14 Lessons From Making A $3500 Feature Film - Adam Bradley

[@kentjensen4504]

This is a very generous thing to do, sharing all this with us. Thanks, and best of luck with whatever you're up to.

[@filmcourage]

Props to Adam for taking the time to make this video for all of us!

[@theadambradley]

You're most welcome. Good luck with your next/current project too.

[@Photographicelements]

This is a very helpful video that every starting out indie filmmaker needs to see.

[@theadambradley]

Thanks! It was fun to put it together.

[@julianandresbuenosanchez7637]

I think this is one of the best videos that Film Courage has ever made. It is honest, gives hope and it is real.

[@universalindierec]

As a beginner with the whole filmmaking this.. this was worth it's weight in gold.

[@paulgee4336]

In one of my indie shorts, I had two people in a car interacting, and the cut from the driver to the passenger doing something with a computer on his lap was a very hard cut and not correct and was VERY jarring and just wouldn't work. So I searched the footage for SOMETHING that I could use as a transition, and we had left the camera running while the actors were working on the scene, and the driver just happened to look over and down, and that was the perfect transition shot. Best acting he did, really.

[@ERIKVADA]

I like this guy. Straight & to the point . I’d like to work with him.

[@theadambradley]

Thanks, man! Where are you based?

[@ERIKVADA]

Adam Bradley Philadelphia, however am not opposed to travel .

[@theadambradley]

@@ERIKVADA Good to know! I get down to near Philly from time to time.

[@ERIKVADA]

Adam Bradley Nice! Appreciate the response. If you have time, check out a few of my shorts on my channel.

[@MarcosCodas]

Wow, this video is in 10000% alignment with what I experienced making my own film. Wish I'd seen this 4 years ago! But... the time machine is in YOUR film, not mine! Haha.

[@FugueState1]

I hear the "shoot everything on one location" advice a lot for micro budget films. From a production standpoint, that makes sense. But from the audience POV, it gets boring after 15 minutes or so. If at all possible, change up your locations from scene to scene. It helps to be flexible in this regard, as Adam says, since you never know what locations you may gain or lose access to during production. But since you'll be in post for years anyway, spending the extra time and/or money on some visual variety will be well worth it.

[@theadambradley]

Agreed: making one location interesting for a long time is a real challenge (one that I'm not entirely sure I solved, as a writer.) I think our director did a really good job of framing the room differently depending on the needs of each scene/shot.
But, to be clear, I'm not saying all micro-budget films should be shot in one location: they should just be shot in locations that you have easy/cheap access to. And the more locations, the greater the complications (unless you know someone who can be an effective Location Manager.)

[@4CardsMan]

Yes...but consider the original Twilight Zone. Not feature length, but powerful and effective with a minimal number of locations, sometimes just one.

[@AmberZak83]

I think it depends on your location. I’m writing a feature horror set in a children’s home because I have access to a boarding school to film at. We are planning to film every scene at the school, though we have flexibility within the location (bedrooms, common rooms, showers, offices etc). I couldn’t imagine doing a film completely set in a lift or a garage. That would be challenging to keep the momentum of the story going.

[@paulgee4336]

