The Sandman Film Process

To those on the outside, filmmaking is dazzling. What most people don’t know is that there is a long process behind making a short film, and unexpected problems lie at every turn. We have begun this process with the pre-production phase of our short film “Sandman.” This movie is about a struggling dancer, Mara, whose grief over the loss of her fiance has left her with horrible insomnia. The film is an examination of the toxicity of refusing to move on or cope with trauma in your life. We hope to shed some light on how we, as student filmmakers, tackle the inevitable issues that come up in order to make a movie.
The first step in making a film is having a story. Nailing down a good story is difficult, and writers can easily have as many as twenty drafts of a script. Having a killer script that is relatable to many people is the goal for any writer. It should have a wide appeal and be very engaging. The next step is to secure crew, actors, locations, and a budget.

When trying to get a budget, crowdfunding sites like Indiegogo and Kickstarter are great places to go. These campaigns may be shared on various social media sites. Most contributions will come from friends and family, but the more the campaign is shared, the more people it will reach. For “Sandman,” the campaign has been shared, and many friends and family of the crew have contributed. As our audience grows, we will gain more backers of the film. We also try to make it a point that we are making something more than a film. When we get extra donations past our budget goal, we donate. For example, “Sandman” is donating to the National Center on Addiction. Based on the themes in the film, we pick a cause that we are proud to support. We want to help others just as much as we want to make films.
Finding a location that will let you film is another issue student filmmakers face. It’s hard to negotiate filming at a location during off hours when you have little to no money to offer. Local businesses are extremely helpful because they are looking for advertising. Most businesses market through Facebook, and visuals like videos are a great way to help. One negotiating trick to use is to offer business owners advertisement through a credit in the film and a copy of the film. You could also offer to film a short commercial for them in return for letting you shoot at their business. Often times it takes contacting many places in order to find one willing to work with you. One location “Sandman” needs is a house or apartment. We have been contacting people through Airbnb to see if we could use their house. In return, we would take photos and do a video home tour for them, so they can advertise their house in a more professional manner. As a filmmaker, you need to offer your service to help out the business in order to get something in return from them.

Finding the right actors can make or break your film.There are many talented actors in your local community, but trying to find them can be tricky. Local casting agencies will help student filmmakers so we will use them again when we have paying roles. As a student, you need to gain the trust that your project will be at a professional level. Writing the best casting call is key to getting a casting agency to help you and your project. While writing a casting call for “Sandman,” we really have to analyze the characters and give them strong descriptions. We also have to include all the necessary information about when the shooting will take place. Once you get the actors you need for the film, they become key people to help gain a wider audience, as they will share and help promote the film when it comes time to release it to audiences.
At the end of it all, filmmaking is a long, extensive process, but it’s extremely rewarding. It’s gratifying to have a concrete final product that’s the result of numerous hours of hard work and many sleepless nights. As we continue to work through the preproduction phase of “Sandman,” we look forward to having a finished product. We know there’s a lot of hard work ahead of us, but the work we put in now will only help make the final product better.
If you’re interested in staying current on the progress of “Sandman,” you can follow us on Facebook at Sandman Short Film 2019 https://www.facebook.com/SandmanShortFilm2019/. From there, you can check our Indiegogo campaign and see what “Sandman” is all about.