5 Rules For Effective Low Budget Filmmaking

This video is sponsored by Squarespace,   the all-in-one platform for building a  website to support your creative work. Kevin Smith made Clerks with $27,000.   Richard Linklater made Slacker for $23,000.  Shane Carruth made Primer for $7,000. Despite being largely self  financed low budget projects,   these films were all responsible for  launching the careers of these directors. However, before we romanticise the potential  of low or no budget projects too much,   it’s important to note that for every success  there’s also a gigantic heap of movies that,   through luck or from being poorly made,  never managed to find an audience. In this video I’ll go over 5 tips which I think   will enhance the strength of your  filmmaking without breaking the bank,   and give your low budget films a fighting chance  at gaining recognition and launching your career. When working with little or no money,   you’ve got to accept and embrace that you won’t  be able to control all aspects of production. So always play to your strengths and work  with the resources that you do have available. For example, Dave Klein,  Kevin Smith’s DP on Clerks,   initially imagined shooting the project in colour,  however practical concerns made this a pipe dream. “I think the look of that movie was mainly decided  by the dollar. It was more cost effective to shoot   black and white…You've got fluorescents but  you’ve also got windows to deal with...we   can use the tungsten lights that we have,  mixed with the fluorescents which were there.   Close the shutters. Kevin wrote that  into the script - someone put gum in   the locks. Then we didn’t have to worry about  the windows that’s another colour temperature.” Filmmakers, such as Christopher Nolan or  even...myself and my director friend Greg,   opted to shoot our first no budget feature  in black and white for similar reasons. Rather than choosing colour and then  fighting with colour temperatures,   a lack of control over colour palettes  and lighting, we choose to play to our   strengths by embracing black and white  and only focus on lighting contrast. Another easy way to play to your strengths  is to choose your shooting times carefully   by shooting when the natural light will be best. The most effective way that I’ve found to play to  your strengths is to first determine your budget,   then sit down and allocate  your resources appropriately. Planning is your friend. Although as a cinematographer I naturally want  all the budget to be spent on those beautiful   vintage lenses or on a bunch  of HMIs - it’s important to   understand that your loyalty  should always be to the story. That’s why (even though it pains me to say  it) budget should always be prioritised on   getting experienced actors or locations  rather than on renting top shelf gear. It’s better to shoot on a DSLR from  2008 with a solid cast of actors   than spend all the budget on an Alexa  Mini and a set of anamorphic lenses   while casting your brother’s friend who  makes TikTok videos as the dramatic lead. A lack of money doesn’t mean  that your movie has to look bad. Using the same cinematic principles that  are used on high budget Hollywood films, but   in a DIY way, is a great way of  bumping up your low budget movie. This could be done by using DIY  rigs to move the camera - although   don’t hold me responsible for the safety on these. Lighting with practical lights, or DIY  fixtures assembled from a hardware store   is another way to add to the  look without spending much cash. “I just chained up some  fluorescent lights back there and   I think we even put some halogen work  lights...We took all the cigarettes out   from above the counter and basically bounced the  light off where the cigarettes would normally be.” For other ways to light  cinematically without a budget,   you can check out a video I made  on how to light without any lights. Learning how to grade footage yourself with  free software such as Da Vinci Resolve,   or wrangling a free grade from a good colourist,   is also a great way of improving the look  of your film without spending any money. This video is sponsored by Squarespace. Once you’ve finished your low budget  film you’ll need a website to promote  it. Squarespace provides the tools to easily build and   manage your website or online store - which is  why I used it for my website for this channel. Setting up a site on Squarespace  is quick and intuitive.   It guides you down the path of beautiful design,   making the process of creating an aesthetically  pleasing portfolio for your work simple. I like using their blogging tools to schedule,   publish and share In Depth Cine  articles and videos on my site. Check out Squarespace.com for a free  trial, and when you’re ready to launch,   go to squarespace.com/indepthcine to save 10%  off your first purchase of a website or domain. “For Slacker I guess the original idea was  the form of it. The way it wouldn’t be a   traditional narrative...I remember  I was driving to Houston I was like   ‘Why can’t you just make a film where  it goes from character to character?’   That could be a whole film. For me when it all  started it was the formal kind of agenda. The   formal aspects of the film. The cinematic  qualities. That was my initial impulse.” Probably the best way to stand out or add  so-called ‘production value’ to your project   is to create a cohesive look or form for  the entire project and then stick to it. In the case of Pi this could be a super  high contrast black and white look,   or in the case of Slacker a series of long,  linked takes, or in She’s Gotta Have It,   consistently breaking the fourth wall  in 16mm black and white with one 35mm   colour set piece, or Tangerine which  Sean Baker shot entirely on an iPhone. Unless the look is intentionally a mixed medium  film, cutting between footage captured by many   different cameras, moving in arbitrarily  different ways, with varied paced editing or   inconsistently graded footage - will make  the movie feel disjointed and amateurish. Coming up with a set of rules, such as only  using natural light, or only shooting on   wide angle lenses, is an easy way to build  a film with a coherent, deliberate vision. This doesn’t mean you have to make it look like  a Hollywood blockbuster. There are different ways   of being cinematic and creating a coherent look  or interesting form which works for the story. For example, the Dardenne brothers' exclusive use   of rough, handheld work was appropriate  for the documentary inspired Rosetta. Your most valuable tool when it comes  to creating effective low budget films   is how the script is written. It’s great to imagine and write ambitious  screenplays filled with car chases,   plenty of guns and an ensemble  cast. But if you are starting   out or don’t have a budget to work  with then you have to be realistic. Write contained stories which are small  enough in scope for you to effectively shoot. The easiest way to make a bad movie is to  try and produce a larger scope story than   what the budget allows. The easiest  way to make a successful low budget   film is to come up with a great concept  which can be executed relatively simply. Some ways to reduce the scope of the story  include shooting at limited locations,   using a smaller cast, having  limited or simplified set pieces   and setting your story at locations  which you will be able to have access to. Like with any form of art, in filmmaking you  are free to express yourself however you like. But, a good rule of thumb is to  first be confident in the basics   before trying to be too experimentally ambitious. Without the basics in place a movie is  doomed to fail - even if it’s shot in an   amazing single take shot with very technical  blocking and has lots of fancy VFX work. Don’t try to run before you can walk. Make sure your casting is great, the performances  are engaging, dialogue sound is good, you don’t   jump the line with the camera, that your locations  look realistic and that your story is strong.   Once these foundations are firmly in place  only then can you start taking risks. Thanks for making it through this  episode and a special thanks to   all the supporters of the channel on Patreon. Let me know in the comments if you  agree or disagree with these rules.   What are some things that worked for  you when shooting a low budget project? Also be sure to check out  the official IDC merch with   original film set illustrations. Otherwise until  next time, thanks for watching and goodbye.

Channel: In Depth Cine

Views: 288,531

Keywords: In Depth Cine, Cinematography, Cinematographer, Film, Cinema, Movie, DOP, Director Of Photography, Analysis, Video Essay, Breakdown, How To Shoot, Reaction, Trailer, Film Essay, Technical, Gear, 35mm, Director, DP, Camera, Lens, Arri, Panavision, Film School, Hollywood, Crew, Film Gear, Grips, Lighting, Light, Red, Sony, Explainer, low budget filmmaking, low budget, no money, kevin smith, indie movies, 90s movies, black and white, films, IDC, camera, lighting, DIY, cinematic, film budget, music video, grip, tips

Id: 3Sjl2_5iMIA

Length: 9min 24sec (564 seconds)

Published: Sun Sep 12 2021