Filmmaking / Directing : $0 Budget Film making - Is it possible? by Fred Oliver

Why would anyone want to?

It has been done before many times; however, no film is truly free, and it is not the ideal way. Even if cast and crew donate time, equipment and locations, it's their sponsorship to the film. It has a monetary value. With that said, without taking money out of your pocket, ensure you have established great relationships with talented people, and you are willing to work on their projects in return to make it equitable.

I have filmed a short film for $0 because all who were a part of it wanted to see it happen. They would give that effort to a feature if

1. Food is covered (So get some good food sponsors)

2. Transportation is covered

3. They will have fun on set

4. The schedule matches theirs

5. Give them IMDB credit

6. Invite them to a special cast and crew screening

7. Mention them when you talk about the film at festivals and in media if possible

8. (IF POSSIBLE) cut them a points deal.

Quality does not have to be compromised but bear in mind the crew needs to make money, so I would not schedule consecutive days. I would say film every weekend or every other weekend to give the crew time to make money outside of your schedule.

In reply to Shadow Dragu-Mihai: Why? because if Ai tools can make it possible, why not?

In reply to kevin jackson: Thanks for your insight, Kevin. But I am referring to possibly all actors and sets being AI generated. With today's capabilities, especially now with 'VEO3', it is entirely possible. If authors like me sometimes have no choice but to 'self-publish, then a team of AI specialists can contribute their talents and work to receive a 'peice of the pie'.

Can somebody here please tell me how to respond to individual comments? I don't see a 'reply' button for individual people's comments.

Hi, Fred Oliver. Put @ in front of a person’s name.

Thanks Maurice. I don't know how to add an image to my prior post.

You're welcome, Fred Oliver. You can add a picture to a post by clicking the mountain picture symbol on the homepage. You can add a picture to your comment the same way (the mountain picture symbol beside the red post button).

Fred Oliver Hmm. Well there are already several "AI generated" features out in the marketplace. They don't seem to have been noted to be either good or cost-efficient. Generative AI isn't really free, it's actually quite expensive to use at any scale and the corporations are positioning to make it more so. But honestly while AI is great at presenting data so-called generative AI is so far pretty pathetic, and the statistical approach by design creates an average result at best. That goes for visuals as well as literary creations. Although tools like runwayml and Google's Deep Mind are heralded as great - by their creators. The actual results without extensive hands-on human post work ranges from mediocre at the high end to absolutely pointless at the bottom - and they cost a fair bit of money. Finally, original creation and the right to profit from it are the exclusive right of a human being. AI generated content cannot be copyrighted at this time, and it seems likely that the law will ensure that remains the case. So anyone who would create a fully AI generated movie would have no legal basis to protect it. To make it copyrightable, you would have to do something to it that is original and that defeats the purpose.

@

Shadow Dragu-Mihai I see your point regarding the copyright issue. In my case, I'll be producing a 'Hollywood style' movie clip as if my story was soon to be released as a full-featured film mostly to gain responses and interest. I don't intend to copyright it.

Yes, Fred Oliver, you can make a feature length movie for $0 budget, if you use a digital camera and actors that you find on Malibu beaches surfing; so a 2 hour movie about surfing and the love affair of surfers as well. You never know you might even win Oscars; IF your screenplay is that good.

You know what would work for a movie would be ai discovers a bunch of news and cures are being held out the media and asks people to confront the news about it.. where then the news fights back not wanting to let the people know anything. You could use ai to come to more of what all is being left out. I know of butadiene rubber media blackout since 2007, water to hydrogen fuel injectors are used in f1, chick pea plant lectin cures breast cancer, daffodil lectin and leeks lectin cure influenza- h1n1- hep c- hiv.. and likely Covid. I know rubella causes autism known since 1970’s by the person that created the brochures for family’s for autism, Stella Chess who rounded up 200 autism family’s and found the moms had rubella in term. That leaves mmr shots that don’t take as the likely culprit. The shell oil car that did 370 mpg.. one gallon.. at their mileage racing. It’s a opel four cylinder that used a liquid to vapor system . Why aren’t all cars over 100 mpg? There are vaporizer carbs. Vaporizer fuel injectors, microwave fuel injectors, Ogle vapor systems, Tunisio diesel vapor system, and Meyers water to hydrogen fuel injectors. That’s called the jet 1 system in f1. The sr71 used a hydrogen water peroxide engine, as did the space shuttle. Again shouldn’t we use Boeings 1999 water peroxide jet engines instead of polluting jet a. Airports still sell leaded fuel and therefore there should be cancer and brain problem maps able to be made beside each airport that does.. in the communities downwind from them. Each oil refinery has a cancer map it creates. These advances take both these threats and reduce them to little ones. Trash dumping into the ocean at a high rate of over a truckload a hour is displacing the ocean water, not global warming.. infact the water is then huger and the ice is breaking off cause it floats and floats higher than the land.. it would all be melted, not giant icebergs, if it was global warming caused. S triangle news on Facebook is the guy controlling the weather. It’s David. Obama chased him and it’s a blackout on him, to keep that unknown. Ai would have this data cause it’s not hard to fact check. The news is at a standoff about all this stuff right now.

