Meticulous planning is key when working with a low budget for a film. Knowing exactly what you want for the project and putting that money towards those aspects will indeed make for a much more smooth filming process.
This same kind of "mindset" is also used for old game developers. By challenging yourself and your team to be creative with little to nothing, it can produce beautiful results because of it.
Really interesting and good advice. When I started out together with my partner we were only able to show stories trough music videos because we didn't have the gear to shoot anything else. So we shot a couple of music videos for a band that we work with that were really cinematic and showed a story so that we could practice story telling and everything else that goes along. It was a really good challenge because we had to learn how to tell a story visually without dialog and people's jaws usually dropped when they learned how much money we spent to make those. Even by no budget filmmaking it was not a lot actually it was more like zero plus a pizza. Well we used the same knowledge when we made a couple of shorts as well and we actually shot a short film for the price of gas and food on set. Which is great as far as I'm concerned but the problem is that artist usually don't have money and whenever you try and sell a music video commercially or any type of video if you can't sell it commercially you can't pay the rent at the end of the month so you have to work with other stuff to make ends meed. Now wen you try and get into more cinema stuff there's a problem of how to get your screenplay somewhere were it could get traction and get made and it's the same problem again. So in my opinion the problem with creating something great without a budget is not that big of a problem but rather sticking it trough the time where you're creating stuff but not making any money to be able to sustain yourself trough this time.
"You had how much..." yup, And it wasn't a slasher, nor did most of it take place in the woods ;) Cable access is how I made my movie for $250 dollars . I didn't care that there wasn't millions of dollars to make my movie, I just made it for the love of film making. We had a blast and now, almost 25 years later it's turned into a kind of cult classic movie that you can watch on Amazon or buy on DVD. Today, there are so many more options for making a movie that really, there's nothing holding you back, except you. "It's the Possibility"
@@juandager5220 The movie is called Phobe: The Xenophobic Experiments, it was streaming on Amazon Prime but I don't think it currently is. I believe it is on RUclips on the Sci-Fi Central Channel.
I’m wondering if it is possible for you guys to do a video about transitioning from short form to feature length writing. The reason is because I seem to have tons of great ideas for short films but it’s very difficult to wrap my head around the longer form story.
Ryan, you may find this video helpful as a starting point - ruclips.net/video/gRQwbRtsebw/видео.html If you're serious we'd also recommend reading a lot of feature screenplays. That is advice we have received a lot in our interviews.
If someone identifies as a "low-budget film maker", they're either a Hipster who's trying to attain some sort of "cool factor" that doesn't really exist, or they've set their goals so small that they'll really never amount to anything. If I was a film-maker, regardless of budget, what I would call my self is a "film maker", simple and plain. I mean, would a welder that's just starting out their own business call themselves a "low budget welder"? I would think not.
All filmmakers, from a film student to Steven Spielberg, are low budget filmmakers. There’s not enough money in the world to rely on in order to make a film. All filmmakers must rely on their imagination and creativity in order to produce good work. Money is just a tool. Getting access to as much money as you can and working within your means while pushing the boundary should be the standard from every creator.
@@BDLabs2 Maybe so, but I very strongly doubt that Steven Speilberg ever called himself a "low budget film-maker". You seem to have missed the point. You're arguing semantics. I'm talking about mentality. If one's mentality is that they're a low budget film-maker, that's all they're ever gonna be. Same goes for those "Indie" morons in the music industry.
question though. Who calls their self a low budget film maker. What if you make a film that looks expensive but was cheap? isnt that something to brag about a skill set for sure
@@aaronaaron5968 There's a simple answer to that question; Someone who wants to keep expectations as low as humanly possible, because they don't plan on delivering the goods. To me, the word "Indie" is just another word for "half-assed". Keep expectations low, and they'll never be disappointed, eh? lol I'm more of an "under-promise/over-deliver" type. Obviously, this is a concept that's completely foreign to "Indie" types.
@@MFKR696 ok but what i said were two different things. i dont think you've made a real film i have . SO i will speak now. Point is NO one calls themselves a low budget film maker. Second indie is independent. 3rd is Making a great film for little money is awesome and something most cannot do and in that case you advertise how little you spend. You dont get anywhere unless you can do that anyway. You start high budget just cos you wannt to. HAHa were you ready for logic?
I'm a low budget screenwriter.. Starting off writing stage productions has helped my mise en scene no end... given big budgets can reduce creativity for me. It could be a curse of my kiwi culture.
