Make sure your dialogue is easy to understand. It’s one thing to have a character with a weird accent or feature to make him interesting; it’s another to make him incomprehensible. Unless he’s supposed to be that way (like Farmer Fran in The Waterboy, for example), either change the dialogue or the actor’s delivery so audiences don’t get frustrated.

Don’t underestimate the power of monologues and narration. Though you may find them dull, they have done wonderful things in movies like The Shawshank Redemption and Of Mice and Men.

Make the dialogue interesting. If it’s slow, be sure it has a stirring point (such as Tommy Lee Jones’s lines in No Country for Old Men). Nobody wants to watch a movie where a girl sits around talking about eating toast all day. Unless your characters are detectives, make them stumble upon revelations the way real people do–not directly question their family and friends. Beat around the bush to create drama, but not to the point where it gets tiresome.

Let your characters lie–particularly if they are liars! Average people lie–mostly little lies–every day. If your character is really depressed in a scene, he may lie about it to a parent, saying he feels fine or even great. This will provide a very realistic element to your film.

Here are just a few tips to follow when guiding your actors through their dialogue.

Maintain consistency. If your movie takes place in Ireland and your actors have their Irish accents down perfectly, great! Just keep in mind that these accents will have to be maintained throughout the entire film. If Mr. O’Brien is going on about his potatoes in one scene and then suddenly drops the accent when he sees an alien on his farm, it’s going to be very distracting for your viewers.

Cut all unneeded dialogue. If it doesn’t serve a purpose in the film, it doesn’t need to be in it–period. The four main purposes of dialogue are to move the plot along, to explain character, to provide relevant past history or to show feelings you can’t show otherwise. Be sure that your dialogue does at least one of these things before filming the scene.

The same goes for words that are being used when you don’t need them. Unless you have a really poetic way of saying, “I like you” or “I’m so mad!” just go with the character’s actions to convey these words instead. The effect will be much more powerful, whereas using overused words will just make it appear lackluster.

Edit dialogue so that it will flow smoothly. If your actor can’t get a breath in while delivering an epic sentence, it’s probably best to cut the sentence down a bit.

Filmmakers, like their other fellow artists, are also required to keep a mound of paperwork. Unfortunately, it’s often a lot more than the poet or concert pianist must keep.
Thankfully, there are resources out there that provide not only the know-how of such things, but also absolutely free copies of them to use.

Dependent Films is one such resource. In just one location, it lists just about everything you need to keep up with your paper pile, including the following:

Script Formatting: Don’t pay hundreds of dollars for fancy programs when you can get iScript, Scriptmaker and other programs for free.

Storyboard Tools: From widescreen to standard format to other variations, they’re all here for your convenience.

Logs, Equipment, and Other Forms: Call sheets, contact sheets, location scouting and release forms, editing logs, production reports, budget proposals… all of these forms and more can be downloaded and used for your own production.

Miscellaneous Forms: Sample materials, such as performer releases, compensation contracts, and script agreements, will come in handy if you’re not yet familiar with these. They will also help you look more professional and develop your skills. Film journal, budget, equipment list and other sheets will also help you keep organized.

Be sure to bookmark Dependent Films–you’ll definitely come back to it as you work on your filmmaking career.

Between that and being nervous on the camera, unsure of how to perform, and the simple newness of the experience, your actors may have a lot of problems starting out–especially if they have no experience whatsoever.

Here are a few tips to help your actors out.Explain things completely. Let them know how you want them to act, to begin a scene when you call out, “Action,” and help them remember to be afraid during a fearful scene, etc. While these simplicities may sound basic, it can be difficult to remember them when a camera is pointing in your face.

Watch the eyes. Remind your actors that the audience is always looking at the characters’ faces–particularly their eyes–and that they should always be expressive and looking in the right direction as indicated by the director or the script.

Make sure they always stay in character. If Jill gets flustered when she forgets a line, help her to be flustered as her character, not as Jill–and then, of course, to stop being flustered as soon as possible and to continue with the scene. Advise your actors to try and feel things the way their characters feel them–such as remembering a sad event to bring up some sad emotions on-screen.

Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. Make sure your actors know their lines back to front. Advise them to practice even when you’re not in rehearsal–on the bus, at home, wherever. Even if a line is forgotten here or there, it’s better than no lines memorized at all.

As we’ve seen in so many horror movies, camera quality is usually not a big issue, so you don’t need to spend your budget there. In fact, if your footage is grainy or even not shot so well, it can sometimes add to a feature in this genre.

You should also skip paying for expensive venues. Horror and sci-fi movies can take place basically anywhere. You could probably get permission to shoot your film at certain places at school, or even your workplace. Try the houses of friends and family as well. Houses with barns, ponds or other bodies of water, or fields or other large running, forest areas are all good choices.

As we’ve discussed before, don’t spend your money on casting, either. A token payment is fine for struggling actors who agree to help out, but try to get friends and family to star in the film for free first. You could even make it a fun family project–or simply make it a favor you’re willing to pay back soon.

Speaking of actors, make your alien, killer, or other bad guy a human. This will save you a ton of money on costumes and special effects. Aliens can look like humans, and human killers can be just as terrifying as monsters. If nothing else, you could even have half of a face rip off (think Terminator) in a scene and replace it with some cheap but effective 3-D effects gel and paint. You could even obscure your villain’s entire face with a creepy costume (as in I Know What You Did Last Summer or The Watcher).

With all of these tips, you should have plenty of money left over to create some really scary effects such as blood, wounds, and general gory glory.

But you also don’t want to skip these items, either. Makeup and costumes can add lots of aesthetic value to your scene. Plus, if your leading lady comes down with a rash, you want to be able to cover it up.

Here are some ways to secure makeup and costumes on the cheap.

Make your movie BYOB. Instead of beverages, though, have cast members bring their own makeup and costumes. Chances are that your actresses have their own stash–budding actors might as well. Recently Dakota Fanning used her own wardrobe in the film Push; if your movie calls for clothing your actors already have, you can do the same.

Raid relatives’ stashes. If you have a sibling or other relative who is in theater or simply loves to dress up, see if you can borrow a few items.

Buy secondhand. Visit the local goodwill, thrift shop or consignment store for cheap clothing.

Use e.l.f. cosmetics. This company is famous for $1 makeup. They even have kits where you can get items for less if purchased in bulk.

Visit party supplies stores. They usually sell cheap makeup and costumes for Halloween and other occasions.

Borrow from school. If you are attending school and the theater department will let you, see if you can borrow or rent costumes cheaply from them.

As with just about anything, the first people to approach are family, friends and coworkers. Even if your brother has no talent, maybe he can play a background character, or a person being eaten by the creature in your movie–because, let’s face it, how much talent does screaming and being eaten require?

Maybe your sister has a roommate or classmate who is studying film and would love to get involved. Maybe there’s a person in the drama club who would love to be a part of your fun project. He or she may even be able to use it as part of a class project, thereby eliminating most or some of the pay that may be requested.

Try holding auditions on the spot. Hand people a copy of the script and ask them to act out a scene. You could find someone extraordinary. Try any place, but if there is a line of people waiting somewhere for a local casting call, that would be an excellent start. They are all just waiting for a few minutes of fame, and many of them may have some talent, too.

Try hanging up flyers, either at your school or a local school–particularly in the art and theater departments. Include a number where you can be reached, or a date and location for tryouts.

If you have a website or wish to create one, be sure to post that you’re looking for actors. Include high-traffic keywords such as actors wanted or models wanted.