How NOT to treat a volunteer helper on your set.
I LOVE being on set. As an Indie Filmmaker, or helping out others any way I can on their set. So I helped out on every local indie (short) film I could. I had a pickup truck and I would load it up with all of my own personal filmmaking gear, and EVERYTHING I could think I/we MIGHT need on a shoot location. I called it my "Indie Filmmaking Kit". (ropes of various kinds, tarps, bed sheets, office supplies, bungee cords, big spring clips, spray paints, self-made indie reflectors and shades, tools of various kinds, etc.....)
So I was helping out a filmmaker, and they thought they knew everything about filmmaking (they didn't) and were "semi-professionals" (the filmmaker was in school in L.A. and had come up north to film their thesis project) and tried to run their sets like a "real film set", which isn't terrible, but you also need to be semi-casual and flexible when doing indie film, especially since all of the people are UNPAID AMATEUR/beginner volunteers. And my brother was one of the actors in the film, too.
So throughout the day on a location that was out in the boondocks in the forest, an hour drive to and from anywhere of substance, they kept needing stuff that either they just happened to need or they forgot. And sending someone back into town to get it or something would have been basically impossible, although they did have to do that a few times and worked around it.
But as I was standing around WATCHING, which is how I LEARN (the most I ever learned about filmmaking was when I spent one day on set of a small indie feature film w/a ~$250K budget), and waiting, when they talked about, "We need this" or "We forgot that", I would speak up and say, "I have that in my truck.", "I have something that will probably work in my truck.", and this happened several times. I basically saved their asses.
But I didn't make a big deal about it. Being humble on an indie film set is generally a good idea for everyone. There is nothing worse than Divas, and assholes, and the like. As in, "I'm not being paid anywhere NEAR enough to put up with this BS."
One time, the Assistant Director snapped nastily, "Oh, you have everything, don't you?" I guess she thought I made her / them look bad or something. I just shrugged it off. Whatever. But it did leave a bad taste in my mouth. And really pissed off my brother, more than me. And I would never work with them again or help them on their films. So, as usual, it was their loss.

[@sb159132]

Great video. I can relate. I shot a feature film (Josephine's Demon), in 9 days on about $2k budget. Added complexities were that we had an ensemble cast of 10 kids, one of our main actors dropped 2 weeks before the shoot, and we shot in many locations with some action scenes. Even though we'd planned all the shots, thunder storms and actor's schedules made it a constant puzzle during production. It took 3 years to finish the project, with sound editing being the biggest challenge. I wish I had more camera/lighting/sound support on the set. Production quality suffered, so I consider the film "optimized for mobile phone viewing". It was the craziest project I've ever taken on, and despite the fact that it didn't come out with a Hollywood look, it was a lot of fun.

[@IeeIee778]

Link?

[@atlbike]

"People that can make things happen", complementary skills, getting things done. Logistics, Production. The story will never happen without making things happen, the ideas and concepts can't happen without story. I've shaken my head, thrown up my arms, no F-ing reaction shot because some moronic pretend director called 'CUT'. I watched it 3 times. Thx Adam and Film Courage. Table reads, mock set rehearsals all good advice.

[@MrDaragh99]

Best pieces of advice I’ve come across on TH-cam. I’m working on a movie at the moment and I’m making this required viewing for all our crew.

[@theadambradley]

Thank you, Daragh! I hope your crew enjoys it as well, and your shoot runs smoothly.

[@LiveArchiveNetwork]

Thank you for this Adam

[@minheepark1121]

Wow thanks so much for this. And love your channel's name. Really needed the courage and lesson.

[@filmcourage]

Cheers!

[@kebe_pro]

That's so helpful, diamonds in TH-cam content, thanks a lot Adam and the Film Courage team!

[@Andybaby]

Fantastic advice. And thank you for not chopping out your pauses. Feels like I just had a real quality chat w a really smart friend who sincerely gives a damn.

[@hughscully]

Great breakdown. It is a wonderful film and an inspiration to DIY work. ‘Thanks for laying all this out. It is really informative. Love to work with you on the next one ;)

[@theadambradley]

Thanks, Hugh! I have a couple of irons in the fire...

[@technomentis]

Excellent! Congratulations in making what appeared impossible possible. Wishing you much well earned success.

[@theadambradley]

Thank you!

[@Comedyschule]

Thx for sharing ❤

[@melancholyentertainment]

This was incredibly helpful! Thank you!

[@theadambradley]

You're very welcome. Glad you found it helpful.

[@filmsbydiek7316]

So much truth here, coming from someone in the thick of it (6 months of post so far on a complex 20 min short). I just posted on my feed the other day the fast/good/cheap conundrum, and the hand we've been dealt is good/cheap, so that means SLOW. Lot's of good lessons you learned in the process, indie/beginner filmmakers take note! 4 years of post, daaaaang... Cheers to your perseverance, people that haven't done it have no idea...

[@filmcourage]

Thanks for your comment and our best to you as you complete your short.

[@filmsbydiek7316]

@@filmcourage Thanks for your work on this channel!

