1000 Dollar Film

The first thing to do in creating a movie on the cheap is to make sure your script is simple enough to budget for. If you are shooting an alien movie, a script akin to Signs with its simple location and effects is much cheaper to do than, say, one in the realm of Independence Day.

There are plenty of tips and tricks you can use to sidestep high-budget effects and intricate scenes without skimming on plot. Here are some things you can do when creating or adapting your script.

Don’t blow anything up. You certainly don’t want to risk not doing it right and then simply not having the blown-up item for the rest of your film! Instead, use CGI effects if you can create them on your own; if not, simply have characters refer to something being blown up in dialogue. This sounds very cheap (which is the point!) but you can create great effects with trembling characters who describe scenes in detail.

Skip the car chases. You can use character dialogue for this, too. You obviously can’t be breaking speed limits on the road, and you likely don’t have extra cars to tear up, either. Simply have your character talk about the chase, or if you have access to a junkyard, assemble a “car wreck” for the post-chase scene.

Keep the special effects to a minimum. Using signs as an example again, we know a successful movie can be made without a lot of space travel, elaborate costumes, or big effects. In fact, if newer movies such as Knowing or Push relied more on plot and direction rather than effects alone, they would likely garner more critical praise. Draw out tension with your audience through your directing and you won’t need such high-budget effects.

Tags: car chases, cgi, cheap props, directing, plot, script writing, special effects, writing screenplays