{"id":6424,"date":"2024-02-01T03:03:38","date_gmt":"2024-02-01T02:03:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brokenmount.com\/bm\/2024\/02\/01\/while-youre-waiting-you-should-make-a-movie\/"},"modified":"2024-02-01T03:03:38","modified_gmt":"2024-02-01T02:03:38","slug":"while-youre-waiting-you-should-make-a-movie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brokenmount.com\/bm\/2024\/02\/01\/while-youre-waiting-you-should-make-a-movie\/","title":{"rendered":"While You\u2019re Waiting, You Should Make a Movie"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nofilmschool.com\/media-library\/bedtime-story.png?id=50862865&amp;width=1245&amp;height=700&amp;coordinates=0%2C0%2C18%2C0\"><\/p>\n<p><em>Written by Courtney Daniels<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"pull-quote\"><em><\/em>If you\u2019ve been trying to sell a spec script, attach a star, or raise financing, you already know it might take a while. Why not <em>do<\/em> something while you\u2019re waiting for other people to do something? <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>This is an excerpt from Courtney\u2019s new book, <em>Yes You Can &#8211; How to Make a Movie for Almost No Money<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In the mid-to-late \u201990s, I read Robert Rodriguez\u2019s <em>Rebel Without a Crew<\/em> and loved it. But I thought the only reason a person would make a movie on their own is because they had no choice. It never occurred to me that shooting solo in the almost-no-budget range would be a fun, rewarding way to work. <\/p>\n<p>But in between making two features (<em>What Other Couples Do<\/em> and <em>Bedroom Story<\/em>) and the pilot for <em>This F*%king Town<\/em>, I shot more material for episodes 1, 2, 3, and 4 of <em>This F*%king Town <\/em>on my own. And it was a fantastic experience. Low pressure, and low stakes! Working alone with the actors was intimate and fun, and it allowed for greater connection. <\/p>\n<p>I can\u2019t emphasize enough how different an experience it is to work alone compared to a typical shoot. You can shoot for a few hours a day, a few days a week, have balance in your life, and actually enjoy the process. <\/p>\n<p>When I first started shooting alone, I told myself <em>This F*%king Town<\/em> would be my training ground. I knew I would make a lot of mistakes and I decided to just make peace with that. Because I was learning so many new skills and juggling so many tasks alone, my approach to lighting was based on expediency. I supplemented available light and practicals with use of one broad diffused lighting source (a dimmable LED panel). It took a while to figure out how to get good sound, but if you look at my camera work in the episodes, though it\u2019s not showy, it\u2019s solid. I got good angles, everything\u2019s in focus, and the footage cuts together. Most importantly, the story tracks and the actors\u2019 performances are great. And audience feedback has been enthusiastic so far. In fact, <em>This F*%king Town<\/em> might be my most popular project.<\/p>\n<p class=\"shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"rm-shortcode\" data-rm-shortcode-id=\"1626a183100971736cd61ef7c5868529\" data-rm-shortcode-name=\"rebelmouse-image\" id=\"ee219\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/nofilmschool.com\/media-library\/image.png?id=50862867&amp;width=980\"><small class=\"image-media media-caption\" placeholder=\"Add Photo Caption...\">&#8216;This F*%king Town&#8217;<\/small><small class=\"image-media media-photo-credit\" placeholder=\"Add Photo Credit...\">Courtney Daniels<\/small><\/p>\n<p>Somewhere along the way, I realized the episodes could be shoved together to make a movie. This fascinated me. The idea that one person could shoot a series or feature alone, working with just their cast, blew my mind. I came away from it wanting to shoot more projects this way. And I want to urge other people to consider it, too\u2014which is why I wrote this book.<\/p>\n<p>Clearly, people need more encouragement to think outside the Hollywood paradigm, because too many would-be filmmakers are still sitting on the sidelines, waiting to be picked by one of the big studios or streamers. Or they\u2019re waiting to get financing some other way. Even in LA, this is common\u2014maybe especially in LA, where it\u2019s just expected that you\u2019ll have a traditional shoot, requiring a lot of money. <\/p>\n<p>But enough preamble. Let\u2019s talk about how <em>you<\/em> can make a feature or series\u2014without waiting for financing!<\/p>\n<h2>When to Shoot Solo<\/h2>\n<p>There are many scenarios in which the almost-no-budget route of shooting solo (working with just your cast) is ideal. For example, if\/when:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>You simply don\u2019t have the money for a shoot<\/li>\n<li>You\u2019re concerned about the odds of recouping or making a return on your investment <\/li>\n<li>You suspect your script is not commercial or might not appeal to a sizable niche audience<\/li>\n<li>You don\u2019t know if your script is strong enough to warrant spending $35,000 or more to execute it<\/li>\n<li>You don\u2019t want to be dependent on a group of people to make something<\/li>\n<li>You think a down-and-dirty execution of your script could be cool, aesthetically and otherwise<\/li>\n<li>You would like to be able to experiment\u2014explore different storyline possibilities, let actors improvise, etc.\u2014without worrying whether you\u2019ll end up with a commercially viable film<\/li>\n<li>You want to make other types of video projects (such as branding videos, tutorials, music videos, marketing or promotional videos) and don\u2019t want to spend thousands on them<\/li>\n<li>You have experience making films or other types of videos with a group of people but have been wanting a more sustainable path forward <\/li>\n<li>You want to experience the joy of shooting more often, without having to schedule and wait for a big, expensive shoot<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"rm-shortcode\" data-rm-shortcode-id=\"a4d57e577f795741c2d369449397f57a\" data-rm-shortcode-name=\"rebelmouse-image\" id=\"2a07a\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/nofilmschool.com\/media-library\/image.jpg?id=50862876&amp;width=980\"><small class=\"image-media media-caption\" placeholder=\"Add Photo Caption...\">&#8216;This F*%king Town&#8217;<\/small><small class=\"image-media media-photo-credit\" placeholder=\"Add Photo Credit...