings;
• selling sponsorship/stand/exhibition space to potential exhibitors/partners;
• preparing delegate packs and papers;
• liaising with marketing and PR colleagues to promote the event;
• liaising with clients and designers to create a brand for the event and organising the production of tickets, posters, catalogues and sales brochures;
• coordinating suppliers, handling client queries and troubleshooting on the day of the event to ensure that all runs smoothly;
• overseeing the dismantling and removal of the event and clearing the venue efficiently;
• post-event evaluation (including data entry and analysis and producing reports for event stakeholders)

Entertainment Manager job description

Description

Managing performances, events, artistes and entertainers is the responsibility of an Entertainment Manager. These professionals work extensively throughout the world. Their jobs provide limitless opportunities to travel nationally or internationally. Theirs is a stressful and demanding job, but their project management and people skills often assists them in managing sufficiently.

Entertainment Managers working with parks, lodges, holiday venues, international organizations, international artistes, hotels, and other companies involved in the entertainment industry. They usually have a team of professionals to manage and delegate responsibilities to. They include costume designers, makeup artists, sound and lighting technician, performers and other professionals.

An Entertainment Manager usually performs many of the following tasks:

• Booking venues
• Managing budgets
• Negotiating contracts and fees
• Booking performers
• Managing events
•  Conducting research
•  Handling publicity
•  Working with agents

How To Make A Production Schedule

How To Make A Production Schedule

Production schedule is a plan that state when certain controllable activities should take place. Production schedules coordinate activities to increase productivity and minimize operating costs. A production schedule can identify resource conflicts, ensure that required raw materials are ordered in time, determine whether delivery promises can be met, and identify time periods available for preventive maintenance. Knowing how to make a production schedule is crucial to the improvement of operation efficiency. Production Schedule Overview Production schedule needs to be flexible. A good production schedule should consider the complexities of the modern manufacturing environment. Production scheduling can be difficult and time-consuming. In dynamic manufacturing environments, managers, production planners, and supervisors must not only generate high-quality schedules but also react quickly to unexpected events and revise schedules in a cost-effective manner. These events, generally difficult to take into consideration while generating a schedule, disturb the system, generating considerable differences between the predetermined schedule and its actual realization. When creating your production schedule, you need to add flexibility in the production schedule to adapt to the change situation. There are different ways to create a production schedule. There are two key fundamental issues in the production schedule: the priorities and capacities. The priorities means that what should be done first? the capacity means that who should do it. Experts should done numerous researches on the issue and come up with different perspectives: the problem solving perspective, the decision perspective and the organizational perspective. Each perspective looks at the task of production scheduling in a distinct way and thus proposes a different approach to improve it. Production Schedule Creation Creating production schedule needs to understand the material inventory level and manufacturing capacity. One of the key objectives of the production schedule is to minimize the operation cost. During the process of planning your production schedule, it is crucial to coordinate the material inventory management and the machine capacity. Production schedule needs to consult with the operation managers and personnel. During the process of creating the production schedule for the department or operation unit, it is necessary to gather relevant information from their perspectives and experiences.

Scritp breakdown

Script Breakdown and Film Scheduling

DECEMBER 30, 2013 BY JASON BRUBAKER

Script breakdown and film scheduling is essential for any serious filmmaker.

Let me share the following, fictional yet typical filmmaking email.

(I get these types of questions every couple weeks.)

Hi Jason –

I wrote this really awesome movie about space travel, time travel, the end of the world and I’m really looking to get it produced. The problem is, I don’t know how much it will cost. Can you tell me how much it will cost me to produce? Thanks!

To some, this type of email might seem a little silly.

I mean, how the heck can anybody take a movie concept out of thin air and decide how much the movie would cost to produce?

Truth be told, there are many factors to consider.

You have to find out if the filmmaker is planning to utilize CG or actual, physical sets. Will the filmmaker cast his next door neighbor or Will Smith? Will this movie be shot on film? On HD Video? Or some crazy mix of 3D?

And those questions only begin to scratch the surface. You still need to think about payroll services, production tax incentives, worker’s compensation… It’s enough to make your head explode. And all of these variables – every single one – influences the budget of any movie.

So these questions, plus about a gazillion other questions need to be answered before you can even think about creating a budget, writing a business plan or seeking investors to get the money. And the bigger question is this:

How do YOU decide how much your movie will cost to produce.

The starting point is taking time to complete your script breakdown and schedule your film.

Script Breakdown and Film Scheduling

Don’t get overwhelmed. You can do it.

And let us be totally frank for a moment…

As a filmmaker, there will come a time in your life when making a feature film becomes a driving, burning desire!

Making your first feature is the rite of passage into the world of professional filmmaking.

Assuming you’ve become comfortable making short movies, then making your first feature will be just another step in an exciting career.

I am  assuming you’ve written, or you control the rights to a fantastic script that you would like to produce. So you next need to figure out just how much your movie will cost.

Script Breakdown

Your script breakdown begins with having a screenplay you are happy with.

