Article by Video Film School
The goal here is to actually make a low budget feature film for less than $ 1000 dollars. in truth you could make a movie with no money at all if your resourceful. The first thing you need is a great script. No movie is worth watching if it doesn’t tell a great story. But your going to have restrictions because of the budget. The best thing to do is think about filming some form of stage play. You want a limited number of locations and actors. One trick is to tell a strong that takes place at one location during a 24 hour time period. The actors will never have to change clothes and the production won’t need to change locations.
Because everyone works for free and there is a small budget you also want to keep the crew small. It’s always nice to have a producer to help you with things. Maybe at most you have a producer and an assistant. Everything else your going to do yourself. Your the sound guy, the lighting guy and camera guy. If this is your project it’s important not only for the budget but also for your learning process. Trust me it takes the same amount of time to setup a light and operate the camera as it does to explain to someone else what you want them to do. Big productions with lots of actors and equipment need lots of crew. On small productions its easier and less stressful to keep things small and do them yourself.
If you have any friends that are reliable and want to be actors write the story for them. Online classifieds is a great way to cast a movie, such as craigslist. Also contacting the local universities and community colleges. But my favorite way to cast a movie is to network with other filmmakers in your area. They have already worked with actors and I like to find actors and cast them right out of their previous projects. You can get their contact information from the director as well as a reference. The other good thing is they have a little experience so maybe you can learn something by working with them.
Once your movie is finished you need to get the post production done. My advice is to get a rough edit completed as soon as possible. One or two weeks tops. The reason for this is so you can do pickup shots and re-shoots. Actors get haircuts and locations get changed. If your not familiar with video editing the best way to learn is to buy a VIP support package at the Apple Store for $ 99 year. This will give you the opportunity to meet with a support person once a week. Basically your getting a personal tutor for $ 99 a year. Not only cheaper than any class but also a lot more efficient. If your not a computer person your going to have to find an editor who will help you for free. I’m warning you that post production is a lot of work and not the kind of thing people do for free.
The other great thing to do is put together a trailer and have a cast party. I think this is one of the important things to do. You finished principle photography take one day to rest and on day two you get back to work. Spend that day getting your trailer together.
If you want more information about low budget filmmaking take a look at our free online video film school.
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This article is provided by the Video Film School – a free online class on film making.
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This article is provided by the Video Film School – a free online class on film making.
Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines
whereby the original author’s information and copyright must be included.
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Question by PureEx: Should i take my time and write and actually try shooting a short film before going to a film school ?
I got accepted to a film school in January and i think it’s too soon. I didn’t shoot a short film before and im writing a short story right now. But they said i can get into the whole filmmaking process starting january. I don’t know if i should go to the film school in another state and leave my university right now before trying to talk to people in the filmmaking. What do you guys think ?
oh and i didn’t mention that i can apply again for the fall. Should i take the chance and go now or wait and apply for the fall ?
Best answer:
Answer by Irv S
Write all you want. Put it away for a while.
Then read and self-evaluate. You can learn that way.
Don’t waste money trying to shoot anything.
You might learn some lessons that way. …. But they’d be real expensive ones.
As to “trying to talk to people in the filmmaking”,
there’s no law against giving people a good laugh.
What do you think? Answer below!
READ DESCRIPTION: This was a short film made by a guy you might know as the creator of “Dualtality”, one of the most popular Halo 3 Montages of the day. Fragtality directed this film for a college class, and I think it’s super special awesome. Gave me some chills. Enjoy. Quote from the creator: This film was a project for a beginning film-making class that I took this semester where we had to write, direct, film, and edit our own 2-5 minute short film over the course of two weeks. Although I have been a casually self-taught editor for around two years, this was my first time juggling all the other responsibilities involved in the film-making process. I’ve always been really passionate about film, so I wanted go beyond the grading standards for the film course and make my project as enjoyable and professional as possible despite the lack of resources and budget. It was shot using a Canon Rebel T2i, Sigma 30mm f1.4 EX lens, and Manfrotto tripod/fluid head that I decided to purchase for this project and future work. Creating The Letter was a huge learning experience and an absolute blast. It is extremely satisfying coming up with an idea for a story and then turning it into a visual experience that you can share with others. I have to give a huge thanks to my friends who either acted or helped on set despite such last minute notice for the Friday night that I filmed this. The Letter wouldn’t have been possible without you guys. Thank you for taking the time to watch this …