With todays proliferation of nine-figure film budgets, filmmaking may seem more out of reach than ever for the average person. In fact, producing a feature-length movie for next to nothing has never been easier. In MOVIES WITHOUT BAGGAGE, long-time filmmakers Alain Silver, Obren Bokich, and sundry others recount their experiences in the micro-budget arena and detail how 21st-century technology makes it possible to create high-quality, full-length features for less than $30,000 or $15,000 or even $7,500. Through in-the-trenches tales detailing the making of a dozen micro-budget features, this book covers all aspects of making movies without baggage: finding/creating the right script, budgeting, casting, dealmaking with actors and crew, scheduling, shooting, post-production, and finally marketing and securing distribution. This entertainingly illustrated volume also includes samples of the paperwork from five of the ultra-low-budget films it profiles. This is the ultimate guide for the aspiring guerrilla filmmaker. Never before has a book like this come from filmmakers with such varied experience and with credits that include features ranging in budget from over $10 million to under $5,000.
Alain Silver holds degrees in film from UCLA and is a member of the Writers Guild of America and the Directors Guild of America. He has been an assistant director and production manager on numerous studio projects and an independent feature producer whose 30-plus credits include Cyborg 2, Beat, and Crashing. He has lectured on topics that range from film production to film noir and has moderated and participated in panels for the American Film Institute, Slamdance, Cinequest, the LA Film Festival, and UCLA Extension. As an expert on noir, Raymond Chandler, as well as vampire films and directors David Lean, and Robert Aldrich, he has appeared on-camera for the BBC, Starz, Channel Four UK, E!, KCET, American Movie Classics, the Sci-fi Channel, CBC/Ontario, and ARD and done a couple dozen audio commentaries and essays for DVD releases from Criterion, Warner Bros. and 20th Century-Fox.