There was a time when the overwhelming majority of people in the filmmaking industry came from prestigious film schools like NYU, UCLA or Columbia. By going to a film school, students obviously learned the ins and outs of making a film, but also had a better chance of completing a film to showcase their talents. Among other things, film schools provided access to other creatives, but also provided access to expensive equipment and resources that would be restrictive to the filmmaker outside of those institutions.
Today, technology and innovation have made it so that almost anyone can afford to make a movie on a shoestring budget while having a degree of control that wasn’t even available to those film school graduates in the past. We are seeing people who are literally attempting to make serious films on their phones.
Most filmmakers are passionate about the cinematography or directing sides of the process. In this world of greater access to the equipment of production, we see a lot of would-be filmmakers making the mistake of focusing solely on the creative process and ignoring the “other stuff”. This is partially because the “other stuff” isn’t anywhere near as glamourous, but partially because they have no idea how much of that “other stuff” goes into making a movie that can someday be seen in public.
Virtually any movie, with the exception of home movies, needs to account for a multitude of things to not only create it, but then also to distribute it and not face legal and financial ramifications in the future. It’s this information and processes that are the domain of the production consultant.
Far before ever hiring a producer, director, or talent, the filmmaker needs to have the production mindset. They need to understand that failing to obtain story rights, not getting signed contracts, overlooking scheduling and budgets, and failing to provide basic necessities for cast and crew, can lead to a film never being distributed, legal action, and even financial penalties. That’s where a production consultant comes in.
Marcus Everett Productions will work with the filmmaker from the outset to inform the creation of the production entity. We will analyze the script and project and then advise the filmmaker on the steps it will take, on the business side, to make that project a reality. We can then help establish the processes and procedures that need to be followed to help ensure the project is completed on time, on budget, and with no loose ends.