Monday, August 2, 2010
Fruits of the Interwebs Make your own movie with the Good Machine No-Budget Commandments
Posted by Curt Holman @Curt_Holman on Mon, Aug 2, 2010 at 8:16 AM
Disappointed by the cinematic choices at your neighborhood movie house? Then make your own! Screenwriter/blogger Todd Alcott recently commented that "Various forces — the economy, escalating production costs, union situations, studio re-structuring, etc — has created a Hollywood that is risk-averse in the extreme. Getting a movie made — by anyone — is harder than ever." The silver lining? "For those wishing to become known as writers, especially writer-directors, is to produce your own work. It has never been easier to do — you can get an excellent camera for $1000 or less, you can get Final Cut Pro for the same amount (or less, if you’re a student)."
Alcott links to The Good Machine No-Budget Commandments on the blog of indie producer Ted Hope. Hope points out that he wrote the list before addressing an NYU class some years ago, when he was part of the Good Machine production company, but that they're probably more relevant now than ever. Some of Hope's 14 Commandments include:
2. Write for what you know and for what you can obtain. This goes for actors, locations, animals, and major propping or set dressing. If your friend owns something, anything, write it into the film.7. Use everything more than once. You’ve already paid for it, so use it, use it, use it.
8. Write for a very limited audience — your closest friends. Do not try to please anyone — crowd pleasing costs.
12. Keep it intimate. Dialogue and close ups are cheap.
Aspiring filmmakers can use these guidelines to make more than so-called "mumblecore" comedies or dramas: the likes of Primer, The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity offer spooky genre stories while following the rules to the letter.
Comments (1)
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I produced the upcoming film " Forget Me Not" on a limited budget under $2000 , based on what you described here . i', actually distributing it myself via my online movie theater. here is a link to the trailer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdm9K-TihVc
and here is a link to the movie website
www.forgetmenotmovie.4951films.com
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