Is $10,000 indie feature possible ?

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polfilmblog said:
"...and it's available to watch in its entirety on vimeo for FREE here:"

I don't want to say anything negative. I've seen your trailer. I'll skip the feature. It sort of makes my point.
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and I think I may have just countered that point by buying their DVD. :thumbsup:

for me, writing, story, characters, performance and pacing are all that really matters. and fortunately, those have no cost (potentially). generally speaking, everything else (composition, music, lighting, set design, etc) is the part of the artform that one can appreciate if its there, but it's not essential to making a film people will find entertainment value in or even buy.
 
I'll also be picking up a copy of the Slimed DVD when I get paid. :)

For anyone who's had to pay an extremely low wage to actors, especially lead ones, how much did you give them? I was thinking of $100 for the leads, $50 to secondaries, and $20 for extras. The script I'm developing right now only has 3 main leads which are 2 best friends and one antagonist. At most, I'd have maybe 5-8 paid extras and use friends/relatives/myself for the rest.
 
JavaExMachina,

production is still very much so a problem. Yes, the technology makes it more affordable but the main expenses - the labor is still very expensive.

Just last week i made 2 budgets for 2 low budget films one a horror - 18 days $105,000 (production only), another a drama - 22 days $125,000 (production only).

Could both films be made for less - absolutely, but then the filmmaker would have to use every hustling trick in the book to make it happen.

Ultimately it doesn't really mater if your film was made for 15K or 150k if your film is shi*ty but if it happens to be good the extra $ that went into production can make a world of difference when it comes to selling your film.

But even if you take it a step further... If you come to me with 15k budget then i'll say - "Great! You will have some money left over to pay for the catering after paying my fee" but if you come to me with 150k then i'll hook you up with an experienced producer who can get recognizable B-level actors (yes, even at those budgets), then get you the cheapest quotes on the gear, get you the best crew your low rates can get... so-on and so-on. Then we'll find other cost-cutting measures to make your low budgeter as fantastic as possible - why, because having done over 80 productions i still care about producing the best work possible. So ultimately your buck on 150k film will go way further then on 15k film.
 
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Patryk_Rebisz said:
JavaExMachina,

production is still very much so a problem. Yes, the technology makes it more affordable but the main expenses - the labor is still very expensive.
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What I mean is, you can produce a film today. It's hard, but it's possible. Money is an issue, as it always is in life, but you can do it now.

15 years ago, producing a feature film required SO much more than it does today. Sure it was possible then too, but not for everyone like it is today.

That's what I mean.

Distribution is today still a problem. That will change, but right now it's still the main problem.
 
Distribution is only a problem because so many of these movies are sh*tty. Movies that look like home video and which have piss-poor scripts and/or acting have a very small market that they can be successful in.

You get better odds if your movie actually looks like a movie.

You get even better odds if you movie looks like a movie and it's actually a good movie.
 
"The problem then will be quality, because at that time the market will be so flooded by 10,000 dollar movies available to the consumer the question they will ask themselves won't be "is this film worth my one dollar" but "is this film worth the hour and a half of my life"."

Then?

That's been the problem for a long time now.

Already, Sundance is flooded with 10,000 films per year, and a lot of those with real budgets. I would imagine most $10K films made don't bother applying to Sundance.

I can't see a $10K film being much of a calling card unless you can make it look like a $500K film. There are people who can do that. Those people are not doing their first films.

Usually, weaknesses will show. Technology is rapidly coming to the rescue, but it's not there yet. And there's no technological fix for bad acting, bad script, and cheesy locations.

So -- one could ask what ELSE you could do with that $10K, that might get you farther?
 
Patryk wrote: If you come to me with 15k budget then i'll say - "Great! You will have some money left over to pay for the catering after paying my fee"
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Actually that's not a bad idea for someone who has $10,000 to make a movie. It's not $15,000 but it's within negotiable range.

Personally I think it's nuts to spend any money on a feature without name actors; the chances for recovering the money are very slim. Therefore, if it's experience that one seeks, then pay the money to an experienced filmmaker and let him or her make the movie for you. At least you'll learn how a real movie is made. You might even improve your chances of getting a pick up by a small distributor and within two years recover your money.
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I haven't read the whole thread, but my advice:

Write your script based on your budget. Don't buy anything (i mean it) borrow it.

Watch Christopher Nolan's first film, "The Following." It was done for $6000 and is actually good because of the script and the fact they rehearsed for a year before shooting.

Don't have your script be dialogue heavy especially with non-actors, and don't do comedy.

Edit: After reading some of the thread, forget El Mariachi, "The Following" is the best low budget film. "Pi" is pretty good too, but that was $60,000 budget.
 
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Jimmy Moss said:
Watch Christopher Nolan's first film, "The Following." It was done for $6000 and is actually good because of the script and the fact they rehearsed for a year before shooting.

Don't have your script be dialogue heavy especially with non-actors, and don't do comedy.

Edit: After reading some of the thread, forget El Mariachi, "The Following" is the best low budget film. "Pi" is pretty good too, but that was $60,000 budget.
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The Following is great. Also, if I'm not mistaken, it's got a great commentary track where he talks a lot about how he made it. Good advice for an indie.

I haven't heard the one about comedy before, but I would say Don't do anything with zombies.

Oh yeah and go to film festivals to WATCH movies first. Especially the ones made by first timers. Then go to comic book and sci-fi conventions and pick up a few dvds of movies that hasn't been accepted to festivals.
 
JavaExMachina said:
The Following is great. Also, if I'm not mistaken, it's got a great commentary track where he talks a lot about how he made it. Good advice for an indie.

I haven't heard the one about comedy before, but I would say Don't do anything with zombies.

Oh yeah and go to film festivals to WATCH movies first. Especially the ones made by first timers. Then go to comic book and sci-fi conventions and pick up a few dvds of movies that hasn't been accepted to festivals.
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When did don't do anything with Zombies become a rule?
 
Which still doesn't make it a rule, but an opinion. Just because someone else can't make an effective Zombie Flick doesn't mean another person can or will not.

Just like someone said "Don't do comedy"? What? Why, because other people aren't very good at it?
 
Kholi said:
Which still doesn't make it a rule, but an opinion. Just because someone else can't make an effective Zombie Flick doesn't mean another person can or will not.

Just like someone said "Don't do comedy"? What? Why, because other people aren't very good at it?
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Agreed !

Don't blame zombie movies, blame the crappy filmmakers.

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subtleinspiration said:
You can quibble about it all you want, and then go make some zombie comedy, but don't say we didn't warn ya!
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I'm glad we have an authority on this here.

When's the last time a fullblown no-named independent zombie(esque even) horror sold?

Any other rules of engagement from someone who's successfully sold a feature film that we all should know?
 
"Therefore, if it's experience that one seeks, then pay the money to an experienced filmmaker and let him or her make the movie for you."

Better yet, use the money as seed money to attract more investors and more real filmmakers. Leverage. Always try to spend other people's money.
 
J.R. Hudson said:
Agreed !

Don't blame zombie movies, blame the crappy filmmakers.

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Seriously. It's one thing to make OBVIOUS blanket statements about wasting people's time with a mediocre project. Completely DIFFERENT thing to start telling people that any certain genre is a mistake.
 
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