(Limelight). The Complete Guide to Writing, Producing, and Directing a Low-Budget Short Film is a comprehensive step-by-step overview of how to complete and promote a low-budget short film. It begins with how to write a short script, keeping in mind the goal of shooting it in one or at most two days. It discusses how to finalize your script by getting feedback and then preparing it for production through doing a scene breakdown and possibly a storyboard. It describes how to direct the film yourself or work with a director, audition the actors and cast the short, plan for and participate in the shoot, and work with an editor to finish your film. Finally, it discusses how to get your film shown, including entering it in festivals, and concludes with an extensive list of resources and references, including books, articles, script and storyboard software, conferences, expos, festivals, and more.

Most books about film production assume that you have an idea and a script to shoot. Most screenwriting books are geared to how to write a script that you can sell to Hollywood (as though the authors of these books had the slightest clue) and do not take into consideration that you might be shooting the script yourself, possibly with your own money. This book is about how to write a script properly that you can rationally shoot, how to shoot it, how to finish it, how to sell it, and also how to get it shown.

It's a comprehensive step-by-step overview of how to complete a low-budget short film and get it shown. It discusses how to write a short script, prepare it for production with a scene breakdown or storyboard, direct the film or work with a director, audition and cast the actors, participate in the shoot, work with an editor, and promote your film.

Anyone can make a short film, right? Just grab some friends and your handheld and you can do it in a weekend or two before being accepted to a slew of film festivals, right? Wrong. Roberta Munroe screened short film submissions at Sundance for five years, and is an award-winning short filmmaker in her own right. So she knows a thing or two about how not to make a short film. From the first draft of your script to casting, production, editing, and distribution, this is your one-stop primer for breaking into the business. Featuring interviews with many of today's most talented writers, producers, and directors, as well as revealing stories (e.g., what to do when the skinhead crack addict next door begins screaming obscenities as soon as you call "action") from the sets of her own short films, Roberta walks you through the minefield of mistakes that an aspiring filmmaker can make--so that you don't have to make them yourself.

Writing Short Films is one of the bestselling university text books on writing short film screenplays. This updated and revised edition includes several new chapters.

Budgeting and scheduling are easy in principle but hard in practice. The successful producer has a solid plan for juggling dozens of activities and costs while retaining the flexibility to cope with those inevitable last-minute changes and stay on course. Preplanning the budget and schedule of any media project is absolutely essential, and the 2nd edition of Scheduling and Budgeting Your Film: A Panic-Free Guide shows you the intricacies of handling both budgeting and scheduling successfully. This new and updated edition explains the fundamentals of line producing in an easy-to-understand style, and includes tips and techniques that apply no matter what kind of scheduling or budgeting software you’re using. Author Paula Landry includes detailed examples of breakdown forms, organizing resources, distribution expenses, and hidden costs, and discusses how to set realistic priorities and find industry and state tax incentives. The new edition also includes discussions of transmedia and multi-purpose shooting, special considerations for VR, 4K and 3D shooting, new web platforms and mobile technology, crowd funding, film festivals, and much more. Each chapter is filled with handy checklists, tips, practical advice, and anecdotes, showing how scheduling and budgeting are done in the real world; Principles apply to any type of media project: film, video, music video, projects hosted online, and corporate and educational videos; An accompanying eResources page offers downloadable forms and templates, and other essential resources.

"Discover vital insider tips on producing movies with a micro budget! Covering both tried and true filmmaking techniques as well as insight on marketing, selling, and distributing your film, Raindance Producers' Lab, Second Edition is the ultimate independent filmmaker's guide to producing movies. This edition has been updated to include: fresh features on low-budget, high quality video cameras, including new digital camera options such as DSLRAn extensive selection of new case studies and interviews with industry talents such as Ewan McGregor, Ate de Jong, James Youngs, Joe Pavlo, Martin Myers, Rolin Heap, and more; essential advice on how to make the web work for you and promote your films through Twitter, Facebook and other social media platformsAll new postproduction workflows. A companion website (www.lotonobudgetfilmmaking.com) providing all the contracts and material you need to run a production company and make successful low budget movies. The verdict is in: if you're looking for a clear-cut, no-nonsense approach to micro-budget filmmaking and producing, Elliot Grove's wealth of teaching and filmmaking experience combined with winning formulas for marketing and promotion make this book a must-have one-stop shop for filmmakers! "--