Micro Budget Filmmaking
Neill Blomkamp’s Micro-Budget Short Film: Alive in Joburg
Neill Blomkamp’s Micro-Budget First Film: Alive in Joburg If you are a fan of District 9 well you are in for a treat. Alive in Joburg is the short film that started it all. With amazing visual effects and a unique style, you can see writer/director Neill Blomkamp’s talent. Neill went on to direct Elysium…
Read MoreJames Cameron Masterclass: Learn Filmmaking from the Legendary Director
James Cameron Masterclass: Learn Filmmaking from the Legendary Director From The Terminator and Titanic to Avatar, James Cameron has directed some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters. Now, for the first time in his 40-year career, he opens up about his process. Through behind-the-scenes breakdowns, James shares his approach to developing ideas, storylines, and characters; harnessing technology;…
Read MoreHow to Shoot a Micro Budget Feature Film Like Ed Burns
How to Shoot a Micro-Budget Feature Film Like Ed Burns All my life I wanted to make movies. I studied films after school since I was twelve. I would go down the line of actors and directors filmography. I went to film school to learn the basics of filmmaking. Last year with a lot of…
Read MoreQuentin Tarantino’s Micro-Budget First Film: My Best Friend’s Birthday
Quentin Tarantino’s Micro-Budget First Film: My Best Friend’s Birthday We all have to start somewhere and Quentin Tarantino is no exception. Unlike popular lore, Tarantino did not come bursting through the indie film gates with Reservoir Dogs as his first film. Before you go out and see any of Tarantino’s films you should watch his first…
Read MoreThe Coen Brothers’ Short Film: Tuileries (Paris, je t’aime)
WATCH: The Coen Brother’s Short Film: Tuileries (Paris, je t’aime) Part of the feature film Paris, je t’aime, Joel and Ethan Coen created a wonderful addition to the anthology film called Tuileries. The film stars Steve Buscemi and is about a man that breaks the unspoken Parisian rule of not making eye contact with other people in…
Read MoreChristopher Nolan’s Micro-Budget First Films: Doodlebug & The Following
Christopher Nolan’s Micro-Budget First Films: Doodlebug & The Following When Christopher Nolan was seven years old, he started making movies. It all began when his father took him to see the first release of Star Wars (1977) and the theatrical re-release of “2001”. He borrowed his father’s Super 8 camera and started shooting short films with…
Read MoreThe Coen Brother’s Micro-Budget Short Film: World Cinema
The Coen Brother’s Micro-Budget Short Film: World Cinema Commissioned by the Cannes Film Festival, the Coen Brothers wrote, produced, and directed the short film “World Cinema.” The film stars Josh Brolin dressed like his character in No Country For Old Men and going by the name Dan. He debates with the theater’s ticket taker (Grant…
Read MoreTim Burton’s First Short Films: Vincent and Frankenweenie
Tim Burton’s Micro-Budget First Short Films: Vincent and Frankenweenie While at Disney in 1982, Burton made his first short, Vincent, a six-minute black-and-white stop motion film based on a poem written by the filmmaker, and depicting a young boy who fantasizes that he is his hero Vincent Price, with Price himself providing narration. The film…
Read MoreWhat Filmmakers Can Do If They Have No Money
What Filmmakers Can Do If They Have No Money I refuse to accept that all we need is money to solve our problems and I have come up with a way to work “the money problem”. As an indie film coach, I generally focus on the business side of filmmaking, but when one over-emphasizes this…
Read MoreSteven Spielberg’s Early War Film: Escape from Nowhere
Steven Spielberg’s Micro-Budget Short Film: Escape from Nowhere As a teenager, Steven Speilberg was already making films. One of his first was Escape from Nowhere. A war movie inspired by the stories of his family’s experience in World War II. Listen to Speilberg explain it below. Download Steven Spielberg’s Screenplay Collection in PDF <span…
Read MoreSteven Spielberg’s Micro-Budget 1st Feature Film: Firelight
Steven Spielberg’s Micro-Budget 1st Feature Film: Firelight The most complete version of Steven Spielberg’s 1964 first independent film. The full movie is 140 minutes in length but has never been seen by the public. Firelight is a 1964 science fiction adventure film written and directed by Steven Spielberg at the age of 17. Made on…
Read More10 Lessons Learned Making My First Film at Fifty
10 Lessons Learned Making My First Film at Fifty “Your mother recognized you today.” It started with a phone call and those five words my father said to me about six years ago. I was shocked because my mom was in a nursing home, battling the last stages of Alzheimer’s. She never recognized me anymore. But…
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