Making a movie is expensive work and a lot of indie films are lacking in the budget department. I know I’ve had my share of $20 short films, and most of that went to buying duct tape and pizza. Here’s a quick top 10 list of stretching your budget!

One Location

Write the script with only one major location. By one location, I don’t mean in one room (although that would make it even cheaper!) but in one place where you can setup all your gear and not have to move it, like a house or a school. There are a lot of rooms in a house so it gives you ample changes of scenery but because you won’t have to travel from location to location, you can shave off several days of production and travel expense.

Props

When you write your script, keep in mind the free props you might have access to. Your friend has 2 replica AK-47s, then you can write an action sequence where your main character is being chased down. Roto in some muzzle flashes and voila! Production value at almost no expense!

Credit Cards

Don’t finance with credit cards! I know that there are a lot of stories about people using them to finance their films, but the interest rate will kill you! However, if you’re going to use them despite my dire warnings, use a points card. Preferably one that gives you some savings at a grocery store.

Camera and Editing

I have a bunch of friends who are hired filmmaking guns. I’m finding more and more people who own their own lighting gear, camera and editing suites. These are your new best friends and you will shower them with whatever it takes to get them to help you out.

Barter and Trade

A lot of times you can barter and trade one thing for another. Want to shoot in a location that you can’t afford? Why not give them a production point. If your film does well, they will get a piece of the profit.

Haggle

When you have to pay for something, ask for a lower price. Sometimes all it takes to get a lower price is just to ask! Other times it’ll take a bit more persistence.

Rehearse

The less time you spend working stuff out on set the faster the production will go. Tape and harddrive space may be cheap, but time isn’t! Try to get your team working as a well oiled machine and plow through production as fast as you can!

Coupons

Never underestimate the power of coupons! Food on a no budget film becomes currency, and never ask your cast and crew to pack their own lunch, you will have a riot on your hands. So cut those coupons to keep that catering budget as low as possible! Oh, and those points on your credit card for the grocery store? Yeah, here’s where they come into play too!

Cold Cuts

By cheap cold cuts and generic sliced bread. The key to this one is get the deli to cut the cold cuts as paper thin as possible. Stretch that meat as far as it can go!

Pay your Cast and Crew

Sounds counterproductive doesn’t it? The fact is that non paid cast and crew are more willing to abandon your project then a paid cast and crew. The cost of reshooting half your movie because the actor playing your main character quit halfway through production may be more than paying your actors from the get go. You may not even have to pay them that much, just the act of paying them for their work shows how much appreciate them.

Any tips on stretching your budget? Let us know in the comments!

Tonight I’m putting on a presentation at the Toronto Filmmaker’s Club about directing. I’ll have about 45 minutes to go over a lot of things but this is in no way meant to be a complete primer. Instead, it’s meant to be more of an introduction to thinking a bit deeper about how you’re going to work on your project based on a lot of short films that I’ve seen.

The very first 2 slides are what I consider the most important things you can learn to be a director. The first is a quote from the Bard, “The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.” You cannot know everything and you have to keep learning, creating and making mistakes. This is absolutely essential. It also tells you my credentials, I’m an idiot and I’ve failed miserably enough times to get that point embedded into my head. The second point is that how you tell the story is more important than the story itself. You are a storyteller, so use your unique gifts and point of view to tell that story. I’m not saying the story isn’t important, it is, but it’s not as important as what you bring to the table as a person.

If you’re in the area, the TFMC meets weekly at 725 King St. West!

I’ll probably be doing a series of these presentations, so any ideas on what I should present both here at home on my blog or in person would help me a lot!

All week long I share my best finds on Twitter. I’m an obsessive compulsive geek so I crawl all over the intertubes and try to pry out as much cool stuff as possible. I’m going to try an experiment and aggregate these links every Friday so you can have a quick one stop shop for the best links in film of the past week! If you want to follow in real time or want to carry on a conversation, just follow me on Twitter!

Advice For Filmmakers who Want to Make Movies
A selection of video clips of Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, Sam Raimi and Guillermo Del Toro giving advice.

Taxi Driver Storyboards
Splitscreen video of storyboards and the live action

Google Earth Pro for Video
Ideas on how to use Google Earth Pro for video.