Very interesting. I think it's easy to label yourself as a low-budget filmmaker and go "oh, it's just a..." just because when you tell someone your a filmmaker you don't know what they'll imagine and once they find out your budget is $1000 or less there's always the chance they'll go "oh, so not a REAL filmmaker". Especially if you want to ask for favors or maybe want to use someone's location or such, that can be death, so by saying you're low-budget, they'll know it's not Universal behind it and they won't feel cheated when they find out it's not. I also see this with things like slashers because the moment you tell them it's a horror film, you'll see some people go "ohhh, that kind of movie" and just brush it off like it's not serious. So I see where all of that comes from, but I also see the need to stop saying that. Really interesting to hear him say it like that.
I think he means interpersonally/to producers etc. Scouting or getting favors it would DEF be death. She kinda implied it was a shitty thing to do to ask for things cause you're low budget but I don't agree. Otherwise they'll charge ya wedding prices!
I'd say: doing things that are risky, unsafe, lack of plans, bad casting choices, not looking at the goal, end product. Too many film industry people sludge along, avoid trying to better themselves, create art. 🎬📽🎞🎭...
@@revatronprime4120 Never settle with something because it's "the norm". If you have an idea that gets you fired up, do what you can with what you have to enable that vision. Also, never stop learning. Learn audio devices and sound capture practices, learn shot composition and framing, learn makeup and special effects with said makeup, learn networking and collaborating (also learn how to debate and haggle between ideas as everybody wants it "their" way), learn acting-body language-vocal control, learn cooking (for when you have a small crew, I recommend soups and stews), learn all the lingo you can for each position in a crew... Just be willing to learn and then apply that knowledge. All the best to you!
@@revatronprime4120 dir Stanley Kubrick said if you want to learn about film making, make a film. 😉 . I'd add to be practical, keep things simple, do not think your first 1-5 projects will be $200mil 💵. Be open to collaborating & expressing ideas. But also do not get carried away. I've seen sets where the dir or EP had 5/6 people, actors giving notes-ideas, that is not a plan.
I've worked in the industry on different levels. Some big name studio films, basic cable TV, low budget, reality-unscripted, ads, indie films. Some crews are good, some bad. As the guy says; plans, creative spirit, hard work.
I like to look at the scene I'm shooting and calculate how much it would be if I wasn't shooting gorilla, and then think about how I would shoot this scene if I had more money.
Im a NO-BUDGET filmmaker. Whatever I happen to have in my pocket at the time is my budget. Thats not craftiness. You will spend EVERYTHING you have on a film. If you only have $1,000 thats all you will spend. You can say you will make a film for only $1,000, but if you have $100,000 THATS how much you will spend on the film.
It is unlikely that you are just spending $1000 you have to include your hourly working and put a cost on that. If you are at a value of $100 per hour and you put in 2000 hours that means your labour is at a value of $200,000 to the project and if you get friends to help that has to be included as well. Any other equipment you use on the project such as a laptop or lights have to be valued as well.
@@maxsdad538 1 million in 1973 is worth about 3 million when you use standard inflation of 2.5% now if you use a wider inflationary model that includes purchasing power it is closer to 6% which means it would be $15 million. It is the reason why a brand new car back then could have been had for $3000.
He's inferring that "low budget" automatically means poor quality. It's like automatically assuming that "award winning director Jason Satterlund" won something more relevant than a "Gold Eddy" at the Cedar Rapids Film Festival. He seems to only like labels that make himself look good...
The way you do anything is the way you do everything
“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.”
Luke 16:10
Meticulous planning is key when working with a low budget for a film. Knowing exactly what you want for the project and putting that money towards those aspects will indeed make for a much more smooth filming process.
No I'm not low budget filmmaker... I'm no budget filmmaker haha :D
I'm triggered lmfao 🤣
This same kind of "mindset" is also used for old game developers. By challenging yourself and your team to be creative with little to nothing, it can produce beautiful results because of it.
Jason is so underrated as a Director! I love his work so it's great you're interviewing him.
Really interesting and good advice.
When I started out together with my partner we were only able to show stories trough music videos because we didn't have the gear to shoot anything else. So we shot a couple of music videos for a band that we work with that were really cinematic and showed a story so that we could practice story telling and everything else that goes along. It was a really good challenge because we had to learn how to tell a story visually without dialog and people's jaws usually dropped when they learned how much money we spent to make those. Even by no budget filmmaking it was not a lot actually it was more like zero plus a pizza. Well we used the same knowledge when we made a couple of shorts as well and we actually shot a short film for the price of gas and food on set.
Which is great as far as I'm concerned but the problem is that artist usually don't have money and whenever you try and sell a music video commercially or any type of video if you can't sell it commercially you can't pay the rent at the end of the month so you have to work with other stuff to make ends meed.
