Screenwriting : Writing a Low Budget Spec Screenplay That Sells by Vonnie P. Davis

I'm collecting data on how to write low budget specs. Here is one that I found by the script editor, Ludo Smolski: Ludo Smolski’s “Low-budget magnificent 7″ 1. K.I.S.S Keep it simple screenwriter. 2. Rules Set rules or limits for yourself when writing the screenplay. Smolski described the Dogme 95 manifesto, and Advance Party and Advance Party II rules as empowering, rather than restraining for filmmakers. 3. Zones 1-3 Micro-budget films are usually shot on location because hiring studios and constructing sets is expensive and time-consuming. But changing locations is also expensive and time-consuming, so keep costs down by: ■Keeping the number of locations to the absolute minimum ■Pick locations that are accessible – semi-detached house = good. Buckingham Palace = bad ■Pick locations that are near each other – if your script needs a shop and a flat, find a shop that has a flat above it 4. Small parts Three characters are ideal for micro-budget films, as it allows a wider variety of relationships and conflicts that a two-header or solo piece. 5. Simple premise Keep your screenplay’s core idea simple. But you can make the telling as complicated as you want. 6. Entertain As Smolski said, no one goes to see a film just because it’s cheap. Audiences want you to entertain them. So make your film entertaining. Making a genre film, as opposed to a straight genre, is a good way of doing this. So think about making a horror, comedy, war, science-fiction or period film. Due to the huge number of horror fans worldwide, a fresh, original horror film stands a good chance of becoming profitable. Comedies do well in their country of origins, but rarely do well elsewhere in the world. Every country has its own sense of humor, that people in other countries don’t share. (There’s a reason why we don’t see German comedies in UK cinemas.) War, science-fiction and period films are sometimes expensive, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t write one. 7. Team Find people who want to direct, produce and shoot films and make some shorts together. This will help you build experience, people you can lean on and will give you a body of work to show investors you know what you’re doing.