SAE Magazine 12-2

However if you are wondering like me; what about the script, surely you can’t do the whole film by improvising? And what about the sets, props, and the most important question of all how far can you expect to get without the money? He wouldn’t recommend anyone to leap into a project so epic but if you have sheer determination and are wonderfully pig-headed then it is possi- ble. The filming took place over six months; a few hours here, a day or two there. Whenever an actor or a location was available they would pull togeth- er a small team and film! There were times where working around people's availability became dif- ficult and resulted in long days, lack of sleep or a complete change to the story. One of the best rules that were enforced was to use anything that became available. Doing so meant being very flexible, but that is one of the bonuses of working without a locked-off script and rehears- als; they could do anything. For example, if a great location was offered then it had to be exploited, and doing so meant that this little film became a big film visually. There were unprecedented hiccups throughout the whole process; an actor who had to grow a beard for a TV role, equipment failing and even one key cast member putting themselves in hospital. But these were all just obstacles to be navigated and the non-standard approach allowed the team to keep moving forward when a budgeted film may have faltered. Every backwards step just needed some rethinking and a sideward shift gave the project new life, and sometimes, an entirely new film. Post-production has not been easy and is still go- ing, almost two years on. Asking crew to work for free means that you become the 'hobby' project that fits in around the paid jobs, and that tends to lead to severe delays. The edit has been locked, titles created, ADR recorded, score finalised and sound design begun. The end is in sight. So too is the next no budget feature film! It's an ad- dictive process with its high, lows and crazy cre- ative freedom! Ifyouhaveeverconsidereddoingsomethingequal- ly as ambitious then the best advice is to just jump in. If you approach it with enthusiastic positivity others will be caught up in your energy and the project will gain a life of its own. Be prepared for the lowest of lows when you don't think you can go on, and know that you will have to pick your- self up so that the wonderful people who have in- vested so much never get let down. And get ready for more fun than you can remember as everyone goes above and beyond to support you. To find out the bigger story, and to learn from Da- vid’s mistakes, check out the continuing blog at: http://whatculture.com/film/how-to-make-a- feature-film-with-no-money-part-1.php n 104 Production & Know How // Film Index

SAE Magazine 12-2

Pages