\">Courtney Daniels<\/small><\/p>\n<h2>Your \u201cAlmost No Budget\u201d Approach<\/h2>\n<p>Whatever amount of money you\u2019ve got, here\u2019s what I propose you do with it: Buy a camera and some gear and learn how to do everything yourself: operate the camera, light the actors, record sound, and edit the footage. <\/p>\n<p>Yes, it IS possible. <em>Even if you currently know nothing about any of this. <\/em><\/p>\n<p>I know, because I used to be a person who couldn\u2019t even set the time\/date buttons on a wristwatch. In fact, when I rented a camera from BorrowLenses.com for the pilot shoot of <em>This F*%king Town<\/em>, I opened the box it was shipped in, gingerly lifted the camera out and handed it directly to my DP. I was completely intimidated by it.<\/p>\n<p>But a year later, when I was frustrated and ready, I bought that same camera for myself, as well as a subscription to Adobe Premiere Pro editing software. Within three months, I had learned just enough to start shooting and editing scenes for <em>This F*%king Town<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube\">\n<span class=\"rm-shortcode\" data-rm-shortcode-id=\"c047116c788cd48d3dd54087d9dd432c\" style=\"display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"auto\" lazy-loadable=\"true\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/dyYCsmVxwdk?rel=0\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;\" width=\"100%\"><\/iframe><\/span><br \/>\n<small class=\"image-media media-caption\" placeholder=\"Add Photo Caption...\">This F*%king Town trailer<\/small><br \/>\n<small class=\"image-media media-photo-credit\" placeholder=\"Add Photo Credit...\"><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=dyYCsmVxwdk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">www.youtube.com<\/a><br \/>\n<\/small>\n<\/p>\n<p>Think about that. Within three months, <em>you<\/em> could be shooting and editing footage. Isn\u2019t that wild?<\/p>\n<p>Will your movie win cinematography awards? Not likely. Will the sound be decent? If you\u2019re very careful, yes. Will you learn a ton? I guarantee it. Will you make something that\u2019s perfectly imperfect and has flashes of brilliance, that your friends and family will love? Hell yeah!<\/p>\n<p>But here\u2019s the best part: When you own the means of production and know how to do everything yourself, <em>there\u2019s nothing stopping you from making more projects<\/em>. Which means you\u2019ll keep learning and getting better, which will give you confidence\u2014which is huge. Because buried under all the fake obstacles is the real one: fear.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, if you\u2019re feeling freaked out right now, just take a deep breath. If you can\u2019t even imagine doing everything yourself and are not at all sure you want to attempt it, <em>you don\u2019t have to decide yet<\/em>. There\u2019s a lot of ground to cover first. Just read the coming chapters and let everything incubate. <\/p>\n<p>Let it fester. <\/p>\n<p>Because it will. And maybe, by the end of my book, you\u2019ll be ready to go for it. <\/p>\n<p><sub>Courtney Daniels\u2019 new book, Yes You Can &#8211; <em>How to Make a Movie for Almost No Money<\/em> can be found on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Yes-You-Can-Movie-Almost\/dp\/B0CJ4FJQK1\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Amazon<\/a> (or you can get a more beautiful, offset-printed copy <a href=\"https:\/\/shop.otterpine.com\/products\/yes-you-can\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>). Her films, <em>What Other Couples Do, Bedroom Story<\/em>, and <em>This F*%king Town<\/em>, can be streamed on Amazon. On her <a href=\"https:\/\/courtneydanielsfilms.com\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">site<\/a>, you\u2019ll find short videos that address topics like how to decide what to write\/shoot next.<\/sub><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Author: Guest Author<br \/>\nThis article comes from <i>No Film School<\/i> and can be <a href=\"https:\/\/nofilmschool.com\/make-a-movie\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>read on the original site.<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Written by Courtney Daniels If you\u2019ve been trying to sell a spec script, attach a star, or raise financing, you already know it might take&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_customify_content_layout":"","_customify_sidebar":"","_customify_page_header_display":"","_customify_disable_header":"","_customify_disable_header_top":"","_customify_disable_header_main":"","_customify_disable_header_bottom":"","_customify_disable_page_title":"","_customify_disable_content_vertical_padding":"","_customify_disable_footer_top":"","_customify_disable_footer_main":"","_customify_disable_footer_bottom":"","_customify_breadcrumb_display":"","_customify_header_transparent_display":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[38,37,43,42,39,40,44,41,36],"class_list":["post-6424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-video-news","tag-editing","tag-film","tag-guide","tag-info","tag-news","tag-tips","tag-topics","tag-tricks","tag-video"],"rttpg_featured_image_url":null,"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"Brokenmount","author_link":"https:\/\/www.brokenmount.com\/bm\/author\/sysop\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.brokenmount.com\/bm\/category\/video-news\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Video and Film News<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"Written by Courtney Daniels If you\u2019ve been trying to sell a spec script, attach a star, or raise financing, you already know it might take&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brokenmount.com\/bm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brokenmount.com\/bm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brokenmount.com\/bm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brokenmount.com\/bm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brokenmount.com\/bm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6424"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.brokenmount.com\/bm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6424\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brokenmount.com\/bm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brokenmount.com\/bm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brokenmount.com\/bm\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}