Menu

PODCAST: Shooting A No-Budget Feature Film As A One-Man-Band

In this solo episode, I share a behind the scenes look into my latest feature film, which is being shot with no crew and a highly unconventional workflow. I decided to experiment with this new filmmaking paradigm to test my own creative limits, and show that a great film can be produced on any level, regardless of budget or resources.

Throughout the episode I outline how taking a “one-man-band” approach to filmmaking can actually increase production value, while also making for a more creatively rewarding process. Topics covered include:

  • How I balance directing, DP’ing, and sound recording myself
  • Why I’m shooting the film in 2-3 day blocks over several months
  • Editing the film while we are shooting to inform future script changes
  • The gear I’m using to shoot the film
  • Challenges and workarounds for filmmakers looking to take this approach

This is Episode 169: Shooting A No-Budget Feature Film As A One-Man-Band

Subscribe to this podcast via Apple Podcasts

Subscribe to this podcast via Spotify

Subscribe to this podcast via Google Play

Subscribe to this podcast via Stitcher

Subscribe to this podcast via RSS

Get a free exhibit pass to NAB Show by clicking here.

For more exclusive content like this, sign up for my newsletter.

About Author

Noam Kroll is an award-winning Los Angeles based filmmaker, and the founder of the boutique production house, Creative Rebellion. His work can be seen at international film festivals, on network television, and in various publications across the globe. Follow Noam on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for more content like this!

2 Comments

  • Thank you for this! I earned so much. A couple of questions:
    1. How do you insure continuity in actor’s hair, seasonal changes outside, and other things that could really get missed or could change shooting over such a long span of time?
    2. When you say you record the dialogue all after the scene just in case your wireless mics don’t get it good enough how do you insure it matches for the ADR later so that the lips match the words? Or did I miss something?
    Thanks again!
    Erick

    Reply
    • Great questions. I would say:

      1. There aren’t many seasonal changes here in LA, so that makes exterior continuity easy. Otherwise though, I would write the seasonal changes into the script. As for hair/wardrobe, there is only one actor who appears in every shooting block in this film, so he is the only one that needs to maintain his look. This makes it pretty easy to track – And we are shooting sequentially, so if anything changes along the way we can work it into the storyline.

      2. The dialogue is never a perfect match, but it is usually close enough that I can re-time it in post to fit. Alternatively I can cut away to another shot to fix any inconsistencies, and there is always ADR at the end when all else fails!

      Reply

Leave a Reply