I just finished my 2nd short film, Gatewalker. Here is the trailer for those interested. It was a two day shoot and I spent just over $2000 on it. I pay my actors and crew, even if it's not much. I also feed them well. I learned so much during this process, especially about editing. Biggest lessons for next time around:
1- Take more time for rehearsal! I might not be paying the actors much, but they should want a great end result and be willing to put in some time to make sure they give me the best they can offer.
2- Surround yourself with more and more people who can help and who you trust. We had more crew on this than my first short and I can see how important it is to have them. I wish we had had more people helping with the creation of props and items for the set.
3- At some point you have to let go of the project and say, this is what it is.
looks great. Nice lead actors.
Cool. Have you thought of pitching the idea for more funds? Eg screenwriting festivals etc.
Pitching the idea sounds wonderful. It's just a matter of knowing who to pitch to to get traction. I can talk till I'm blue in the face and get nowhere unless I'm talking to people who have the funds and are looking for similar types of projects. Suggestions from anyone is highly appreciated.
Link to the movie is: https://youtu.be/PL46i6syHNo
Major screenwriting festivals hold both free and paid pitches.