How To Create Micro Budget Films: The Low Budget Filmmaking Guide

If you’re a filmmaker and are trying to get your movie funded, there are many things that you need to consider.

With the budget being tight, it is important for you to get the best value for how much you are paying out.
 

The small size of the team allows them to function without many of the requirements and regulations that larger productions face. This can give them more creative freedom than bigger budget films.

The smaller budgets and crews can allow for more flexibility in scheduling and production. Scenes usually take less time to shoot than large productions with big budgets, which means less money is spent per day.

The origin of the term dates back to the 1980s in American independent film when filmmakers were forced to work with minuscule budgets due to lack of funding.

As technology has advanced and distribution costs have dropped dramatically (especially through digital media), micro budgets have increased in popularity for producing feature films outside of Hollywood, who still work with budgets several magnitudes higher.

This has resulted in many filmmakers working at lower cost and with more creative freedom than their mainstream counterparts, who are increasingly being constrained by high production costs and studio interference.

Microbudget productions have been partially responsible for the trend towards more independent film production seen in the last decade across all genres, but especially within horror and comedy.

How To Attract A Great Film Crew On A Tight Budget

Here are some ways that you can attract those great film crew members on a tight budget.

Treat The Crew With Respect

You should treat your crew like gold. They will most likely be working very hard for you and need to be motivated to do their best.

Make sure that they are well fed throughout the day and, if they have a long day, they should be compensated accordingly. The best way to motivate them is by treating them with respect.

Pay What You Owe

This may seem basic but many people neglect this area because they don’t want to pay out too much.

Just remember that if you don’t pay what is due at the end of the day, your crew will not be as motivated to work for you again.

You also want to make sure that whatever it is that your crew member is owed should be paid immediately so that everyone stays happy and can focus on working together without any distractions.

Pay Attention To Detail

It is always important to pay attention since, if something happens in production, it could really affect how everything goes on the entire project.

Finding The Best Film Cast For Your Money

Finding the best film cast for your money can be a big deal. It’s not just about saving money, but also getting exactly what you need out of your film cast.

In this article, we’re going to break down the process of finding the best film cast for your money. Trying to find the best film cast can be a big challenge.

There are so many different movies out there and all of them are different in their own way.

The good news is that there are some tips you can use when you try to find the best for your money.

The first thing you should do when trying to find the best movie cast for your money is looking at reviews and ratings.

Oftentimes, these reviews will help you get an idea of how well it was received by others. Look at their rankings on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes.

These film ratings sites will give you a better idea of how well the movies have been received among film critics and viewers alike. You’ll also want to consider the box office sales when trying to find the best movie cast for your money.

Reviews and sales don’t tell the whole story though, so it’s important to look at any awards that were won or nominated for. 

Finding The Best Accommodations On A Budge

Finding the best accommodations on a budget is not an easy task. It can be very time-consuming to search for different hotels and to compare their rates as well as different amenities.

TripAdvisor has been able to simplify this process by offering a website where guests can share their experiences with the world. This helps others find the best accommodations in cities around the world.

TripAdvisor has been able to gather over 225 million reviews of the top hotels, resorts, vacation rentals, bed and breakfasts, and inns around the world. 

Most importantly, TripAdvisor’s website allows travelers to find a hotel that is great for them at a price that they can afford.

You can also search by reviews and ratings given by guests who have stayed at the hotel or resort. TripAdvisor also allows customers to see “Top Rated Hotels” in each city or state.

The site even offers discounts for booking hotels through its website.

A majority of people will use TripAdvisor when they are looking for hotel rooms because it is very easy to navigate through the site and it gives customers more details about the hotels than most other sites do. 

One of the great features about TripAdvisor’s website is that you can make reservations directly on their site.

How To Make A Short Film On A Tiny Budget

When the average Hollywood feature costs more than $100 million, it’s truly shocking to hear a filmmaker say that their feature film only cost $10,000. 

However, if you want to make movies on a shoestring budget, you have to do things differently.

I’ve directed two features that were made for less than $10,000 and I know how you can do the same. There are lots of tips and tricks in this post that will help you make a feature film.

