Well I know a lot of you out there are looking for the answer to the most important question, “How do I make a movie with No Money”. Now “NO MONEY” can mean a lot of things, but……
Well I know a lot of you out there are looking for the answer to the most important question, “How do I make a movie with No Money”.
Now “NO MONEY” can mean a lot of things, but nobody has no money, everybody has some money. You can always afford what is important to you. You pay rent – to keep a roof over your head, right, then that is important to you. Now I am not telling you to go live in a tree but here is a few things that I did to create a budget for my first film.
"My" Steps to Funding
1).First, I sold my car! (FYI: I loved my car). With today’s ride share services and bus lines you can get around anywhere you want pretty easy and the money you save on Gas and Insurance will really help. I took the money I made and bought the best camera, (and Bicycle) I could afford and a good (not great) computer and editing software. 
The software I used was Adobe Premiere Pro. I highly recommend it.
2). I Gave up smoking….back in the late 90’s, I smoked and cigarettes were $3.50 a pack (cheap), now they are up to $10 dollars a pack, just think of all the money you will save. I then went and bought a cartoon of bubble gum. Lets say you smoke a pack a day, times 7 days a week, times 52 weeks a year.
10 x 7 x 52 = $3,640.00 a year! That is a big start to getting your project made.
3). Drinking and/or going to bars was a big no-no. Even when I just went to play a game of pool with friends it still cost $20 to $30 dollars, and that is cheap. Going out on the weekends to a club can cost hundreds. Remember you are on a mission and the mission is to create your vision. You can always celebrate after you finish your project, that is called a “Wrap Party“.
4). NO MORE STEAKS! Yep, I took major steps and one of the hardest was to cut out all extras that I did not have to have. Spending money on groceries is a must and it is hard to cut back especially if you are married. Being single at the time, I was able to spend -now get this- $200 dollars on food for three months. That meant that I had to eat a lot of instant soups, drink a lot of cool aid and cut out bottled water & sodas’. I took drastic measures to ensure that I put every penny I had towards my film project.
..........YARD SALE..........
5).One of the biggest things I did was to have a Garage / Yard sale. I went through everything I owned and had a massive yard sale. I sold everything I did not really need. I sold cloths, shoes, christmas decorations, I mean everything. You would be suprised at how much stuff you have laying around that you can do without.
"PAWN SHOP - HERE I COME"
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
WEBSITE - A must...
As a filmmaker you want your film to be taken serious. Having a website for your film gives you opportunities to attract new audiences that are non-existing with other platforms. With a website you can set up a email subscription link to collect emails. With enough emails you can now be in direct contact with your audience and create a following. When I first started there wasn’t any WORLD FILM FEDERATION to help me so I had to learn on my own. Which took months and months and months.
On your film’s website you can have as many pages as needed. In addition to the obvious home page, you can have an about the film page, a press page, a press kit page, a cast page, production page, contact page, etc. By the time some films are released, they may already have several thousand interested subscribers who will start the buzz going which will help with the films success.
DO YOU REMEMBER “THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT”?
For those of you who either forgot or just don’t know, The Blair Witch Project was a micro-budget movie, ($60,000 budget-Grossed $248 Million), made with a few actors and handheld cameras. The marketers behind The Blair Witch Project saw the web as a great opportunity. Perhaps most importantly, the marketers used the website to lay the groundwork for this, so called “true story”. They kept adding new information—from pictures and footage to journal entries and interviews with “family members”—to keep people coming back and spreading the word.
TRAILER
My First trailer, well lets just say I have learned a lot since then. A movie trailer is a marketing tool that showcases highlights from a movie to convince audiences to see the film. A trailer must captivate viewers in a condensed time frame. This is an item that will change as the film progresses but also can be shot cheaply at first to build up a audience.
Learn more about trailers on our previous post;
TIME LINE
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
This post is by no means the best way to get started in the film production business by no means. It is just the way I started my first film. I have over 44 years in the Film Industry so I was ready for whatever came my way; at least I thought I was. I learned a lot and have produced several films since then, some were even featured @ CANNES FILM FESTIVAL in Cannes France. The only way you are going to know if you are good at making films is to, “MAKE A FILM”.
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FEDERATION PRODUCERS & VENDORS
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INDEPENDENT FILMS NETWORKINDEPENDENT FILMS NETWORK funds and produces independent films, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie including feature films ,short films, and web series outside the major film studio system, in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies.
pabloesparzaESPARZA FILMS We make MOVIES WITH LATINO FLAVOR. The first movie we produced in 2000, made it to the New York Film Festival, "Machete" and it is now for sale at Amazon. com. ----- We have also produced: Los Caminos de Dios, Tribaleros, Carretera nfernal, El Racista, y Mano Negra. ----- Our Mission is to continue making films that in certain ways touch people's souls. -------- CTC acting school has been open since 2015 in Grand Prairie. Workshops are on Wednesdays @ 7:00 PM and on Saturdays @ 10:00 AM We teach: How to act on camera for Film and TV Monologues, improvisation skills, Cold reads, Auditioning skills, how to construct a character, how to read scripts and understand what they want from you as an actor. An actor as a business person, how to behave in auditions, and how to read from voice overs or radio, and finally, how to understand the film industry and make sure that is what the actor wants to do...
