Even the most cash-strapped can make marketable and professional quality films, if they are creative enough. Low-budget films are often associated with amateur quality works that are cringe-worthy. Nevertheless, not all filmmakers are blessed with huge financial resources and they need to make do with what’s available to them. As an example, they could only recruit actors who have no proven acting experience. Poor acting can make the film looks unconvincing and wooden, regardless of how slick the production quality is. It is quite unlikely that you luck out and get a few hidden actors with Oscar-worthy performance. In fact, some filmmakers need to ask friends and acquaintances to perform in the film, although they have zero acting experience.
The real problem is, low-paid actors often have unquestionable career performance. Some of them don’t know to channel the focus and they even struggle to remember what to say when the director calls action. Professional actors are trained to do what they do and their good performance is automatic. Filmmakers should make sure that actors can easily recall their lines and remember what to say. If actors are struggling, directors may need to be flexible and shoot two lines at a time. It may take more time and effort to prepare for each scene. Actors can be told that this part of their learning process. They would be eager to perform well, because this will eventually improve their acting career and they can start to act professionally.
It is important for actors to start let go of the script. They shouldn’t waste mental energy when remembering lines and this should become part of their intuition. Actors should fully understand their characters and try to become these individuals. Directors and screenwriters need to work continuously with actors, so these actors could understand their roles well. Directors need to be patient if it needs a few re-takes when working with inexperienced, low-paid actors. Dialogues may need to be improvised to make sure that actors can perform naturally. If filmmakers are too rigid, they may fail to refine all the dialogue details. The script should also describe the dialogue properly. It’s important to make sure that the writing process is fluid, so actors can understand and memorize all the details.
Make sure that all the production stages are well refined and actors take all the practical measures. Some filmmakers could be restricted with only one camera, which will make it difficult for them to improvise. Even for very low budget production, it is best to use at least a couple of cameras. So, there will be no awkward cuts and filmmakers can capture better angles for each scene. With good screenwriting and planning, it is possible to shoot a 90-minute film in just a couple of weeks, eight hours a day. With good directing, it’s possible to achieve excellent performance, regardless of their lack of experience and acting skill. No film is without fault, but it’s possible to make excellent low-cost film prodyction.
