Chapter 9

Preproduction

It’s three weeks before principal photography. My cast deal memos are complete, and the major locations have been found and deals drawn up. I have the company checkbook and credit card ready to start spending money and getting things pinned down.

PRODUCER VERSUS LINE PRODUCER

This is a fun three weeks for me because it’s really the time for Mike – my line producer – to shine. He is going to have a million things to do and I want to be absolutely available for him. Because our films were low-budget, I used my Snowfall/WindChill office for preproduction to save money. Mike brought his production coordinator and his assistant. It was a little cramped, but hey, it’s low budget!

I have responsibilities during these three weeks ...

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