Low-Budget Feature - Best ways to save money -- Worst pitfalls to avoid

Zak,

Your movie looks interesting. I shot a feature on about a $8000.00 budget. It can be done and we had our share of problems. I had never shot anything before not even a short. It was my first directing experience.

We could've done a better job (obviously) we had a low budget and a small crew but I am still amazed what we accomplished. It should be said it can be done if you have the ambition, drive, passion and are willing to do hard work to see it through. Also patience helps too. You could never have too much of this.

My advice if someone wants to do a feature just go and do it! Don't worry about it... yeah you'll make mistakes but that is half the ride!

Chris
 
chapelgrovefilms said:
Saving money can be as simple as keeping the number of shooting days to a minimum. The fewer shooting days, the fewer meals -- less food = less money. However, at this stage in your project there may be little you can do about that.

I just wrapped principal photography on a unique suspense/drama feature called 'Tangled Web'. I wrote the script, and from the beginning it was designed to be shot in a VERY short amount of time. The script was written so that the whole story is seen from the POV of three webcams, each in a different character's home. (Of course, in reality all three were in different rooms in the same house.) This unique perspective allows for VERY fast shooting -- no camera movement, no changing camera setups or lights, mics mounted on stands (no boom or operator). All we had to do to get ready for the next scene was make adjustments to the set dressing. We were ready to shoot before the actors could even change their wardrobe!

And since everything is seen from a single POV, there was no need for the usual coverage -- master shot, medium shot, two-shot, closeups, cutaways, etc. Every shot was a master shot. Closeups were accomplished by simply moving the actor close to the camera. Extremely simple!

We shot an 83-page script in just 2 days! And we wrapped early both days. It went very, very smoothly!

And so far we've got VERY little money in it. Everyone worked on deferred pay -- which is easier when they only have to commit a single weekend to the project. No equipment was rented -- I own one camera, my DP owns the other two. We did use work lights from Lowe's. And I bought audio equipment, which I've already turned around and re-sold, recovering 75% of the cost.

Editing is also very simple compared to your typical project, and is going very quickly.

So we had 7 actors. The crew consisted of me (director, writer, producer, editor), my wife (producer, grip, craft service), an AD (also the executive producer and documentarian), a DP (also one of the main actors), and an all-around grip/SFX makeup/hair girl.

And I won't tell you how little it cost us (so far), but the cost is breathtakingly tiny. :)
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Please tell usmore about your movie. 3 cameras and the entire time no movement? not close upd? The charaters have to be really interesting if you only have master shots the entire time, you basically have 3 different stories right?
 
Why not make short serials (e.g. sitcoms like Break A Leg) rather than features? A feature requires that you get everything right the one time while serials are more forgiving.
 
Get a copy of Microsoft Project (however you can). Run down to a bookstore and get a book on Microsoft Project and read it cover to cover.

Take your script and break it down, creating a project plan in MS Project. Detail everything out, from actors to craft services. Juggle it all around to make each shooting day as inexpensive as it can be. You may find that a specific scene or sequence is very expensive, rewrite it if possible. That's right, compromise your story if you have to; if it means you can make the movie then do it. As you haggle with the providers and get better rates you can simply plug the rates into project and figure out where you can now spend the freed up money.

This is being a producer, if you don't want to do this then you don't want to be a producer.

Oh, and for your project's sake: craft services should be done by the time makeup and actors start to show up. Nothing starts without coffee.

Bob
 
seunosewa said:
Why not make short serials (e.g. sitcoms like Break A Leg) rather than features? A feature requires that you get everything right the one time while serials are more forgiving.
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the higher the risk, the more satisfying the reward. For me, the most important quality a filmmaker can have is the courage to fail.
 
Zak Forsman said:
the higher the risk, the more satisfying the reward. For me, the most important quality a filmmaker can have is the courage to fail.
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I think this is true for all careers. Talent is useless in a person without ambition.

BTW, good job on your pre-production efforts.
 
I shot two features...both SAG...$5,000 and $8,500 respectively...you are welcome to check out the trailers on my site

... and I wrote a book that lays out what to do and how to do it...You can get it at Samuel French if you are in cali...or online from Amazon or the Sundance Media Group at www.vasst.com It is called "A Guerilla In The Midst"

Anything is possible...too many people think of why it won't work mrather than what can be done...

Stan The Man
 
I say ask yourself what you want to do? What is your goal? If you are working at being a feature film director, make features. The process of filmmaking, from script to marketing, is completely different between short films and feature length projects.

