So everyone is out to make a low-budget screenplay so they can kickstart their career, but a low-budget screenplay is harder than it seems at first. This blog is meant to help you navigate and think of the challenges beforehand. Having worked on dozens of low-budget projects, we know a thing or two about those challenges and want to help you navigate them.

A low-budget screenplay typically has a smaller cast, minimal locations, and minimal special effects. It also typically focuses on strong characters and dialogue, as these elements can be more impactful and less expensive to produce than action or visual effects. Additionally, a low-budget screenplay may rely on creative storytelling techniques, such as using flashbacks or non-linear narratives, to create a sense of scope and depth without the need for expensive production values.

So let’s take each of the elements of a low-budget screenplay and dissect the complications you’ll encounter with each element.

SINGLE LOCATION

One difficulty in writing a single-location screenplay is maintaining tension and conflict throughout the story. With a limited setting, it can be challenging to keep the audience engaged and invested in the characters and their struggles. To overcome this, the writer must focus on creating complex and dynamic characters and relationships and ensuring that the stakes are high for the characters. Another difficulty is creating a sense of visual interest and variety within the limited setting. The writer must use the setting creatively and find ways to make it visually interesting and dynamic. This can be achieved through the use of lighting, camera angles, and other production techniques. Additionally, it can be challenging to convey information to the audience without breaking the continuity of the story. The writer must carefully reveal information in a natural and organic way, without using expository dialogue or voice-over narration. Overall, writing a single-location screenplay requires a high level of creativity, character development and story-building to make it interesting and engaging for the audience.

MINIMAL CHARACTERS

One difficulty in writing a minimal character screenplay is developing a compelling story with a limited cast. With fewer characters to work with, each character must be well-rounded and complex, with clear motivations and goals that drive the story forward. It can be challenging to create a sense of tension and conflict with a smaller cast, so the writer must make sure that the stakes are high for the characters and that they are facing difficult and meaningful challenges. Another difficulty is creating a sense of depth and richness within the story. With fewer characters, the writer must find ways to convey information about the world and the characters’ backgrounds without relying on exposition or flashbacks. This requires a high level of subtlety and nuance in the writing. Additionally, it can be challenging to create a sense of visual interest and variety with a limited cast. The writer must find ways to make the setting and the characters’ actions visually interesting, without relying on a large cast or special effects. This can be achieved through the use of lighting, camera angles, and other production techniques. Overall, writing a minimal character screenplay requires a high level of skill in character development, world-building, and storytelling to make it engaging and interesting for the audience.

NON-LINEAR NARRATIVES

Several challenges come with writing a nonlinear screenplay. Some of these include:
Maintaining continuity and coherence: Jumping back and forth in time and between different perspectives can be disorienting for the audience, so it is important to ensure that the story is easy to follow and that the events are presented logically and coherently.
Keeping the audience engaged: Nonlinear storytelling can be confusing and disorienting for some viewers, so it’s important to ensure that the story is engaging and that the audience has a reason to care about the characters and their struggles.
Revealing information at the right time: In a nonlinear screenplay, information is revealed out of chronological order. It’s important to find the balance between revealing information too early or too late so that the audience can understand the story as it unfolds.
Building tension and suspense: In a nonlinear screenplay, the audience already knows some of the outcomes of the story, so it’s important to find ways to build tension and suspense in spite of that.
Creating a sense of unity: The different storylines, flashbacks, and flash-forwards must be connected and unified cohesively.
Overall, writing a nonlinear screenplay is a challenging task that requires a lot of planning and a deep understanding of storytelling techniques and audience engagement. It’s a great way to tell a story in a unique and engaging way if done well.

CONCLUSION

Writing a low-budget screenplay is tough… much tougher than a screenplay without budgetary restrictions. Having worked on dozens of low-budget projects, our suggestion is to always write freely and worry about the budget later. Adjusting the budget while in a draft is always a creativity killer. If your instinct is to have a stunt during your opening drafts, just do it (you can change that or modify it later). If your instinct is to have your character leave the location, just make it happen and worry about modifying later. If you sacrifice your creative instincts for technical accommodations, you are likely to run into some walls, and it’s much easier to adapt to technicalities later by adjusting locations to be more “low production friendly.”