Filmmaking / Directing : Milk & Serial = Success! Best story I've read today! by Sam Sokolow

$800 is LOW, Sam Sokolow! Milk & Serial sounds interesting. I plan on checking it out, and I want to see what the team was able to do with only $800.

Well... I gues I know what I am watching this week.

I watched it today, Tom Lapke. Creepy movie. It's really impressive what they did with a $800 budget.

Hi Sam, Hi Maurice, I watched it also. Pretty good

I love when I see filmmakers make the most with the least. It is such an inspiration to go do the thing.

hello sir can you will be my friend? i am from India

It's only 82 min so I'll think I'll pop over to YouTube ...

Sam are you interested in a series called AGING SUCKS! Unless you cross the BRIDGE. It is my newest book and will be out soon. email if interested drbarbaramelamed@gmail.com

I love the initiative of shooting on a no-budget. What I don’t understand is giving it away for free. At least window it, sell for a year then give it away.

Watched MILK & SERIAL. It was actually quite good for what they did. Classic example of opening your war chest to see everything you have and can use. Write a good story, and shoot it. They delivered.

Gonna go on a blind comment here (haven't watched the movie yet) but I agree with Lindbergh...and all of you wandering why is he giving it for free, he ain't. He's telling all those important people out there watching, he can deliver and he's 100% sure of his idea impact...and if you can efficiently write/direct a simple story, you'll be up for more complex ones...

I don't like this type of film at all. Plus the result is a project that has no propper business-side, people not getting paid f.e.

I can’t wait to see this & will watch it when back at base. Re budget, I’ve seen films made for way less achieving festival status. Goes to show unique concept, ingenuity of craft & needs must use of any props breaks the gate keepers of big buck studios. Thanks for the share Sam.

Debbie Croysdale what your stating is not true. filmschools do all that and there are many of them. this is simply amateur filmmaking, exploiting people by not paying them. I've seen hundreds of this.

@Willem Elzenga Please do not put words in my mouth. I did NOT write unpaid NOR did I write film school. Any artistic & technical team can get together to produce “Quality” work for “Varying” amounts of money. Whether paid minimum wage OR Hollywood studio wage the resulting art/craft itself is what matters. Also regards YOUR mention of film schools which ones exactly do you think turn out rubbish? Most film festivals submissions are in competition with epoch talent, some going onto win international awards. Many of these artists are from film schools.

Let's address people not getting paid. He called in favors, he asked friends, and all of them are aware they were not being paid. Each of them could have turned down the offer. They opted to make a movie. He posted it on YouTube, and will be making (hopefully) money from Google Ads. If money flows in from the ads, I hope he does profit sharing with all involved as it was a very small cast, crew. If anyone wishes to contact the writer/director of the project to ask him about this, feel free to and ask him about profit sharing.

@Lindbergh Great point! Also no budget crew can be paid in kind EG A qualified director of someone else’s film in return gets a maverick grip or DOP on their film.

Lindbergh E Hollingsworth that's to us the amateur way to go about it. besides, the legal costs of this all exceed $800 by far. better roll into filmschool and learn how to make your film in the business instead of making something mediocre through pain and shame. good filmmaking costs money - there's no way around it.

To me film is great for achieving one of two things,

Big Entertainment, with huge budgets, stars and blah blah

or

Pulling the audience in with one emotion, in this case FEAR for $800. Fantastic!

Why are you yelling fear Paul Rivers, something wrong?

I have a great script to share

I have a great script by a bafta winning writer, it is under the interest of a studio and a great production outfit.