Show Don't Tell: Micro-budget Filmmaking

Most filmmakers have a laundry list of excuses for why they're not making their film - They don’t have enough money, can’t find good actors, or don’t have access to the right camera package. But more often than not, these excuses are self-imposed, and it's the filmmaker themself that is holding the project back, often unwittingly creating hurdles that will prevent them from ever making thier movie.Why is this the case, though? Why do so many filmmakers create obstacles for themselves, or believe that making a feature film is an impossible feat, when it is easier now than ever before? The reason is simple: They are afraid to fail. Whether they realize it or not, the excuses they are making for themselves are all rooted in a fear of failure, and that's what today's episode is all about. We look at some of the ways fear of failure can manifest during the creative process, the detriment it can have on any film project, and how to avoid it entirely so that we can all focus on the one thing that really matters - ma

Back in episode 35, Jamie Jung was on the show to discuss his experience acting in a $7000 feature film, funded by Robert Rodriguez for his “Rebel Without A Crew” series. Today, Jamie is back on this show with his director Alejandro Montoya Marin who, as a one-man-band, directed and produced his feature film in just 14 days.Over the course of the interview, Jamie and Alejandro not only speak to what they learned from Robert Rodriguez as acted as a mentor for this film, but also share their words of wisdom on micro-budget filmmaking from a high-level. Topics covered include: Navigating a career as an indie filmmaker, the importance of self-generated content, working in a market outside of NY or LA, tips and techniques for working as a one person crew, and much more.Links from the show:http://www.go90.comhttp://www.elreynetwork.comhttp://www.alejandromontoyamarin.comhttp://www.jamiehjung.comFor more content like this visit www.noamkroll.com

Arguably the most important element to get right when producing any micro-budget film is crew size. When crew size gets out of hand, production is bound to lose efficiency and momentum, which equates to the film's limited budget getting burned through in record time.While many filmmakers and first time directors aim to work with larger crews that offer a more “traditional” setup for a feature film, there’s an argument to be made that less is more - especially on no-budget or ultra-low budget productions. In today’s episode, we explore this at length by outlining the benefits and realities of working with a 2 person crew, and comparing it to a more standardized 15 - 25 person crew commonly found on other indie productions. We look at how a smaller crew allows for more effective guerilla shooting, a more rapid pace on set, and potentially greater creative results. All this and much more on today’s episode.For more content like this visit www.noamkroll.com

It’s been said that locations can play as great a role in a film as any character, and no one understands that more than today’s guest. Brian L. Tan is an action filmmaker and entrepreneur who worked at Dreamworks, Paramount, and Digital Domain, before eventually launching the prominent location booking service Wrapal. He’s also known for appearing on the most recent season of HBO’s Project Greenlight.In this episode, Brian shares his words of wisdom on the location process, explaining how to save money when working with location owners, how to effectively scout locations for a guerrilla style shoot, and the most critical elements to consider when booking any location. Pulling from his experiences as a self made filmmaker, Brian also shares loads of invaluable tactical advice for up and coming directors, speaking to the importance of building a solid team of collaborators, getting your work noticed online, and much more.Links from the episode:www.wrapal.comwww.blttavo.comwww.instagram.com/blttavowww.twitter.c

It goes without saying that a great screenplay is the backbone of any successful film, but this sentiment is doubly true of micro-budget productions. Without spectacles, name actors, expensive visual effects, or other bells and whistles, micro-budget films are often made or broken by the quality of their underlying screenplays. With that in mind, today’s guest - Craig Walendziak - is here to share his wealth of knowledge on all things screenwriting. Craig is a punk rocker turned screenwriter by way of Harvard University, and not only has a fascinating story himself, but also possesses a unique understanding of both the art and business of writing movies. Over the course of this hour long interview, Craig goes into detail on the writing process - outlining he generates ideas, works out treatments, and works on 3 month schedules to get his screenplays to the finish line. He also speaks to some of the major issues that many screenplays (including micro-budget scripts) suffer from, and offers solutions for remedy

One of the most frequent questions I am asked by up and coming filmmakers is - “How can I make the transition to being a full time filmmaker?” Really what they are asking is how to make a living off of filmmaking, so they can focus on their artistic efforts every single day and not have to worry about paying the bills by doing work they aren’t passionate about.Over the course of this episode, we explore some actionable ways in which filmmakers can solve this issue and ultimately make the transition to doing what they love full time. There is no magic formula that anyone can follow that will guarantee success, so the purpose of this episode isn’t to leave listeners with a one size fits all solution. Rather, this episode aims to teach filmmakers how to effectively goal set, prioritize creative time, and commit to mastering the craft of filmmaking that will pay dividends for years to come.For more content like this visit www.noamkroll.com

