Best chance of success with an indie micro-budget - short or feature?

As someone who has given up a completely separate lucrative career to turn his part-time hobby into a full-time career, what is the best way to progress your micro-budget short or feature? I am a budding writer/director who has worked in various capacities on other micro-budget and low budget shorts and features. I intend on producing my own micro-budget short or feature with the intention of submitting to festivals. I have a couple of concepts which will work well even on a micro-budget and have access to gear and crew which should lead to decent production values.

Now, the way I see it is I have two options:

1) Write/produce a micro-budget (<$15k) short (20 mins) with a high concept/striking production values and really concentrate on those production values. Long term goal will be submitting to film festivals with the intention that the high production values on a micro-budget will gain recognition as well as the concept/story itself. Basically it would be a proof of concept for the idea and to promote myself.

2) Write/produce a micro-budget (<$15k) feature (90+ mins) with a high concept but less production value due to the cost of the longer shooting schedule/larger cast with the knowledge that a feature in itself is more attractive to any potential production company who wish to develop it. Again long term goal will be submission to film festivals.


I think I'm leaning towards option 1.
 
The first question is...what do you want to achieve?

Do you want to make your own films or work on other peoples?

What do you believe or hope will come from entering a film festival?

Once we as a group know this, others far more experienced then I will be able to give
you some solid advice, and thoughts on how perhaps to get what you want.
 
1) Write/produce a micro-budget (<$15k) short (20 mins) with a high concept/striking production values and really concentrate on those production values. Long term goal will be submitting to film festivals with the intention that the high production values on a micro-budget will gain recognition as well as the concept/story itself. Basically it would be a proof of concept for the idea and to promote myself.
This has been done many times before. It's a very real option.
Many didn't even have high production values.

2) Write/produce a micro-budget (<$15k) feature (90+ mins) with a high concept but less production value due to the cost of the longer shooting schedule/larger cast with the knowledge that a feature in itself is more attractive to any potential production company who wish to develop it. Again long term goal will be submission to film festivals.
This has been done many times before. It's a very real option.
Production value is not usually top on the reasons micro budget
movies succeed.

There isn't one path that is better or more likely to start a career.
If your movie connects with an audience and a studio or distributor
feels you will be able to make them money you will get the next
job from a short or a feature. If you feel high production value is
a higher priority then option one may be your best option.
 
It sounds like you can do the feature with the same budget and close to the same production values. My feature just played into two festivals. Getting into a festival with a feature is pretty tough. Although I'm off to a good start.

My film was up for best first feature at both fests. I did not win. However, I flew to the second fest and it was awesome. I wasnt great at networking as I sorta just like to chill in the background but by the end of the festival I was introducing myself but more exciting people were coming up to me. I met with Big Mike from The Blindside a couple of times and we swapped cell numbers. He's working on a lot and he thinks he has stuff for me in the future. I told him I wanted him in my next film. Plus because of the hit of The Blindside he knows everyone.

To get to your point, I don't know if I submitted a short, people would have come up to me. I'm thinking they wouldn't. But I'm just not sure. I think there are more opportunities with features. It plays at a cool fest in Florida next which I'm attending and I will get a better gauge as maybe the stars aligned in Texas for me.

Lastly, I won an award that gets me 60 grand with of equipment and supplies for my next feature as long as I shoot it in Texas. I dont know how to figure how much I spent on my feature. My hard costs were under 8 grand but I'm now submitting to film festivals and I have to buy a ticket to Florida. The Texas Fest paid my way and put me up. So making this feature has given me a budget almost 8 times than the first one. That's exciting.

If you have a teen part I would love to help you out.
 
It sounds like the quality question is not about a difference of money, but a difference of time. If you have the equipment, everything should be the same except the time spent on the individual details. If you're really committed, you'd focus on the details of a feature length with the same patience of a short.
 
As someone who has given up a completely separate lucrative career to turn his part-time hobby into a full-time career, what is the best way to progress your micro-budget short or feature? I am a budding writer/director who has worked in various capacities on other micro-budget and low budget shorts and features. I intend on producing my own micro-budget short or feature with the intention of submitting to festivals. I have a couple of concepts which will work well even on a micro-budget and have access to gear and crew which should lead to decent production values.

Now, the way I see it is I have two options:

1) Write/produce a micro-budget (<$15k) short (20 mins) with a high concept/striking production values and really concentrate on those production values. Long term goal will be submitting to film festivals with the intention that the high production values on a micro-budget will gain recognition as well as the concept/story itself. Basically it would be a proof of concept for the idea and to promote myself.

2) Write/produce a micro-budget (<$15k) feature (90+ mins) with a high concept but less production value due to the cost of the longer shooting schedule/larger cast with the knowledge that a feature in itself is more attractive to any potential production company who wish to develop it. Again long term goal will be submission to film festivals.


I think I'm leaning towards option 1.

I made my first flick for 500 dollars. Free actors of course who eventually turned Sag lucky for me. I spent a lot on the camera, miss, software and I still need to ADR. I dread what that will cost me lol
Man if I had 15K like you write I could make one kick ass flick ( my style )
 
I shot a $15K short 25 min long and it was definitely a valuable experience. Here is the trailer for it: https://vimeo.com/93476048

Mainly I have just been able to use the footage from it to get other jobs as a videographer or as a cinematographer. We tried to sell it and were offered $400 from Shorts TV (the fees would have cost us $500). It was fantastic practice, but you will probably (never say never) not make any money off of a short. If it is exposure you are looking for, then go for it.

The next big project I do will either be a feature length film or a TV pilot. Short films take a lot of time and effort and money if you want to do them well (which it sounds like you do) and in the end not many people watch short films. But again, it is great practice and a good way to show off your skills.

Good luck!!
 
If you already have substantial experience making short films (which it sounds like you do?) then go make that feature!

If you've got little experience with shorts, then go ahead and make three or five of them at under $1k each. *Then* go make that feature.
 
As someone who has given up a completely separate lucrative career to turn his part-time hobby into a full-time career, what is the best way to progress your micro-budget short or feature? I am a budding writer/director who has worked in various capacities on other micro-budget and low budget shorts and features. I intend on producing my own micro-budget short or feature with the intention of submitting to festivals. I have a couple of concepts which will work well even on a micro-budget and have access to gear and crew which should lead to decent production values.

Now, the way I see it is I have two options:

1) Write/produce a micro-budget (<$15k) short (20 mins) with a high concept/striking production values and really concentrate on those production values. Long term goal will be submitting to film festivals with the intention that the high production values on a micro-budget will gain recognition as well as the concept/story itself. Basically it would be a proof of concept for the idea and to promote myself.

2) Write/produce a micro-budget (<$15k) feature (90+ mins) with a high concept but less production value due to the cost of the longer shooting schedule/larger cast with the knowledge that a feature in itself is more attractive to any potential production company who wish to develop it. Again long term goal will be submission to film festivals.


I think I'm leaning towards option 1.

I would go with 1. Anyone can do a low-production feature, but, if you want to get noticed, you should get a higher value. Of course, if you can afford to do two or more, you may want to do a few with option 1 and a few with option 2.

I'm also thinking of doing shorts and going to the sci-fi film festivals, both to gain experience and make contacts.
 
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