WellWorldTVDebra K is the founder of Well World TV, a modern television network sharing inspirational and educational content. She works exclusively with those who want to create video content, distribute it through OTT and SM and she is a media consultant helping personalities get started. She is actively seeking new companies and personalities to work with. Her TV Show credits include an EMMY nomination, ADDY award and her most recent TV show, The Prime Time, was an official selection by the International Film Festival of Manhattan and the Miami Web Fest. She is a published author, keynote speaker and business consultant for wellness brands. She is ready to help you share your message and take your business to the next level.United States-
Ozwood entertainmentTony Estephen is a Managing Director at Enviroshield Waterproofing based in North Strathfield, New South Wales. Also owner of Ozwood Entertainment, producing internationally acclaimed films in New South Wales, Australia.
Andrea-intlE-mail Address: [email protected] Film Careers: Distribution Country: United States USA State: California We guide you through cultural pitfalls around the world and help you protect your film and brand in the markets you desire. Cultural Pitfalls helps film production companies, studios, and executives avoid getting their movies banned in foreign markets. We do the same for products and services attempting to launch in international markets. Shirin Drost has fifteen-plus years in the entertainment business, specializing in film, TV, and new media content. She is also helps film production companies in avoiding cultural pitfalls—getting their film content banned—in foreign markets. For development executives, she creates financial development and marketing strategies, and supports the film financing process by arranging pre-sales, including raising development and equity capital. For producers, she consults on the placement of the completed content into distribution. For buyers, she sources content–obtaining the finest content at the best prices. For sellers, she provides pre-market, at-market and general consultation services–with a special emphasis on new media and viral marketing. Ms. Drost also provides content sourcing services for buyers of content–such as TV program services and VOD companies.United States
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FatKid Films2015 Melbourne Queer Film Festival - World Premiere, Official Selection, The Dream Children, Australia
LF_KohlThey call me "SHORTY" I have owned and ran multi construction companies in home and business construction. Business Consultant.United Kingdom
johnharviemorrisJohn studied theatre at the prestigious Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. He has since travelled extensively performing Theatre, television and independent film productions in the United Kingdom, Ireland and in his homeland Australia. In recent times John has been involved in numerous film projects produced out of Australia and abroad. John’s short film “Safe House” was invited to screen at the prestigious 61st Cannes Film Festival Short Corner achieving much praise and kudos. Safe House was later produced in Hollywood as a feature film starring Denzel Washington. It was in Cannes; France that John met Richard Wayne and henceforth began formulating their idea and concept of creating an international hub for independent film makers, known as World Film Federation. John’s dynamic source of energy, enthusiasm, passion and life experience bring a focused discipline in realising the success of World Film Federation. The solid business relationships he has sustained globally is a testament to his loyalty to others which will continue to make World Film Federation a force to be reckoned with for years to come and a beacon for industry professionals the world over to aspire and partake in the global independent film community in the pursuit to assist all members become successful in their chosen career path.6000PerthWestern AustraliaAUSTRALIAPRODUCER, PRODUCTION-
legaleagles3141South YarraVictoriaAustraliaCOORDINATOR, DIRECTOR, FREELANCE, LEGAL, LOCATIONS, MARKETING/PUBLICITY, MEDIA, MUSIC, PRODUCER, SCRIPT DEPARTMENTJordanMaynoldiBad Friend is a full-service production company based out of New England.-
WorldPicturesAustraliaWORLD PICTURES AUSTRALIA is a production company based in Sydney, Australia.
SWORD-WORLD-AUSTRALASIASword World specializes in the supply of military swords, accoutrements and sword accessories. Since the establishment of Sword World in 2005 amazing new products have been added to expand the choices open to clients. They include an exciting range of knives and unique products that have been requested by our customers over time.
RICHARD WAYNE STUNTSRICHARD WAYNE STUNTS Men and women who don't mind taking risks and love the thrill of danger may want to consider this as a career choice. No specific certification or degree is required to become a stuntman or stuntwoman. It would be very beneficial to have somewhat of a diversified background in various activities, such as gymnastics, fencing, sky diving, scuba diving, rock climbing, martial arts, dirt bike racing and stage combat to name a few. The most important skills required are physical fitness, stamina, strength and coordination. Stuntmen are the "faceless action heroes" of film and television. They work the scenes of the movies that are risky. They do live action stunts that make all of us action film lovers drool. Imagine dangling from a helicopter, driving a Ferrari in a high speed chase on windy mountain roads, jumping off rooftops, slashing an evil doer with a sword, crashing an 18-wheeler, or falling off a cliff. This is just a day in the life of a stuntman. Not everyone can be a stuntman. Stuntmen are highly trained professional performers who take risks as part of their jobs. Every stunt is executed exactly as planned, practiced, rehearsed, rehearsed, rehearsed, rehearsed and reviewed. Stunts are designed to be as safe as possible. A beautifully choreographed sequence is amazing to watch but in reality takes days or even weeks to set up. Stuntmen average $70,000 per year. If you’re newer to the industry, you may only make $5,000 per year. It all depends on how much work you manage to find. The highest end stuntmen can make up to $250,000 per year. All it takes is one stunt to make money – the highest paid stunt ever was $150,000 for jumping off the CN Tower in Toronto. That’s about a $15,000 per second. Stuntmen love their jobs. They get to do death defying stunts and get paid for it. So if high speed boat chases, ninja fights in temples, diving with sharks, parachuting into lakes, walking on walls, or climbing a building sound better than staring at a computer screen, you should look at a career as a stuntman.
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