You need less than you think

Keeping your costs low is an art form itself. If you're working on your own film or planning for our next short film challenge you'll want to think ahead about what you actually need to create your vision. But you truly need far less than you might think.

Hollywood budgets of course are in the tens of millions, sometimes hundreds of millions of dollars. There is a lot going on that inflates numbers like that, but for us we want to create our films even if we have very little or no money at all. At the end of the day, what matters is story.

Here are 6 ways to keep things frugal while still honouring the story:

1. Script/Story Optimization: It's great to have that crane shot and car chase! But if you don't have the budget it's better to plan from the beginning, while you're writing, what will be actually achievable. How can you show the story element, characterization, emotion without the set piece?

2. Limited Locations: Limit the number of locations you have your story and what you can get away with when planning your production. Every location adds travel time/costs, potential fees, and set dressing time/expenses. Better still, utilize versatile locations that can double for multiple settings.

3. Small Crew Size: Keep your crew size small. Really small. Multi-tasking crew members can handle multiple roles, such as the director doubling as a cinematographer. Even if everyone is volunteering, it's common to at least pay for people's meals and gas. So you'll want to make sure anyone who is helping out is necessary. As a minimum we usually have:

1. the director
2. cinematographer
3. boom operator/mixer
4. and maybe 1 assistant that can jump between roles.

4. Equipment: The easiest advice here would be to use what you have. It's safe to say almost everyone has a mobile phone now they could use – at least as a bare minimum. If you have your own DSLR or something similar you should take advantage of that. Long gone are the days where quality will be noticeably different. Besides, what matters is the story. Your audience cares about the story, the characters, not the pixel count.

When it comes to equipment, we have this short list for a bare minimum you should be looking to have:

1. Smart Phone/DSLR/mirrorless. Use what yo have or can borrow.
2. Lens. Prime lenses are popular for filmmaking for many reasons, but at our micro/no-budgets a zoom lens that covers a range of focal lengths will be much more useful to you and cheaper!
3. Tripod/mount. It's possible to get away with handheld, but when it comes to making more creative choices, there are going to be times you'll want a tripod.
4. Memory cards/Hard drives. If you can, get a couple extra just so you're sure you don't run out on the day, and have back ups.
5. Microphones. You'll at least want one good shotgun microphone. It can be mounted on camera or on a boom. A shotgun mic is vital if you can get your hands on one. If you can, a lavalier microphone can help as backup or to capture dialogue that's out of reach of your shotgun mic.

Sound is vital! Audiences usually can handle a lower quality image, but bad sound can be unwatchable. So if you're going to spend money somewhere, we suggest a good shotgun mic and maybe a couple wireless mics and a mixer. But if you don't have something, look into borrowing or renting or hire a local sound person who has his own equipment.

5. Rental Houses/Film Societies: Instead of purchasing expensive equipment, rent what you need for the duration of the shoot. Look for discounts or negotiate deals with rental houses or your local film club/society. Most places are happy to help out local/student/indie filmmakers with discounts; sometimes for free – It's worth asking! Also take advantage of shooting over weekends because you usually can get a special weekend rate.

6. Natural/practical Lighting: Lighting and shadow shaped by the DP can help elevate a story into the cinematic, but buying and renting specialty lights can be expensive. Plus they can make your shooting days more complicated with all of the extra needed equipment and time to setup. When possible, take advantage of natural light from outside or practical lights you can setup yourself like lamps and ceiling lights.

If you do need to shape your light, you might be surprised how useful a simple work light from the hardware store and a white bed sheet can be!

Thanks for stopping by! We hope you were able to get some useful tips for your next movie! If you have any questions or would like to suggest a topic for us please let us know! And don't forget to subscribe for more.