How the Library of Congress Preserves Film
The Library of Congress’ film archival methods

Negotiating Is a Producer’s Life
Tips on negotiation for the producer.

After Effects Anamorphic Lens Flares Tutorial
Give your video those anamorphic lensflares you see in movies like Transformers or Star Trek

Got any cool links? Leave them in the comments!

I received an interesting question via Twitter last night, but instead of just answering it I decided a full post on the subject. The question, from Luke Stewart, was “Do producers insist you ‘lock’ your script at some point, or is locking a script a myth? I’m feeling creatively restricted by it”. The short answer is, of course, “yes and no”. Mostly it depends on what your relationship with the producer is. Some producers will be there to back up your vision of the script no matter what and you can basically set whatever rules you want. Other producers will bring you onto the project and you become more of a hired gun there to deliver the film as the producer has envisioned it in the way they want.

Lloyd Kaufman for example shoots his films in linear order according to the script. He’ll shoot page 1, then page 2 and then page 3 in the proper order, even if he has to return to the same location multiple times. The reason he does it this way is that it allows him to change the story during production and his films never go according to script, the script is constantly being rewritten. Another example is Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park where he changed the ending to the T-Rex attacking the raptors in the middle of production.

Why You Want to Lock the Script

The thing about the above two examples is that it’s more than likely the scripts were locked in pre-production. The reasoning is simple, the first AD and producer need to have everything locked down for props, make-up, locations, lighting etc. Without having a finalized script to breakdown, a complete roadmap for the production cannot be made and then you’ll be Lost in La Mancha!

The key is balance, lock the script down when it’s ready. If you’re feeling the script isn’t ready yet let the producer know what your concerns are. If the problem is you’re not sure what to do with the script, you may not have found it’s spine yet. A great tool for that is my post on finding a script’s Moral Premise. But at some point in time, you’re going to have to lock it and break it down so you can plan the production accordingly.

The flip side of that is you don’t have to be a slave to the script, you can make changes during the production: change lines and rework scenes & shots because you’ve had a great idea or problems have occured. Infact, problems will occur and changes will have to be made! If you’ve created a film that turned out exactly as you expected and exactly to the script, try walking on water while you’re at it, you’ve performed a miracle.

So locking a script is both a myth and reality. Yes producers will want you to lock a script down before production but no, you don’t have to be a slave to that script during production. Remember, a film is written 3 times: once as a script, once during production and once during editing.

Being on set is kind of like being in a war zone where your enemy is time. The only way you’re going to make it through the day is for the entire crew to work like a well oiled machine and the best way to do that is to follow these simple unwritten commandments.

1. Thou Shalt not be Late. If you’re going to show up late you’re going to be fired, simple as that.
2. Thou Shalt be prepared. Bring your own gear, don’t expect anyone to let you borrow their tools. And it’s not fun to touch lights without gloves.
3. Thou Shalt obey the chain of command. Sets can be very dangerous which is why it’s very hierarchical. It keeps you and those you work with safe.
4. Thou Shalt not participate in gossip. Not for any noble reason really, it’s just that you can’t tell whose in charge just by what they’re wearing. A young man in a t-shirt and jeans could be a producer and you’d be out the door if you talked smack about the production to him! Also, it’s noble.
5. Thou Shalt not touch equipment or props from another department. This is a pretty simple one, you’re not in charge of it so it’s not your responsibility. This won’t get you in trouble, but it’ll get whoever is in charge of that piece of equipment in trouble.
6. Thou Shalt not wander off. You’re being paid to be on set, stay there. If you need a pick-me-up, let your department head know you’re going to hit the craft table for a second.
7. Thou Shalt leave the talent alone. Ever try acting? It’s harder than it looks so let them concentrate.
8. Thou Shalt leave the director alone. Ever try directing? It’s harder than it looks so let them concentrate. If you need anything from the director, ask your department head. You guessed it, it’s a chain of command thing.
9. Thou Shalt not sit in chairs unless your name is on them. Do you really have to ask why?
10. Thou Shalt not bring visitors to set. Sets are busy dangerous places and the more people are there, the more dangerous they become. Besides, it’s never fun when your mom walks up to Angelina Jolie in the middle of a shot to get her autograph.

Pretty basic rules, but follow them. You’ll be glad you did! Have any amendments? Leave them in the comments!