Unfortunately I am not a millionaire or have a partnership with a successful American production company, so I have been doing some research on the key elements to a successful low budget short film. As in a previous post I commented on what makes a good short film, I found on the Raindance film festival website five key steps to a successful low budget film (perfect for seaside productions, as we are defiantly a low budget production company!)
1. Draft a creative, engaging script : This goes without saying one of the most important ingredients to any successful film is a quality script, therefore meaning the script is the most critical aspect to the success of a low budget film. In order to have a successful script it must be creative as well as original. It is the script that on low budget films carries the film from start to finish, as unlike professional high budget films there is not the funds to have elaborate sets or extraordinary special effects, therefore it must be the most creative element that keeps the audience interested throughout the development of the story. An example of how a script can be the source of a successful film is black a white film 'Clerks', the script was written by Kevin Smith and had a budget of $27,575 and made a gross of over £3million
2. A Visionary Director : The most successful films are ones which have a director who is willing to take risks, innovative and knows what it takes to create a quality film. An example of this is the successful 'Blair Witch Project' which was co-wrote and directed by Daniel Myrick and Edurado Sanchez, the success was down to the successful director role of managing and directing the creative elements
3. Resourceful Production : With limited funds the only way to ensure success for a low budget film is to have an imaginative and creative production team (most of the common roles to filmaking however is carried out by the director because of the lack of funds to have a full production team). An example of a resourceful production is 'Clerks', Kevin Smith filmed almost the entirety of the film in the convient store where he worked, he worked around the issue of not being able to stimulate day scenes as he filmed at night by closing the shutters and incorporating this into the story line. In order to cut costs low budget films may also conduct post-production in the home of the producer as this means that a production office is not needed
4. Unknown Actors : The most successful films are those that cast relatively unknown actors (which is great news for low budget films). The reason for this is because there is no association to the other work that the actors have been in therefore making it easier (as well as cheaper) for the director to deliver a clear depiction of the unfolding events in the story. For example in 'The Blaire Witch Project' Daniel Myrick and Edurado Sanchez casted actors with little or no acting experience, this was so they could create a sense of realism allowing the portrayal of a documentary
5. Marketing : Success to any film especially those on a low budget is marketing. In 'The Blair Witch Project', the success was the direct result of the innovative way the producers carried out the tasks. Initial buzz for the film was carried out on a website that was created a year before the film was even released. More interest was gained through TV and radio advertising, and prior to the release of the film the actors were not allowed to make public appearances in order to make it is as authentic as possible. This in turn meant that a gross of over £248million was gained from the film.
1. Draft a creative, engaging script : This goes without saying one of the most important ingredients to any successful film is a quality script, therefore meaning the script is the most critical aspect to the success of a low budget film. In order to have a successful script it must be creative as well as original. It is the script that on low budget films carries the film from start to finish, as unlike professional high budget films there is not the funds to have elaborate sets or extraordinary special effects, therefore it must be the most creative element that keeps the audience interested throughout the development of the story. An example of how a script can be the source of a successful film is black a white film 'Clerks', the script was written by Kevin Smith and had a budget of $27,575 and made a gross of over £3million
2. A Visionary Director : The most successful films are ones which have a director who is willing to take risks, innovative and knows what it takes to create a quality film. An example of this is the successful 'Blair Witch Project' which was co-wrote and directed by Daniel Myrick and Edurado Sanchez, the success was down to the successful director role of managing and directing the creative elements
3. Resourceful Production : With limited funds the only way to ensure success for a low budget film is to have an imaginative and creative production team (most of the common roles to filmaking however is carried out by the director because of the lack of funds to have a full production team). An example of a resourceful production is 'Clerks', Kevin Smith filmed almost the entirety of the film in the convient store where he worked, he worked around the issue of not being able to stimulate day scenes as he filmed at night by closing the shutters and incorporating this into the story line. In order to cut costs low budget films may also conduct post-production in the home of the producer as this means that a production office is not needed
4. Unknown Actors : The most successful films are those that cast relatively unknown actors (which is great news for low budget films). The reason for this is because there is no association to the other work that the actors have been in therefore making it easier (as well as cheaper) for the director to deliver a clear depiction of the unfolding events in the story. For example in 'The Blaire Witch Project' Daniel Myrick and Edurado Sanchez casted actors with little or no acting experience, this was so they could create a sense of realism allowing the portrayal of a documentary
5. Marketing : Success to any film especially those on a low budget is marketing. In 'The Blair Witch Project', the success was the direct result of the innovative way the producers carried out the tasks. Initial buzz for the film was carried out on a website that was created a year before the film was even released. More interest was gained through TV and radio advertising, and prior to the release of the film the actors were not allowed to make public appearances in order to make it is as authentic as possible. This in turn meant that a gross of over £248million was gained from the film. 
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