MICRO-BUDGET SCREENWRITING
David Griffith’s screenwriting ‘restrictions’ for writing an ‘ethical’ micro-budget feature:
- Keep it simple – this film will need to be shot in 12 days or less to minimise costs
- This in turn means the strength of the film will be judged primarily on its drive and its levels of tension and suspense
- The screenplay must have a clear, recognisable genre and structure
- The screen narrative should have a clear inciting incident, a clear predicament (and premise) and between 5 and 7 significant and credible twists
- The stakes must be clear at all times and should probably be built into the predicament / situation
- A contained time-frame will greatly help increase levels of tension and external dramatic irony.
- The screenplay should feature no more than 2 or 3 main well-dawn characters, with clear strengths, weaknesses and secrets.
- The parts must be able to be played effectively by skilled actors without an established film profile.
- The characters should probably have compromised pasts that can be used to ratchet up the levels of internal dramatic irony and further involve the audience as the narrative unfolds.
- There should be no more than 5 other speaking parts.
- The screen story should require limited use of extras in as few scenes as possible.
- The screen story should have a contemporary setting unless it takes place in a very restricted period location, e.g. a prison cell, fallout shelter, control room, etc.
- 70% of the film should be able to be shot in one or two key locations to keep down set design, transport and crew movement costs.
- The number of additional locations should be minimised and spaced appropriately and judiciously within the narrative.
- Tension and suspense within the screenplay should not be dependent on the widespread use of firearms and SFX.
- Avoid the use of bespoke costume, frequent changes of dress and elaborate set designs (unless a single set can be built and used economically e.g. ‘Cube’).
- Avoid wherever possible scenes requiring the use of public spaces except perhaps as vistas to set the scene.
- Screenplays might feature limited use shots in moving vehicles, but scenes involving the synchronisation of vehicles and people within a street (and therefore road closures), should be avoided at all costs.
- Avoid the use of child actors, animals, existing music and brands.
- Use no more than 90 pages correctly formatted screenplay.
- The screenplay should incorporate a distinctive cinematic audio-visual aesthetic that demonstrates that your script can be made to look interesting and innovative in restricted locations using DSLR cameras and simple lighting. If you don’t know what this means and haven’t seen many micro-budget films study low and very low budget breakthrough films like Pi, Cube, Blair Witch or Paranormal Activity and see how they restrict the use of the camera shots or movements for budgetary and cinematic effect.
- Since the film will likely need to be shot in twelve days or less for budgetary reasons, it is essential that the writer has a clear idea of the number of set-ups required to film each scene to minimize set-up costs (this should be evident from the audio-visual system and the correct formatting of the screenplay) and it is therefore advisable to storyboard as you write.
- The filmmakers will avoid the used of complex grip equipment and camera moves unless these can be produced in an innovative way that supports the themes of the film.
- The screenplay will demonstrate that the filmmakers are able to make a positive virtue of the inevitable ‘lo-fi’ aesthetic to support and enhance the ideas and themes developed within the narrative.
- The micro-budget aesthetic must be integrated into the themes of the genre and specific narrative and vice versa.
