Cheap Movie Tricks

How To Shoot A Short Film For Under $2,000 (Filmmaker gift)

Rickey Bird

• Publisher: TMA Press
• Year: 2017
• eBook ISBN: 9781633535442
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Film & Video

How to Make a Movie on a Tight Budget

Today’s indie film market is growing by leaps and bounds and filmmaker Rickey Bird and screenwriter and novelist Al Guevara are on a mission to help indie moviemakers everywhere.

Bird and Guevara want to show aspiring filmmakers how to overcome common movie and video production problems:

• Not enough money for crews
• Over budget and likely making the wrong movie
• Can’t get the attention of an indie studio
• Should have started with a short film to gain attention

Amateur Movie & Video Production. Thousands of aspiring filmmakers are learning how to use cheaper, widely available filmmaking technology, and the craft of making movies from books pulled from bookstore and library shelves. Their work is totally DIY and they are the most creative people you will ever meet. Rickey Bird’s Hectic Films is a Southern California enterprise building a filmmaking empire on a budget. His short films, feature films, micro docs and tutorials have landed in some of the biggest American film festivals and been seen online worldwide. The result? Millions of views worth of exposure from films online, in festivals and creative marketing literally on the street. His many projects have seen leading B actors like Hulk Hogan and Vernon Wells (Mad Max Road Warrior), make-up artists from the TV show Grimm, and stuntmen from the Call of Duty games.

What you’ll learn in this book:

• How planning and shooting a short film today can lead to a feature-length project tomorrow
• Everything you need to know about writing a movie project on a burger budget
• Tips on how to find locations and not get arrested
• Shooting tips galore for building exciting scenes
• Sound and film editing tips and all kinds of special effects wizardry, including puppetry
• Screenings, promotions, and juicy tips on film festival strategy

If you liked books such as How to Shoot Video That Doesn't Suck, The Filmmaker's Handbook, or Rebel Without a Crew, you’ll love Cheap Movie Tricks.

Chapter One

Starting Your Film Project

The Location Situation

Aha! You thought it was the script that came first. Not in low-budget cinema. Locations, or as we say in the film biz, LOCATIONS! (screamed like a mythological siren) are the first elements you should think of when filmmaking on a micro-budget. Remember, locations are those places where you film actors, record all their cool lines, and sometimes create sets. They’re the backdrop for your characters, are part of your story, and add crucial texture to your scenes. Here at Hectic Films we insist on finding cheap locations, or better yet, free locations. Seriously, we know you don’t have a budget for actors besides the five McDonalds cheeseburgers you promised. So what makes you think you’re going to have boatloads of cash to spend on that beach scene in Maui? Yeah, scratch that fantasy.

Locations can make or break your project. Filming a scene in your Aunt Judy’s yellow-stained bathroom she never cleans might not work for a tale of middle class Americans with a housekeeper. That fight scene you planned in a garage full of taxidermy squirrels? Might not be a good choice for what was supposed to be the private quarters of a nuclear scientist. Oh, and that treeless park no one goes to down the street? Bad idea for your personal remake of The Blair Witch Project. It’s supposed to take place in a forest, remember? Not to mention, the police can shut you down, fine you, or even make arrests if you have fake weapons and/or no permits. Maybe this is a good time to remind you that you and your crew need to dress like filmmakers. We prefer to wear our Hectic Films shirts with pride while on location. Quiet on the set!

All right, enough of that. Let’s talk about what kind of locations you should be searching for. Get out your map, your car (or your friend’s bike), and start checking out potential locales in your area. First, you need a location where you can shoot one or more scenes. Somewhere you know you can always film without being bothered by nosy people (for the record: don’t be mean, just tell anyone curious about what you’re doing—that you’re working hard filming a masterpiece).

