How to Make a Movie Happen

Yesterday, I felt knowledgeable. The gig was a trailer to use as a fundraiser. But the first 15 minutes or so was occupied by the writer/director figuring out his camera, and I found myself stepping in to act as a PA, sound guy, and playing multiple roles. The writer was a novelist who adapted the novel into a screenplay, and then thought he could be his own crew. This is possible for a trailer with a green screen, but I was pretty emphatic with him about how he needed a crew. He needed a cinematographer to deal with the camera while he directed, hair and makeup, set design, etc. He thought that he could do sound himself, but I tried to tell him very clearly that bad sound will take people out of a movie. You may not even notice sound, but if it is bad, it becomes the most noticeable part. 

I expect a call today with a much more accomplished director. Hopefully he can give me some idea (and possibly work with me) about how to make a feature film happen. I would hope to make this sci fi horror a SAG project, in part because everyone worked for free on the short film and should be paid well for the feature version, but also because we all want to be SAG eligible.