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watch NEW action feature shot for $25K - Teaser Trailer

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DEADTIMEtheTruth

Hey all

We're first time filmmakers in Australia and have just released the teaser trailer for our action feature film, DEADTIME which we'd like to share with you.

As guerrilla filmmakers, we shot this on a budget of $25,000 (AUD) using the Canon 550D. It was shot last year from march to november (mainly on weekends), no crew - just director and producer doing the camera work and some cast acting as a crew, where possible. It was tonnes of fun filming and the experience, awesome!

It's on youtube at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NgZpSyEC5s&feature=plcp

Currently, we're in the final stages of post production.

Hope you all enjoy it, would love your feedback. We'd love to hear from other indie filmmakers to share their experiences.

Cheers
 
Phil_UK said:
Looks great.

Question though, with that budget, why did you shoot on a 550D?
Click to expand...

Cheers for watching and commenting! It's a good question, for our feature film to achieve run and gun martial arts action on such a tight budget didn't allow to us spend 1/3 or even 1/2 the budget on camera/lens. Keep in mind we had all the other equipment/film tools needed for rigging, lighting, sound etc. We wanted to put what money we had into the best quality production possible. And with all the elements that make up a feature film, the costs can be endless. We had to travel to Singapore for some scenes, and consider post production etc as part of the overall budget too.

We really like the Canon DSLR's, we liked the large sensor which gave us a cinematic look the 550D gave us. Yes the picture is a little softer, but we like that too.

We considered the Canon 5D Mark II package with glass, cards etc. In Australia, such a package is in excess of $5K.

Other cameras we looked at where Sony EX1 but the sensors where too small, they were sharper but they are to 'video' looking. WIth those cameras, they're over $10K of camera package - which eats too much of the budget.

We wanted bang for buck... :)
 
no offense intended, I didn't mean it that way, not as an insult..

I know thats not a lot for feature in general, but then again at a ultra low budget level it could be quite sufficient.

At the ultra low budget level, many chose to do post themselves, and many other cost saving options. Often at the cost of quality.

Im interested in the compromises you made to complete our project on that budget. That camera was less then 1/25th of your budget and your film looks fantastic. So what was the biggest expense?

Thanks
 
wheatgrinder said:
no offense intended, I didn't mean it that way, not as an insult..

I know thats not a lot for feature in general, but then again at a ultra low budget level it could be quite sufficient.

At the ultra low budget level, many chose to do post themselves, and many other cost saving options. Often at the cost of quality.

Im interested in the compromises you made to complete our project on that budget. That camera was less then 1/25th of your budget and your film looks fantastic. So what was the biggest expense?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Hey... no offence taken. We wanted to make an internationally commercial full length feature film for VOD/DVD etc, which meant we needed to put as much effort into quality as possible. Our thoughts on bringing it in for $25K was a huge feat including 'ultra low budget' feature films.

There was no single cost that took most of the money. We're first time filmmakers so we had to acquire ALOT of equipment (including post), expenses add up. We shot on weekends over an 8 month period so hiring was out of the question because it was way too costly (and limited in Perth). In addition there are travel costs, props, wardrobe, food etc. We are also doing our own post, but that still requires equipment, software, music etc. Australia being quite remote, doesn't have easy access to a lot of film equipment (particularly where we are in Perth), so filming is not a cheap exercise and shipping is a factor. But with all that considered, we hope we can demonstrate that you can make a commercial viable film for minimal budget.

From the teaser trailer, perhaps its difficult to get a sense of the production value.

Totally not offended... we're new to the forum and are really excited to engage with other filmmakers around the world.
 
The trailer looked great! Stylish. Cool. I agree on the Tony Scott-look on some of the shots (and that's a good thing)
 
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