Low budget movie.

[D.Prosser]

I have coincidently had an excellent idea for a film and received £1300 at more or less the same time (about $2000).

Therefore, i've decided that it would be an excellent idea to give this a shot. I have no experience, although i'm highly ambitious in the area of filmwork.

As im more of a mind worker rather than an equipment worker, im at a loss when it comes to knowing what equipment to use etc.

So i would greatly appreciate it if someone would tell me wat sort of equipment (video, sound etc) i could afford within this budget to create a professional looking image, and also give me a brief explaination of how the whole thing works, maybe some step-by-step advice?

Cheers.

 

[indietalk]

 

[clive]

OK... that's too big a question to expect anyone to type out for you, because we're talking about a complicated process... so, here are the three books I'd recommend to anyone who wants to make a film but who knows nothing:

Guerilla Film Maker's Blueprint

This is written by Chris Jones, who also wrote the more advanced "Guerilla Film Makers Handbook" and who has actually made quite a few distributed feature films (which is more than you can say for a lot of "how to" book publishers). Where Chris' book excels is it actually goes through the entire process, step, by step.

DV Rebel

This is a great book for understanding the technical requirements of the production process, but written from the POV of working on "No budget" (which in the industry is any project under $500,000). Stu is part of the team who developed "Magic Bullet" and one of the nicest guys in the business... and even after twelves years as a pro, I still find useful stuff in this book.

Finally, the one book you probably think you don't need (but I guarantee you do)

Write and sell the hot screenplay by Elliot Grove

I recommend this both for two reasons... firstly because Elliot Grove provides a very clear and useful process for writing a screenplay, which can be applied by both first timers and veterans like myself... and secondly, I recommend it because it's aimed at people who want to self screenplays... this is important, because as someone who writes a lot about the techniques of micro-budget film making, my number one rule is "never make a script that you couldn't have sold"

 

[WideShot]

I'm not sure why you would expect to come to a forum and have someone detail for you what entire 200+ page books about. We can answer simple questions here, but if we wanted to write books we would.

That said, my advice would be to make a few zero dollar short films before you shoot your budget that way you come to grips with the process. I know someone who just spent $10k on their first short and I don't know how it will turn out but I doubt it would have been as good as if he had done four or five first.

 

[directorik]

Welcome D.Prosser.

As the others have said, there really isn’t a brief explanation of
how the whole thing works. Step-by-step advice could take
hundreds of pages. Check out the books clive mentions.

In addition to WideShots advice to get out there and make movies
have you checked the thread right here on the boards about
cameras, audio equipment and lighting for low budgets?

 

[knightly]

2K is a pretty low budget for buying the gear to make a "Professional looking" piece. At that price point, I would apply the funds to HDV tapes and food for the cast and crew, then work on finding dedicated people who want to work with you (approach them with a completed, SOLID script - not your first draft, read through the forums for more about this). Find dedicated people with their own equipment, treat them and their equipment as if it's irreplaceable (my aging XL1s still goes for $2500 - and I can get non-professional looking footage with it, experience counts more than equipment or money). You'll also need a sound guy with his/her own equipment and actors and grips/pa's to hold stuff and move stuff (not alot, just a couple should do).

Getting these people to agree to do what will take you about 4-5 weeks straight (or a year or two's worth of weekends - no haircuts for any of the actors!) for free is where you learn to be a producer (read: salesman). Keeping them throughout the process is even harder... that's where the dedicated part comes in. I wouldn't start with your big project, start with some smaller bits to get everyone excited to keep working with you.

I started with a camera and determination, I shot a feature length script for $250 (+$5k worth of equipment, which I don't count due to the fact that I didn't buy them specifically for this project). I slowly added people and kept them excited about each project, that part is hard work. Do competitions, let them know that they are gaining knowledge and experience and exposure for their hardwork... PROVIDE THESE THINGS! They work for you, you pay them with experience and with footage for their reels.

This process takes time... know that this is a lifestyle, not just a hobby - everywhere you look, you'll start considering angles and whether or not you'll be able to get permission to shoot there. Everyone you see is a potential cast member. Print out business cards with contact info and make a website to put your projects on.

As soon as you set foot through the door with "Professional Looking" as an expectation, you've committed to a decent camera, lighting, sound, makeup, costuming, location scouting/set design/set construction, years of development & preproduction, weeks of shooting, months of editing, a plan for release and distribution.

Know that this isn't just an "I wanna make a movie" thing, then dive in head-first and make it happen. With that budget, finding people with equipment and feeding them will be your best bet.