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Storytelling:
Write What You Have
by Nick Moretti

Use strong screenplays that stay within the confines of production values to heighten the low-budget film's quality.

You've heard "write what you know." It of course refers to the philosophy that we are much better off while new to writing, to stick to stories in which we have personal insight.

While it's probably better to use this concept when dealing with characters' emotions than let it restrict on what sort of story to tell, there is a truth to it that is useful whenever writing anything new.

Low-budget filmmakers have a unique dilemma: They must write a screenplay of quality that can be shot competently, realistically and compellingly within the capacity of the filmmakers' bank account.

However, rather than look to this as a hindrance, true writers should take up the challenge of writing within the confines of a budget, location or available actors with pleasure. It forces the writer to make more interesting characters that do more interesting things because the emphasis isn't on what money can buy (and it never should be, no matter what the budget).

What do you have?
Let's say this is a first film, with very few actors available (perhaps of varying degrees of talent) and just enough budget to cover the equipment and some basic comforts such as props, food and miscellaneous needs that crop up on shoot days. The writer of this film must write a good, strong story that the available actors can convincingly portray. Remember, even high-budgeted movies are destroyed by bad acting. So, in addition to making sure the writer is of talent, the actors must be of talent. With good actors, the writer is free to cover just about any circumstances or emotions.

Make sure the director knows or is willing to learn (at least to some capacity) how to direct actors. No matter how great an actor, she might say, "Why is my character doing this?" If the director and writer agree that she should be doing this, the director should be able to explain why easily and offer the actor any additional information she needs to do her job.

Directors are so much linked to "filmmaking," that the theatrical heritage of directing is sometimes forgotten. Study directors such as Elia Kazan, a true actor's director, for insights on filmmaking and directing actors that more cinema-oriented directors never even think about.

Find a story
The average good writer should have several concepts he's contemplated enough to be convinced it would be a decent movie if done right. This is the very best place to start because it is likely that a respectable amount of passion exists behind these ideas. Is every existing idea needing of a huge budget, such as the space epic or Western he may have in mind? Not necessarily. The question now becomes, "Can the story be transplanted to a no-budget scenario?"

For example, if there is a story about some sort of power struggle in space, could the story be transplanted to say, a community situation? Instead of the Emperor, it's the mayor. Instead of the armies, it's the cops or an underground group of Internet freaks. This is but a single and not very creative example. My next no-budget film is in a genre I can afford using the same story I was going to tell in a genre that would've required a large budget. It's definitely worth considering.

If this doesn't work and you have no stories and no ideas that can be done for a low budget, there are still many options. Find out what classic stories are available for public domain and adapt a version. Ask the actors or anyone else involved if they have any ideas. Watch movies (especially and always, the classics) and be inspired by them. Read the news, read books, read, read, read. Listen to music that inspires emotional reactions. In the end, it's an emotion that a screenplay leads to and it's the emotion that should inspire the entire project.

Create a memorable character. If having trouble with the story per se, what about creating a memorable character such as Indiana Jones … or Bridget Jones, for that matter? A character that the audience will love, that can be in many situations and it's interesting simply because the character is in it.
If you've never seen it, the original "Kolchak: The Night Stalker" series, now on DVD, is a show that worked around a great character, played by Darren McGavin. Other examples are Fox Mulder, Colombo or Mr. Spock. And these are all males. The possibilities become even more interesting when a female is the lead character.

Let the actors available either inspire or get directly involved in the creation of this character. Know what genre the film will be made within and then create a great character that will take the audience through it. Since the best writing is when characters' decisions determine which direction the story will take, strong characters are necessities--whether the idea of the story came first or not.

Write for the actors
If the writer has a pretty good idea who can realistically be in this film, it can help shape the character's personality. For example, knowing Harrison Ford would play Indiana Jones probably made the writers of the sequels write him a little more specifically to Ford than Lawrence Kasdan did on the original, Raiders of the Lost Ark.

If the movie is to be cast using professional actors, obtained from agencies or colleges, then focus on the characters without any restriction as to who might play him.

If an actor comes along that is good but currently not exactly right for the existing parts, consider revising the part to get the actor. Scripts can be changed, words can be changed, etc. Decent actors who work for near nothing are not easy to come by and again, their competence will give the picture a necessary credibility.

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