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How To Write A Micro Budget Sci-Fi Feature Film

Tales_from_The_Argo

Tales_from_The_Argo

Guys,

I really want to write a screenplay for a micro budget feature film, the trouble is I want it to be a Sci-Fi and that genre brings about all kinds of glossy/SFX expectations. Do you think it's possible to write a micro budget (as in 50-150k) Sci-Fi that is cinema worthy?

Also can you think of famous examples of others who've done the same?

Many thanks :)
 
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Alcove Audio said:
The DVD extras/commentaries are great. See/listen to them if you get the chance.
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Will do! I have the version that has the 70 minute Making Of doc, plus the Robert Wise (and Nicolas Meyer) commentary. I also have 3 versions of the Bernard Herrmann soundtrack, which I really like.


Dayearthstoodstill.jpg



The Keanu Reeves' version is utterly worthless to me, except that many copies included the superior 1951 movie.
 
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Back to the original thread poster, three of my features happen to be ultra-low budget sci-fi. What I least like about them are the scenes that give away how cheap they are. Audiences tend to be hard on effects and sets that are not top notch quality.

There are many ways to view the scope of a movie, for instance, you can try to show the full out alien invasion, or you can isololate the point of view from one household (or other location). My suggestion is to cast for the best actors you can get and go for the smaller POV. That does not mean that you can't show cool stuff, but it will make it more possible for you to pull off.
 
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Tales_from_The_Argo said:
Guys,

I really want to write a screenplay for a micro budget feature film, the trouble is I want it to be a Sci-Fi and that genre brings about all kinds of glossy/SFX expectations. Do you think it's possible to write a micro budget (as in 50-150k) Sci-Fi that is cinema worthy?

Also can you think of famous examples of others who've done the same?

Many thanks :)
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It always comes back to story - no matter what the genre.

Can we consider Signs sci-fi? There isn't anything too crazy going on there and we only see the alien once.

I'm assuming you, like me, plan on producing your script which is why you've got the budget concerns when writing it.

Watch some episodes of Firefly. Heck, watch some old episodes of Star Trek. Check out the landscapes... there really is nothing "alien" about any of them.

You can probably fabricate a set for your ship for 5 grand... consider renting some empty storage units to build some rooms in... this will add to the claustrophobic feel ;)

The biggest concern - if you are planning on producing this yourself - is don't try to do / write anything that is beyond what you can do with your budget. Yes, you can probably make a model of an amazing battleship - but can you pull off the interiors if you need to?

But no matter what you decide to do... remember, the audience can forgive some not-so great effects IF you have a great story... but it doesn't work the other way around. No amount of CGI or VFX can save a terrible script.
 
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Tales_from_The_Argo said:
Guys,

I really want to write a screenplay for a micro budget feature film, the trouble is I want it to be a Sci-Fi and that genre brings about all kinds of glossy/SFX expectations. Do you think it's possible to write a micro budget (as in 50-150k) Sci-Fi that is cinema worthy?

Also can you think of famous examples of others who've done the same?

Many thanks :)
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Sure it's possible. I've done it. Quite well, too, if I say so myself.
The entire story takes place aboard ship, no CGI, only minor F/X, no aliens, and no exterior shots of the ship.
Your imagination is the only limit to the story you can tell.
 
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It is a fantastic film in every way. I like stories related to memories, and it's a film I can relate to the characters with as well.

To the OP:

If you haven't seen Eternal Sunshine yet I recommend you do, it is character driven and there are sci-fi elements to it but they don't overshadow the theme of the movie - you may get some inspiration from it.
 
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One of the things that makes the film great is that the science fiction elements in the film do not cover a weak story. They assist the story to make for a more interesting viewing experience. It seems that many science fiction films right now are very VFX driven, and when you cut through all of the filler and nice visuals - you find a weak story with uninteresting characters. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, like stated, does not let science fiction elements overshadow theme. It is a film with a near perfect formula of both style and substance, which is in my opinion, what science fiction should be.
 
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I tend to somewhat ignore budget when I write, unless I write for something that's going to be my own production, in which case I usually keep it REALLY cheap (and also do effects that are very cheap, or effects I know can be done for cheap).

