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Lower Production Costs, Increase Returns

May 1, 2009 by John Dugan 

So you have a good idea for a film… great, so does everyone.  The problem with most filmmakers raising equity financing is a complete lack of thought regarding how their film is going to make money.  Returns are the only thing that matter to the majority of investors.  Before you deliver your first pitch, be able to answer this question in a thoughtful, precise and convincing way.  Focus on distribution, marketing and keeping production costs low.  Investors care little of a film’s moral and cultural impact.  Your job is to convey how those aspects translate to profits on the bottom line.

I recently came upon a good guide for lowering production costs.  Eliminating/restricting some of these elements will help you keep costs low and mitigate downside risk. film-production-costs

  1. Crowd scenes
  2. Music
  3. Too many characters
  4. Multiple Locations
  5. Exterior Shots
  6. Dolly shots or tracking shots
  7. CGI Effects
  8. Music/Singing
  9. Blue screen/green screen
  10. Television and movie clips
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Comments

  • http://www.earlnewton.com Earl Newton

    I would take exception to #9. Depending on the shot, blue or green screen technology can be very effective and easily accomplished.

    Barring that, using green screen or not really depends upon how the film is being shot and what’s required, and visual FX are getting a lot easier to accomplish. I believe there is a series by Hollywood Camerawork called “Visual Effects for Directors,” which simply and easily explains the process behind most visual effects, and how they can be accomplished on a budget.

    Visual effects, like any good production element, can add a lot of value to the screen – IF done right. Thankfully, with technology today, that’s can be more a matter of the director’s knowledge than their budget.

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