How do you approach writing low-budget scripts?
Let’s say you have a zero budget and need to write a thriller. Do you write it as usual and then cut or replace all the expensive scenes later? If you try to think about both the budget and the story at the same time, you can get stuck right from the start.
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Hi, Kseniia Zhuravleva. I keep the budget in mind from the start (during outlining). One location/a few locations, small cast, no pets/one pet, etc.
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It depends on your knowledge/experience. The average un-produced writer is understandably going to struggle to know what does and doesn't cause issues.
Generally speaking though:
Fewer characters
Fewer locations
Some stuff you just can't predict. I had a director hooked on the idea of two characters jumping into a lake. Seemingly simple. Then came SAG rules with stunt coordinators, stand ins, divers, and additional insurances.
Keep this in mind too. Producers are reading scripts as organic documents. Nothing is seen as permanent. Experienced ones will be considering ways to keep costs down and production value up while they read.
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Thanks, I’m probably more worried about the cramped spaces, just like you said. It’s obvious that I need to write about two people in a room, not a whole new planet.
But sometimes there are complexities where you don’t expect them. Plus, I write horror, and that’s probably my problem: I need CGI or a costume in almost every script :(
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What about a Psychological Contained Horror, Kseniia Zhuravleva? Less/no CGI and costumes.
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I have produced 22 hours with no-budget films, including 3 TV movies. One quickly gets used to writing for situations where there is no money. If you don't want to join your local group with no-budget filmmakers (to learn from their work), one alternative is that you join your local amateur theatre, because many have learned in that way.
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I don't think cheap necessarily means cramped. CGI and sfx are very cheap these days. You just need a good cinematographer and art director who know how to get a lot from a little.
Sometimes, the easier/cheaper way is the better way. We shot a film with people driving a car against a green screen once and rocked the car to simulate motion. They guy who masked it all told us it actually made his life easier if things were still and he could add the motion in himself.