After completing my micro budget feature Psychosynthesis Last year, I immediately started working on my next feature project. But when the pandemic hit, those plans had to change drastically.
Initially, I planned to go a more traditional route than I had in the past.
My last two films were made on budgets of $12,000 and $25,000 respectively, and while I loved the challenge of working within those constraints, I wanted to try something new.
I wanted to see what would happen if I wrote a feature without worrying about budget or fundraising practicalities. This is very different from what I usually do, because I usually write scripts with the intention of shooting them for little to no money.
But I think developing something without imposing budget constraints will serve two purposes:
- It will allow me to explore new story ideas that wouldn’t be feasible on a lower budget.
- This will force me to raise money through more traditional means and step out of my comfort zone.
With two micro-budget features completed and released, it seemed logical to pursue something on a larger scale. Even a budget of $250,000 or $500,000 (still small by most standards) would be enough to make a movie in a more traditional way.
So last year I started developing a larger feature film concept that I’m really excited about.
But then the pandemic hit…I had to take a step back and re-evaluate that plan.
Does it still make sense to pursue bigger projects? I’m not sure.
There are too many uncertainties on all fronts. Investors are affected by stock market fluctuations. Production work came to a standstill. Film festivals were shut down and went virtual.
Even as things began to stabilize (to some extent) after a few months, more potential problems emerged. That said, the cost of shooting a large-scale production has skyrocketed as COVID-19 protocols can increase your budget by 30%.
At some point I decided to change direction.
While I’m still passionate about the film I’m making, I’ve decided to abandon the idea of making it my next feature. This is actually quite liberating.
I decided to continue making this film on a larger scale, but with a longer time frame. Now, I hope to shoot in two or three years, not this year.
In the end, I think this will be a blessing in disguise because it will give me more time to perfect the script, raise money over a longer period of time, and hopefully build the perfect team in the process.
In the meantime, there’s nothing stopping me from launching another feature – which is exactly what I’m going to do.
There was a time when I considered taking a year off to focus on my career and wait until the time was right to make a bigger film…but I was too impatient for that.
I love working and making movies, no matter the size or scope. While many things in my life have changed dramatically over the years, the desire to create films has remained steadfast and I don’t think that will change.
Making films is also the connective tissue between everything I do, from running this blog to Educational Filmmaker to create Color grading LUT. It’s all tied together through the anchor of feature filmmaking.
So in retrospect, I really had no choice but to do another feature this year. Even if it means going back to my roots and starting another DIY project.
But I didn’t want to simply use the same blueprints I’d used before to make another micro-budget film. Every film is an experiment and an excuse to try new ideas, methodologies and strategies on and off set.
The last thing I want to do is remake the same movie with the exact same creative and technical approach. If I’m not going to advance in the budget department, I’m going to have to do it some other way.
In part, this means rethinking the types of concepts I want to address and how I will approach the writing process. But it also meant seeing the production process through a different prism, allowing the project to flourish, even while filming against the backdrop of a pandemic.
While my last two feature films were very DIY and made with a skeleton crew/minimal resources, they are still similar in some ways to more traditional productions. especially Psychosynthesis, This felt (at least to me) more like some of the larger commercial shoots I’ve directed in the past.
Ultimately, when considering all of this, I came to an important realization—
If I’m not going to scale up my next feature, I should scale back.
I don’t want to try to imitate the dynamics of a big production in my next movie. It does nothing for my creative process or final result. If anything, it will only complicate matters, especially with no clear end to the pandemic in sight.
I’ve learned over the years that if you’re going to make a feature on a microbudget, you have to go all out.
The best movies on this level tend to be the ones that take boot to the next level. They don’t try to be someone they’re not. They lean into their DIY nature, and by embracing it rather than fighting it, they can produce incredibly unique creative results.
Practically speaking, for my feature film, that means I plan to shoot it on a lower budget and with a smaller crew than my first two films. For all I know, this movie probably cost $1,000 to make and consisted of 3 people…that’s the type of scale I’m looking for.
I’ll probably DP this project myself – I’ve done this in the past, but not in a while. Not only does this allow me to reduce the size of my crew, it also gives me more control over the visuals, which I really like.
Even under normal circumstances, it’s always a good idea to go Very When you make a micro-budget movie, it’s going to be small. That doesn’t mean the film has to look or feel small, but it should be made in a way that it shouldn’t be derivative of a big-budget production.
In today’s world, this idea is more important than ever.
By narrowing the scope of your project, you can better adapt to any issues you encounter—restrictions, shutdowns, security protocols, or anything else for that matter.
Other things I’ve done to change the process is create a new community for micro-budget feature film makers – On location.
This is a private membership group made up of filmmakers who are making feature films this year (some are not, but serve as an educational experience).
By creating this community, I not only have the privilege of helping guide many other filmmakers through the process of making their own films, but in turn I can hold myself accountable.
We’re just getting started now, but over the next few months I’ll be sharing more and more about my process, getting feedback from members, and participating in events like all the other filmmakers in the group. It has become a positive creative force and inspires me to do my best to ensure I provide the best possible service to all members.
This, combined with the very different approach to the writing and production of the film, certainly makes for a unique experience unlike any other I’ve experienced.
To say I’m very excited about a new movie coming out would be an understatement.
With so much uncertainty in the world, it’s nice to have a creative project to work on and look forward to every day. Will my next film be the bigger thing I’m doing this year? Absolutely not.
It will be much smaller. In terms of scope, it’s probably the smallest thing I’ve ever done. But that’s the point.
If everything goes according to plan, no one watching the finished product will think about the budget or how the movie was made. Only we know this.
What will you do this year to jazz up your next film? Please leave a comment below.
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