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Make a movie for $47,000? Yes! Well, almost...... Pizza and a few other expenses are not included! |
I am semi famous for low budget shooting with a micro crew. And I have invented some quick shooting gizmos which save time and money. The price above includes all gear, a multi tasking micro crew, and editing too. This is for a feature length movie, with 16 days of shooting. We can easily shoot your movie in 16 days or less, if there are a minimum of locations and characters. What will the quality be like? Your movie quality will be as good or better than the 11 minute short below. It will look as good as movies costing millions! |
When you watch the movie, note the credits at the end, and how small the crew was. The outdoor shots were done in about 1.5 hours. The rest was done the next day in about 10.5 hours. A different scripty was used on each day, but the same one could have been used on both days. The actors were very well rehearsed, and it all went smoothly. For your feature film, your crew will have an additional super versatile PA/lighting/set dec/everything person. |
Here's what you get for $47,000: - Me as DP/cam op combo person, able to also do any other jobs that need to be done. - A full lighting package, with two softboxes, 12 other lights, stands, sandbags, audio gear and many gizmos to save time. A lightweight camera dolly with 23 feet of track. - A scripty/audio person, also able to do any other jobs that need to be done. - A "super PA" able to do lighting, set dec and anything else that needs to be done. - A makeup artist, also able to do other jobs as needed. - A Canon XHA1, with tripod, super tripod adaptors, "ladder cam" for high shots and all accessories including a 15 inch HD monitor. - A green screen studio, for minor special effects if needed. - Complete editing, to high standards. My name will be in the credits and I won't accept anything that isn't top notch. You supply: The script, actors, locations, food, wardrobe, props, and insurance if required. And you direct, unless you want me to direct. |
You can use volunteer actors, but I don't recommend it. Volunteers are fine for a short, but a much bigger commitment is needed for a feature film. I suggest you pay your actors double Starbucks pay. They have a bigger commitment for a feature than a short, with more lines to learn, more rehearsals, and lost pay from their jobs. Your actors will be glad to be in a feature film, but they have bills to pay too, and offering modest pay will get the commitment and dedication you need. I suggest you also pay for your locations. The pay can be modest, but it will get you extra cooperation that will pay off several times over. |
Your movie can be shot on a higher end camera, the Sony XDCAM EX. To have your movie shot and edited in this higher format, add $12,000. For a review of this camera, CLICK HERE. To have me direct your movie, add $5000. (I will hire someone else to be DP and cam op/multi tasker.) |
Tips on making a low budget movie. |
Making a low budget movie starts with your script. Obviously you want to avoid large crowd scenes, crane shots, helicopter shots, explosions, expensive stunts, car chases, large street scenes and so on. For the lowest budget movie you should have only two principal actors, a minimum of supporting actors, and minimal extras. It should be almost all indoors, to avoid weather problems, outdoor audio challenges, and time challenges caused by our ever moving sun. Your actors should be very well rehearsed, with the script finalized well in advance, There should be no time consuming last minute changes to the script, which confuse your actors, and interfere with their performances. There should be a minimum number of locations which are cheap to use, without extensive noise considerations. Wardrobe and props should be ordinary and easy to acquire. Your actors should be in charge of their own wardrobe, and props in some cases. With all of this in mind, it does not mean your movie will be boring! The story has to be intriguing and captivaing and the acting must be excellent. Fancy shots do not make your movie a success. How many high production movies have you started watching on TV, only to click away because the story is boring? If you write a good script and have talented and dedicated actors, and the picture and audio is good, you will keep people watching. This is the key to a successful movie, and having it later shown repeatedly on TV. |
Alternatively, you could rent the equipment and get a volunteer crew of film students. But this would reduce your chances of getting a quality finished product that you can sell. It would be a lot more work for you, and it could be very frustrating. Like everything else, you get what you pay for. With me, you will get a finished movie that you will be proud of. And it can make you real money too! If you want to make a low budget movie in Vancouver, you have found the right place. PS: I can make you a short film too! My short films have won awards and been viewed by over 65,000 viewers. PPS: If you have already made a feature film you know how much work it is. Working with me, you can make your next movie with about half the work. Think about how nice that will be! |