Now wen you try and get into more cinema stuff there's a problem of how to get your screenplay somewhere were it could get traction and get made and it's the same problem again.
So in my opinion the problem with creating something great without a budget is not that big of a problem but rather sticking it trough the time where you're creating stuff but not making any money to be able to sustain yourself trough this time.
Hell, I would never label myself a low budget filmmaker. Trust me, you can see it in my work.. 🤣🤣🤣
Heheheh!
LOL
HA!
Yes you can. Make the best possible thing with what you’ve got,and then make it even better X
"You had how much..." yup, And it wasn't a slasher, nor did most of it take place in the woods ;)
Cable access is how I made my movie for $250 dollars . I didn't care that there wasn't millions of dollars to make my movie, I just made it for the love of film making. We had a blast and now, almost 25 years later it's turned into a kind of cult classic movie that you can watch on Amazon or buy on DVD.
Today, there are so many more options for making a movie that really, there's nothing holding you back, except you.
"It's the Possibility"
What's your film's title? Where is it streaming?
@@juandager5220 The movie is called Phobe: The Xenophobic Experiments, it was streaming on Amazon Prime but I don't think it currently is. I believe it is on RUclips on the Sci-Fi Central Channel.
@@PHOBETheXenophobicExperiment I'll search for it and watch it. Thanks!
I’m wondering if it is possible for you guys to do a video about transitioning from short form to feature length writing.
The reason is because I seem to have tons of great ideas for short films but it’s very difficult to wrap my head around the longer form story.
Ryan, you may find this video helpful as a starting point - ruclips.net/video/gRQwbRtsebw/видео.html If you're serious we'd also recommend reading a lot of feature screenplays. That is advice we have received a lot in our interviews.
If someone identifies as a "low-budget film maker", they're either a Hipster who's trying to attain some sort of "cool factor" that doesn't really exist, or they've set their goals so small that they'll really never amount to anything. If I was a film-maker, regardless of budget, what I would call my self is a "film maker", simple and plain. I mean, would a welder that's just starting out their own business call themselves a "low budget welder"? I would think not.
All filmmakers, from a film student to Steven Spielberg, are low budget filmmakers. There’s not enough money in the world to rely on in order to make a film. All filmmakers must rely on their imagination and creativity in order to produce good work. Money is just a tool. Getting access to as much money as you can and working within your means while pushing the boundary should be the standard from every creator.
@@BDLabs2 Maybe so, but I very strongly doubt that Steven Speilberg ever called himself a "low budget film-maker". You seem to have missed the point. You're arguing semantics. I'm talking about mentality. If one's mentality is that they're a low budget film-maker, that's all they're ever gonna be. Same goes for those "Indie" morons in the music industry.
question though. Who calls their self a low budget film maker. What if you make a film that looks expensive but was cheap? isnt that something to brag about a skill set for sure
@@aaronaaron5968 There's a simple answer to that question; Someone who wants to keep expectations as low as humanly possible, because they don't plan on delivering the goods.
To me, the word "Indie" is just another word for "half-assed". Keep expectations low, and they'll never be disappointed, eh? lol I'm more of an "under-promise/over-deliver" type. Obviously, this is a concept that's completely foreign to "Indie" types.
@@MFKR696 ok but what i said were two different things. i dont think you've made a real film i have . SO i will speak now. Point is NO one calls themselves a low budget film maker. Second indie is independent. 3rd is Making a great film for little money is awesome and something most cannot do and in that case you advertise how little you spend. You dont get anywhere unless you can do that anyway. You start high budget just cos you wannt to. HAHa were you ready for logic?
I'm a low budget screenwriter..
Starting off writing stage productions has helped my mise en scene no end... given big budgets can reduce creativity for me.
It could be a curse of my kiwi culture.
Creativity is what it is. Budget would have no impact upon that really.
Solid advice and insight. Thank you
I love working with low budgets because it keeps out the smiling glad handers. The food is better with higher budgets though 🤔 Cheers!
Learn to cook with offal. Cheap and the best, heart is my favorite. Butchers really throw it out.
Love this talk!
Very interesting. I think it's easy to label yourself as a low-budget filmmaker and go "oh, it's just a..." just because when you tell someone your a filmmaker you don't know what they'll imagine and once they find out your budget is $1000 or less there's always the chance they'll go "oh, so not a REAL filmmaker". Especially if you want to ask for favors or maybe want to use someone's location or such, that can be death, so by saying you're low-budget, they'll know it's not Universal behind it and they won't feel cheated when they find out it's not. I also see this with things like slashers because the moment you tell them it's a horror film, you'll see some people go "ohhh, that kind of movie" and just brush it off like it's not serious. So I see where all of that comes from, but I also see the need to stop saying that. Really interesting to hear him say it like that.