[@theadambradley]

Thanks! 4 years was the result of one major mistake in production, and some wrong turns in story editing - both of which could have been avoided with more development and prep.
But you only get one shot to send your film to festivals, so take as long as you need to finish it to the level where you can sleep at night. Two years to make a good film is better than 6 months to make a mediocre one.

[@palootto4021]

Your presentation is beyond inspiring.

[@andrewharris7517]

Thank you Adam…

[@sleaponit21]

your first point is my problem, finding a partner to work with in birmingham england, great vidio, thank you, graham

[@dddeadlift]

Same here Frankfurt am Main

[@arthoundfilms]

We're from Birmingham if you're ever interested

[@toodle171]

Thank you!!! Am going to shoot "Dust Devils" soon...

[@filmcourage]

Cheers! Good luck!

[@iridescentredrank5304]

Sounds cool. What's it about? Have you got a log line you could share? :)

[@toodle171]

@@iridescentredrank5304 A detective taking time off falls in love with a widow and one day following an odd off-color dust devil discovers a mass grave containing the missing body of the girl that caused him to walk away from his career.

[@theadambradley]

You're welcome! Best of luck with DD - and if you have any questions, feel free to reach out!

[@toodle171]

@@theadambradley Thank you! So 4k camera
system and final cut?

[@paulgee4336]

In our local Indie Filmmaking Group, we had several indie filmmakers, but we all helped each other out doing whatever needed to be done. It can be a challenge for some to step back and do lighting, or sound, or whatever, and let the filmmaker do their vision, but we all did pretty well for the most part. And helped each other out when needed. Sometimes it comes in handy to have some input from a filmmaker to solve a problem, or do something a better way, that makes your film better. So it's usually win-win.
I have a filmmaker's eye and know a lot about indie filmmaking. On other people's sets, I liked doing Continuity and Camera Assistant (Clapper and White Balance) and then whatever Production Assistant stuff was needed.
One time, the sound person didn't show up. So the filmmaker (Writer-Director(-Producer)) asked me to do Boom Mic Operator/Sound. So I did. Later, I asked him how I did on the sound, and he said it was the best, clearest sound he had during the whole film. (which was basically to be expected, really) But he never asked me to do sound again on any of his films. I don't know what that was about, but it was his loss.

[@MockeryManor]

Great advice!

[@theadambradley]

Thanks!

[@ErikDillard]

this was amaaaaazing! thank you!!!

[@leanderjackiegrogan]

Wow! How inspiring!

[@BigBlobProductions]

I'm writing my first feature with the intent okn filming it soon after It's finished. This was superb insight, thank you!

[@RuniDjurhuus]

BigBlobProductions dont’t spend years on it, spend some extra time in pre production instead and send your screenplay to different coverage firms when you’ve done the best writing you can on it, post production should never take years like this guy says

[@BigBlobProductions]

@@RuniDjurhuus I have no intention of spending years writing or editing. I've already done a project where that happened, because of a lack of pre-production and I do not intend to repeat that mistake.

[@theadambradley]

Thanks - and good luck!

[@theadambradley]

@@RuniDjurhuus I agree. Our post-production took years for three principal reasons: one, the director and I were doing everything ourselves, in between working day jobs; two, we changed our minds about what the fundamental structure of the film should be, and then changed our minds back. And finally, the audio was so complicated that it took us a long time to clean up the audio tracks, cover what we couldn't clean, and get the score where we wanted it.
So you're absolutely right: get good coverage and feedback, and you can avoid our second problem; get good audio, and you can avoid our third problem.
Post shouldn't take four years. It should take however long it needs - and shouldn't be rushed. Sometimes it can take time for you to see something in a new light and come up with better ideas. Our final cut is much better having been fundamentally restructured twice.
You only get one chance to release the film to the world, so make sure it's as good as it can be when you're done.

[@DirectedByRocko]

I appreciate this, a lot of people could benefit from information like this if they focused on what is being said and not who's saying it

[@willylandin9450]

Thanks a lot!

[@vincer9469]

This is GOLD! Thanks Adam!

[@kevinl20082008]

I am in the process of making my first feature, this was very helpful. Thanks 👍

[@filmcourage]

Good find! Best of luck!

