
How to work with a screenplay
Let's breakdown the budget
See how two filmmakers ditch the Hollywood funding grind to make an indie feature cheap, fast, and good, building momentum from script to production.
The filmmaker handles contracts in-house to save lawyers' fees, using pay-or-play agreements to secure three leads and guarantee they are paid even if the project doesn't proceed.
We locked in our principal cast and key locations, then set a tight schedule around actor availability and location windows, finishing the shoot in 11 days.
Discover the indie casting process by exploring online outreach via MySpace, using breakdown express and Actors Access, conducting hundreds of auditions, and building a three-lead core with chemistry.
Explore the lead audition for an indie feature, examining original casting performances, character psychology, and emotional complexity in a hands-on masterclass.
explore relationship dynamics through candid dialogue and character-driven moments in indie feature storytelling, highlighting miscommunication, personal growth, and turning points in conversations between Melissa and Anna.
Explore the dynamics of casting the lead role through an original audition, as performers navigate friendship, honesty, and character transformation in an indie feature film context.
Explore casting strategies for an intimate indie film by auditioning every speaking and supporting role, keeping the focus on authentic performances and finding the right fit among unknown actors.
Watch the entire cast read through the script and be a fly on the wall throughout the process
Learn how to schedule start times and turnarounds for indie feature shoots, including late calls and after-hours filming, while ensuring a 10-hour turnaround to meet the next day’s calls.
Explore guerrilla style shooting with improvised locations and in-car coverage, filming after hours in a parking lot while acknowledging the absence of permits and legal risks.
Coordinate production logistics to ensure creature comforts by securing shelter, power, and protection for equipment during an outdoor four-day shoot, with heaters and a ready staging area.
Explore cash versus checks for paying meals on day one, weighing simplicity and timing; favor cash for quick lunches while considering checks to avoid banking delays.
Two cinematographers collaborate on a voyeuristic two-camera shoot, sharing director of photography duties and lighting while aligning on look, style, and on-set decisions through pre-discussion and real-time adjustments.
Highlight the script supervisor’s vital role in indie features, using facing pages and detailed notes to track continuity, coverage, and post-production needs.
Wardrobe emerged from the casting process as Davy stepped in and shaped the film's look. With a $500 budget, wardrobe covered the three leads while others provided their own.
Day 1 covers securing locations, starting at a home with a glass front door for a key scene, negotiating a budget-friendly liquor store in Glendale, and navigating LA location challenges.
Day 2 covers on-set sound with car-mounted AKG swivel capsule mic, wireless transmitter, foreground dialogue, and quick improvisations to manage noise and lighting on the run.
Navigate a low-budget indie shoot through a night-long schedule at Bergen's tavern. Work with limited turnaround and few shooting hours, weighing energy, opening scene stakes, and the director's instincts.
Learn practical night lighting for car scenes by balancing available exterior light with interior illumination, using front lighting, micro flow, and diffusion while weighing limited resources and permits.
Navigate on-set sound in a car scene by balancing wireless RF gear with a cable run, managing ambient noise and static while prioritizing multiple takes over looping to preserve storytelling.
Explore camera coverage for driving scenes in an indie feature, using multi-camera setups, long-lens handheld work, and a tow rig with a shot maker to keep a cohesive visual language.
Explore practical lighting and blocking challenges during a cafe scene, using diffusion over practical bulbs to soften light, and solve camera placement and eyeline issues with pre-planned diagrams.
Secure a Los Angeles club as a four-day shoot on a tight budget, transforming the venue into a nightclub to save on location costs and production time.
On set sound and lighting coordination with blocking, extras, and camera to protect boom shadows, manage tight spaces, and support emotionally charged performances through take one planning.
Join over 33,000 students learning from our courses!
You can spend tens of thousands of dollars on film school, you can work as a production assistant for a decade and hope to move up the ladder – or you can GET OUT THERE AND MAKE YOUR OWN MOVIE! FILM SCHOOL IN A BOX shows you – in every possible detail – how one team of Hollywood professionals made, and commercially released, a movie on a micro-budget of $100,000. YOU CAN TOO!
FILMMAKING IN A BOX has over 20+ Hours of real world lessons they DON'T teach you this in Film School! This course is unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Seriously.
If you’re a lover of movies who dreams of getting behind the camera, you know you own dozens of DVDs with behind-the-scens material that you’ve watched 100 times. Right?
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"It shares the kind of lessons that can usually only be learned by doing. Not a lecture, not a seminar, just the honest, accurate, moment-to-moment account of everything it takes to put a film together."
Earl Newton, Executive Producer/Creator Stranger Things
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FIB examines the EVERY detail of the making of an independent movie called 2 Million Stupid Women (a comedy written by a woman!), which was made for only $100,000, made within the “Hollywood” system.
FILMMAKING IN A BOX has ton of INCREDIBLY detailed behind-the-scenes interviews and footage covering every stage of the prep, production and post-production . You’ll get interviews and conversations with all key members of the production team: the director, the producers, the writer, the cinematographers, the editor, the production sound mixer, the post production sound designer, the assistant director and more! These are not marketing fluff interviews – these are uncensored, honest and straight-to-the-point discussions about every pitfall, conflict and negotiation required to complete the project.
In addition – you also get hundreds of pages of the actual documents used to make the film: the full budget (yes! the REAL full budget, line by line see how the money was spent), the schedule, call sheets, every contract, director’s notes and MORE.
FILM SCHOOL IN A BOX will take you, step-by-step, through the exact process this team took to mount an independent feature film from the ground up. FILM FILM SCHOOL IN A BOX shines a light on every potential misstep and lucky break that can fall into a first-time (or second or third!) filmmaker’s lap.
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"I wish something like this existed when I was starting out... No bulls**t; the next best thing to actually being there with the filmmakers while they were making it!"
Mark Bell, Owner/Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, FilmThreat
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To get a real idea of what’s inside, you need to see the FULL TABLE OF CONTENTS (link below!), but – just as a sample FIB includes:
The complete filmmaking experience all in one package. Over 17 hours divided into 108 individual video modules covering:
• Development
• Funding
• Contracts
• Casting
• Rehearsals
• Locations
• Lighting
• Sound
• Cameras
• Production Diary
• Editing
• Score
• Music
• Post Production Sound
We also include all the production documents we used:
• Full Budget
• Schedule
• Screenplay
• Call Sheets
• Casting Notes
• Contracts
FILMMAKING IN A BOX also includes such unique features as:
• Audition footage
• Rehearsals with the actors
• The complete, pre-mixed, rough-cut of 2 Million Stupid Women
• The entire table read with the cast and filmmakers of 2 Million Stupid Women
• Comprehensive explanations on lighting and recording sound for every day of production
• Behind the scenes footage shot during principle photography
• Examples of the contracts, permits, call sheets, sound reports, and dozens of other pertinent documents used during production
• Over 100 individual video modules detailing every single element of pre-production, production and post-production
• The final release version of 2 Million Stupid Women
• And even more…
FIB is a must-own for anyone thinking of making their first, second or even third feature film
It is beyond anything you can learn from film school or filmmaking tips in a book.
This is as close to the experience of actually making a movie as you can get – without actually doing it. Through candid, first-hand anecdotes, hard-earned by actual independent filmmakers, FILMMAKING IN A BOXwill help prepare you for what to expect before you ever step foot on set. Whether you’re prepping your first film, or you’re simply curious what goes into making an independent film, FILMMAKING IN A BOX is an essential tool of every aspiring filmmaker or video creator.
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If you've got the passion - but you're missing the knowledge and experience...Filmmaking in a Box will help you make your film into a reality.
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