Is it worth shooting a western short film or would that be too much money?

H

harmonica44

One of my best ideas for script was a western about a pistol duel contest. Well there is a lot more going on that that, but that's how it starts out. However, shooting a western would probably be really expensive cause of costumes, sets, props, and of course horses.

I mentioned to a friend of mine, but he says since I live close to Alberta it should be easy since Alberta is the western filming capital of the world. Most of Hollywood comes to film there westerns there, so there is a lot of western sets, around that you can probably get access to, with horses ready to go, if that's the case.

Do you think that's true? I know Alberta is the western shooting capital of the world, but is everything ready to go, and affordable for a microbudget short film? What do you think, do you think it's do-able?
 
Don't. Just don't.

Period piece.
Weapons.
Animals.

It may be your best script, but it's not something you should do now.
 
You are asking the wrong question.
It's not whether it is too much money.
It's whether you can do it.

You are not ready.
Make sure you can shoot something 21st century with things you have access to without animals, because you still need to learn to shoot within schedule.

I'm all about encouraging people, but without skills a western will always be too much money.
And skills are things you obtain by doing.

You are only thinking like:
"My next short has to be my ticket to Hollywood"
It's good to have ambition.
But if you just refuse to work on your skills, because you paralize yourself with extreme high goals, you'll never make anything OR spend too much money on projects that are just beyond your grasp.

Your supergoal can stay:
"I'll make a short or feature that will be my ticket to Hollywood."

Now make a list what you need for that:
- something great

What do you need for that:
- skills
Why?
Skills are developed by experience. Experience means you learnt what works and what doesn't work.
Experience means you know what you are good at and where you really need help.
And as John Cleese says: 'To know you are good at something requires the same skill to be good at that same thing. In other words: people who have no idea what they are doing, have no idea that they have no idea what they are doing.
(Meaning: if you are a passionate, but bad filmmaker, you probably don't see you're a bad one.)

- How do you get skills?
By doing and making things.

- What do you need to make things to get skills?
Something you can do finish in a short time is a good start.
Why?
1) It gives you convidence you actually finished something.
(And this will make it easier to find people who would like to work with you.)
2) You gained experience and learnt
3) You have something you can actualy show
4) You'll probably found things you'd like to do differently next time
5) You'll be inspired to do more

So the next step will be to do more.
This can be:
- making something short again that explores a certain technique or a different style or genre or that continues from your previous project, but better and more complex (but not too complex)

This will lead to a 2nd project you can finish and show.
Now people can see you really are a filmmaker: you actualy finished 2 projects.
And the 2nd one shows either progress or diversity or even both.

This will give you more convidence to do a third project.
Maybe now you are ready for something bigger.
Maybe not.
It doesn't matter, just make your third project.

So.

Your immediate goal at this moment should be:

"I want to make a little short that can be shot in 1 or 2 days to have something to show.
It will have to be simple enough to make without spending a few hundred dollars.
Simple enough to edit in a few days.
No special effects that will delay it forever."

With this goal in mind, you wouldn't ask questions like:
"Is it worth shooting a Middle-Earth inspired short in New-Zealand or would that be too much money (at my level of experience)?"


I know.
Your next question will be (again):
"How can I write something short?"
Well, you have a few threads of them yourself.
I hope you have a spreadsheet to keep an overview of all your questions, because many people gave you ideas to make something short. So did I.
I can't help you overcomplicate simple ideas that people give to you.
Nor can I help you thinking that complicated ideas will be the simple way to Hollywood...
 
Okay thanks. I don't really look at this as a ticket into Hollywood, it was just an expiremental short, and DP who lives in Alberta, I know from before, liked the script and wanted to do it. I thought I could attract more people with it, since it's my best short film idea so far. However, I wasn't using it as a ticket to Hollywood, I just wanted to shoot my best idea, for practice.

However, I don't know why he would have thought that you can shoot a short film in Alberta, easy, if it's not that easy, just because it's the western capital. I will put that short on hold then. Thanks.
 
