How to record your story? Intro

Question Two:  How do I create a motion picture feature?

A feature these days is 84 minutes minimum.  AND if your $4k feature is longer than 90 minutes, you need to go back to the editing room.  A fast edit pace and snappy plot pace will get you a long ways, but that means lots of shots, which take time.

To get started, break this down into six categories:
1) what's in front of the camera -- casting, acting, locations, props, vehicles
2) the camera -- lenses, exposure, framing, angles, movement, supports, lighting, hard drives, monitors
3) what's behind the camera --  director, camera person, shoot/equipment logistics, catering, equipment upkeep, data storage, production notes
4) sound -- microphones, production sound, ADR, sound libraries, ambient layers
5) editing -- the place where you begin when answering this second question -- logging, trimming, selecting in and outs, match cuts, edls, credits, final mix, mastering, color grade, digital fx
6) scoring -- in the current feature market, you must have music either original or recordings

You will spend the most time and most of your $4k answering this question, so make yourself familiar with its component parts.

A suggestion for surviving Question Two:
Find a partner.

You will run out of money, or energy, or concern about the project multiple times (if you don't you aren't trying hard enough) so consider finding a partner who does something you don't.  In my case, the least likely thing that will ever happen is that I will act on camera, so my partner was an actor.  Worse case scenario I still had me, a camera, and an actor to shoot, no matter what.  Fortunately for me, he also knows a lot more about film making

More things to consider from a friend who makes a lot of studio pictures:

a) It's a marathon, not a sprint, so deal with that if you want to keep control of your project all the way to the end.

b) Make sure the audience knows where your characters are.

c) If your opening doesn't grab the audience, your f***ed.

d) Begin the shooting process from the editing room.