You might wanna do some research to see what kind of effects can be done on the cheap. I recommend resources like FilmRiot and IndyMogul for that stuff.

Most horror films are special effects heavy, yet it's the cheapest genre to make (apart from a talking heads drama), so come up with the idea first, and then see. Just don't move the story around too much, because that's going to drive the budget up a TON.
 
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A good recent example is the film Another Earth. Very minimal effects, drama based, but very strong sci-fi element, very inexpensive to make. And it was a festival film which you mentioned in your post
 
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ChimpPhobiaFilms said:
One of the things that makes the film great is that the science fiction elements in the film do not cover a weak story. They assist the story to make for a more interesting viewing experience. It seems that many science fiction films right now are very VFX driven, and when you cut through all of the filler and nice visuals - you find a weak story with uninteresting characters. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, like stated, does not let science fiction elements overshadow theme. It is a film with a near perfect formula of both style and substance, which is in my opinion, what science fiction should be.
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...I'm also getting fairly tired of getting hammered over the head with special effects. The latest Superman movie was way, WAY over the top. Buildings falling over. Cities being destroyed. Anymore I just wait for all the explosions to stop and hope there's a plot somewhere beneath all the dust.

The best example of unneeded special effects is Spielberg's "redo" of the first Star Wars movie. Nothing like taking a classical SciFi and painting it up like a cheap whore.

-Birdman
 
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Birdman said:
The best example of unneeded special effects is Spielberg's "redo" of the first Star Wars movie. Nothing like taking a classical SciFi and painting it up like a cheap whore.

-Birdman
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I didn't like the new fx. I thought they were easy to spot. They changed one of the songs I liked from the original.

The way it was done originally had charm. I think that relates to the original question but having costumed actors and models instead of flashy cgi might be expensive and time consuming too.

I'm working on a no/low budget sci fi movie. I'm finding that making props and models etc takes a very long time. I'm trying to get close to some of the fx from old Dr. Who.

I'm really impressed by the look of some of the scenes from the Hunting Grounds trailer ->
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6peCYtigIU

look at 0:01, 0:11, 0:30
 
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jonbonjovidepp said:
A Norwegian sci-fi movie was made for $8500, and looks like this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Dv-iayj0zU

Pretty sick.
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The director (17 year old at the time) posted on here a while back. I think he said he shot it using a RED. Some of the locations looked great and one of his trailers had a full tactical assault team race in. Does he or his parents have great connections in the industry over there? Did he get crew and the DP for free? $8500 would not go far. Regardless, for his age, the director did good.

Another director was on here a while back. He shot a Sci-Fi feature in Sydney. His budget was under $30k, I can't remember the exact amount. His feature got selected by various film festivals including the London Sci-Fi Film Festival.
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In Norway, $8500 is pocket change. Average middle class salary is probably around $5000 - $8000 p/m. So it doesn't get you any far.

I think you just ask people, and maybe offer to do something in return. The goodwill of other people is really awesome sometimes.

You would essentially just ask a SWAT team if you could borrow some of their uniforms for a day, because you want to do X. I can do such-and-such in return for you guys. It's like any other business proposal, except it's a little more fun.

Obviously, these guys have an entire story to pitch:
"Hey, we're a school class who wants to make a movie. We're all between the ages of 16 and 18, with a little help from adults. Could you help us out?"

A cool story like that helps you sell people on the idea of helping you out.

Also, there's not a whole lot of movie stuff going on in Norway, so if you ask people if you can shoot a movie in their location for a couple of days, they'll probably be stoked about it. That same concept probably goes across all places where there's not a whole lot of movie going on.
 
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Mannie Bothans said:
Also, check out "The Man from Earth" (2007).
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Yes!!

If the OP is going into this project with concerns about VFX uppermost in his mind, he's finished before he begins.

You have to tell a story first. If it must have sci-fi elements, they'll come out in the story, if it's interesting enough.

"The Man From Earth" was simply a bunch of friends chatting in a cabin in the woods. But one of them was different than the rest. And what he told them about himself provided all the sci-fi interest an audience could want.
 
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