So a few posts on generalities of question one:
What is the story you want to tell?
At first this can be very brief--"a revenge abduction story" is where I started and built from there. But as I said, you need macro and micro answers so you'll eventually develop a detailed, structured outline of your plot--that is, your hero's actions. This plot in all its details will not be truly complete until you actually have picture lock at the end of the editing process. Start big, then drill down "What sort of revenge abduction story?", "Where does it take place?", "Who is involved?", etc.
To know how/what your characters might do in any given situation, you need a rubric, guidelines, and nothing more. If you try to define the characters too much--especially with specific locations and dialogue--your project's success will depend on factors that may or may not be in your control. Using a rubric allows you as director to make the most out of what is going on in front of your camera and make adjustments without interrupting the flow of the scene for the actor (especially important when using non-actors).
In Holiday, I developed a detailed plot outline and character rubric based on my co-producer's thoughts on the core characters and various plot points. We also wrote dialogue--on the page, on the spot, and in post. All of the dialogue was re-recorded in post because on-set sound recording will not be your friend on a $4k project. More on all this later.
What you want, in as much detail as possible, is a plot outline, and a character rubric. If you create/write anything more, you are most likely wasting your time.
What I'm saying is that if you are going to direct/produce a $4k feature do not write a screenplay. And if even/especially if your brilliant screenplay you already have is perfect--dump your screenplay. I hold a MFA in Screenwriting, so I'm allowed to say that.
However, this doesn't mean you won't need to write--quite the contrary.
First, a few thoughts on this no screenplay mandate.
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