Production Notes

Hi, this is Nick D'Arpino aka Uncle Louie. Many of you have posed questions about the production side of the shoot such as camera, sound, lighting, and continuity. Now, I'm no Francis Ford Coppola, but after working on over 38 film and television productions- behind the camera-I'm happy to give you some insight, especially in relation to "Uncle Louie".

Let's start with the shooting schedule. A lot of you have asked, "Why do we shoot out of sequence- why not start on page one of the script and shoot each page in order"? I have never heard of or been involved in a production that shoots in order. While, for organisational purposes it would be a lot easier, there are many factors involved in scheduling. Many times an actor is available only on certain days or for a limited time- so the schedule might reflect getting all the the scenes with that actor first. Location might be another factor. Shooting a scene at a "live location", such as someones private home, or a public building, may have to done when the location is available. Weather is another factor. A few days of rain might call for exterior shoots to be done later. There are a variety of reasons to shoot "out of sequence", almost too many to list here.

The schedule is set by the producer, director, and if on the crew, a script coordinator. Most films that are ninety minutes to two hours, take about 24 to 32 days to shoot. This is called principle
photography, which does not include adding digital effects and final editing. Editing can take longer than shooting, with major films taking up to six months to edit.

In the case of "Uncle Louie" , we are shooting on the cast an crews availability. Since most of us have regular jobs, we are shooting mostly on weekends. The process seems longer, but would still amount to about 26to 28 days, overall.

Check back for more production notes and information. I'll be posting regularly.