Getting Production Value, Part 1: Production.

One of your goals with a short film should be to look like you were born rich. Seriously. Other filmmakers should watch the short and think “No fair. *I* could do that if I had those kinds of resources.” While there’s something to be said for the no-budget, guerilla film, it’s only worth bragging about if the final product betrays none of the poverty of the production.

Remember: The genius of El Mariachi is not that it shot for a mere 7k, but that with that 7k, Rodriguez managed to get an actor to slide down a zip line and land on a bus that was driving down the street. (And you’re probably thinking “Well, that’s not fair. How am I supposed to find a bus and an empty street and a zipline?”)

Sadly, there is no cheap-n-easy way to earn production value, because everyone is doing the easy stuff. But, the good news is that you can sometimes make up for the lack of money with sweat.

Over the next few weeks, I'll be posting some tricks and ideas for fooling everyone.

Part 1: Production tricks.

1. Use lots of locations.

Most of the time, you’ll hear advice telling you to reduce the number of locations for your film. The reason for this is that multiple locations get extremely tricky to secure, will add many hours to your production time, and also add pounds of headaches, in general.

This is also exactly why having multiple locations adds value to your film. It’s hard. Most people aren’t doing it. And, it makes the world of your movie bigger, which is always a plus. So if your script calls for a unique location for this one shot…do it.

2. Wideshots

Showing a brilliantly lit ballroom filled with elegantly dressed dancers looks really expensive. But so does the hero standing on a roof top, looking down into the street where the bad guy is waiting in the car, and that's one you probably can afford, it'll just take some coordination.

3. Use extras.

It surprisingly easy to get people to show up at your shoot to play anonymous human beings with no lines. Plus, empty restaurants look lame.

4. Have good actors.

Much more important than the length of this description would have you believe. And if you’re in film school, for god’s sake do NOT cast college students, especially for non college-student roles. It will ruin your movie right there.

5. Dress the set.

Or at least have a pretty set. Plain white walls should be an active decision, not something you used because that’s what was in the apartment.

6. Use creative geography.

It takes some care and some experience, but learn how to intercut your scene with an establishing/POV shot that you bag guerillas style. If you can get a single shot of your actor walking up the steps to the Supreme Court, and then shoot the rest of the scene on the steps of a building that looks like the Supreme Court…well, you just shot a scene on the steps of the Supreme Court. Even the film snobs who know the tricks will be impressed.

7. Use special FX

They need to look good, but it doesn’t take much. A bruise or a bloody nose will go a long way, and while hell on continuity, is cheap.

8. Move the camera.

If you can pull off a slick steadycam or dolly move, go for it. If you can’t do that, go handheld. Don’t forget to move the camera forward and backward, too. It’s pretty easy to just pan around, especially when you’re going hand held.

9. Have lots of setups.

Try to avoid covering your scene with the standard 2-shot, close-up, close-up.
If you’re short for time, or on a strict film budget, vary the camera position slightly for every take. The ideal is to use a camera position only once in your edit (this is, of course, nearly impossible).

10. Inserts, cutaways, and reaction shots.

Learning which inserts and cutaways are important takes a little time, the natural instinct is to only shoot inserts of object the characters are discussing (e.g., a close-up of a note, or a gun, etc.). Try to find a cutaway that would be slightly unexpected. If a character figets, show their fingers figeting. A close-up of a character’s foot as they start to run away. Get away from your actor’s faces every so often.

In the same vein, reaction shots of other people in the room can also make your movie world bigger.

11. Sweat the details as much as you can.

Don’t let your AD pressure you into getting too ahead of schedule. If you have time, use it to fix the little things. The question of when a detail turns into a fixation is something you’ll have to decide, but just because the crew is looking at their watch doesn’t mean the film won’t benefit from the tweak.


This is, of course, only the beginning, but hopefully you're getting the idea: Go the long way around. Do the hard stuff. Do the stuff no one else dares. Ten times the effort for something twice as good isn't a bad deal, at all.

Next time: Photography tricks.