Kevin on left reviewing script of Boomerang with Godfrey Chogo, Assistant Director

  
Mineral Water and Preproduction

By Kevin Kiarie, trainee at Kibera Film School

Last week at Kibera Film School began on a high note followed by a pin drop silence.  We were scared of the gigantic task before us -- we were beginning to shoot our very first short film projects.

With this in mind and our scripts in our hands, the previous weeks we were busy with our preparations. This stage of filmmaking is called Pre-production.

Pre-production can make you or break you. This is where a filmmaker makes the plans necessary for successful production. It’s a grand scheme made up of a number of details.

Preproduction requires a checklist that contains  every detail about crew, actors, locations, budget, rehearsal, shooting schedule, equipment, props, wardrobe and makeup.

Pre- production includes

1.    Auditioning and casting-Getting the required actors for various roles.

2.    Location scouting- finding the places for your shoot.

3.    Releases:  for the location, for everyone in your film.  Have them signed during preproduction.

4.    Rights acquisition- if you are using music in your production talk to the owner first to get permission to avoid being sued.

5.    Budget- this is an estimate of income and expenditure.

6.    Rehearsals: working with actors is a challenge, especially volunteers. They need time to learn and practice lines.

7.    Shooting schedule: When doing this visualize a shoot, day by day, hour by hour, imagining what everyone is doing at any given time. Detailed thinking works out the daily schedules.

8.    Equipment checking- everything ready for shooting, including cameras, lights, tripod, slate and sound kit . VERY IMPORTANT: Batteries charged, back up batteries available. 

9.    Catering: even for a short, low budget film, actors and crew need water, juice, snacks to be productive, especially on a hot day. 

Wednesday 22 May, 2013  the shoots began on a high note.  I was privileged to be a cast member for my classmates low budget short film. After the first scene I was so thirsty and as if he had read my mind, out of nowhere he offered me water! This impressed me a lot. As we called it a wrap I was so much amazed by how much preparations he had done.

Wish my classmates all the best!

Shooting Boomerang, Kevin on left, Charles with sound, Godfrey with Camera, Josphat, lead actor

To support the great youth of the Kibera Film School, please visit our Global Giving Page