How to Make a B Movie

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By Margaret Jamal
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Make a B Movie

"Lights, cameras, action and role em" are the words that we hear from actors pretending to be movie makers. In this age of camcorders and digital editing, more people are joining the world of real movie making. Today's movie making can be quite expensive. Of course few movies come close to the monumental $200 million dollars plus budget of Spiderman 3; which is still to date considered the most expensive movie ever made.

But before you get discouraged, there is a way to get your feet wet without spending nearly that much. Try starting with a B movie. This is a low budget movie that if done right could still reel in the bucks. You might even be as fortunate as the makers of the B movie, "The Blair Witch Project" who made the Guinness World book of records for earning $10, 931 for every dollar that was spent - grossing over $100 million dollars. This article will tell you how to get your own "B" movie ready.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Script (copies)
Digital Movie Camcorder
Computer with Editing software and appropriate hard drive and processor
Microphones
Lights
Set(s)/ Location
Props
Actors
Food (for staff)
Money ( or Credit cards)
Tape for recording and mastering

Step 1

Get a script together. This script needs to include any dialogue, description of what is happening as well as when and where scenes will take place. The dialogue should also have the character names associated with it to know who is saying what in the story. You should have a story to tell.
Step 2

Develop a storyboard. A story board is a series of graphics to illustrate the scenes according to the flow of the movie. It is important for giving the directors and crew an idea of how scenes and shots should look. This is also important for editing because you will almost always film a lot more footage than you need. The storyboard can help you decide what to keep. We use a story board software.
Step 3

Project the time and budget needed for the bare minimum: equipment (purchase or rental) (camera- digital to allow for easy editing, editing) camera operation, editor, music, sound engineering, lighting, actor(s), director, stage assistance, clean up help, rentals, costumes, site control, food for participants, props, supplies, etc. (tape, film or other storage).
Step 4

Raise the money to cover the budget. While many would argue that Robert Townsend's "Hollywood Shuffle" is not a typical B-movie, he certainly gives viewers an insight into the challenges of making low budget films. His real life effort to release this film was financed using his own credit cards. Today, there are also grants available for movie making depending upon project.
Step 5

Cast (or audition) the actors. For a B movie budget your cast may consist of newcomers, retired actors or even just people that owe you money. Even if you have the perfect script for Will Smith and Jennifer Lopez, they may be difficult to get at this time. Perhaps when you get an A movie budget you can call their people to have them call your people to do lunch; and then maybe... .
Step 6

Have those that volunteer their time to sign a release stating that you can use their image without compensation. Have those that might get paid sign a disclaimer stating that they will not seek additional compensation or royalties. These are just issues that should be covered, however have a lawyer to develop a legal document if money is involved.
Step 7

Secure the locations/sites. Wherever you plan to film should be made available for a set amount of time that you plan to film. Get signed agreements from caretakers or owners of the location(s) that you plan to use. This is a precaution because sometimes people want to change their minds. NOTE: Have plan B locations just in case.
Step 8

Rehearse the crew. With low budget films, it is difficult to cover costs for sufficient rehearsals, so plan to take what you can get.
Step 9

Check ALL of your equipment including lighting, sound, etc. Even if you have one camera, be very careful to check your settings and practice before actually filming with your actors. Write down the settings that appear to work best. It is easy for the settings to get lost and actors will not be patient with statements such as, "How did that happen?" or "Whoops, can we do it again?"
Step 10

Shoot the movie in segments. Use the storyboard to decide how the filming will flow. If you are directing the movie, you will have to decide which scenes to shoot first. If this is your first you may want to shoot a little at a time. You may want to shoot a scene more than once so that you can choose from the best take.
Step 11

Edit the footage. This is where a great deal of time is spent deciding upon what to keep and what to discard. My first effort at a B movie film making is a movie short called "A Time to Tell." It was self financed and I used friends, my husband and my baby sister for acting support. My husband also shot the footage and performed all of the editing for a story that I wrote. The story took two days to shoot, but a lot more time to edit. There are different editing tools to use. We used software called Final Cut Pro. But for sound we used software called Pro Tools. See the link below to view the movie.

Comments

kimarkent said

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on 4/29/2009 Amazing the B movies made that are making it big! Thanks for the tips about u-tube also....Blair Witch Project was shot about 20 minutes from my home!! How strange! 5*