Where To Allocate The Budget When You Are Creating A Feature Film
When you take a look at the places where you can spend your money on a feature film you will see that it is virtually limitless. You can take the time to look at your budget and determine in what areas you can skimp on the money and allow the budget to be freed up for others. If you follow a few suggestions you can find that there is ample money to spend on the things that count the most and cut back on things that don’t.
The first part of your project is the script. You should try to write it yourself to save the money that you would have to spend on a writer. If you are a talented writer you will find that this is the best way to cut back on the budget. If you find that you don’t have the skills necessary to get the script written you should try to find a writer among your friends and family. If you can get someone to write the script for you for free you will still gain the savings in this area. There are plenty of writers that will be available for the job if you must hire a writer. Take a look at some of the websites that are devoted to writing to find a talent that is willing to take on your project. Sometimes the writer is looking for exposure or experience and will be willing to do the job for a fraction of the cost.
Once you have the details of the script worked out you will need to focus your attention on the location. This can give a filmmaker many problems. You will need to get permission to film in certain locations. Some filmmakers choose to film first and ask to be allowed to use the film after. This is risky. You might waste your film on a location that will not grant you permission to use the spot. Some locations will require you to pay fees for renting the area. This might prove to be the most expensive part of your project. Check into the areas that are available and try to find one that will let you use the location for free. If you are patient the right location might just be available that is perfect and free.
You can also find that the lighting on the film can be quite expensive. There are some ways to save money on the cost of the lighting, however. It is the best to use the right professional lighting for your job, but you can get away with halogen lights at a fraction of the cost. These lights are also very easily adjustable so that makes them easy to work with as well. Many people have found that halogen lights are a great way to go for filmmaking because of their low cost and ease of use.
Another area where you can wind up spending a good amount of money is the costumes for your film. Sometimes a story line will require the use of expensive costumes for the proper production of the film. Take a look through thrift shops and second hand clothing stores to find suitable clothing for your film. Depending on the era that your story takes place you might be able to get away with vintage clothing from a second hand store that is perfectly suitable for a film in more recent times. Even if your film requires clothing from a time period in the distant past, you might be able to find someone to sew the clothing for you for a good price. Ask friends and family who are good with a sewing machine to help you out.
It’s not the easiest thing in the world to try and create a feature film on a tight budget, but it can be done. There are other ways to lower your costs and you will find that if you take your time and investigate all of your options you can generally get away with many cost saving methods and still produce the film you want.