Once the script is locked, any modification you make to the story or schedule, no matter how minor or major, will subsequently impact the budget.

My producer friend Forrest Murray always says the script, schedule and budget are the same document. You’ll need all three to make a movie… But in the process, if you change one document, you’re actually changing all three.

This is why your script breakdown is essential. Without it, you will have no idea what your movie will cost.

Action Steps: Script Breakdown and Film Scheduling

I wanted to share a few tips on how to complete your movie script breakdown. Performing this task and then completing a film production schedule is necessary before you determine your budget.

Here are some some steps to help you break down your script.

1. Number Each Scene

Once you lock your screenplay, you should then go through the script and number each scene. You do this by placing a number next to each slug line. What is a slug line? It’s the little line that explains where each scene takes place.

It looks like this in the script:

INT. JASON’S OFFICE – DAY

Once you number each scene, you will want to actually measure the scene. Since screenplays are usually printed on paper eight inches tall, every scene is measured in 8th’s of the page.

You will go through each scene and measure the length.

The reason for this measurement has to do with the length of your movie.

For example, if we assume that each page written in proper screenplay format – Then we can also assume that each page equals at least one minute in screen time.

So if we come upon this scene:

INT. DINER – NIGHT

And let’s say this Diner scene measures 4/8th (or half the page) then you can guesstimate that the scene will be roughly 30 seconds long in screen time.

2. Highlight Each Element

In addition to knowing final screen time, this information will help you determine how long it will take to actually shoot the scene (and also which cast, crew, props and equipment is needed to shoot the scene), which will influence your schedule.

…And your schedule influences your budget. Again, your script, schedule and budget are related!

Speaking of elements, you will want to go through the script and highlight each element, for each scene. Some common elements include locations, characters, props, make up, wardrobe, picture vehicles and special FX…

All of these elements cost money.

You’re “breaking the elements out” so you can eventually put the elements in your budget.

3. Determine Shooting Schedule

Once complete, you will want to figure out when you want to shoot your movie and how long you plan to shoot. You can determine this by choosing how many pages you want to shoot per day. For example, you may decide to shoot 5 days on and 2 days off, or 6 days on and 1 day off. Or maybe you want to shoot your movie over a few weekends.

Keep in mind that unions have rules on how you schedule your movie.

In addition to time constraints, you will want to consider momentum. Filming your indie film over a series of weekends may seem convenient. But doing so can actually diminish the creative flow and can make it tough on cast and crew holding jobs outside of the production. Sometimes it makes sense to just marathon your movie schedule.

Get your movie done so you can get it to market as soon as possible.

Many motion picture professionals make a living just breaking down, scheduling and budgeting movies.

This should tell you it’s a pretty complicated and creative area.

As a first time feature filmmaker, it would be great to partner with an seasoned 1st AD or Line Producer who could guide you through the process. But because a lot of filmmakers do not have money until they actually raise the money, hiring a UPM or 1st AD is out of the question.

So this leaves only one alternative. You must complete your own script breakdown and film scheduling. In my opinion, there are two components to this process. You will need a script breakdown education as well as script breakdown software.

Luckily there are quite a few resources to help you.

And in full disclosure: I believe in the efficacy of the resources I’m about to share. But I do have affiliate agreements with both providers. This means they pay me to promote.  So make sure you conduct your own due-diligence prior to making any purchases, both here and everywhere on earth.

Script Breakdown and Film Scheduling Online Course for Indie Filmmakers:

This online course offered by Industry veteran Peter Marshall answers the ever important question.

“How do I know if this shooting schedule is realistic?”

A lot of new filmmakers go into production on a film and find out a few days into production that their production schedule was completely screwed up. In some cases, these unfortunate filmmakers find out that the schedule was totally unrealistic.

As a result, the cast and crew ended up with tons of overtime pay, a bad attitude and YOU ended up running out of time and budget.

The goal is to avoid these headaches.

Peter worked for over 25 years in the industry.  He know (better than most) that a properly designed shooting schedule is crucial for your budgeting process.

If you would like to find out more about Peter Marshall’s Script Breakdown and Film Scheduling course, click here.

Film Scheduling Software: LightSpeed eps.

One of the most exciting software programs to help you with your script breakdown is calledLightSPEED eps.

In addition to being an awesome script breakdown and scheduling program, LightSPEED eps allows you to centralize your production information and provide secure access from your computer, wireless device, from anywhere in the world.

Watch this brief script breakdown video:

With this web-based production management software, you can provide your your production team with current information from anywhere in the world.

In practical terms, let’s say you are based in LA, but your First AD is based in NYC. You will now have the ability to oversee all aspects of your project. If something changes, you will be able to notify your staff of critical updates in real time!

After getting a face-to-face demo with the management team, I left the meeting convinced that LightSPEED represents the future of script breakdown and production management.

Because these guys are very indie filmmaker friendly, they have provided Filmmaking Stuff readers with a FREE trial for one user. If you would like to find out more about the LightSpeed EPS script breakdown and film scheduling software, click here.

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