Making a Low Budget Movie – Some Tips for Success!

Many a budding film-maker started his career with a super-8 camera, but these days everyone has the ability to produce a high quality product if they have the right tools to hand.

You can use any camera to film your movie.

With the advent of affordable audio-visual equipment of a decent quality and a wide choice of online editing packages, making a low budget movie is easier than ever before.

A reasonably powerful PC, decent camera and an editing package are your tools of the trade, but there is much more to consider besides. Let’s have a look at some vital tips that others have learned along the way.

Use the Right Tools
Just to reiterate what we said above: without the right tools you will not succeed, and this applies in movie making as it does in any discipline. Whether you buy, borrow or rent you need a decent digital camera, and a PC with an editing package, plus someone to hand with an understanding of how to use it.

Get a Good Script
How many times have you watched a low budget movie and been appalled by the laughable quality of the script? It’s all too easy to read something on the page and find that it does not transfer to the screen, and many make the mistake of starting to shoot with a half-baked script. It may be that you are not a writer; if this is the case, ask at local colleges where you will find many an eager student willing to help with a script.

Rehearse, and Rehearse again!
Even the greatest actors in the world need plenty of rehearsal time, so your presumably amateur cast will, too. It’s essential that you allow plenty of takes, and adequate rehearsal in advance of shooting, in order that you get a good understanding of the way things will look. This allows, also, for changes to be made in advance of shooting if they are required. Remember, what you imagine in the mind is not what will transpire on screen.

Find a Willing Cast
Some people are born actors while others prefer to stay behind the scenes. It makes sense to search for a willing and able cast who want to be in the spotlight. While using friends and family sounds like a good idea you may be better looking again to the colleges where you may find a selection of drama students looking to enhance their experience and gain time in front of the cameras. This is how tomorrow’s stars are discovered, after all.

Each to his own
Your crew should be well defined, with a Director at the helm and his or her assistants ready to sort out the details beneath. You need to make sure each member of your crew understands their individual role in the production of the movie – from the director of photography to the grip – and that each is happy working as part of a team. This way, the result will be a crew that runs as a well-oiled machine.

These are just some of the many tips we can give you on making a low budget movie, and the main point to remember is this: try not to cut corners. Use storyboards – they are not expensive – and use the right people for the right job.