Location examples include locally-owned businesses, downtown alleys, halls for rent, parks (be careful not to get in trouble or set up in a park that will be crowded by nine in the morning), cheap motel rooms (make sure to check for any pre-existing crime scenes—unless that’s part of your film, then SCORE! Just kidding. If you see blood, call the cops and run away). If you don’t have money or access anywhere (come on, be creative, surely there’s someplace available) then you can use your home. That’s free, right? You’d be surprised how many scenes we filmed at city structures then finished all the interior shots in our own homes.

We know what you’re thinking. How can there still be a cost if the location is free? As Hectic Film’s Rickey Bird’s Grandpa always says, “Ain’t nothing for free.”

Remember throughout your film journey—even free stuff costs.

For example: a gas station in another town says you can film on location this Saturday. Super cool. Now factor in travel costs for your film crew and actors. Gas, food, even lodging will sneak up if you don’t plan well. Another example is using a forest or park. Sure, those may be free, but have you thought how you will get electricity for lights? Trust us, you always need lights. What about having too many locations? Yes, you can have too many. That’s time and money. Think about it. Pack up your film gear, ship out to your location, unpack, film, repeat. No thanks.

All right, moving along. You’ve found a location. Your buddy says you can use his apartment to film something, anything. Great! Now what do you do? You give your friend a huge hug. Yes. No! There’s more. You need reference photos. You might not even have an idea, let alone a script. Right now you just want to see what you have to work with. Now, go to your friend’s apartment and photograph each room to later use for references as you write your story (a.k.a. future script). The beauty in this day and age is you can use your smart phone to store pictures of your locations. Snap photos as if you were framing for the film. Be precise. This is for your movie. Pretend you’re watching a scene unfold. Two people arguing. Frame and snap. People eating food and talking about the end of the world. Frame and snap. Repeat throughout with every idea you can think of. Once you write your script you can come back and take more photos if needed. Remember, photos of potential scene locations will help your team get on board with your project. You’ll get your ideas across better. So, snap away!

Uh oh. You forgot to ask an important question. When is the apartment available? Can’t go over there during the Super Bowl or during your buddy’s epic all-night Dungeons & Dragons campaigns. Finally, you set up filming dates. Don’t forget pick-up shot dates too. Those are the shots that filmmakers always realize they need after the fact. Trust us, filmmaking is sometimes all about imagining new scenes, close-ups, or long-shots. By the way, grab yourself a glossary of film terms. You’re gonna need it.

A lot to think about already? None to worry. Take a breath. This is a good time to slow down, ask yourself a few quick questions about your location . . .

If I’m filming at a structure, what’s the natural lighting like inside and out?

Which direction does the sun come up in relation to the exterior of the location?

Hey, when filming either during day or night, you have to think about how light changes on the interior (buildings have windows, duh) or the exterior of our locations.

This is where your photography skills come in. They’ll be important when it comes to composition and lighting. Smart lighting makes films visually interesting.

By the way, we recommend shooting indoors as much as you can while on a micro-budget. That’s because you can control the lighting. Outdoors, you can’t control the sun, clouds, rain, or dust storms, as well as all the curious onlookers and nosepickers who might arrive (along with the cops if stealing a shot). This quote by Alfred Hitchcock sums up shooting anything outside: “In feature films the director is God; in documentary films God is the director.” Seriously, it applies.

Last but not least! Check out the bathroom status at your locations and make some notes so you can tell your crew. Trust us, bathrooms are very important. Note the toilet paper amount as well, or everyone on your set could have a really crappy time.

When all is said and done, if you’re working with a business, city government, county agency or individual, it’s time to take out your Location Agreement Form (we’ll talk about contracts later). Have them sign the form before you do any work at that location. You’ll need to sign it, too.

Cong...

Table of contents

• Introduction to Short Films
• Chapter One
• Chapter Two
• Chapter Three
• Chapter Four
• Chapter Five
• Chapter Six
• Chapter Seven
• Chapter Eight
• Chapter Nine
• Chapter Ten
• Chapter Eleven
• Chapter Twelve
• Chapter Thirteen
• Chapter Fourteen
• Chapter Fifteen
• The Bonus Chapter