Ever Thought of Shooting a Film?

Before “Lights, camera… action! Silence, please. Shooting!”

Before Pedro Almodovar achieved to win an Oscar with his film “All About My Mother”, he was an employee for the telephone company. His first films were rather home made and on a very low cost. Yet, after they had been released, They achieved to have big audiences.

The film Casablanca isn’t only known as a masterpiece, but also as one of the cheapest films ever shot in the history of cinema -two actors, a cafe and an airport a a good, original script based on a serious issue such as it was World War Second.

“The Telephone Booth” is a short film shot by Spanish Television on a very low budget -only a main actor locked up in telephone booth and passers looking at him… until he is finally released from his cage.The film was presented at Cannes Film festival to be prized and very much acclaimed.

By showing these few examples of good films that were shot on a very low budget, I mean that shooting a film doesn’t have to be very costly and anyone with a fair knowledge of photography and a creative mind can do it.

WHAT WE’LL NEED TO SHOOT A LOW COST FILM AND TO BE A SUCCESS

First of all we need a good idea to write an original script.

If on a low budget, technology can help us a great deal to materialise our film.

We need to research to find out on what themes are favourites. With a horror story, we’ll most probably achieve to make a successful film.

We may wish to get famous actors to perform in our film and they’ll probably agree, but we’ve to show them a very interesting one in which they would make a great job. How we’re to convince them is up to us. There are famous actors that have worked in amateur film maker’s films and they quite like it. 

After the film has finished, we’ll take part in as many film festivals as possible. Festivals are a great showcase for an amateur film maker and even more than the Internet as we may post it on-line, but it’ll be viewed by perhaps a small bunch of folks, including friends and relatives. Where as, a film festival will grant a lot of publicity and spectators while the festival lasts.

Once we have a good and compelling script, actors, settings, a camera and all the money we’ve been able to collect we’ll focus entirely on shooting the film, trying to sort out problems as they arise. We won’t leave the project aside till it’s completed. 

It is true. Making a film to become a successful one doesn’t require a lot of money, but all what requires is a good idea and few actors to perform for us. Then, marketing will follow.

Could this be an interesting project for the new year ahead?

(c) Copyright. Vicky Pino. December 31st., 2012.