Royce Allen Dudley

I learned to shoot and light on film long ago, and love it's unique aesthetic options ( different in each format and stock )... but at least in my world as a workaday DP in Los Angeles, it's been over 5 years since I've set foot in a lab or metered for negative... and the demand for film in my world stopped instantly and completely, overnight. I know of only a few colleagues who had a film originated project in that time, and a couple with very pricey camera packages at firesale prices on eBay for YEARS that get no bids at all. I work on sets reguarly where I jokingly say "check the gate" and most of the crew has no idea what that even means. It's been essentially over for some time, and it's amazing there's even a discussion. Did film use as a norm end before digital as a whole was a mature replacement ? Absolutely! And a damn shame. Is the article alarmist ? Hardly. Will a few vocal romantics make an obsolete product econmically viable ? Well... anyone want a free changing tent ? Makes a good sunshade for your DIT station ;)

Hmm.... locations are one of the toughest things on a low budget. Ever. Your first and best attempt would be locations companies that broker the locations. Now just remember they work on a comission - usually a third of the location rate - so they are not really working for you, but themselves and the properties they rep. The only African thing I can think of at all that I have come across is an African village at Blue Cloud Ranch in Santa Clarita; not sure if it's still standing. A quick google image search of rural Zimbabwe farms is not encouraging- nothing like California at all... What bout a door / entrance set piece with a CGI house around it as an establishing shot, at the location that looks like your imagined farm but lacking a house ? Often times, selling the illusion once or twice works better than maintaining it. Interiors on a stage, and exteriors all looking away from the farmhouse ? Proof again, filmmaking is really easy... just not easy. Locations are tough particularly in L.A. becasue no one likes fillmaking per se other than filmmakers, so they want to get paid, not be helpful. Something simple like a treehouse can be challenging when you get specific about it's environment and size - I know where every treehouse in Los Angeles is after a project last year; we secured a superb one at a pretty fair price. after almost spending more to build one in a tree that was just OK... Same thing with a big rolling lawn with nothing in the horizon- I just booked that, but it took a week fulltime and about $4500 for a half day... the one day last week it was clear and sunny, which if not would have killed the shoot.

I remember when almost all indies were shot on film...it's only been about 10 years...but now film is clearly the exception on budgets with fewer than 7 figures.

Regardless of any union involvement, one consideration is that you are working in a difficult budget range for many reasons. One of those that people find unexpectedly as production and contracts loom near is that the high profile actor's representation may have input on who directs and / or who DP's the film...and resistance if they are not comfortable. Agents have been often known to discourage participation in films where the creative team is new to working in what they view as "micro budget*" but where it is actually a big jump up for the creatives; if the director is newer it may almost be a given they will want a studio DP and AD to 'insure' him. As to the producer's hat, I AD'd / produced and shot/ directed, and those were challenging combos... but I would personally have a very hard time doing any creative pursuit while producing. Producing can mean many things but to be concerned with other department's concerns on the business side while trying to insure I get the scene lit and shot sounds like asking for trouble. Again, $2 million may be a fast $500,000 movie with "budget extras" like higher union costs, transpo costs, and not a single extra dollar showing up on screen, all to get the film made "right" for your high profile actors. That is a very tough budget range these days. *You may find lots of people terrified by a filmmaker with $1 million, as they think it's impossible to make a feature film for that little.