Seriously. Torch them now. Don’t even read a single page of these books.

As an indie AD, I am plagued by people who think these things are the Holy Bibles of Low Budget Filmmaking. There may be some good tips here and there, but we forget that these books forget many small details that become big issues on a low budget set. We also forget that many of the people who authored these books wrote them because, well, they were broke and needed to make some money. They weren’t making money off their stellar movie careers (obviously there are some exceptions).

Feature films under $50K carry very finite dimensions, but they still need to exhibit the protocol set by the larger films. This is the tricky thing that no low budget book or blog wants to discuss. It’s easy to tell everyone to not pay crew or cast, borrow everything, and have mom cook lunch, but there are many many more details that need to be accounted for in filmmaking. Let’s look at these details-

1. INSURANCE/LOSS & DAMAGE

Reality says that most likely you will have to rent stuff or employ a crew member who is bringing in equipment. Also, you may want a little thing called locations. That may be important. One of the first things all of these fine folks ask for is the Certificate of Insurance. I don’t work shows without general liability and neither should you. Cover your ass. And cover it doubly because there may be some damages that won’t exceed the deductible. We fix these things with a little line item called Loss & Damage and if you don’t throw any money in there, God help you.

2. GOOD CREW COSTS SOMETHING

I very rarely work for free. This is my livelihood and I’ve spent a lot of time learning the skills of my trade. I know this is true for many of us working in indie film. So why do random people you have never worked with think they can get you to work on their fabulous script for nothing? Look, the bottom line here is that if you spend all your money on talent, equipment, hookers, and blow, you’re going to end up with a movie that is was shot by high schoolers with ADHD problems. Having stars/big talent and nice equipment means jack shit when your crew has no idea how to shoot/light these things. Copy that?

3. GAS/TRANSPO

I want to see the magical teleportation devices these authors of these books must possess because it seems like they NEVER talk about gas or transportation. Film equipment, actors, and crew don’t magically appear in each location they are needed. And these vehicles being used don’t run on gatorade. Mom is probably too broke to keep filling up the minivan everyday to haul everyone around. This is something that needs to be addressed and early on. Even on a budget under $50K, you can be looking at nearly $3K in gas costs depending. Got picture vehicles? They need to be gassed. Got a genny? You need gas in that too. Sometimes gas stipend is all you can offer a crew member to get them onto the show. Never skip this. Ever.

4. FILMMAKING ISN’T JUST ABOUT YOUR CAMERA GEAR

A lot of these books really only seem to talk about the camera or rudimentary sound rigs. They spend pages talking about the many ways you can get a camera to have that film look. They seem to forget that there are other departments that play into that “film look”. Art, makeup/hair, wardrobe, greenery, locations, picture vehicles all have a significant role in creating the cinematic style. If you really want to achieve that look, you need to look beyond your camera rig and understand the design that lies within the frame.

5. PAPERWORK. IT STILL NEEDS TO BE DONE.

There are certain things on a small budget level that you just can’t do. Being signatory with the unions? Probably out the door. Flying talent in from other states? Don’t. Having an organized box with signed cast & crew deal memos, call sheets, production reports, petty cash slips, approved check requests, accident reports, insurance forms, equipment lists, cast & crew contact, locations information, permits… yes. Do this. This won’t cost you much. The cost of a nifty accordion box and the paper and ink needed to print these things is all it will cost you to keep on top of EVERYTHING. Even on the low budgets, lawsuits and ridiculous scrutiny of paperwork is common and you can cheaply protect yourself by being on top of your paperwork. But again, these things are not normally discussed.

Again, there are some good tips within these books. If you’re completely brand-new to this, it’s a good introduction, but understand that there’s a lot left out that could bone the whole production. In filmmaking, there are no easy solutions. the best films take a lot of work, no matter the budget and just having a dolly isn’t going to save the whole movie if everything else is poor quality.