Film Shoot How Long?

[futurereduser]

When Filming a "Hollywood" Movie How long does it usually take for principle photography without visual effects like how many pages script per day.Thanks.

[Dan Blanchett]

This varies quite a bit depending on number of set ups, size of crew, location, complexity of shots, etc. Big budget films could shoot a couple pages a day, whereas run and gun guerilla filmmakers might get more--or much less, if they are disorganized. Shoots can go from 20 or 30 days to 6 months or more. I don't know of any useful daily average and I don't think pages are the best indicator, although this is often used to time the movie. If I may ask, why are you asking?

[Gopher77]

I was on an indie that was only 12 days. Only 4 locations all were close and most were outdoors. You determine your shoot length when you breakdown the script and schedule.

[futurereduser]

Thanks! That Helps me Understand Better. thinkbug on Just a slight(And i mean slight) Chance if i got to making a Film i would like to know how many days the Actors are Needed per Minute(s) of film So i could get an idea how much they would get Paid so i could Estimate budget.

[Tom Lowe]

I worked a Varicam indie that shot in 9 days. Very frantic and next to no time to lighting setups, but this guy was a Roger Corman type, and he actually pulls off shoots like this several times a year.

[Dan Blanchett]

Often times (when NOT a "Hollywood" film) the budget can dicate how long you can afford to shoot, what shots you can pull off, and what actors you can sign on. That's what I am dealing with right now for a feature I am making this October. I suggest picking up one of the many books written about filmmaking, producing and budgeting. They will help shed some light.

[Dan Blanchett]

Tom, I've been involved in those whirlwind shoots as well. Lots of fun but very stressful!

[CJ Roy]

In my experience, most indies around the 100-500k budgets shoot for three 6 day weeks. 18 grueling days.

-CJ

[Tom Lowe]

Tom, I've been involved in those whirlwind shoots as well. Lots of fun but very stressful!

haha, yeah. on that 9-day shoot I was a dolly grip, boom op, gaffer, extra, talent chauffeur, and i even found myself driving a Porsche in a stunt sequence... lol, you gotta love it. loads of fun.

[Chris Armstrong]

I generally agree that budget usually dictates most shooting schedules, but you also have to factor in the speed of the director (some work faster then others), and the experience of the crew. Both of which can also have an effect on how long something takes to shoot.