What happens on a Tech Scout doesn’t stay on a Tech Scout

Michael S. Chandler exposes what happens on a Tech Scout in preparation for a film production.

First thing’s first–IF YOU’RE DOING A TECH SCOUT DURING PRODUCTION ON YOUR OFF DAYS YOU’RE DOING IT WRONG. There are exceptions to this, like if a location fell through and your location manager scrambles to find a new one ASAP (kudos, location manager…an unsung hero of the process…quick side note…if you want to get into producing or UPM/Line Producing…Location Managing is actually a lesser-known AWESOME way to learn the ropes and groom yourself for producing…just FYI), then yes, you should TECH scout as soon as possible. But now, we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

Before I get into the nitty-gritty about why you need a tech scout and the things you should do on it, let’s first clear up some confusion and misconceptions about the difference between a TECH SCOUT, and a LOCATION SCOUT (the event…not the person).

Michael Schandler | Read the Full Article -PART 1

So, what needs to be done before a tech scout can happen during the pre-production process? Let me start off by saying that the tech scout is one of the final things to happen in the pre-production process. The main reason being, is because a TECH SCOUT is in a way a culmination of all the work that has been done in pre-production. A final show and tell of sorts.

THINGS THAT SHOULD BE FINISHED OR NEAR FINISHED IN PRE-PRODUCTION BEFORE YOU SCOUT:

THE LOCATIONS SHOULD BE LOCKED: You should not be tech scouting a location if you are not positive you will be shooting there. Number one is because it is a waste of everyone’s time and energy (and in turn, a waste of money to put it on your scout day) if you do all of your prep work and walk-through for that location and it turns out it’s a bust. Number two, you could potentially scare the location away by showing up with two 15-pass vans full of people. Imagine knocking on someone’s door with a train of 20+ people behind you. There are more subtle ways. And, number three, if the location isn’t obtainable or doesn’t fit in your budget, then you get the creative team’s hopes up.
Sussing out a location and locking is part of the location manager’s job in pre-production (one of the many OTHER types of scouts talked about in PART I of this article). There are exceptions to this rule, but in very rare circumstances, like if you have extra time on a scout day, and if one of your “locked” locations fell through suddenly.

Michael Schandler | Read the Full Article -PART 2