In recent years production value in micro-budget films has skyrocketed thanks to more affordable cinema cameras and post-production tools. Even still, one of the remaining issues that still plagues indie filmmakers with regards to production value is the musical score. For many micro-budget filmmakers getting a custom score done is prohibitively expensive, and the vast majority of affordable library music is simply not feature film caliber...That's where Matthew Lyall and his music platform Ritual Music come in. As both a musician himself and the co-founder of an innovative and high quality music platform for indie filmmakers, Matt has a truly unique perspective on the scoring process. During the course of his interview, he unpacks some of the challenges the micro-budget filmmakers face while building out a score for their work, and outlines his recommended path for achieving the best possible final product, regardless of budget. Topics discussed include: Common mistakes directors make during the scoring proc

Over the past few years, color correction tools have become extremely accessible, and more filmmakers than ever are now color grading their own footage - often using LUTs, or Look Up Tables. While LUTs can offer filmmakers an incredible way to improve their creative results while also dramatically reducing post-production time, they need to be used carefully and purposefully in order to achieve the best possible effect.In this episode, Noam discusses best practices for using LUTs at every stage of the filmmaking process. Topics include: integrating LUTs into your pre-prouduction workflow, monitoring with LUTs on set, audition looks for clients in post, and the best order of operations for applying LUTs during the grading process.To learn more about Noam's Cinematic LUTs, be sure to visit: www.noamkroll.com/luts 

Robert Rodriguez, the single biggest pioneer of micro-budget filmmaking, recently launched a new filmmaking initiative called Rebel Without a Crew. His goal was to give 5 filmmakers each a budget of $7000 and some guidance so they could each write and direct their own feature film. The whole process was documented as a series and will air in the near future on Robert’s own El Rey Network.On today’s show, Noam interviews Jamie Jung - one of the talented actors that was fortunate to take part in the Rebel Without a Crew series. Over the course of the episode, Jamie goes into detail on some of the biggest lessons learned while making this film, some incredible tips from behind the scenes, what it was like to work on a project spearheaded by Rodriguez himself, and much more.You can visit Jamie’s site here: www.jamiehjung.comAnd for more content like this visit www.noamkroll.com 

Every filmmaker dreams of screening their work at Sundance or Cannes, but only a select few will ever have the fortune of receiving a coveted acceptance letter from a notable festival. And while there is no denying that it is only getting harder and harder to get into any film festival with each passing year, there are countless ways in which any filmmaker can increase their chances of beating the odds.In this episode, Noam shares his opinions on film festivals from a top-level, explaining how filmmakers can leverage festivals to help them create the best and most marketable work possible, whether they are accepted or not. He also shares 5 crucial tips that any filmmaker at virtually any career stage can benefit from as they attempt to navigate the daunting world of film festivals.For more content like this visit www.noamkroll.com 

Productivity expert Tim Ferris often talks about the 80/20 principle, which states that 80% of our results can be attributed to just 20% of our efforts. While this principle can be applied to virtually anything - from business decisions to our personal lives - it has some uniquely poweful benefits for filmmakers that are looking to optimize their creative output and increase their income.Many filmmakers feel that they don't have enough time to get their projects off the ground, or that they aren't seeing the career results they would expect given the amount of effort they put into their work... That's where the 80/20 principle comes in. It's all about identifying the ways in which we can trim the fat to ensure we aren't wasting our time on the wrong things, and that we are doubling down on our efforts that objectively give us the best return on our investment of time.In this episode Noam pulls from his own personal experience, discussing how the 80/20 principle can apply to so many facets of filmmaking - from

It’s always so inspiring to hear about filmmakers that are truly able to make something from nothing, and that’s very much the case with our guest today - Rebecca Weaver. With a production budget of only $11,000 and a crew of only 2 (Rebecca and her boyfriend, Chris), the filmmaking duo was able to pull off a successful feature film that spanned several months of production and later went on to tour the festival circuit.In the true spirit of micro-budget filmmaking, Rebecca not only wrote and directed the feature, but also starred in it. Throughout the interview, she discusses how she was able to juggle so many different roles without sacrificing her vision, and what she ultimately learned from the process as a whole. She also shares her experience with film festivals, outlining how she was able to successfully get her feature - June Falling Down - accepted into 15 different festivals, picking up several awards along the way.Links from the episode can be found below:junefallingdown.comtwitter.com/junefallingd

How do you make a feature film for just $8000 in 13 days? For writer/director Joe Baddon and actress Linnea Gregg, it was all about leveraging resources, maximizing creativity, and avoiding perfectionism.With no experience directing narrative content in the past, Joe Badon was able to pull the trigger on his first feature - The God Inside My Ear - by thinking outside of the box and surrounding himself with a team of talented filmmakers and artists. One of these artists was Linnea Gregg, who brought her expertise as a theater actor to the table, ultimately helping production reach the finish line in record time.Over the course of this interview, Joe and Linnea outline what it takes to pull off film without sacrificing quality, why shooting in a studio environment is a great option no matter what your budget may be, and the crucial importance of surrounding yourself with the right team.Links from the show:www.thegodinsidemyear.comwww.joebaddon.blogspot.comwww.instagram.com/linneagreggAnd for more content like t

