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Making the Ultimate Low or No Budget Film

An article by J W James

So you've dreamed of making movies and suddenly you decided that it was what you wanted to do. So what now? Where do you start? Who pays for it? How do you get it made? Do you need to go to school for it? How much will it cost? How do I contact actors and actresses? What if it sucks? What about special effects?

If you've every thought about making a movie, then I'm almost positive that you've had all of these questions and probably a million more in your head. I know that I have. So have the many film makers that I know and I'm pretty sure that the greats have had them as well. The answers to these questions however are simple. It all comes down to how bad you want to make the movie.

The key is to start it off the right way. The script has to be perfect. A poorly written script is only going to lead to a poorly made film. Get it right from the beginning and the possibilities are endless. Be certain to make the time to check the script over and be realistic with your dialog. Nothing will drag a film down faster than characters that talk like they are reading a script. Use slang and other "devices" to bring your characters to life. You also want to go for originality. Every movie has been inspired by another story somewhere, so being completely original presents a problem. This is where you must be creative and make sure that your story is presented in an original way. Just remember that no matter how new a concept is, you are going to be compared to someone else. Everyone views a film differently. Everyone has an opinion.

So now you written and rewritten your script and its perfect. There's absolutely nothing more you can do to make it better. What next? There are a few different routes you can take. You can try to sell your script, but be warned! There are many writers out there trying to do exactly that. It is a very tough business to break into and the chances are stacked against you. More than likely, you will find your mailbox filling itself with rejection letters. If this occurs, don't let it discourage you. I have every single rejection letter I've ever received and believe me when I say that they are just more inspiration to try harder.

Another route to take is making the film yourself. You'd be surprised how many independent film makers call upon their friends and family to make their film. Its part of the growing process. Every last one of us would like to have a big name star in our movies, but that comes in time. Start small, get as much money as you can from wherever you can get it and then start planning. Find the places you wrote about in your script. Ask people to let you film in their houses, find community centers that have drama programs, get together with film students at colleges in your area. Do what you can, as cheap as you can. You'd be surprised how cheap you can do things when you try.

The third route might be the simplest of all. Network! Find other film makers and collaborate. You'll find very quickly that many independent film makers are in the same boat as you and will often work together with you just to get their name out there. I know this from experience. If you think you're going to get rich off of your first film, then I must say, good luck. Chances are that you will get some recognition and if the film is really good, it might make it's way into a local video store or maybe even onto a cable network. This is also part of the growing process. There are many sacrifices that must be made to reach the golden circle. Never falter from your goal to make it big. Dedication, hard work, and determination will take you there.

So now what? You've written a script, gathered together a budget, found the people to act in your production, and you've even found the perfect place to make the movie. What do you do now? Where do you go from here? You make your movie.

Get a video camera and have at it. This is the digital age. You can do everything on your camcorder, get a few programs for your computer and make the movie. Search the web for sites that will show you how to do your special effects for next to nothing. Use what you have lying around the house, shop at discount stores, pull stuff out of the trash if you have to. Everything you need to make your props can be found almost anywhere. You can't do what they do in Hollywood, but then again, you're not working on multi-million dollar movies either. The means are there if you use your imagination and makes ordinary things work for you. All it takes is a little time and creativity.

At this point, you've got the tapes in your hand. You've spent most of your budget, you've put in countless hours editing your project on the computer, and you're satisfied with the finished work. Now comes the hard part. You need to make as many copies of the tape as you can and send them to everyone. Send them to film distributors, enter film festivals, get reviewed, sell them on the internet. If you make back your investment, you've done well. The most important thing is that you've gained experience. You're ready to start all over from scratch. It gets easier as it goes on.

Still want to follow your dreams and make movies? I do. It may be a long, tiresome process, but one that I am willing to go through over and over again. Live your dreams and hopefully you will find the satisfaction that you seek. Good luck.

Questions or comments? Feel free to contact me here..... JW James