Trainspotting notes

Financial Constraints

Hollywood and TV put the squeeze on UK’s low-budget film-makers

Clip notes - 

- Budget films - using sources from previous times, right the script and then work from there with the resources you have. 

- If there is no place in your budget for funding actors, turn to friends and family.(preferably one that is into acting)

- Where can you get all the gear?Rent? Borrow from friends?

• Special events near you to incorporate in the film
• For a feature film use a minimum of 4 locations.
• The fewer the cast the better.
• write rolls that take advantage of the assets of the person.
• Avoid ext. night scenes.
• Avoid special effects as costly.
• Location scout, what are the best times to shoot at these locations?
• verify availability of gear and actors.
• The more you move your camera the slower production is.
• Bulk meals for crew.
• Magic hour at sunset. Just after sunrise and just before sunset.
• Genre for low budget - Horror, Drama, Comedy.

Transporting - 1996

Budget - £3.5 million

Director: Danny Boyle

Writer: Andrew MacDonald

producer: John Hodge

Synopsis - This is a film of Irvine Welshes cult Scottish novel Transporting, a series of interlinked stories concentrating on heroin-hooked anti-hero mark Renton and his attempts to kick the habit, despite a lack of co-operation from his similarly-inclined friends.

The rights to the screenplay - 

If you are planning to translate a novel into movie form, the most important thing, obviously, is to snap up the screen rights.

Finance-

The filming threesome are being badgered by Hollywood mogul Scott Rudin (Producer of Sabriana and the Firm), who offers them $250,000 to film whatever project they desire.

Pre-production -

It lasts got four to seven weeks depending on your budget and takes in casting, location scouting, working with the art department on the  look of the film - for something as simple as colour or the way something looks when its shot.

Casting -

First and foremost, however, is the casting. Ewan McGregor, who played Alex in shallow Grave, is earmarked for the Renton role from the start, and is just onboard. 

Costumes - Saving money by purchasing the costumes at charity shops and other places rather than having them made which is much more costly.

The shoot - The shoot latest 35 days, as well as night shoots

This blog post was all about the 1996 film 'Trainspotting', the task was to take as many notes as possible about this film off a presentation that we worked through in class.

From this task i was able to learn about the struggles of low budget films and how producers had to use anything and everything that was given to them make the film work with what they had.

I will be able to use this in my future revision along with the prezzi we used in class, when revising low budget films and their financing.