The Definitive Guide

Before you flip out and are like “WTF, NO. YOU should ALWAYS pay your crew. Even if you’re broke! Even if it’s your first short!”, read the whole thing. The addendum at the bottom clearly says that sound is probably the one thing that you MUST pay for.  Now onto the article.

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So you have an idea, saved up a little money, have some equipment and an idea of where you want to shoot. But you’ll need a solid crew to help you realise your vision. And maybe the hardest thing about making an extremely low budget film is trying to get people to work for little to no money.

Time to call in a few favours. However, time is as valuable a resource as money. And absolutely no one wants to have their time wasted.

This guide will help you get past that awkward question of asking someone to work for free. Here are some keys to the environment you want on your set, and some points you’ll want to mention when recruiting people to join your project.

Make your Crew Believe in the Project

You may have a good idea for your film, but you’ll need to convince people that the idea is worth their valuable time. So, when it comes time to asking people to work for you, you’ll have to be ready to tell them exactly what your project will be about.

When explaining your idea, tell them why it’s different and know what makes it stand out. Make sure that you are able to clearly and concisely talk about your project. It’s easy to get ramble on when talking about the minutia of your project, but that may lead to your potential crew member to lose interest.

The reality is, this will be great practice for you as a filmmaker, since you will always be in a position where you have to sell your movie. In the pre-production phase, you’ll be selling people to give you their time to join you on the journey of production.

Similarly, after the film is made, you’ll again need to convince people that watching your film is worth their time. So it’s important that when you’re recruiting people to join and telling them your ideas, listen to see what peaks their interest, because these may be the same aspect about your movie that will later interest your audiences.

Encourage Collaboration

Right from the beginning, you should encourage an open and collaborative environment for your project. It’s fair to say that if you are making your first or second low budget independent film, that you may not have all the answers. And while not every idea your crew suggests will be brilliant, it’s still important to make people feel like they are being heard.

“No one wants to work for a dictator for free.” – Me.

This can start right from your initial recruiting conversation. After pitching your film, ask them right away what they think. Don’t be afraid to show them your script and ask what you could improve upon. People will respect this, because they would liked be viewed as a creative partner.

Almost everyone trying to get in or already a part of the film industry is a creative at heart, so appeal to this to get them to be on your crew.

Be Efficient and Have A Plan

High budget films and television shows are meticulously planned down to every detail, and you would be foolish to not follow that example.

Professional shoots use Shooting Schedules and Call Sheets to help them be organized. These are all things that you should know regarding your film as early as possible, so you can tell your crew exactly what days you’ll need them, and for exactly how long.

To keep your crew engaged, definitely do not bring them in on days where they’ll just be sitting around. This is the easiest way to lose crew members, because you never want them to believe that their time isn’t being valued.

Secondly, do not assume because they agreed to do it that you have them for an unlimited duration of time.

So understand that asking for a few hours on specific days is a lot easier to agree to then asking for someone to set off an entire week for your project. Be flexible with their schedule, because they are providing you with their time, after all. The more you show that you value and appreciate your crew’s time, the more likely there are to give you as much as you need to get your project down.

Taking Turns Doing Jobs

This might not work in all situations like working in remote jobs, but if you have an especially inexperienced crew, this might actually get people to get excited about working on your project. Frankly, no one wants to be stuck as the PA or the Boom Operator and not get paid for it. These jobs are boring, but they are also extremely essential, and somebody has to do it.

My suggestion is that you actively promote your set to be a learning environment, and have people take turns doing different jobs. Be receptive to people learning on the fly because people will be more willing to work with you if they can try to learn new skills in a no pressure environment.

One note is that If people are doing your project for a specific credit, they may not be willing to do different jobs and rather just concentrate on what they are there to do. You should, however, try to encourage that they take on assistants and teach what they know to people as well.

Keep in mind that the more they learn on your set will benefit you as well. Chances are that you may very well have to rely on some of these crew members for your next project, so treat them that way. The more experience they gain, the more efficient and streamlined your next shoot will be.

Compensate Their Time with Your Time

This is the most important and, frankly, the most simple. Make sure you offer yourself as a resource for their project, because chances are, that each one of your crew members also has their own dream project that they also need a crew for.

If you can’t offer your crew money, repaying their time with your own time goes a long way to show them how committed you are to making both your and their ideas a reality.

So now when recruiting people, say something along these lines, and make sure you follow through these promises, because you don’t want anyone to leave before your dream is realized.

Here’s a good word-for-word script you can follow that has worked for our crew and others.

I have this idea for a movie you could help me out with. It’s about a ___ and a ____. What do you think? Do you have anything to add? If you’re free, I’ll need you Wednesday and Friday afternoon from 12pm to 5pm, as well as Sunday from 11am to 6pm. There’s a lot of different things I’ll need you to help with, but you can try out different things and learn from it. And of course, if you help me out with this, I’ll definitely be able to help you with your project that you keep talking about, but haven’t done yet.

Show them it was Worth Their Time

After the project is finally finished, make sure that you don’t forget about the people who made your film a possibility.  Along with providing an private online link, make sure everyone receives DVD or Blu Ray copies, no matter how much the shipping fees may cost.

Also, try to organize a private screening for cast and crew, before you start submitting the film to festivals, so everyone has the chance to watch the film together.   Keep in mind that the more effort you put in here,, the more likely everyone will be willing to work with you again.

However, you may start to get discouraged once you see your final product. You could feel that it is not as good as you thought it could be, and that you don’t want everyone to see it.   Still show it off.  Learn from the mistakes you made and show everyone what you all made together.  Your next film will only be better.

Have Fun!

Remember… Make your film sets FUN.  Don’t make it all about business, especially near the beginning and right at the end. You want them to enter and leave with a good impression.

What are your tips on getting crew to work for free? Comment below, and start some controversy.

Quick Notes on What NOT To Do

Don’t think having your film be in festivals is enough of a selling point to have your crew work for free – nearly every independent film gets accepted in a festival of varying degrees of prestige, so it does not make your film special

Do not oversell your film – do not try to hype up you film to potential crew members as being more than it is.  Be honest with people right from the beginning, so they are not disappointed when they get to set and quit by the end of the day.

Don’t give up – if the movie isn’t going your way and not turning out how you thought it would, keep filming.  If you have people work for you for free, but give them nothing to show for it, they’ll never work with you again.

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Addendum on Sound:  In case any of you are wondering… You will have to pay for sound. Unless you have a friend who will do it for free, you will have to pay for sound.
Think about it from their perspective. They have the job with the least creative control, but the most importance. And if you think holding a boom, operating levels, and checking if you’re in frame is mild fun, then you sir should look up the DSM-V. I’m sure you’ll find something in there for you.