Below is some information for new filmmakers who want to make a low budget movie. It is by a guy named Michael P. Connelly, and it is a promotion for his book, "How To Make A Movie With A Very, Very, Low Budget". I have put it here to help you understand what is involved in making a low budget movie. At the bottom there is a link where you can order his book. I put this here for your information. I am not getting any payment for doing this. WANT TO KNOW HOW TO MAKE AN INDEPENDENT FILM? In most film schools and film production colleges the art of filmmaking is taught with the idea in mind that you will have a big studio budget to back your film. Unfortunately, most people graduate and find that the big studios have no interest in their films and so they are forced to learn things about how to make a movie that they were never taught in film schools. They find that most independent films are created with a shoestring budget, and they are not connected to any major film studios. If you really want to know how to make a film with a low budget then you need to educate yourself on the process of low budget filmmaking. The best way to do this is to learn from those who have been there, done that. You will learn more from independent filmmakers then you will in any film production classes. By Indy filmmakers I mean those who work outside the mainstream of the Hollywood film industry. The kind that have passion, creativity, and a relentless drive to get their movies made with miniscule resources. The kind that will do whatever it takes to get their films made. If you are looking to learn how to make a movie for film festivals like Sundance, Cannes, Santa Barbara, Toronto, Seattle or The Telluride Film Festival then you need to read further. If there is anyone who can identify with a person like you, it is me. You want to make an independent film but you don't have a lot of money. You cannot afford to go to one of the expensive film schools, so you self-educate yourself by purchasing a film production book or two on the internet instead. If only you had been born the child of well-connected Hollywood power players, then maybe your film dream would have come to fruition by now. That did not happen, so you spend every waking hour of your life trying to think of a way to get your movie made until you finally realize that the world is unfair and your film dream must be placed on hold. This does not have to happen to you. Your dream to make independent films can become a reality. I am a passionate filmmaker that graduated from one of the more affordable, yet decent film schools in the Los Angeles area called CSUN (California State University, Northridge). I had large dreams, but unfortunately I had a small bank account. I wanted so badly to make movies right out of the gate but I ran into the cold reality that making movies is expensive and requires connections in the Hollywood film industry for success. I tried to get funding from many different sources that fund film projects, but they all wanted to see what other movies I had done that had made money. It was the old catch-22, where I needed experience to get experience. After years of frustration, I decided to make a movie using my own money. This movie was funded mainly with my hard-earned paychecks from various part time jobs. The first film I made was a short film called Rock Killed the Dinosaurs, and it only cost about $3,000 to make. It did very well on the independent film festival circuit in 1989. A few years later I made Mike And The Magic Lamp. This film was shot with a $25,000 budget. It won several awards on the film festival circuit in 1998 including a Silver Award at the prestigious Houston Worldfest, and a top prize at the Santa Clarita International Film Festival. This led to a distribution deal, which led to me having the money to do another film! I just completed my latest film with a $50,000 budget. I already have a couple of very good offers from distribution companies to buy the distribution rights, and I haven’t even entered it in any film festivals yet! I stand to make a very decent profit. The best part about it is that I am a working independent filmmaker, making low budget movies on my own terms. If you play by the same basic rules that I have learned to play by when it comes to making low budget films then there is no reason why you can’t make one that has similar results as mine! You do not need to have a degree from any film schools and you do not need a whole lot of money. All you need is a relatively small amount of money, a good script, talented and dedicated people to work with and a strong drive to make a movie. It is a lot cheaper to make a movie than you think, if you know the secrets to doing it the right way. Yes, it’s true, the big film studios have invaded these festivals lately disguised as independents but try as they might, they cannot control the festival circuit. At least not completely, for uniqueness and creativity are king at film festivals and those are two things the big studios are lacking. Those qualities are usually seen with smaller and more independent films, making movies on very low budgets. The Sundance Film Festival, The Santa Barbara Film Festival, and The Palm Springs Film Festival (to name only a few of many) are still first and foremost about new and exiting talent in the world of independent film. That is where you and I come into the picture. Sure, film festival organizers love having the celebrities show up at their festivals to give them publicity, but the film distributors all know that the real deals to be had are amongst the ranks of the films made by unknown filmmakers. They realize that low budget films are not necessarily low quality films, and that they can be sold to television channels around the world for a decent profit. With the recent explosion in technological advances and independent filmmaking techniques, films have become much less expensive to make. We all remember The Blair Witch Project from recent years. This was a film that was