Reflections on Micro-Budget Features

By Maggie Drayton and Felipe Echavarria

            Over the course of the past few years we have been analyzing all aspects of the Micro-budget feature film, in an attempt to understand how to make a successful film in the digital age, on a budget that is actually attainable as a student just leaving University and looking to get their feet wet in feature filmmaking. We chose a number of different films to analyze, all of which offered a different level and type of insight into the micro-budget world, as well as the film industry in general. Discovering certain commonalities amongst these films has helped us to understand the steps we want to take in creating our own feature of this caliber, and the best way to go about its production.

I. Commonalities in Micro-budget films

The importance of script and pre-production

Whether a film is shot in one location or all over a city, spending time perfecting your script is invaluable. Most of the one-location films relied more heavily on the depth of their scripts, but all of the other films analyzed, such as El Mariachi could have benefited greatly from a little script tweaking. Above all the director must know the script or at least the idea of the script from start to finish inside and out. The director must also find the passion behind it. Microbudgets require passion in order to get made, because they are brainchildren, not director-for-hire gigs.

Because a micro-budget rarely has wide distribution and extensive advertising like its big-budget counterparts, it is even more important that the story and characters get the audience that you do have involved. You need to start with a great script that is conceived as a micro-budget. If you cant afford the effects or locations, don’t write it. Having dynamic characters whose actions are full of subtext without feeling forced is a huge step in making your micro-budget special.

Scheduling

Most micro-budget films are shot on extremely tight schedules. Rehearsals, pre-planning, and knowledge of time and locations become extremely important here. A huge part of cutting down costs of production is shooting in the least amount of time possible. Most of the films we viewed were shot in less than a few months if not a few weeks or days. The best way to accomplish this seems to be to set realistic goals for each day. This will make it less likely that you will fall behind. Also, don’t abuse your crew and cast unless they want it. Consult with them if they are going over the hours they are expecting to work.

Budgeting

Basically you have to cut costs wherever possible, and understand exactly where every penny is going. There is no room to go over budget, or run out of money in these films.

II. Production Techniques

Natural Lighting

Almost all of the films used a modification of natural lighting to create their film’s atmosphere. It is important when writing a micro-budget to understand your production constraints and write a film that will not need elaborate setups.

I feel that a couple of the natural lighting setups felt very contrived and really hurt the digital medium of the film. Mainly in the film Once, and sometimes in En La Cama the natural fixtures appeared too blown out for my taste and gave the film a pixilated glare. However these issues seem obsolete when you have a film that is attractive more because of its story than its appearance.

If your are going to use lights, consider setting them up prior to shooting and limit your setup time as much as possible. Keep it basic. Usually great films have a very defined visual style. If your not challenging some convention your probably doing something wrong. Regardless of your lighting scheme, don’t forget about art direction. Keep the frame interesting and the audience focused.

Working with friends

Micro-budgets cannot work on the Hollywood crew system. You need to be able to obtain a minimal crew that is willing to get their hands dirty and perform multiple tasks on set. Also you crew must deeply respect you as either the producer or director, and must have faith in the project. Most of these films would not have gotten done if people were not working on the project for personal reasons. Also you can pay your friends a lot less to work on your film cutting production costs enormously.

On that note, have just the people you need. It’s a moral killer if you have a bunch of people just lingering around when they’re getting paid little to nothing at all. Making everyone feel valuable with clear objectives and responsibilities should go a long way towards having a happy and productive crew.

Non-actors vs. Actors

Both non-actors and actors can be used in these films but the choices must be made very wisely. Most of the times that non-actors are used they have accents or speak another language, which helps immensely. By putting a language barrier between the actor and the audience a lot of the acting mishaps go overlooked and are confused as realism.  For one location films it is extremely important to have professional actors because so much of the films propulsion and charms comes from performance alone. If your not happy with your actors, don’t go into production until you are. If your actors are interested in the production side, get them involved. Finally, rehearsals should be high priority. It makes shoot day more efficient and, with a tight schedule, efficiency is key.

Involving the community

Make the surrounding area of your location as involved with the production as they possibly can be. By doing this you are keeping people in the loop and are a lot less likely to get caught doing something illegal, and also you are getting a lot of free labor.

Develop a strong shooting strategy and USE DIGITAL

Although we did analyze a few films that were shot on 35mm, this is not a choice we can logically make in today’s digital world. Technology is expanding exponentially each year, and by shooting digital and on 2-3 cameras, we can increase coverage, cut costs, and be riskier with our shots and framing. This does not lessen the importance of a shot list. Knowing exactly what shots are needed to create the film will give the director time each day to play around with the camera and create some unique and potentially useful extra scenes or takes.

Digital lets you go with the flow a lot easier than 35mm. So let small things happen, and people walk into frame. One of the beauties of micro-budget filmmaking is its ability to feel very realistic.

Have an experienced fast-moving and innovative Director of Photography. Give them a sense of freedom when creating the shots and make sure that they understand and accept the digital medium Make sure that they are a great Steadycam operator because this will cut costs immensely, and give the film a personal and realistic feel. Also try giving some depth to every shot and don’t be afraid to use some stage magic. You don’t need fireworks but a few girls on skateboards behind your character can add a layer of poetry that is worth millions but costs nothing. Let accidents happen and make sure the crew knows when if ever it is safe for them to assume you are cutting. Long lenses help you shoot in public places without interfering with the normal flow of public places.

Don’t be afraid to improvise but have a clear object. Storyboard but don’t be afraid to deviate. Be methodic. Look for films that have shots similar to yours but NEVER make the safe creative choice. People want to see something different. Otherwise, they will skip your film and watch the Hollywood counterpart instead. Tell the story in your own way.

III. Marketing

Although very rarely do micro-budget films have an allotted budget for marketing, none of these films would have tipped the radar if they did not have some sort of plan for the after life of their production. By understanding the film from the beginning and all its possible outlets a producer can make a valiant attempt to get their film seen by as many viewers as possible.

• Understand your target audience
• Use the internet wisely and accurately
• Get into as many festivals as possible and push for the audience award
• The festivals is where you find distributors for independent films
• Accept the micro-budget status of the film and run with it, people love the underdog
• Create a product that is fresh, and understand all promotional elements of the film
• Attach solid independent musicians to the film that will help with promotion
• Create a tour for your crew to promote the film
• The more people that see your film the better because word of mouth is the ultimate driving force.