How to Write a Low-Budget Screenplay

There are thousands of film school graduates out there with digital cameras in hand waiting to produce the next blockbuster low budget film. What they need is a writer with talent who understands the constraints of low budget filmmaking and who can craft a great script with those concerns in mind. Breaking into Hollywood as a screenwriter is enormously competitive and difficult. If you can get one of your script produced, and that film makes some waves at one or two film festivals, that can be your foot in the door that will get you noticed. Every aspiring screenwriter should consider writing a fantastic low-budget script and then look for an emerging filmmaker who loves the project and wants to produce it as a festival film.

Your first concern should be where your story takes place. The best scenario would be one location that the filmmaker can get for free. This may sound difficult, and it is, but a large house can easily serve as a set for an entire movie. Technically, each room in the house and the front and backyard are all new locations and transporting the crew to each of those locations would be much easier than moving them across town to a bank which is a location that would cost money and require permits to film. If you decide to use the bank, make sure you can spend a whole day shooting there so the money spent is not wasted on just one or two scenes. Limit your locations to as few as needed to tell your story and consider the logistics of acquiring those locations. Exterior scenes that are not on private property will require permits and probably some kind of police control. Also, you will likely need to get permission from the nearby businesses and/or residents. If there are company signs in your shot, the producer will need to get permission to film those. This kind of scene will likely require background atmosphere, meaning the producer will need to hire extras. The bottom line is interior locations or exterior locations on private property will be the least expensive.

Speaking Parts

The fewer speaking parts you have in your script, the easier it will be for the producer to keep everything on track. Only include characters that are absolutely necessary to tell your story. Limiting the number of characters you have in your script saves money – not only in payment to the actors but also wardrobe, make-up, food, and accommodations if out of town locations are planned.

Special Effects, Firearms and Stunts

Don’t even bother including these things in your script because it will simply limit your opportunities to find a producer. Special effects are time consuming and time is money. Firearms will likely require a gun handler on the set at all times. Special effects will need to be rigged if the gun is fired and more make-up if someone is shot. This will probably require a policeman on site. And don’t even think about explosions or even fireworks. Leave out any stunts your actors might not be willing to do. Bringing in a stuntman will cost money and the time it takes to film that stunt will expand the budget even more.

Sex Scenes

Leave sex scenes out of your low budget scripts because not all actors are willing to do them and when they do they usually want more money. In addition, sex scenes can take a lot of time to shoot and usually don’t drive the story equal to the time spent shooting them.

Visual Effects

Anything like superimposed titles on the screen, super-slow motion, reversed shots, all cost money and you should only include them if they are absolutely necessary to your story.

Night Exteriors

Shooting night exteriors is complicated by the demand for lighting. There are many different scenarios depending on the location, but for the most part it’s just wise to not include night exteriors in your low-budget script unless you are certain you know how to light that scene from all the different angles the director would want.

Crowd Scenes

The problem with including crowd scenes should be obvious.  Extras have to be hired and fed and may need wardrobe and make-up in some cases.  Better to leave the crowds out of your low budget script.

Weather and Seasons

Don’t include things like rain, snow, and wind in your low-budget script.  These things all cost money and take up more time which also equals more money.

Period Pieces

Writing a low budget script that is placed anywhere other than the here and now is going to cost more money in props, wardrobe, and time.  It’s best to keep your low-budget script in the present.

Animals and Children

Don’t use animals and children in your low-budget script.  Animals and trainers can be expensive and children under 18 will require the producer to comply with certain legal obligations that will only add to the budget.

Uniforms and Special Vehicles

Quality uniforms will need to be rented adding to the budget.  Special vehicles will also need to be rented and then there’s the whole exterior location problem that will add to the budget.  If you can, you should keep uniforms and special vehicles out of your low-budget script.

Heavy Make-Up or Hair Demands

Special make-up such as vampire fangs or cuts and bruises will take time and money to prepare. Unique hair designs will take time to prepare and maintain throughout the production. And this stuff will all have to be reproduced exactly if reshooting is required for any reason. It’s best to stay away from fancy hairstyles and special make-up.

Go Write Your Script

This should give you a good idea of how producers think when they read your script. Considering all these things while you write can be limiting; but it also forces you to be more creative in your thinking and actually write better material. It will be hard to write a great script that doesn’t contain any of the above elements; but by understanding how your writing can add to the budget, you may just be able to write a script that is precisely what a low budget filmmaker/producer is looking for.