Scheduling

As it turns out, I must needs make a realistic schedule for the year. We go into production on our next picture on March 1, 2008. The question is, when do we go into production on the picture after that? September 1? And does that mean we need a finished (locked) screenplay for that picture on June 1?

I bet we do.

The thing is that we need a locked screenplay 90 days before beginning of principal photography. Which means we need a completed screenplay 120 days before beginning of principal photography.

So really we need a finished screenplay on May 1. But that's a drop-dead-type deadline. That's a "we're writing the damned movie for you if you don't have us a screenplay by then" deadline.

But in my experience, most writers will need a deadline 30 days before that just to get the screenplay done on time.

And writers wonder why producers lie all the time. It turns out, they have to. Otherwise nothing would ever get done! But basically we need 6 months lead time from script to shooting. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

And we're shooting 2.5 pictures a year. That means we'll be in photography on 3 pictures this year. Which actually means we should be in principal photography again on like June 15th. Don't you love how I "blog out loud"?