Film Production Firm Gurgaon | Tips for making a small budget film

Below is a list of fifteen things we did to help us get our movie made. Certainly, there are many more, but I feel that these principles are absolutely essential to making a successful micro-budget film: .

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1. Get off your ass and make a movie.

Frustration and impatience are essential traits if you want to make a feature film with no money. Combine this frustration with an important realization:


2. Stop worrying about writing something marketable.

Write something you deeply care about: Our first script was horror because marketability was essential to our business plan.

3. Work with your close friends, especially the brutally honest ones.

I’m not exaggerating when I say that making your first feature will be the most stressful thing you’ve attempted. And the less money you have, the more difficult it will be. Work with people who will challenge you, who aren’t afraid to be candid, and who will push you to do better.

4. Crowdfund for the first and last time of your life.

Social media provides a unique and simple opportunity for you to connect with all the people from your past and present. If you have a reputation for being a kind and considerate person you might be surprised by how many of your friends come to your aid.

Cuts & Camera Productions
We produce innovative & engaging videos that use creativity and ideas to help you reach the people you want to reach.
 
m. +91 7042111335

 

 

5. Budget for more than post-production. 

Even though we raised all the money necessary to complete production, we failed to fully consider the costs of post-production. Do everything in your power to pay for a picture editor and a sound editor/mixer. Don’t do it yourself. The picture will suffer.

6. Budget for travel and housing.

Some festivals take care of this, but you never want to assume that. Otherwise, you will end up unable to attend your own screening, which renders the festival experience meaningless. You can’t expect to get reviews and garner buzz if you’re sitting at home.

7. Teach at a film school.

Four years later, it’s clear that this was easily the best decision I could’ve made. Instead of moving my family to a high-priced city where we would struggle from paycheck to paycheck, I chose financial stability and security.

8. Create “buy in.”

When making your first feature film, you have a lot at stake – and so does everyone else. Your producers, actors, and crew have taken time out of their summer to work for you for free. Why would they do such a thing if they didn’t hope to gain something from it?

Cuts & Camera Productions
We produce innovative & engaging videos that use creativity and ideas to help you reach the people you want to reach.
 
m. +91 7042111335

 


9. Embrace your limitations.

In the documentary, “Under The Great Northern Lights,” Jack White of The White Stripes discusses his philosophy of creativity. His thesis is that creativity can only exist when limitations abound.

10. Budget 17-18 days for production. 

Despite the fact that you don’t have much money, it doesn’t mean you should try to cram your shoot into 8-12 days. If this is your passion project, you don’t want to screw it up. If this is the only film you get to make, you want to make sure you have sufficient time to not just get it made, but to make it well.

11. Write good contracts or pay someone to do so.

“For the micro-budget filmmaker, critics are your best friends.”

Even though you’re working with people you trust, it’s essential to make sure all creative leads and producers have a precise idea of what their responsibilities are before production begins.

12. Make sure you have a post-production supervisor.

If you are serving as the writer/director/producer of your film, it’s essential to have someone else serve as the post-production supervisor. You cannot be the only person ensuring the completion of your project or holding people to their deadlines. It’s a conflict of interest and you will allow the deadlines to slip to give yourself more time to tweak. And without deadlines you will never get your movie made

13. Embrace the fact that you won’t get into Sundance.  

Repeat this three times in the morning and three times before you sleep. Remember, you’re a micro-budget movie and Sundance doesn’t accept nano-budget movies. They accept movies with A-listers, large budgets and industry connections. But if you’re going to succeed with your film, you have to think beyond Park City.

14. Get as many reviews as possible.

For the micro-budget filmmaker, critics are your best friends. They have the power to create positive buzz and help you garner attention from distributors. If you can introduce yourself to them while visiting a festival, and get on a name-to-name basis, maybe they will watch your move. After that, it’s up to your film to do the rest of the talking.

15. Rinse and repeat.

The beauty of micro-budget filmmaking is that you can easily parlay the success of your first project into another nano-budget feature. It’s much much easier to raise money for project two when you’ve got project one in the can. Now, you have more than vision and passion, you have product. As they say, the best time to finance your next movie is while you’re making your current one.

 

Cuts & Camera Productions
We produce innovative & engaging videos that use creativity and ideas to help you reach the people you want to reach.
 
m. +91 7042111335


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