When you’re just starting out, you are going to target smaller, independent production companies. One of the things they’ll look for is a good story that can be made into a film with a small budget. They just aren’t looking to make movies that have a budget in the tens of millions of dollars. In fact, only a handful of big-budget blockbuster movies are made each year.
You can improve your marketability just by considering the costs of putting your story on film. Keeping this in mind as you write your screenplay could pay off in the long run. Remember that the people you’re targeting to buy your screenplay probably don’t have the resources to produce a story that requires exotic locations, costumes and special effects.
How can you write for a low-budget production? Consider the following:
Keep the cast and number of locations to a minimum. Using only two to six major characters and primary locations can make production feasible on little or no budget. Fewer characters usually means that fewer camera angles are necessary. Think about locations that don’t require special access or have restricted hours. Also, if you write scenes with only two or three characters in any one scene at the same time, that allows for easier scheduling of the cast for their rehearsals and shooting times.
Use real places. Write your screenplay with actual places that probably can be used in the movie. It is much easier to change a script to fit a location or specific actors than to build sets or search for an obscure character type.
Set your story in the present day in non-specific locations. If you write scenes that take place in a desert, on the beach or in the mountains, that just adds to the budget. Unless those settings already are nearby, try to replace them with settings that are more readily available. Also, other time periods require special costumes, props and settings. The costs to find and create those elements can add up quickly.
Keep special effects to a minimum. Again, things like elaborate makeup, explosions, fires and other special effects add to the budget. However, if you know someone willing to work on your effects, you might want to write a story that will take advantage of his or her skills.
Know the lingo. A “very low-budget” film (shooting on real film with a professional crew and one or more bankable stars) can still cost from one to ten million dollars to produce. A “no-budget” film (shooting on film but with cast and crew salaries deferred) will probably be a minimum of $20,000-$30,000 and may easily cost from $100,000 to $500,000. Most cast and crew will be donating their time or working for basic room and board expenses. A “no-budget” movie on standard-definition digital video can cost just a few hundred to a few thousand dollars to create. If you have cast and crew willing to donate their time, you could put together a movie without breaking the bank.