5 Things That Make A Movie Look Low Budget - Shane Stanley

Here is our full interview with Shane - https://youtu.be/VBcQVQ2ZaMI

Cinematography, sound, actors, editing, location. So pretty much the whole film.

"The location" is a sneaky secret here. "take people places where they can't go, where they wish to go, or where they're afraid to go." Well said! Thanks for sharing Shane.

I'd put lighting and writing before locations. Locations are important, yes. But good lighting, writing, and cinematography can make a weak location seem better than it is.

I'm glad that he didn't say spend money, he encouraged filmmakers to be more creative, and to work towards more. I really appreciate that.

Excellent casting quote, “Are you in this to showcase a whole bunch of friends or are you here to make a career…”

I think the one thing that drags us to become filmmakers is also the one thing most of us never master. Its the pacing and the true moments it creates. We are so obsessed with "writing properly the way others tell us", that we drift away from the purpose of a script to something very one sided and mechanical, that doesnt work on screen or for everybody on the set. Stuff like "How a logline should be" "how the stakes should be raised" "how a problem should occur" and we dont get a very basic thing right "does this feel real?" For me what makes a movie look low budget is, whey I'm constantly aware that I'm watching a movie. When the movie cant create a true moment. Also in trailers. All the "smart" twists and "scary" plots you come up with are very much like a big explosion. An effect to catch attention but not interrest.

I wish he said production design instead of location. There’s a lot that can be done on a small budget by art directing a location that would be ordinary otherwise.

Five good points. The importance of sound certainly gets over looked all the time. Although I think the number one thing that ruins a movies is a bad script.

The more I hear Shane talk the more I realize I need to research more before I take the next step... but, Shane's advice always seems so practical and real to me. Looking forward to hearing a more detailed breakdown of all 5 of those 'things'.

Number 1 is quality of script, 2 is sound and then the rest….. there is some great advice in this video. Worth a listen!

Unexpected takeaway: Need a criminal character? Hire the real thing.

I had no idea people even spent budget money on wrap parties. Usually the wrap party is just what ever is left over from craft services

If we're specifically talking about the technical side of things, sound is the number one thing that will make a film look low budget. I think there is far more flexibility in how a film looks than how it sounds. There have been some great films that used nothing but available lighting and simple camera work but have terrific audio. I think it was Gareth Edwards who said that an audience can forgive a bad picture but they can't forgive bad sound. He's absolutely right.

I think, a counter to finding good locations is to take a boring location, and make it interesting using a combination of cinematography and art department. Think of the early Jean Luc Godard films.

As a film maker all I can say is I agree 100% with everything Mr. Stanley says here.Budding filmmakers take note, lots of wisdom here.

IMO lousy sound is without a doubt the No 1 killer of amateur films. To some extent I can put up with dodgy camera work, and not so good acting, but a $3 sound track is an instant switch off for me. I guess amateurs don't realize how much pro film audio is looped, and why so.

Loving the 5 points. I feel like I got an enormous education in a few moments. Thanks for sharing...

Acting is 100% one of the biggest that helped some of my films in film school rise to the top. And at that point I was just posting on Craigslist my synopsis. My first film there I got a very classically trained actress for one role, and a completely untrained, but very committed girl who just was like the character she was playing for the other role, and it was brilliant. Then I got connected with the classically trained actress's film school for the next film I did and it was amazing. I pulled a few friends and less trained actors for tiny roles, but all four main roles and some small roles had legitimate actors and it was amazing. I also got very lucky with my main locations to find some really perfect gritty spots. This is super solid advice. I saw a lot of fellow classmates do the more standard - everyone is in each other's films and shooting at each other's houses or in the school, and their films weren't as good. Knocking on all the doors till you find the right people to bring the vision to life is everything. Certainly there were massive flaws in my films that make me cringe now, but for where I was in my filmmaking journey, I saw them escalate massively by finding the right actors, locations, props, and cinematography style.

One thing I learned auditioning was never choose an actor without seeing them on screen – preferably in an earlier work. You can’t judge the all-important “screen presence” by their personal charm in the real world.