Film Training - Tips For Making Your Movie Within Your Means

By Author: Jamie Hanson
Total Articles: 3534
Comment this article

Many times people don't really get what is meant by this. I'm not referring to writing like a professor and using fancy dialogue. The writing within your means that I am talking about has to do with your budget. This film training article is to help you keep your script within the budget that you have available.

It's very easy to get carried away by your vision of what you want you movie to be like. Beginning filmmakers find it easy to visualize the big picture, but the trouble comes when its time to convert it down to the details.

Let's talk about your script. Here's an example of a simple line in a script:

"The Firemen arrived at the scene."

Ok, that doesn't really sound that complicated. But, stop and think about it for a minute. What does this mean to you?

First off, it means there needs to be a fire truck. Does your budget allow for you to get one? If the answer is no, then what are the firemen supposed to arrive in? Maybe a delivery truck? Oh, wait, that's expensive too.

Then there are the firemen. Does your budget extend to hiring a lot of firemen? How about their uniforms? Also, ...
... how big is the fire? I'm not going to go into how much it might cost to create the fire. Then you have to think about the equiment that's needed to fight the fire. This whole scene is enough to create major havoc with your budget.

Now, imagine if your script read like this instead:

"The army arrived at the scene."

Just picture it - tanks, armored cars and jeeps, soldiers and their weapons, uniforms, etc. You get the idea, I'm sure.

It only takes one line in the script to blow your whole budget. It will take some planning from you not to veer off into an Avatar adventure or other special effects productions. You don't want to end up with a movie you can't possible make.

I mean, that's fine if you have an unlimited budget, but let's face it, that's not usually the case when starting out. The effects don't have to be elaborate to tell a good story.

Movie making is an adventure as well as a learning experience. Some people shell out the dough and go to film school, which let's face it, is quite expensive. Other people prefer to learn as they go.

You may be one of those that prefer not to spend a lot on education before you can even get started making your film. Get some good, solid tips from those who know the ropes in filmmaking at this site:Film Training. The good thing is that it won't cost you an arm and a leg.