Your best ideas should be saved for when you can do them justice.
Not used for practice
 
harmonica44 said:
Okay thanks. I don't really look at this as a ticket into Hollywood, it was just an expiremental short, and DP who lives in Alberta, I know from before, liked the script and wanted to do it. I thought I could attract more people with it, since it's my best short film idea so far. However, I wasn't using it as a ticket to Hollywood, I just wanted to shoot my best idea, for practice.

However, I don't know why he would have thought that you can shoot a short film in Alberta, easy, if it's not that easy, just because it's the western capital. I will put that short on hold then. Thanks.
Click to expand...

Ok, I aggagerated a bit with 'ticket to Hollywood', but the essence of my message is:
if you set your goal way too high, beyond your reach, it won't work.
In your situation: no experience with a finished 'good' project, means this could be way out of reach for now.
Because if you don't know yet how to finish a project properly without all the extra details a western will require, it will indeed cost too much.
You need to organize a lot for that and I read how you try to organize a casting...

Practice more.
I once gave you an idea to practice on: 1 actor (m/f) only and maybe 2, depending on how you want the story to go. Can (mostly) be shot outside during daylight. No explosions, guns, terrorists, car chase, helicopters, horses to make it impossible.
 
Yeah for sure. The short film I had problem casting now, only has four actors in but I can do it with two, and it will still work. Trying to find two as of now, but the short is just a two page dialogue scene, so it's pretty simple. I didn't even want to do the western now, till the DP kept talking me into it saying you can do it in a place like Alberta. But yeah, two page dialogue short for now.
 
WalterB said:
You are asking the wrong question.
It's not whether it is too much money.
It's whether you can do it.

You are not ready.
Make sure you can shoot something 21st century with things you have access to without animals, because you still need to learn to shoot within schedule.

I'm all about encouraging people, but without skills a western will always be too much money.
And skills are things you obtain by doing.

You are only thinking like:
"My next short has to be my ticket to Hollywood"
It's good to have ambition.
But if you just refuse to work on your skills, because you paralize yourself with extreme high goals, you'll never make anything OR spend too much money on projects that are just beyond your grasp.

Your supergoal can stay:
"I'll make a short or feature that will be my ticket to Hollywood."

Now make a list what you need for that:
- something great

What do you need for that:
- skills
Why?
Skills are developed by experience. Experience means you learnt what works and what doesn't work.
Experience means you know what you are good at and where you really need help.
And as John Cleese says: 'To know you are good at something requires the same skill to be good at that same thing. In other words: people who have no idea what they are doing, have no idea that they have no idea what they are doing.
(Meaning: if you are a passionate, but bad filmmaker, you probably don't see you're a bad one.)

- How do you get skills?
By doing and making things.

- What do you need to make things to get skills?
Something you can do finish in a short time is a good start.
Why?
1) It gives you convidence you actually finished something.
(And this will make it easier to find people who would like to work with you.)
2) You gained experience and learnt
3) You have something you can actualy show
4) You'll probably found things you'd like to do differently next time
5) You'll be inspired to do more

So the next step will be to do more.
This can be:
- making something short again that explores a certain technique or a different style or genre or that continues from your previous project, but better and more complex (but not too complex)

This will lead to a 2nd project you can finish and show.
Now people can see you really are a filmmaker: you actualy finished 2 projects.
And the 2nd one shows either progress or diversity or even both.

This will give you more convidence to do a third project.
Maybe now you are ready for something bigger.
Maybe not.
It doesn't matter, just make your third project.

So.

Your immediate goal at this moment should be:

"I want to make a little short that can be shot in 1 or 2 days to have something to show.
It will have to be simple enough to make without spending a few hundred dollars.
Simple enough to edit in a few days.
No special effects that will delay it forever."

With this goal in mind, you wouldn't ask questions like:
"Is it worth shooting a Middle-Earth inspired short in New-Zealand or would that be too much money (at my level of experience)?"


I know.
Your next question will be (again):
"How can I write something short?"
Well, you have a few threads of them yourself.
I hope you have a spreadsheet to keep an overview of all your questions, because many people gave you ideas to make something short. So did I.
I can't help you overcomplicate simple ideas that people give to you.
Nor can I help you thinking that complicated ideas will be the simple way to Hollywood...
Click to expand...

Thanks Walt This was totally kinda inspiring!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top