how do you make a movie look bigger than its budget?

One way to give your film "scope" is to have a detailed, polished audio post and mix.

"Sound is half of the experience."

As a poor filmmaker you have one resource to leverage.... TIME. Time is your biggest asset!

You can spend time in planning, pre-production, previz rehearsals etc.. this will make your end product look like a bigger production.

This thread should be pinned.

Stunning post with great vid links by ChimpPhobiaFilms.

Great input and analysis by others - particularly rayw's budget commentary.

wheatgrinder said:

As a poor filmmaker you have one resource to leverage.... TIME. Time is your biggest asset!

You can spend time in planning, pre-production, previz rehearsals etc.. this will make your end product look like a bigger production.

Click to expand...

Yes! I second that.

Some other things that go a long way towards making your ultra-low/no budget movie look more expensive:

1. Actors. Get really good actors who know what they are doing. Cast the best actors you can find/afford. A good performance from a charasmatic, interesting actor can really elevate a film. Likewise, a boring or poor performances can drag an otherwise solid film right down.

2. Dialog issues.

a. Try to make your dialog as sparse as possible.

b. If you want to have a dialog driven film, find the most interesting ways to shoot that dialog. Woody Allen's films are very talk driven, sometimes he has seven minute conversations. However, watch closely at how he films them.

Here is a four minute conversation in Crimes and Misdemeanors. It is only two shots I think, but watch how he stages it. It is almost never boring.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZQ5qKpUk08

Many low-budget/first time filmmakers have these long conversations take place in a static, medium two shot at a dinner table or something. Which leads me to:

c. If you do have two people seated, having a conversation that is longer than, say, a page of dialogue, then it is impossible to shoot too much coverage. Make sure you have an establishing shot, a medium two shot, over the shoulders, medium close, extreme close, etc. Also, don't forget inserts - closeups of hands pouring the wine, or passing the business card across the table.

Of course, time won't allow you to get all of these, but you should try. A second camera helped us greatly on a short we made that had a long dialogue scene at restaraunt. Which reminds me, don't forget to get reaction shots and closeups of the waitress or waiter.

This will allow you, in editing, to give the viewer many different things to look at during the conversation.

I think the ways to make your film look larger budget is to do things right. Sounds simple, but it isn't in the indie world. People skimp on lighting, on sound and sound design, on original music, on set design and costume, and finally actors.

If you hired the right people in these departments, you'll get high quality work that can stand on it's own without any glaring red flags. If there are red flags, your project will stand out as being low budget.

Creativity and care have to take the place of budget. And with today's hardware and software, there is no reason our films can't look on the level--I mean you shouldn't try and compete with Elysium. Have ideas and a script that are appropriate to your budget and skill sets.

Just don't skimp too much. Be creative. Sweat equity!

The "anyone" is a general audience, although the idea is to beguile even the experienced filmmaker. In other words, noticeable flaws pull the audience out of the illusion.

Great filmmaking is about details - the books in the bookshelves, the knick-knacks on the table, the pictures on the walls, the chairs... the colors of everything need to have meaning. The clothes, hair and make-up provide invaluable insight into the characters and their place in the story. A great sound design and mix is all about details.

as M1chae1 said; "The way to make your film look larger budget is to do things right." Pay attention to details!!!

So you don't have a budget; as Wheatgrinder said - "As a poor filmmaker you have one resource to leverage.... TIME. Time is your biggest asset! You can spend time in planning, pre-production, previz rehearsals etc.. this will make your end product look like a bigger production."

And you need to do EXTREME financial and time planning, it's all about and preproduction, more preproduction and then even more preproduction; then double down and do even more preproduction. Indie filmmakers just want to get to the shoot. They take shortcuts - and they show. In other words they aren't invisible, they are seen, and pull the audience out of the illusion.

Keep it coming!

I havent seen moneyball yet, even though I like Both actors. I did watch trouble with the curve since I like Clint Eastwood a lot...

Great composition and use of the frame though....