Fred Oliver yes, you can make a movie by yourself for $0 using AI, but like @shadow said, it's not really free. I have been exploring some AI tools understand how to make films with them to see how much of a threat or a tool it could be and you quickly run out of free credits and have to wait for the month to end to get new credits. This can hold up your development time. I paid for a few of them which the affordable ones just give you more credits, not unlimited credits. Those that give you unlimited credits cost more and do produce better results, but you have to get through a lot of images that just aren't producing accurate movement. I find different tools are better at different actions. For example I wanted to have a boxer shadow boxing. It followed all the details accurately except the punches. The AI actor just swung his harms randomly and uncoordinated like a toddler. Had to use another tool to get the arm movement right but then it got everything else wrong, making the process frustrating and the results are not as good as real actors in my opinion when you ask for changes in nuance interpretation.

Kevin Jackson Kevin Jackson I understand the frustration about AI's accurateness and cost. All these AI platforms are currently taking advantage of these emerging technologies to scam and rip-off creators on a budget, Not only that, a great majority fo the Youtubers that talk about these 'incredible new tools' are also benefiting from sponsorships by the AI tech companies as these Youtubers demonstrate their 'creations' that were most likely produced with a 'paid' tool which the AI tech company provided to them to advertise their product. It is a shame!

However, I believe that this 'gravy train' will soon stop and the AI tech companies will start shifting to either downloadable AI tools or to subscriptions that have no 'credit' limits. Today, even with these 'paid' AI tools, they put in place ridiculously low usage credit limits. But, for now, I'll experiment with whatever I can get away with since all I need is a short one to one and a half 'movie trailer' showcasing a couple of characters and a couple of short scenes.

I love the titles. Not a sound designer, a sonic sculptor - that's really cool. Of course you can make a film for $0 budget. The limiting factor is the quality of the the talent who are working on it, not the budget.

Simon Turnbull Of course. Thanks.

I'd like to provide a free sample of the first five chapters: Review Copy link:

https://storyoriginapp.com/reviewcopies/2b9c6594-4188-11f0-a041-c79fecb8...

It's never $0. You may not pay out any dollars, but you are paying in time, skills, opportunity, worth and a whole lot more. And everyone else that contributes to the film is effectively paying for your film....with their time, expertise, kit, electricity, wardrobe, ink, etc, etc. I don't know why you'd want to do that. You will not get the best result.

Of course a no budget movie is a bad idea anyways. I've really never made a feature film with no money. 35mm film stock, developing, printing, optical sound generated and mixed from 3/4 inch Nagra tape. It cost a lot of money. All actors and actresses have to be paid, even when they have no agents and will never get an agent. Many actors quit after a few years of trying to get a paid assignment. There are many producers that are qualified to produce a feature film; but they are all professionals. I have never made an amateur film or movie.

@elmare I think you are not correct with AI lacking emotions. Just search on veo 3 from Google. It's revolutionary and mindblowing. Just with simple prompts..

Vic Alexander I agree. What I am proposing is entirely 'out of the box' thinking that is increasingly getting 'inside the box'.

Arhynn Descy Of course you are right! However, I am speaking of actual cash expenditure. Try to be a little more positive regarding the involvement of AI. Unfortunately, many of today's traditional moviemaking industry jobs will be drastically affected by AI. The key is to start evolving within your skills area and embrace it before it takes you out completely 'out of the picture'.

Of course you can use Green Screen; but it costs $10,000 per day. They can give you any background you want; for example Paris the main street with the Eifel Tower in the background, and people on the street. But of course, there is still cost of actors, food, camera equipment, 35mm film, camera crew, director, etc. And film lab expenses. You can shoot it digital of course; but it can be accidentally all erased. In contrast, there is the easy locations that you can use without paying anything for them. And actors who live close by -- actors who have gone to college to study acting but don't have the looks or the talent to star in any other movie; except for a thriller of sorts or even worse a horror movie, etc. In short, you can't make Gone With the Wind without sets, costumes and locations -- and major movie stars like Clark Gable and Vivien Lee :-)

Vic Alexander And so goes traditional filmmaking. The winds are shifting...just watch.

I agree, Fred Oliver.