I’m going to share everything I’ve learned from shooting my first feature “The Sacred Fig Leaf” in the early 90s with an initial investment of just $5,000. 

That film went on to win 10 international awards including best director at the New York Independent Film Festival and best foreign short at the Los Angeles Movie Awards.

   

Nowadays, I make films for a living so I can pay my bills but my budgets are tiny by Hollywood standards. My latest feature, “Cynthia,” was shot for less than $2,000 and I’m extremely proud of it.

How To Calculate The Budget Of Your Short Film

If you’re planning on making a short film, like so many other filmmakers out there, you should start by calculating the budget. 

Why is that? Because, more than anything else, it will show you if you can afford to make your movie.

And even if you can, it will help you figure out how much money you should be asking for from investors. 

Trying to make a film without first figuring out how much it’s going to cost is like building a house without knowing how much is needed to buy the land or concrete, or if one of your contractors is going to rob you.

The budgeting process will also help determine what type of short film you can actually make. 

For example, if you’re trying to make a $10 million dollar movie about a robot and his dog but only have $5,000 in your budget, then maybe this isn’t the best idea for your first short film project.

That’s why it’s so important to have an idea of what the budget will be before trying to get funding for your project. The next step then is figuring out how much money you need. You can do this by simply looking at successful shorts and figuring out how much they cost.

How To Make A Low Budget Movie Or Short Film

Filmmaking is a tough gig, especially when you’re just starting out. 

Here are some tips to help you make a low budget movie or short film: 

Forget about the big studio films and don’t get too hung up on making a blockbuster. Keep it small, keep it simple and make movies that you’ll be proud of for years to come.

TIP 1: Use your own backyard

Take advantage of what you have at home. 

This can be anything from using your house as a set to building props from stuff around your house or even using family members as actors (with their permission). Your neighbors might also be willing to help if you’re shooting near their homes.

TIP 2: Hire friends or other filmmakers to work for free 

It’s always good to work with people who know what they’re doing, and unless you live in Hollywood, you probably won’t find that on Craigslist. 

But if you know someone who knows how to use Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere Pro, ask them if they’d like help editing their footage.

And while they’re working on their project, ask them if they can help you with yours. Don’t forget that many filmmakers love the challenge of being part of a smaller production.

Why Make A Micro-Budget Feature Film?

I’ve spent the past few years working on a feature film called “Old Fashioned”, which has served as a great educational experience. 

It’s a micro-budget feature, made with peanuts and spit. We’ve made mistakes and learned along the way.

But at this point, we’ve completed principal photography, have a few months of post-production ahead of us, and are in the midst of editing. 

It’s one thing to say that you want to make your first film, and it’s another to actually do it.

 If you’re considering making your own film, I’m hoping my experiences can help you navigate the process.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGAZp0lj54

Preparing for Your Project

Before approaching any investors or lenders, you should complete some homework. I recommend developing a treatment of your story and then preparing a full budget for the project.

The best way to start is by reading The Screenwriters Bible by David Trottier and, if you’re serious about making films, I recommend getting a copy of William Goldman’s Adventures in The Screen Trade. 

Both books will provide you with the tools needed to prepare an accurate budget and outline your project in detail so that people will be excited about investing in it.

Micro Budget Films – Build Your Film Tribe

The tiniest budget film makers have the same struggle as anyone else in the industry. As a filmmaker, you want to be able to tell great stories and get them out into the community. 

You want to grow your tribe of devoted followers, but this is a challenge even when you are working with large budgets and big studios.

Getting started on a micro budget film is hard enough but when there’s no money to get it started, how do you find your tribe? One of my favorite books, The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell, gives some fantastic insight into why people follow a certain path or trend.

Every story needs a beginning, middle, and an end. You need to hook your audience with the beginning and end in mind while they are following along on your journey through the middle.

The beginning of every story is usually hooking someone’s attention with something that peaks their interests. This could be an image that catches their eye, or a video clip about something news worthy or intriguing.

They have to have a reason for clicking on that link that leads them to you and your story.

There is no way around it. You need traction if you want people to follow along with you on whatever journey you are trying to create for them. 

