Micro budgets, huge films

Some people set out to become micro budget filmmakers, and others have micro budgets thrust upon them, whether they like it or not. I fall decidedly into the latter group.

The thing is, I'm actually proud of that now. Where once I was agonizing over “breaking into the business,” I am now enjoying the freedom and true fulfillment of making award-winning films with tiny pools of funding.

How small are my budgets? Well, Fragile Waters (awarded Film of the Year at Dolphin & Whale Film Fest 2015) cost around $13,000 for the entire production. My last film, Deconstructing Eden (winner Best Documentary IndieBOOM Film Fest and semifinalist for Best Short Documentary at California International Film Festival), cost just under $14,000 to fully produce. My first film, Journey Home, came in at under $8,000 – including an almost complete re-shoot!

Come to think of it, I might have to reclassify myself into “ultra-micro” budget filmmaker.

The point is that I didn't really set out to be the Troma Entertainment of tiny budget documentaries. It's pretty much just organically evolved this way, and it works. The main thing is realizing why it works for me.

I look at films as creative idea grenades. Basically, you toss them out and hope they hit something. Sometimes they create a big bang and lots of smoke, and other times they're fizzling duds. The measure of their performance is wildly subjective, though, and depends on your intended outcome.

When I directed my first doc (about sea turtle rescue) my goal was to create something that would educate folks about the many perils facing sea turtles in the wild. In turn, the finished film was gifted to the rescue center that let me come in and film their patients and staff. There was no payday for me, but I am very proud to say that the doc continues to save turtles through its use with fund raising efforts.

With the sea turtle film my goal was both to complete my first film and to have it reach an audience. That was it, really.

My current goals for film production are:

Tell a unique story

Reach as many people as possible

Create a film that helps the world be a better place

Do the seemingly impossible for under $20,000

Capture all original footage of the subjects in my films

How do I accomplish my goals? Mostly through my bank's overdraft protection. That would be funny if it weren't true. The obvious issue in micro budget film production is working with small amounts of funding. Planning a new film is always a challenge in that sense. You can't even say you're making lemonade from lemons because you don't even have a whole lemon in front of you.

The paradigm shift for me has been through casting a wider net for funding. I make sure that I start by going for grants and sponsorship. I crowd fund (via IndieGoGo, Kickstarter, GoFundMe), I sell stock footage and images (via Pond5) and sell t-shirts (TeeChip). Additionally, and by no means recommended, I've pawned belongings, sold camera gear, and used credit cards for film expenses. The bottom line is that I do whatever it takes to make it happen, which is how my family ended up homeless in 2013 (again, not the best choice).

For prospective filmmakers I want to share the importance of Pre. Just because your craft services department sources the DollarTree food aisle doesn't mean you can skimp on pre production.

What is “Pre?” It's the planning that will ultimately decide the fate of your film. No pressure, right? I distill it down to these things; creating a budget, sourcing locations and access, recruiting crew (and cast, if needed), developing a time line for the production, securing funding and logistics. I always begin by writing a treatment and putting together a teaser (or teaser artwork).

I use online free resources for story boarding, budget outlines, script writing and organization. One biggie for me is Trello (it's like a virtual bulletin board with file sharing and easy prioritization flagging for concepts, issues, events and so on). Trello is where I gather my thoughts and organize them fluidly.

Make sure you have easy access to your subject matter, interviewees and locations. We would all like to do a doc about snow leopards in the Himalayas, but it's highly unlikely to be as accessible as doing a film about pigeons or squirrels.

Funding. Yup, you do need some, don't you? I still say crowd funding is great because you can build your grassroots audience AND get enough funds to film through online sites. If you're looking for an investor let me share something with you from my own experience. I'm in pre production currently and, because of the scope of this film, I sought out an investor. He loves the concept, he gave the treatment a huge thumbs up, but he went cold when he saw that my budget was only $25,000. He said it would be more risky to put money into a micro budget film than it is to sink a quarter of a million into one. You may be asking why that's the case. Simple, Walmart. It's all about volume sales and marketing. The same goes for standard funding for docs. In this case I ended up turning him down (sort of, as he may well still executive produce it) because I don't see the need to add people into the budget exponentially. My point is you can challenge yourself to work with a small budget and still create something which will be well-received critically.

Also, make sure you have paperwork for EVERYTHING. I cannot stress that enough, really. Make sure your PA's sign NDA's or you'll end up SOL at COB. I should copyright that. Good stuff. Seriously, nondisclosure agreements, music/footage/photography licensing and usage agreements, release forms, location permits, and crew deal memos are the bare – absolute – minimum stuff you'll need to have to protect yourself and your film. You may well ask if location permits are really, REALLY needed (wink, wink). The answer is yes, and they're not as budget killing as you might think. Again, a lot of it has to do with location access. You'd be surprised at how many organizations and businesses will open their doors to you for filming because your concept aligns with their missions. From cage diving with great white sharks to days of filming from boats, it's never cost me more than a few emails and a signed release or two to get awesome footage. Guerrilla film at your own risk.

Finding crew is pretty easy. Social media connects creative folks like never before. Twitter and (blergh) Facebook are still awesome networking platforms. I have used casting websites and Craigslist with some success, too. The important thing to remember is that you probably know people already in your orbit who would love the chance to work on your film. Don't over think it too much. With a micro budget, less is more.

Lastly, let's talk about equipment. I use the Red Raven 4K...oh, my god, I can't even type that with a straight face. No, I have used Canon 7D, GoPro Hero 3 Black, and Sony 430V cameras in the past. For my last film I rented gear because it was much cheaper than buying a new main camera. Do you need a Red to shoot a beautiful film? Heck no. It's an awesome tool, for sure, but I've seen mind blowing short films shot entirely on iPhones. Technology is no longer much of a barrier for filmmakers. The key is to know your gear, know what it can or can't do, and then try to innovate its usage and maximize those capabilities.

At the end of the day you can make your micro budget doc, and do it well, with some creative thinking and detailed planning. Still, for all of the planning in the world, nothing will get your film done except you going out and doing it.

In my next filmmakers blog post I'll talk about festivals and self distribution.

Cheers,

- Rick