BUT, of course, any type of filmmaking experience you gain is going to help you be a better filmmaker, as is with anything in life.

My advice for low-budget or "no-budget" filmmaking is: be realistic with what you can and cannot do and work with your strengths.
 
abalex said:
Please tell usmore about your movie. 3 cameras and the entire time no movement? not close upd? The charaters have to be really interesting if you only have master shots the entire time, you basically have 3 different stories right?
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Sorry it took me so long to reply to this post. Busy busy busy!

Actually, it's not entirely accurate to say that every shot was a master shot. In some shots, the character was sitting right up close to the camera -- effectively making that a closeup. But yes, the cameras never moved.

In order to keep the audience engaged, two things were critical. First, the script itself had to be right. The story had to move at the right pace. The dialogue had to be interesting and relevant. The drama had to be built at the right speed and to the right intensity.

Second, the actors had to be top notch. The audience had to LOVE the good guys and HATE the bad guys, right from the get-go. The actors had to be able to grab the audience's attention and their emotions, and HOLD onto both.

When we were casting, we got a TON of responses, and some extremely gratifying input from actors. They liked our script. Some of them LOVED our script! We had actors -- and not just a few, but many -- who were willing to travel to NC from as far away as Los Angeles and New York City -- at their own expense! They were that excited about our script and what we were trying to do. (Also, how often do you get the chance to play a LEAD or major supporting role in a FEATURE film with only a 2 or 3 day commitment?)

Ultimately, we cast an absolute GEM -- Rebecca Morris -- from right in our own back yard to play the lead role. She is an amazing talent, and a wonderful person to have on the set. (You can find her at www.nowcasting.com -- just do a search for her by name.) She carried the role with power and emotion and just an amazing commitment. I absolutely plan to work with her again in the future, and would recommend her to anyone.

Our remaining cast were also very talented and great to have on the set. They made a terrific team. Everybody had a good time, and we wrapped early every single day.

As for the story -- no, we didn't basically have 3 different stories. We had one story. The webcam approach allowed two characters who were 3000 miles apart (in the story) to carry on a conversation as if they were in the same room. Being able to cut back and forth between the two helped reduce the monotonous look a bit. Some of our scenes involved these people talking via a 'webcam link'. Other scenes involved several people in the same room, in a more or less 'normal' environment.

I think the end result is going to be quite entertaining for the audience, and a bit different from what they're used to seeing. Fingers crossed on that!

Thanks for asking! :)
 
chapelgrovefilms said:
Some of us are just not good at convincing other people to let loose of their money. I know I'm not. My goal is to make no-budget features until one of them makes some money. Take the money from that and use it to make a better feature. Use the money from that to make an even better feature. Then, with luck, I'll reach the point where others will feel more confident about investing their money with me.

A good reel is easy -- a good movie is hard.
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I would definitely stick to YOUR plan because this IS how low budget filmmaking used to be made on a regular. There are a lot of "film snobs" here who aren't capable of thinking on a grass roots level and hold true to the concept of more = better eventhough time and time again, that has been proven wrong. So do work with what you have and consider yourself a professional while you do it.

Cheers!
 
IjabaFilms said:
I would definitely stick to YOUR plan because this IS how low budget filmmaking used to be made on a regular. There are a lot of "film snobs" here who aren't capable of thinking on a grass roots level and hold true to the concept of more = better eventhough time and time again, that has been proven wrong. So do work with what you have and consider yourself a professional while you do it.

Cheers!
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Well, different strokes for different folks -- but this plans works for me!

Thanks!
 
c.g., as already noted by Jim Brennan, cast well. I find working with a solid group of actors gives any production the added momentum to get through the most hectic of situations. In addition, get some time for rehearsals! Even if you can only do read-throughs, it will help you determine how your script is working, as well as allow you to begin tackling all sorts of decisions from staging to coverage before the whirlwind of the actual shoot. I shortchanged myself on this on my last film, something I will not do again (thank the gods I had a great group of actors who really pulled me through). Best of luck on your grand journey!
 
For anyone who might be interested I will be doing a guerilla filmmaikng seminar on Monday March 17th for Women in Film, in Hollywood...It's only $15 for non members and I am sure guys are welcome if you say you know me...It will have a heavy emphasis on how writing can be your answer to cutting costs...for details you can check out their website at... http://www.wif.org/

Cheers,
Stan The Man
 
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