Shooting a feature is not only labour intensive but also in most cases extremely expensive!
Even a few years before digital came into the mainstream, shooting a feature was no less than scaling a mountain. It involved several stages pre production and sometimes even the a project could fall in an limbo and never get made, these steps would involve writing a screenplay, getting actors who willing to act in your project, selecting proper crew members which involved highly technical skills such as operating the camera and sound equipments getting the proper permissions as film cameras used to be large and heavy, and most importantly getting the budget and production to shoot your dream feature. The process doesn’t end here however getting proper distribution and exhibition then became a major headache.
Yet now making a feature has become more of a democratic process as digital cinematography has become widely accessible and it is common place to shoot on a smartphone and also there are platforms where one can upload their content for the world to see you distributors and exhibitors are taken out of the equation, yet there are many prerequisites to shooting a feature with no budget and it still isn’t easy.
There are many considerations that one must undertake such as the theme or genre of the project and other things which can cause huge problems later in the production process, like what is the target audience of the project is it only for the internet or is it for film festivals, these are important questions one should ask before even attempting to make a no budget feature. This list contains a myriad of ways in which a new creator can use a guide to understand how to shoot a no budget feature, what gears and preparation they need to take before starting to shoot a feature.
Before shooting a feature, you must make sure you have the right tools such as which camera and sound equipment you are using. It can even be your smart phone but in that case you have to decide how to go about it.
Another very important point to consider is the scope of your narrative. You must know what your no budget feature allows and write your screenplay accordingly. In a no budget feature it is not possible for you to shoot a high concept science fiction and if you do you have to tailor your script accordingly.
A feature is made by a dedicated team. The most crucial requirement is that you carefully select your crew, which will allow you to complete your project with full commitment, because filmmaking is always a collaborative effort, especially when cash is tight!
