I would suggest using “proffesional” (I am using this term very loosely) actors, instead of just a couple of buddies that cannot act for a couple reasons:
-  Sometimes friends do not take it as seriously as say an aspiring actor, looking for credit.  They might look at it more as a social event, more than an actual shoot.
-  Usually, your buddies are simply, not good at acting.
It’s better just to sign real actors to deferral agreements.
Some more questions you might want to ask yourself before shooting a movie:
How long is your shoot going to be? How long is your script? Do you have access to everything for period of time?
Crew:  How big is it?  Do you have a Producer, DOP, Sound man, etc.?  Are you going to provide the food/snacks?
Gear: do you have all the equipment, including props?  I’d suggest reading over your script and make a list of all the props you’ll need.  Do you have enough tape stock for your shoot?
Location: How many locations does your script have, do you need permits to shoot there?  How do plan to get there?  How many locations are there?
Financing:  How do you plan on Financing your movie? Is it through self-funding, funding aggencies, broadcasters, distributers, private investors, studios, etc.?
I just touched the tip of the iceberg there.  You still have to worry about the actual shoot it self, post-production and distrubution/editing.  Making a movie is a lot, and I meanA LOT of work.  GL with everything, hoped this helped.