shot for about $40,000. A “buzz” was created about it after it showed at Sundance, and by the time this film festival was over a deal was struck that paid the independent filmmakers $1.5 million for their film! The movie went on to make $150,000,000 at the box office! A second Blair Witch film was subsequently made by the original filmmakers, but this time they had a multi-million dollar budget. This could be your story too. All you have to do is make a movie! Many people have wondered what it would be like to make a movie, but the fact is, not many have actually acted upon this thought and brought their dream to fruition. This is mainly due to the misconception that it is just too expensive to make a movie. People hear outrageous figures on the news that say this film cost 80 million dollars, and that film cost 150 million dollars, and this turns their dream of making a film into a lofty, far-fetched pipe-dream. They come to the conclusion that only big movie studios can afford to make movies. Their dream fades away, and on their deathbeds they whisper the title of a movie they had in mind, but never made. In the past this kind of thing was a reality, but not anymore. Things have changed. New technology and the information age have revolutionized the way that movies get made, and the results are very beneficial to anyone who has a dream to make one. The monopoly that the major film studios once had on the film industry is over. In recent decades the film industry has seen a meteoric rise in the popularity of independent films. Film festivals like Sundance and Cannes have turned small-time filmmakers from virtual unknowns to household names overnight. In recent years there has been a lot of interest directed towards new talent at these festivals. Representatives of movie studios and film distribution companies flock to these festivals in search of the next great, small film that is often hidden under the veil of a low-budget movie. Low budget films that cost thousands of dollars to make are purchased sometimes for millions of dollars! The truth of the matter is that it does not necessarily cost millions of dollars anymore to make a movie. With the right script, a talented cast, and the right film production methods, anyone with a burning desire to make a movie can do it for a fraction of what it used to cost. There are people all over this world who never gave up on their dreams to make films, despite the difficulties that came with working outside of the mainstream film industry. Through their struggles these diehard filmmakers have created cheaper ways to make movies. This revolution was born out of frustration due to decades of having their creative voices shunned by the big film studios who favored commercialism over creativity. Talent and a good storyline are generally worth more to movie audiences than an expensive look. If you can just get a good story committed to film and submitted to film contests, then people will take notice. If a “buzz” is created about your movie, it can lead to a distribution deal that is worth many times more than the money you invested. The creative voices of talented independent filmmakers are now being heard, despite what the big studios and their select few talent agents think. People with burning desires to make independent films have blazed the way. They have busted down the doors of the film industry, and they have left the door open for anyone else who wants to come inside and join the show. I have made 5 films that have all cost less than 50 thousand dollars each. All of my low budget films have won numerous awards at film festivals over the years. Most importantly, these awards have led to bigger and better film projects for me. I have lived in the trenches of low budget filmmaking for many tears, and I have learned a lot along the way. I have spent over twenty years learning the craft of low budget filmmaking and I have written a book that contains everything I know about this process. Through many painful years of trial and error I have learned valuable tips and secrets that can help any ambitious filmmaker create a film with a very low budget. This book contains all of the best methods and techniques that I have learned from working on five of my own and many other people's independent films. It is called How To Make A Movie With A Very, Very, Low Budget and it is a guide to independent filmmaking with limited resources. To order this book, CLICK HERE. PS: I am not getting a commission for promoting this book. This book on low budget filmmaking will no doubt give you some good ideas and that is why I included it. I want to help you get your low budget movie made here in Vancouver. You can find articles on the net about making low budget films and get some ideas together. Then feel free to contact me for a free phone consultation on getting your movie made. If you are not in Vancouver, I may be able to come to you. My low budget filmmaking equipment is light and compact and easy to ship. |
How to make a low budget movie in Vancouver. I offer a low budget movie production package that includes shooting and editing, with a very hard working micro crew. If you want to turn your script into a movie, this is for you. If you have been investigaing your low budget movie production options in Vancouver or anywhere else, give me a call. To make your low budget movie have a look here, and watch the low budget movie sample to see the quality you will get. This is about low budget movie production in Vancouver. I can also come to you and make your movie where you are. Read the article above on low budget filmmaking in Vancouver or anywhere else. |