How We Shot a $250 Short Film in 10 Hours: Production Tips for Micro Budget Filmmakers
- Indie Film Podcast
- May 22
- 3 min read
When we set out to make Dive, a nine-minute suspense short film, we had one location, two nights, a skeleton crew... and a $250 budget.
Welcome to micro budget filmmaking.
In this post, we’re breaking down how we tackled production — from cinematography and lighting setups to sound recording and the very real safety concerns of shooting out of the back of a moving truck. If you're looking for real-world short film production tips, or wondering how far a few hundred bucks can really take you, this one’s for you.
The Film at a Glance
Title: Dive
Budget: $250 (plus $500 in festival submissions)
Length: 9 minutes
Shoot Days: 2 half-days
Shots: 43 total
Final Runtime: 9 minutes
Festival Wins: Best Screenplay, Best Actress
Micro Budget Filmmaking on a Tight Schedule
We had 43 shots on the master list. Our total shoot time? 10 hours.
We filmed on two nights — 4 hours the first evening, 6 the second — using a RED camera with anamorphic lenses. This choice gave Dive a wide, cinematic look, perfect for emphasizing the bar’s emptiness and the characters’ isolation. Our cinematographer, Daniel Klamerus, used high-contrast framing and post-production split toning to give the film a subtle but striking visual signature.
Production Tip: Don’t underestimate the power of motivated lighting and intentional contrast. Our gaffer used light mats overhead to pool light around the actors, while keeping the backgrounds in shadow — a smart move for moody, low-budget storytelling.
Capturing Great Audio on Set (Even with Freezers Roaring)
Sound can make or break a short film. Chuck, our sound recordist, prioritized capturing Foley on-set wherever possible. That meant recording every footstep, door creak, and gravel crunch in real time—even hiding behind the bar to get them.
We also learned (the hard way) that filming inside a working restaurant means dealing with loud freezers and humming refrigerators. Thick curtains or partitions can help muffle that background noise if unplugging appliances isn’t an option.
Pro Tip: Rode wireless lavs are fine for run-and-gun shoots, but signal interference is real, especially in noisy, cluttered indoor environments. Always have backups and record directly to the mic units when possible.
Safety, Scheduling, and the Danger of Being “Too Efficient”
In our final hour of filming, we attempted an ambitious truck-bed shot. What we didn’t do? A trial run.
The result: our cinematographer’s knees collided with the truck bed as the driver hit the brakes. Thankfully, no injuries! But it was a close call, and a reminder to never compromise safety for the shot.
Director Takeaway: Always plan more time than you think you’ll need. Time impermanence is real, and even on low-budget sets, rushing can lead to safety issues or missed creative opportunities.
Results and What We’d Do Differently
Despite the constraints, Dive made it to the finish line and won two festival awards: Best Screenplay and Best Actress. Nearly every shot we captured made it into the final cut, a testament to detailed planning and purposeful coverage.
But we also learned what we’d do differently:
Bring acoustic partitions to future noisy sets
Schedule longer lighting setups for dolly or tracking shots
Lean into collaborators’ strengths sooner
Always budget extra hours for the unexpected
Final Thoughts
If you're wondering how to make a short film on a budget, Dive is proof that it can be done, but it takes serious planning, flexible collaborators, and a willingness to learn on the fly.
Whether you're just starting out or looking for ways to level up your next shoot, we hope this breakdown gives you practical insight into short film production without the sugarcoating.
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