I finally got around to making Part 2!

The following are pretty basic tips that I have picked up along the way. Some of these tips can be bent to fit your vision, but it is always a good idea to know and master the basics before you stray away from them. They are a “top five,” but in no particular order.

1. Spend as much time in pre-production as possible. The more you have planned, the smoother production and post go.

2. Along with the above, never say "We'll take care of it in post." Usually, this makes things much more difficult than they need to be and often the project loses quality.

3. Do not stop caring about your project. All ideas sound stupid during some part of the process. The key is to keep nurturing the project, no matter how annoyed you are with your crew not showing up and with the prima donnas. If you keep at it, no matter how long it takes and how many bodily fluids and hair you lose, you will feel good about yourself when it is finally complete. However, if you still hate the project after it is finished, hide it away from everyone (burn it, if you so desire) and start something new. At least you had finished something and have experience to carry onto the next project.

4. Along with the above, MAKE SURE YOU FINISH YOUR PROJECT. It is one of the worst feelings to know that you did not even try to finish a project. Leaving unfinished projects creates a horrible habit that can lead to souls wandering the earth with unfinished business. Seriously. Although, if polluting the world with ghosts is your thing or if you have some burning desire to become a ghost, have as much unfinished business as you want.

5. Hire people that care about the project. Your project has a higher chance of being completed if you have people that actually want to work on it. Forcing people into it is not worth the energy, blood, and sweat in which it usually results. People that are in it because they pity your inability to find someone that cares are not worth it either. Take the time (and money, if necessary) to find people that care. You will appreciate that energy greatly in the end.

Stay tuned for Part 3... which might come around in another three months or so!