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The average Hollywood movie costs in excess of $100million to make, then anywhere between three to six times that amount to market the film before a theatrical release.
However, filmmakers are everywhere, not just Hollywood and it goes without saying that the vast majority of filmmakers don’t have anything like the budget that Hollywood studios throw around. So can quality films be made for little, or even no money? Of course they can, but is it possible for no-budget films to look cheap? Absolutely and this is something you need to guard against. Making it look like you’ve had money to spend is a skill you can learn. Its all about perceived production value. Don’t know what I’m talking about? Then read on and you will…
Since the advent of digital cameras, especially Mini-DV, filmmaking has become much more accessible to the enthusiast. Now-a-days, you don’t need to rent expensive cameras and buy a few thousand feet of celluloid to make your film, all you need is passion and a mini DV camera.
Now here are a few more things that you will want to make note of to make it look like you’ve had way more money than you’ve actually got. After all, you want a professional looking film, right?
The Script
The first thing you need on your filmmaking journey is a script. A quality script will give you the opportunity to make a quality film. The good news is you can write a quality script for free, the bad news is that this is not easy. But, hey, filmmaking isn’t a stroll in the park. If this puts you off, you’re better off turning the page and reading the TV listings for tonight. You’re no filmmaker!
Many filmmakers have launched their own career by making a no-budget film and displayed how they can be creative and innovate with very small sums of money. It costs nothing to be creative. Let your creative juices flow, take your time, and once you have a script you are happy with start planning your shoot.
Crew and Equipment
Next, you need to assemble a crew but since you have no money, keep this to a minimum. As well as costing you less, they will be easier to manage and co-ordinate. A cameraman/director of photography, sound recorder and a runner should be sufficient. You don’t know any potential crew members? No problem. Get in touch with EM Media, Intermedia or log onto www.shootingpeople.org for help putting your team together. Since this is a no budget film, you will more than likely be working with inexperienced, but enthusiastic people. Many cameramen will have their own equipment so try and do a deal with them to get as much equipment for as little as possible. It is not uncommon for a director of photography to work for expenses and a copy of the film, especially if you are genuinely passionate about the project and can arouse their excitement with the script and description of your vision of the film. Equipment such as lights, colours gels, tripods etc are essential to your film. While cranes/dolly and tracks are excellent for smooth, cinematic movement. Ideally this is what you want in your film as it will look like you’ve spent a ton of money when you actually haven’t (this is what I mean by perceived production value).
Cast
Affectionately known as ‘talking props’ to some in the industry, but the strength of the performances will make or break your film. You wont be able to get a De Niro or Pacino, but there are plenty of talented and hungry actors looking for a break, who will work for expenses and a copy of the film. This is important for them, as actors are always looking to improve and expand their show reel. If you don’t know any actors, don’t worry, but avoid casting your friends, mum etc… Get on the Shooting People site or try Casting Network.
Write a synopsis that sells your film to all of the talent out there and conduct a casting day. On these casting days, you cant expect the performance to be precisely what you’re looking for, they wont know the character in intimate enough detail and obviously wouldn’t have spend much time prepping with you, the director. Look for personalities that you are happy and comfortable working with and a spark that catches your attention above the competition.
Quick Tip: Be on guard for inexperienced theatre actors wanting to get into film. Their performances are likely to be…well, theatrical – not what you want for film, where subtleties and nuances are all important. Remember, less is more!
Locations
Location fees can easily drain a film’s budget, but since you don’t have a budget, this doesn’t apply to you. Even films such as Sophia Copolla’s ‘Lost in Translation’ and the excellent ‘Pi’ shot guerrilla style - you should too. If your film needs a specific indoor location (office, shop etc…) ask friends, parents, friends of friends, parents of friends and friends of parents. Offer to give them a credit on the film for allowing you to shoot. Invite them to watch you in action, and make them feel a part of the magic.
Props and Production Design
You need to make the most of what you have. You can’t spend any money, so be creative as possible. Utilise objects/props that you have access to and make them a part of your film. Look at everything you have access to and let your imagination run wild. Think of how to make best use of your possessions. Robert Rodriguez made a list of all the cool things he had access to when making ‘El Mariachi’, these included a bus, an old prison and a tortoise. He wrote the script around these and made an award winning film that launched his Hollywood career. What do you have lurking in the dark corner of your basement…?
Schedule and Shoot
Ok, so now you have your cast, crew, equipment, locations, script and props in place, its time to shoot. You need to devise a schedule now so you know what you are shooting, where and when. Dependent Films contains a plethora of very useful resources (for free, of course) that will help you plan your film and get ready for the first call of ‘Action’. Do bare in mind that the cast and crew are not being paid, so the shorter your schedule the more likely people will be willing to work with you for nothing. In order to shoot your film in the optimum time you need to have a very clear and intimate knowledge of your film. You need to know it shot for shot, which angles, where you cut. Your vision is key here.
Once your vision is crystal clear, write a shot list of only the shots you need to be able to cut your film together. That’s right, only shoot your cuts. For example, your actor is delivering a monologue; first half of it a medium shot (from the waist up), the second, more intense part of the monologue, is filmed in a close up shot (neck and face). Rather than filming the entire monologue from both angles, just shoot from the medium angle up until the point you know you want the angle to change and at that point, quickly zoom in to the close up. The actor is undisturbed and you have two halves that when edited together will make it look like you’ve used more camera setups (edit tip: you don’t want the viewer to see the zoom itself, so for the duration of the zoom, use what is called a cutaway or insert. In this case it could be to a reaction of the person your actor is talking to).
This is a method that Robert Rodriquez utilises and is one of the main reasons he can make a Hollywood action movie for less than a third of the normal cost ($7million rather than $30million). If you cant afford to pay your cast/crew, or convince them to work for long periods of time, then you need to work with this method. Again, it is hard work, but saves you time and money that you don’t have. When the shots are cut together, it will look like you’ve used more camera setups than you actually have also giving the impression you’ve had much more time and money that you’ve had… I come back to the word ‘perceived’ (I told you you’d understand).
Post Production
Many filmmakers see editing as the most satisfying part of the process as it is here that your vision literally materialises before your eyes. These days you don’t need to worry about processing, printing and splicing celluloid, the edit can be done with the click of a mouse (well, several clicks…). Learn to cut your film on a computer system. Using your old PC or Mac, you can install editing software and start cutting. Now, you don’t have reams of cash to spend on the flashiest edit system, but the kind people at Adobe and Avid have free versions of their systems to download from their website. These pieces of software are sufficient to cut your film and assemble to your final cut. If you don’t have a computer yourself, why not enrol on an editing course that teaches you how to edit. You can use your current project and work on that in your sessions. Confetti Studios have excellent facilities and very experienced tutors to show you the ropes. Quick Tip: for an added cinematic feel to your film shoot in 16:9 aspect ratio (so you get the black bars at the top and bottom of the screen) or if you aren’t comfortable doing this, shoot in the standard ratio (4:3) and then add the black bars in the edit.
That’s a Wrap!
Is very possible to make quality for nothing. Two filmmakers from Nottingham made a film called ‘In Absentia’ a couple of years ago, spent a little money and used a lot of innovation and won film festivals the world over. Nottingham’s own Shane Meadows made films like Where’s the Money Ronnie? for as little as £10, which helped to launch him into his career. You don’t need money to be innovative or to make exciting, interesting films. Working on a low budget can actually be very liberating, you know you can’t spend money, so embrace that fact, go all out and be as creative as you can.
Happy writing, shooting and cutting…
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