[@JeanAriaMouy]

Thanks i'll try to watch the film !

[@mychalsimmons4177]

This was awesome!!!!

[@filmcourage]

Thanks Mychal!

[@theadambradley]

Thanks!!!!

[@retrohollywoodmotionpictures]

Having recently completed my first feature movie on a micro budget, I can truly say that except for having a great camera, shooting in one location (we had over 40), and working with a crew (my co-producer and I were the crew) I can totally relate to everything you've stated in this video and I would highly advise any first time filmmaker to take heed of the lessons you provided here. Also, congrats on a very good presentation, very informative, concise and to the point..

[@chrissystewart6268]

Adam thanks for the details ☺

[@trevorprime2274]

Great talk!

[@theadambradley]

Thanks!

[@TyMapp]

GREAT INFO!!!!

[@NekonataVirino]

I just stumbled across this, have to say absolutely fascinating.

[@StoneColdGroove1]

Very well done - needed to see someone actually talking about how to fail to succeed.

[@mww4612]

This is very good Advice about film making

[@golddragon51296]

Very underrated video, boost this lol.

[@firstsipstudios]

Damn.... this was fantastic!!!

[@ThomasDavis5213]

Thanks, I'm gonna use this info

[@filmcourage]

Great!

[@legons8876]

thanks man

[@damepieper2163]

Great info!

[@theadambradley]

Thank you - glad you enjoyed it!

[@solidghoststudio789]

Love you Man! Love you Film Courage!

[@sergioalcantar3290]

Really GOOD ADVICE!

[@filmcourage]

Thanks for watching Sergio!

[@kenbrisby4825]

i got exactly one new perspective by watching this. so it was worth watching. thankyou!

[@lanceevans1689]

That was really very good. Thank you.

[@filmcourage]

Glad this one found you Lance!

[@cmdr.shepard]

A "dolly in" can't be done in post. That's a zoom.

[@Skully]

This was so helpful! Thank you!

[@theadambradley]

You're welcome!

[@nathanscottshoemaker2554]

Super interesting.

[@theadambradley]

Thanks, Nathan. Makes me happy to know a lot of people found it interesting/valuable.

[@kenwoodsmusic]

This is incredibly helpful!!!! Thank you so much!!!!

[@itsjameskmartin]

Yo! Jeff Hanley was one of my teachers at Film School. Way to go!

[@HollyHargreaves]

I spend more than that on my short films 🙈 His film looks beautiful- well done 🙌

[@BulletProofBacon]

Great insights

[@theadambradley]

Thanks

[@markus8282]

VALUABLE!

[@AaronArtOKC]

how does this not have 100k views minimum

[@filmcourage]

It's up to you to revisit 80k more times and help us make it happen! 😉

[@Matt_Sorensen]

This film looks really cool, especially for $3500. Nice job.

[@Theomite]

This is nice. This is nice. Can we get like, another...12 hours of this, please?

[@theadambradley]

It's funny - when I did the first version, it ran about an hour long, and I thought: that's way too long, nobody's going to want to sit through an hour of me talking. So I cut out a lot of what I was going to say and focused specifically on making micro-budget work when you're wearing multiple hats.
Glad to know you want more!

[@Theomite]

@@theadambradley Well, you're special. Let me demonstrate:
*Regular Filmmaker on Film Courage:*
"You gotta follow your passion and not let anyone get to you when they criticize you. That's the hardest thing, is not letting people get to you and seeing it through to the end. So that's why you have to have a support system and a crew that believes in the project."
*Adam Bradley on Film Courage:*
"You gotta hire at least 24 people because half of them won't show up. Especially Phil; don't ever hire a guy named Phil. This is why you pay people at the end of the day, except for your set security. By the way, make sure you use checks because you have to report your invoices to the tax office to get any breaks and they want carbons. This is why you shoot in the last week of April because the sunlight last 3 hours longer and the quarter gives you 44 extra days to get your paperwork filed."

[@theadambradley]

@@Theomite Fucking. Hysterical.

[@theadambradley]

@@Theomite You just reminded me that I produced a short and had to have a brief fight with the director not to shoot in January because most of the story takes place outdoors and I said "Do you know how long daylight lasts in January?"