Micro Budget Films – Stop Making Excuses

Filmmaking is not an expensive hobby, nor a costly one. If you are creative, you can make a film on a very low budget. Truly micro budget films are made for under $1,000. Usually they do not exceed $500 and often they are much less than that.

There is no excuse to try and make large scale big budget films on the cheap or with no money at all. You can make a film for the price of a used car, or less, if you have some equipment and props to work with.

You can always say you didn’t have enough money to make it. If you really try that excuse out, you’ll find it doesn’t hold up in court or anywhere else, for that matter.

You can’t say I didn’t have time either because making a film is about time management above all things. 

Pre production planning: Do the math ahead of time.

Figure out how long each scene will take and add it up before you get started so that you don’t waste your time in post production trying to figure it out on your own. Story board your film scenes: By doing this ahead of time, once again, you won’t waste valuable time.

Don’t Make Your Film In 4K Or 8K

If you’re starting a film or video production business, it’s tempting to go with the latest and greatest equipment. You might think that 4k, 8k, and even higher resolution is the way to go. But is it really?

When you’re shooting a short film or an indie film, high resolution doesn’t matter much. Let me explain why:

In order to make that 8k image look good on YouTube or Vimeo, you need to compress it down to less than 2mbps. That’s the reason why YouTube videos are so small compared to Blu-ray discs.

The more pixels you have in your camera (and in your final footage), the more you have to compress down in order for your video file to be small enough for online distribution. 

Also, if you want to sell your film on Blu-ray or DVD, then you also need to compress it further because Blu-ray can only hold 25gb of data and DVDs can only hold about 5gb of data.

What Is The Cheapest Movie To Make

What is the cheapest movie to make? Well, the cheapest would be a documentary since it doesn’t have any fancy special effects or any big stars. 

However, that doesn’t mean it’ll be boring. If you want an entertaining documentary, then you should hire someone who can make your documentary entertaining.

Some people might say that it’s not fair to compare documentaries to fictional films because the latter has a lot of special effects but that is not true. 

Truly great documentaries are more than just interviews and narration. They are told in a way that makes the audience feel like they are part of the story.

A good example is “The King of Kong” which featured Billy Mitchell and his attempt to break the world record for highest score in Donkey Kong. They showed how much work he did in order to achieve this feat, what he sacrificed and how he felt during the entire process.

The film came out in 2007 so there were plenty of different ways to make it look professional butstill  cheap. The main thing was that Errol Morris knew what he wanted to do with this documentary instead of just making another film about Donkey Kong or video games in general.

How Do You Make A Micro Budget Film

Making a film doesn’t have to be expensive.

   

While many people associate indie filmmaking with an unlimited budget, it is possible to make a micro budget film for less than $10,000 and sometimes even as low as $1,000.

The term “micro budget” is often used interchangeably with the term “low-budget” but there is a distinct difference between the two. A low-budget film can range from $1,000 up to about $20 million.

Anything below that is considered a micro budget film. Truly independent filmmakers can make a micro-budget film for less than $10,000 if they are willing to do it themselves and do not need professional equipment.

That said, some basic gear such as a video camera or digital camera will be needed to shoot the movie.

A microphone may also be needed if using an audio recorder instead of an on-camera microphone. If you have your own computer or laptop, then you will not need to rent one.

In order to get great shots without proper lighting equipment, actors and crew members have to work together in order to create natural looking effects.

I’ve made a lot of films in my time and I have worked with directors from all different budgets. I’ve seen first hand how much better a film can be when someone has a passion for what they are doing.

And this isn’t only true for independent films either. Steven Spielberg is one of the wealthiest men in the world and yet he still has a passion for telling stories.

The thing about money is, you don’t actually need a lot of it to make an excellent film. In fact, some of the most acclaimed films of all time were made on a shoestring budget.

Examples Of Micro Budget Films

Since these films usually go straight to DVD, they don’t get as much press as some of their bigger budget counterparts. However, I’ve seen several movies with micro budgets that I really enjoyed.

A few of my favorites include: “The Poughkeepsie Tapes” (2008) which was shot for $64,000 and “Slumber Party Alien Abduction” (2008) which was made for $35,000. 

The Blair Witch Project is probably the most famous micro budget film ever made and was shot back in 1999 for $60,000.