Many newcomers to the film scene,
or even experienced filmmakers, have trouble finding funding to properly set up
their project. There are many ways to solve this problem and make your
film/short film/music video, even documentary, seem more legitimate.
Here’s a little introduction from Shot of the Week’s YouTube
channel about Production Design:
Production Design is something that impacts all aspects of film, especially shot composition, and is often overlooked. A good majority of filmmakers are so caught up in what camera or equipment they might be using, that they forget to actually create an environment to help drive the story the camera is trying to capture. Don’t spend all of your money on camera equipment when your set, lighting and story are just as important.
For those on a budget – or no
budget -, you first might want to look into what is available to you through
family, friends or crew members. You may need to implement some bargaining to
get volunteers give you what you need. Craigslist is a great resource to use to
find furniture and other gems you might not have thought would be useful until
you stumble upon them. Small elements like a stack of magazines from a certain
period in time can cause an impact if you use it correctly. A good tip to keep
in mind is not everything should look like you just bought it from target –
unless you’re going for that sort of thing – and should have some measurement
of wear and tear. Having an environment look lived-in is the goal, whether
adding some garbage wrappers or open books can help significantly, depending on
your story.
Location scouting can save you a
lot of big bucks if you look for locations that have a foundation you can build
off of or use as is. If you find an interesting church, get permission, just be
sure to be conservative with what you film at those locations. Some university
campuses are home to some gothic and historical structures that are perfect for
filming, just need to go through the proper channel to gain permission. If you’re
going location scouting for structures you can use as a castle, you may run
into a little trouble, that’s if you’re unable to make one yourself. Nether Craft is an awesome company that creates many varieties of crypt walls, castle
windows, stained glass and statues that for under a grand, you could easily put
together you’re very own castle. Their options range from Egyptian to Steampunk
elements and with good lighting, you could fool anyone.
Another issue no-budget/low-budget
productions run into is sub-par acting. Method-acting, if used correctly, could
be the change you’re looking for if you can’t seem to put your finger on the
problem. Acting teacher, Constantin Stanislavski, was one of the figureheads of the Theatrical Realist Movement who taught the ‘System’
as a psychological model of method-acting to fully indulge and explore the fictional life of the
character the actor is playing. Be mindful that certain aspects of
method-acting involve keeping imperative information secret from another actor,
but if the result can lead to harm, it’s better to inform the actor of what is
to come but not how it is being revealed or what actually is to protect against
some serious repercussions. A great example is The Blair Witch Project and the
approach their crew took for filming the feature since they decided to take method-acting to the next level. The production was completely
immersive and the crew barely came into contact with the cast while they were
out in the woods. Insight from the crew’s commentary was given about how they achieved the level of fear they were able to create.
The actors were set out on a mapped-out trail through the woods with
care-packages that would be left for them by the crew, containing food,
directions and, notes on what to do next. This helped to strategically take the
actors on their adventure in real time. Prior
to filming, the production team had named the word ‘taco’ as the code-word to
let the actors know when to break scenario whenever something had to be changed
or fixed. Another tactic used was throughout filming, the crew was packing less
and less food by the end of production to boost stress levels amongst the
actors as the story was rapidly starting to implode. On the last two days, the
remaining actors were only given a protein bar, a piece of fruit, and a bottle
of water.
All in all, when using these
methods to boost an aesthetically pleasing environment and performance
correctly, you are able to bask in the finished product’s glory. But of course,
with everything, there is always a trial and error, and alternate routes to
take to tell the story you have created.
