Back in the early 1990s, filmmaker Robert Rodriguez quite literally sold his body to science to part-fund his first feature film, El Mariachi. The movie was shot using traditional movie cameras and 16mm film which made up most of the film’s reported $7000 budget. The feature was edited on old tape to tape machines but went on to be a huge success, and this year, Rodriguez has released his biggest, and indeed most expensive film to date – Alita: Battle Angel – which reportedly cost between $100-150 million.
These days, anyone can go out and make a movie. Seriously, you don’t need thousands of pounds worth of equipment – in fact even some of the big Hollywood players are using technology that is readily available to you and me. In this feature, we’ll list the tech you need for each stage of production to go make your own indie movie for next to nothing!
Scripting
Every movie needs a script. You could go and shell out on professional screenwriting software, but why? There are many programs out there for you to use. One that comes to mind is the brilliant Amazon Storywriter, available to use for free – all that you need is an Amazon account. Just sign in and get going! There are also other alternatives – why not just use a free word processing program. There are many choices there too, including the free Open Office and even Google Docs. Granted, it doesn’t format the screenplay or have a script layout make it look professional, but both are easily downloadable onto most devices.
Shooting
Filming is easier now than ever before. Camcorders are becoming less and less used, but there are still some available on the market. You can pick up a HD camera for less than three-figures – even less if pre-owned, but why would you do that when filmmakers like Steven Soderbergh (Magic Mike, Ocean’s 11) are using phones to make movies now? Soderbergh shot his last two movies, psychological horror Unseen with Claire Foy, and Netflix movie High Flying Bird, both on an Apple iPhone 7 Plus. The lens is excellent, the recording space massive (and easily downloadable), and the easy of use better than any camera ever released to the market.
Editing
Editing is where things become slightly trickier, and there are many options out there. There is iMovie on the MAC, Windows Movie Maker on PC, and even Adobe Premiere and Final Cut if you have budget – but again, there are many free pieces of software that you can use to edit your new film. Movavi Screen Recorder can be used for editing your masterpiece together, as well as many other things – to download video from website, creating titles, and even some video effects to add extra sparkle to your new short or, if you’re feeling really ambitious, full length feature.
Distribution
So, you’ve finally finished your movie, but what will you do with it? Well, again there are options. YouTube has a huge audience and is one of the most visited websites on the internet. There’s also Vimeo, which has free plans, and even Daily Motion. All of these will get your movie seen by people online.
Marketing
It’s no use having your video up online, but you have to let people know it is there. In today’s age of social media, apps like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are essentials to get noticed, but also browse the likes of Reddit for sections dedicated to indie filmmakers. The audience reach is massive, and who knows, you may just have the instant viral hit to become the next Robert Rodriguez or Steven Soderbergh!
