Micro-Budget Methods of Cinematic Storytelling

A Practical Guide to Making Narrative Media with Minimal Means

Jake Mahaffy

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2025
• eBook ISBN: 9781040327494
• Edition: 0
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts

This accessible handbook is a practical guide to the concepts and techniques of micro-budget, cinematic storytelling. It's written to be useful and efficient, packed with lessons, examples and practices from the Author's extensive filmmaking experience and decades of teaching students all over the world.

Demystifying the complex creative process involved in filmmaking, this text provides concrete, detailed and specific steps to develop innovative concepts and execute effective films with micro-budget methods. With a wide range of references, instruction, and illustrations, the reader will learn how to make the most of powerful cinematic tools under budgetary constraints. The focus on cinematic storytelling addresses the fundamentals of understanding principles in all creative practices in any genre, platform, style or duration of any narrative art. The information and lessons here are foundational, presenting a new perspective on the creative process for beginners and experienced alike.

This book is the go-to resource for beginners and students entering today's industry, as well as those micro-budget and low-budget filmmakers looking for expert inspiration and insight.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Half-Title Page
• Endorsements Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• 1 Introduction
• Micro-Budget Section
• Story Section
• Telling Section
• Cinematics Section
• Film
• Bibliography
• Index