“Just because you’re a filmmaker doesn’t mean you make money,” Paul Schrader recently told us. “That’s the big thing that has changed, and, as they say: if you want to be a filmmaker, you better have a day job; if you want to be in a band, you better have a day job. Because only one band in a thousand is going to make a living. The rest of them are just going to be playing on the weekends for chump change. Film has now assumed the profile of the other arts, and that, I guess, is what you call a crisis, but it’s only a crisis for a certain economics, which no longer exist. The beauty of the new film world is you can make a film for $100,000; you can make a film for $50,000. The tragedy is you can lose money on that $50,000 film.”
So, how do you best avoid losing money or — gasp! — perhaps even make your micro-budget film profitable? Andrew Saladino over at The Royal Ocean Film Society (via 35mm) has released a new video essay titled “Lessons for the No-Budget Feature” which details tips and tricks from the likes of Christopher Nolan, Richard Linklater, Kevin Smith, and Robert Rodriguez. Ranging from what weapons to actually use, making available locations work for you, why you don’t always need to re-shot botched takes, and more, it’s a brief, but well-constructed overview before you begin planning your next film. Also touching on examples from Edgar Wright, Peter Jackson, and James Gunn on why one may want to lighten up when it comes to their plot, at the very least, it should serve up some inspiration to see where these major directors took their first steps.
Check it out below.
Do you agree with these tips? Which would you add?