Micro-budget filmmakers often put a tremendous amount of effort into production and post, but tend to lose steam when it comes time to distribute their work. Unfortunately, this means that many great films never find an audience, and end up collecting dust on a shelf rather than generating income for the filmmakers behind the project.On today’s episode, Noam interviews Liz Manashil, the talented filmmaker behind the micro-budget feature film Bread and Butter. Liz is also the manager of the Creative Distribution Initiative at Sundance Institute, which has given her a tremendous amount of insight on the distribution process, especially with regards to micro-budget productions. Over the course of the interview, Liz shares her wealth of knowledge on all things distribution, sheds light on her strategy with her own feature film, and outlines Sundance’s Creative Distribution Initiative - explaining how she plans to use it to champion micro budget productions.You can learn more about Liz on her website at www.lizman

For the first time on the podcast, Noam takes listener questions that were sent in via e-mail and Twitter from micro-budget filmmakers looking for advice. Topics covered includes: the creative process, career advice, working with unprepared actors, abandoning projects and much more.If you would like to have your question answered on a future episode, be sure to ask Noam via twitter at www.twitter.com/noamkrollAnd for more content like this visit www.noamkroll.com

For the past two years Timothy Plain and Alrik Bursell have interviewed countless filmmakers on their popular podcast - Making Movies Is Hard. Over the course of these interviews the filmmaking duo have benefitted from a tremendous amount of professional insight covering every stage of the process from conception to distribution.In today's episode, Timothy and Alrik generously share some of the most valuable lessons they have learned along the way, both as hosts of the MMIH podcast and as filmmakers in their own right. Topics covered include the state of independent/micro-budget film today, breaking in to the business, the writing process, fundraising/budget considerations and much more.You can check out more of Timothy and Alrik's material using the links below:http://www.makingmoviesishard.comhttps://twitter.com/TimothyPlainhttps://twitter.com/AlrikBAnd for more content like this be sure to visit www.noamkroll.com 

While most studio level feature films take many years to produce, micro-budget films often come together far more quickly as there is less red tape involved at every stage. In fact, some filmmakers have realized their visions in as little as 6 months, which is virtually unheard of in filmmaking at other budget levels.In this episode, Noam outlines his optimal 6 month feature film schedule - from concept to finished product - and explains how this type of time constraint can benefit the creative process. He walks listeners through every stage, detailing how much time should be allocated to writing, pre-production, production, and post, in order to execute the strongest possible final product in as little time as possible.For more content like this visit www.noamkroll.com

Micro-budget films have increased in technical quality by leaps and bounds over the past decade, but many still fail to reach an audience as a result of underdeveloped stories and screenplays. This has ultimately become the achilles heel for so many micro-budget filmmakers, which is why it’s so imperative that every filmmaker, regardless of budget, places an equal weight on the writing process.In today’s episode, Noam interviews Whitney Davis - a literary manager who started in this business as a TV writer (represented by William Morris Agency), and later moved into script consulting and management. Over the course of this interview, Whitney pulls from her diverse background as a writer, consultant, and manager to share invaluable advice on screenwriting that is universally applicable to any filmmaker looking to strengthen their work.To learn more about Whitney, visit her website here: www.whitneydavisliterary.comFor more content like this visit www.noamkroll.com

Story structure is the backbone of just about every film, and a true mastery of stucture is critical to the success of any filmmaker. Many narrative features falter as a result of poor structure, and unfortunately this is true even of films that are built on very strong premises, characters, and themes. Ultimately, structure provides the connective tissue that brings all of the key ingredients of a great screenplay together, and without the right structural mechanisms it's difficult to create work that is greater than the sum of it's parts.In this episode, Noam discusses the concept of strucutre from a top level, outlining why it is especially critical for micro-budget filmmakers that need to make the most out of their limited resources. He also provides 3 individivual examplles of unique story structures that can help filmmakers without much (or any) budget to ensure that their work is as original and engaging as possible.For more content like this visit www.noamkroll.com

One of the most universal struggles for filmmakers is knowing how and when to quit working at a day job. Making indepdnent films requires a ton of time and flexibility when it comes to scheduling, and many filmmakers believe that their current work-life setup is preventing them from having the time they need to reach their goals.Over the course of this episode, Noam dives deep into the idea of leaving a stable career to pursue filmmaking full time, and explores a number of key questions that all filmmakers should ask themselves when making the leap. These questions are intended to guide filmmakers to wholly understand what the next logical step in their career should be, and from a top level standpoint, whether or not leaving their day jobs is in fact even the right choice.For more content like this visit www.noamkroll.com