Some filmmakers will film a scene or two of a script, and then use that to try to get funding for the rest. Is that a good idea? I guess it can't hurt. I was thinking of doing that with a couple of my scripts, with some crew members who suggested it. Cashback and Scream did it one of them said. And I do remember another movie doing it but can't recall which one. Even if I don't get funding, can you still get feedback?
Movies that are short films at first to get funding.
- Thread starter harmonica44
- Start date
Possibly. It depends on how well-executed those scenes are and the way they present the rest of the film.
Yes.
‘Cashback’ was a short first, ‘Scream’ was not. ‘Saw’ was however, maybe that’s where you’re getting mixed up.
The thing with both the Cashback and Saw shorts, is that the both stand out as their own films. Cashback is essentially just a scene from the feature, but it does have a complete story to it. The Saw short was written as a complete story, beginning, middle and end. The trouble with your suggestion, shooting just a scene from your film, is that it wont have any story. Things will just be happening, with no rhyme or reason.
As you said though, it can’t harm your chances of getting funding and it may show off your skills enough to impress one or two of the right people.
Another option you could go for would be to make a fake trailer…
The thing with both the Cashback and Saw shorts, is that the both stand out as their own films. Cashback is essentially just a scene from the feature, but it does have a complete story to it. The Saw short was written as a complete story, beginning, middle and end. The trouble with your suggestion, shooting just a scene from your film, is that it wont have any story. Things will just be happening, with no rhyme or reason.
As you said though, it can’t harm your chances of getting funding and it may show off your skills enough to impress one or two of the right people.
Another option you could go for would be to make a fake trailer…
Yeah I thought about the fake trailer too, if that's as good of an option. It would be impossible to try to condense one of my features down to a short, and have it make sense as a complete story. How did Saw and Cashback do that, while still keeping the same story?
The problem with a fake trailer is that it will teach you nothing.
Trailers shot before you shoot the film are designed to give an impression of what the product will look and feel like. It is designed to show investors some sort of visual interpretation of your idea.
If you show a teaser trailer to a production company or whatever from whom you are seeking money, but can't show them any previous narrative work then it will be self defeating. Shooting a teaser trailer does not prove that you can make a film, whereas making a short will prove that you have at least some of the necessary assets.
Once again I would say that you should make a short or make a feature or make a trailer, but for God's sake make something!
Trailers shot before you shoot the film are designed to give an impression of what the product will look and feel like. It is designed to show investors some sort of visual interpretation of your idea.
If you show a teaser trailer to a production company or whatever from whom you are seeking money, but can't show them any previous narrative work then it will be self defeating. Shooting a teaser trailer does not prove that you can make a film, whereas making a short will prove that you have at least some of the necessary assets.
Once again I would say that you should make a short or make a feature or make a trailer, but for God's sake make something!
I haven't seen the feature version of Cashback. If a remember rightly (I was only watching for one reason), the short is about a guy who freezes time in a supermarket, then uses the time to draw the patrons nude. I believe the feature uses this exact scene as a kind-of 'dream sequence'. Saw was made as its own story, but is essentially the story of Amanda (the girl in the reverse bear-trap and eventual killer), only in the short it's a man (Leigh Whannel, writer and actor from the feature).
Nick's right though. A trailer may show an investor that the film you want to make could be good, but that won't be enough to sell it. I only suggest it as I think it would be a lot of fun to do, but, realistically, it won't get you very far.
Am I wrong, or did I not read a while back that you had a fair bit of money to fund your film yourself? Why are you trying to seek investment now?
Nick's right though. A trailer may show an investor that the film you want to make could be good, but that won't be enough to sell it. I only suggest it as I think it would be a lot of fun to do, but, realistically, it won't get you very far.
Am I wrong, or did I not read a while back that you had a fair bit of money to fund your film yourself? Why are you trying to seek investment now?
I can fund it myself, but I thought it would be a good investment and learning experience anyway. But since it's not a good idea at this early stage, since I have no prior shorts finished, I will just make shorts instead.
I have shot some footage myself and shot a scene from a script. I am just in the editing stage now, and learning how all that works. I will post it once I'm done, and I will make something real when I can get enough people involved. It's just a long process and before my first real short script, I need to experiment with some FX and get that right, before I can shoot it.
I have shot some footage myself and shot a scene from a script. I am just in the editing stage now, and learning how all that works. I will post it once I'm done, and I will make something real when I can get enough people involved. It's just a long process and before my first real short script, I need to experiment with some FX and get that right, before I can shoot it.
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Her's what I don't get. The Saw short film isn't really a complete story, at least if you count not knowing anything about who the killer is or why much.
Another better example would be the action short film Mortal Kombat: Rebirth, directed by Kevin Tancharoen. For a short film, there are several unexplained holes in the story, and not everything is covered. So do I really have to make a short with a complete story when Rebirth does not have one. Haven't seen the Saw short so don't know if it does.
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How's this for an idea on a short. What if I filmed the climax of my feature and before it started I had a subtitled narration that of what happened before, kinda like the narration in Star Wars? Is that do-able?
Just to add to the list..
Napoleon Dynamite and Bottle Rocket were also shorts that earned funding for a feature.
Napoleon Dynamite and Bottle Rocket were also shorts that earned funding for a feature.
LOTS of features start as shorts. 9 was a short before being expanded to a feature. Slingblade was another, and an interesting case. The short established the character. The movie told a story with that character. If you've seen the movie, the short is pretty much the interview at the beginning (it was redone for the film and largely improvised by Billy Bob Thornton).
I'm planning on doing the shoot a scene thing. I have a few scenes in my screenplay that I think would be financially viable on their own. My idea is to shoot the scenes that have the most hormonal impact but require only 1 actor and no dialog. I plan to shoot two versions of each scene, a PG type and an unrated version. I figure that I'll put the PG versions on sites like youtube and the unrated ones available for pay-per-view on my website. I also plan to sell overpriced "pre-release" merchandise on my website and use the money to fund production of the full film. There is also a state grant that I'm looking into, but it's a repayment type of grant that will only cover up to 50% of the production cost with a maximum of $100,000.00. I hope to be able to shoot my flick for $50,000.00. If I get more money, I'll make a visually more appealing film.
The short for "9" was a great example of this technique.
I personally don't believe in fake trailers, because that's not how trailers are made, and you get a result that misrepresents the proposed film.
I personally don't believe in fake trailers, because that's not how trailers are made, and you get a result that misrepresents the proposed film.
Wouldn't just a scene on it's own misrepresent the proposed film too, to an extent, since you are doing it with different actors then you would be later most likely, and you might have to change some of the scene around to fit on it's own?
Ideally, I'll be using the same actors for the single scenes as the rest of the movie. If, after funding, I get to use better cameras and gear that change the look of the film, I will reshoot the scenes so that they match.