I think he means interpersonally/to producers etc. Scouting or getting favors it would DEF be death. She kinda implied it was a shitty thing to do to ask for things cause you're low budget but I don't agree. Otherwise they'll charge ya wedding prices!
@@samaraisnt oh yeah, that might be it. Good insight!
I'd say: doing things that are risky, unsafe, lack of plans, bad casting choices, not looking at the goal, end product. Too many film industry people sludge along, avoid trying to better themselves, create art. 🎬📽🎞🎭...
How do I avoid becoming like these industry people, I'm a student
@@revatronprime4120 Never settle with something because it's "the norm". If you have an idea that gets you fired up, do what you can with what you have to enable that vision.
Also, never stop learning. Learn audio devices and sound capture practices, learn shot composition and framing, learn makeup and special effects with said makeup, learn networking and collaborating (also learn how to debate and haggle between ideas as everybody wants it "their" way), learn acting-body language-vocal control, learn cooking (for when you have a small crew, I recommend soups and stews), learn all the lingo you can for each position in a crew...
Just be willing to learn and then apply that knowledge.
All the best to you!
@@revatronprime4120 dir Stanley Kubrick said if you want to learn about film making, make a film. 😉 . I'd add to be practical, keep things simple, do not think your first 1-5 projects will be $200mil 💵. Be open to collaborating & expressing ideas. But also do not get carried away. I've seen sets where the dir or EP had 5/6 people, actors giving notes-ideas, that is not a plan.
Are you a low-budget filmmaker?
I thought you said don't call yourself that haha
Yes
I've worked in the industry on different levels. Some big name studio films, basic cable TV, low budget, reality-unscripted, ads, indie films. Some crews are good, some bad. As the guy says; plans, creative spirit, hard work.
I’ve shot a film with $70.
johnny walker how much was the camera?
johnny walker how much to develop the film?
I started at a Cable Access Station too!
I prefer "no budget" film maker. Give yourself some credit! Lol Oregon lol. My first camera was "borrowed".TY UofO J-school! Lol
Low budget is anything under $25 million. I'd love to be a low budget filmmaker.
I like to look at the scene I'm shooting and calculate how much it would be if I wasn't shooting gorilla, and then think about how I would shoot this scene if I had more money.
Will you have Robert Eggers on?
He has a good attitude
How about a high concept filmmaker? 💀🔥
Bravo!
Good deeds 🙌💯
Roger Corman was a low budget filmmaker.
👍 👍
Adding production value w/o paying to get there.
Following was 6,000.
I'm a visual storyteller.
Im a NO-BUDGET filmmaker. Whatever I happen to have in my pocket at the time is my budget. Thats not craftiness. You will spend EVERYTHING you have on a film. If you only have $1,000 thats all you will spend. You can say you will make a film for only $1,000, but if you have $100,000 THATS how much you will spend on the film.
It is unlikely that you are just spending $1000 you have to include your hourly working and put a cost on that.
If you are at a value of $100 per hour and you put in 2000 hours that means your labour is at a value of $200,000 to the project and if you get friends to help that has to be included as well. Any other equipment you use on the project such as a laptop or lights have to be valued as well.
@@bighands69 Im talking about actually money spent, not relative value. People give up their families to make films. Whats the value of that?
It’s a thin line between low budget and humble.
American Graffiti (1973) costed less than a million to make and earned $140 million and was nominated for a best motion picture Oscar.
a craftsman uses the tools available to them and may develop a few more as needed.
That $1m is equal to $6m today. Your comment makes no sense and has no validity.
@@maxsdad538
1 million in 1973 is worth about 3 million when you use standard inflation of 2.5% now if you use a wider inflationary model that includes purchasing power it is closer to 6% which means it would be $15 million.
It is the reason why a brand new car back then could have been had for $3000.
American Graffiti was also financed and distributed by Universal Studios.
What if someone calls you that? Then what?
That’s on them, what you call yourself is what matters.
I want to be a high budget filmmaker that seems more appealing.
He's inferring that "low budget" automatically means poor quality. It's like automatically assuming that "award winning director Jason Satterlund" won something more relevant than a "Gold Eddy" at the Cedar Rapids Film Festival. He seems to only like labels that make himself look good...
I'm sorry but this guy looks hungry! Filmmaking is not for everyone and that's fine.
LOL i saw this comment then looked up at the video.
And that means what?
You mean he is built the way a human is suppose to be and is not obese.