Christian Filmmakers

To make a film for under 1,000 dollars.
http://www.1000dollarfilm.com/

Is it going to be impossible for me to make a historical fiction/drama with that much?

If you have any tips, ideas, or opinions, I would be very grateful if you did not horde and shared your information with me.

Thanks
-Natalie

fulfillment house

A whomawho?
(I’m WAAAY over on the other side of Indie filmmaking, so I know little about industry production.)

How to get to where you can make historical fiction/drama on-the-cheap:

1) Shoot something.

2) Shoot something else.

Cheerfully,
Calix

(...repeat 9,998 more times, and then you’ll have the skillset, the toolkit and the relationships to do whatever you want…)

I’m assuming you’re talking about something feature length?

Network, network, network (to piggyback off of Calix).  Here are some ideas on how to expedite the process because $1,000 can go fast because of the one thing everybody needs: food.

Are you budgeting craft services into that $1k?  If so, keep your crew and cast to a minimum.

Do you already have all of your equipment?  If not, find out what you can borrow and who you can convince (that owns said equipment) that making this movie is a great idea and in their best interest.  Renting decent equipment will almost instantly kill the $1k over a week, which isn’t enough time to pull off a feature.

Write a story with the elements you currently have access to, be they actors, locations, props, etc.  Tailor the script to them… the faster your actors can ‘get’ the role, the fewer takes you’ll need, the faster the production will go, and the less you’ll have to feed everyone.

Another is to take the concept above and tell a story in a time where this technology is currently widely available, so to excuse a lower-end camera, you basically say that these are real people using a camera like this (a la Paranomal Activity/Blair Witch Project).

What’s the end goal of this $1k project?  That will determine if it’s impossible.  Also, you might consider making shorts if you haven’t done a feature before.  Trust me, it’s a long haul to get a project that big off the ground and the more contacts and experience you have, the better off you’ll be for it.

-Ryan

Okay,
I geuss I should’ve been more clear. So here goes…
This will be about the legendary life of Nathan Hale.
It will be about 30-50 minutes long. (because I’m not ready for a feature but I need to make a profit of the film, and a 50min. short is about the only short thats sellable)
I hope to have a volunteered cast and crew.
I hope my mom will do the catering. (she’s really good at cooking for a big crowd.)
I can borrow equipment from a locale film school.
I can costume using goodwill

But I will need money for the following:
Marketing with DVD release
Mike
SET DESIGN

Thats pretty much my predicament. I need a good quility mike above all else, but I won’t be able to afford something too deep into the hundreds. I also need equipment and supplies to manufacture DVDs. If you could direct me to any discounts or cheap prices for these things, that would be great.

But my main problem will be set dressing, and here I will spend the most moolah.
If you have any pointers on how to build an 18th century set without breaking the bank, I would love to hear! (and therein lies the question, can it be done?)

I know some friends with lots of land. I could film the entire thing there. However, there will be a scene that requires a sea. The most obvious way would be to green screen those shots. In fact, I could green screen the whole movie, but I don’t want to come across as cheap.

I need an authentic feel without the money.

Is there any possibilty in this venture? (I’d say yes, but I’m more of a director than a producer )

Thanks for your advice!
-Natalie

Calix Lewis Reneau wrote:

How to get to where you can make historical fiction/drama on-the-cheap:

1) Shoot something.

2) Shoot something else.

Cheerfully,
Calix

(...repeat 9,998 more times, and then you’ll have the skillset, the toolkit and the relationships to do whatever you want…)

The problem is, I have but one life to live. And it takes about four years to make a feature. (Time is so short)

Heh.  Wait until you’re old on that whole “time” thing!

On the one hand, it’s wise to factor in post and marketing and sales - OTOH, for a grand it’s kinda pointless, as the vast majority of your assets will be sweat equity.

For replication/distribution, I’d go with a fulfillment house - lower profit but no upfront if you find the right one.

For marketing, I’d plan on lots of legwork and little money.

For a 50-minute historical narrative I’m looking to make money on, I’d spend a lot of time looking at what’s working in the marketplace and make my own product in that form and format.  Seems like something that would be good for (1) public television, (2) faith-based television and/or (3) homeschoolers.  People are already serving those three markets and have made mistakes you should learn from!

Cheers,
Calix

(...there are people doing what you want to do, right now - find them and emulate them…)