bly already have realised this, but for the uninitiated, this is the core theme of this paper; use your creativity where possible, not your money. Of course both creativity and dollars will always show up on the screen, just in different ways. I believe however, that any given audience would rather see creative ideas expressed in a proficient manner in a low budget movie, rather than seeing expensive production values apparent in a poor idea. This is because everyone knows what is achievable these days if you have the money. However I think the same audiences are starting to get very bored with these expensive films, because the film makers havent really used their creativity to develop their ideas, they have used their wallet.So how does one go about achieving a high standard when producing low budget films, in particular action and horror movies?Obviously it will depend on what your idea is, but over the following pages I will present certain methods, ideas and techniques for achieving pleasing results. Most of these methods are very basic, and it would surprise most people to find out that some of these techniques are actually used in similar ways in the film industry, not just in low budget, renegade film making.Problem: You have an idea where a character must crash through a thickly frosted glass door. How do you achieve this in a safe environment, with little or no money, and so that the finished stunt or shot looks effective and exciting?First of all, the biggest issue here is safety. Whenever possible you should employ the services of a safety officer and qualified stunt person to carry out the scene or shot. This is fundamental and goes without saying, and it is standard protocol in the industry. However things can and will go wrong, even if youve hired 10 safety officers. (The film Love Serenade is a solid example; a stunt person died jumping off a wheat silo.)However, you may not have the money to hire a stunt coord...