[@jacoblawrence6580]

Great video! What camera would you recommend to a beginner filmmaker? I am thinking about a Canon or Panasonic. Thanks for any help you can give me!

[@badcatzgamedevelopmentcomp4808]

Picks 2 and picks up pieces of his broken heart

[@niamscookery3442]

Bradly, a great experience !

[@MaskedFilms]

Great video and excellent tips! I wrote / produced / directed / did all camera work and set up all lighting on my feature film back in 2011-2012. Myself and the actors shot on weekends only until our feature was finished since we all had day jobs. I would spend my week evenings prepping for the next weekend scene and going over photos for wardrobe, props, where lighting was placed and so on. This video is fantastic and honest. Great work guys!

[@izzy4el]

So much meat in this video!

[@filmcourage]

All the credit goes to Adam for putting this one together for all of us.

[@theadambradley]

Thanks, Izzy. Glad you enjoyed it!

[@birojusaikumar5083]

which camera is best for an indie feature?

[@jasonnakai4700]

The best one you can afford

[@docrakidocraki8067]

Depends on if you want to buy or rent. Then what price range are you looking for? If you still want to know I could help you out

[@rrfilmproduction1084]

the newest iPhone you can get your hands onto, Filmic pro app which cost $15, some moon dog anamorphic lenses, and your imagination.....it doesn't get better than that!! Go check out the movie shot on iPhone 5s called TANGERINE which was a sundance selection. So the camera should never be an obstacle to telling a compelling story.

[@AlpineAirsoftAssault]

Awesome advice...

[@grantgreyguda]

👍 👍

[@MobileFilmmaking]

wow. this was very eye opening

[@filmcourage]

Glad you found this one!

[@MobileFilmmaking]

@@filmcourage me too

[@themightyflog]

How much did it make off the budget?

[@cmdr.shepard]

"Give me more" isn't necessarily a good thing. Giving the audience what they want don't always make a good film. A film is a whole and cannot be thought as split pieces. If you just make a film with most interesting parts only, the entire film will be uninteresting. Sometimes the best music is the ones with most tedious parts. Because without a build up you can't have the best part.
That's why we have big blockbuster films today with commercial approach to them where all of them have childish jokes in them with pop songs even in mediaval themed ones.
A film is a director's vision and every single film is different. You have to decide what's good for that specific story and even if it's against all the norm to that date, if you are absolutely sure of what you are doing then it's going to work out.

[@PhantomFilmAustralia]

Just before you lock a movie in, always have someone who is better than you at what you do, to watch it.

[@themightyflog]

AI is going to change the pick 2.

[@hiyorisarugaki1830]

I find it hard to believe it took you a year to edit a scene.

[@LOC-Ness]

In animation, you can't afford another take.

[@theadambradley]

Very good point. Animation's a whole other world, about which I know little.

[@JWS1968]

All great advice """"""BUT""""""" the number one thing that you list as the utmost importance "have people around you that you trust and will be there right to the end". These 'people' are a hens teeth commodity. These are a luxury that the majority of filmmakers do not have which sort of makes videos like this as much use as a chocolate fireguard to the average filmmaker who more than likely doesn't know a bunch of people that are willing to help or give up time on that scale. And we are talking about a lot of someone's personal time. And to know more than one person like that, are you joking? I myself have a couple of friends who are into filmmaking and even they cannot give me that amount of time. They have full time jobs and a family. They'll come out and help and do stuff for free, but to commit on the level that is suggested in this video, sorry but there just aren't that many people that will do that.

[@DavidJReidOFFICIAL]

This was good till he blamed HIS continuity on his script supervisor, in low budget gear ACTORS have to help with that.... How can you do A DIFF SHOT on same scene on diff dAY..... SHOOT complete scenes in the one day and try and shoot in order

[@stefanomaggio5109]

4 years for 3500? oof

[@halfxbreed23]

Its hard for me to wrap my head around this story. You have a trillion dollar invention. That could change the world. Yet a love triangle takes priority... ok

[@yikan1107]

There’s so much dramatic pause in this video. Stop enunciatinggggg