Short film of the Week: Hunters
I caught this over at dvx-user and was really impressed that you can include so much CGI on such a small budget. Shooting in the sci-fi genre can be difficult when you have little or no money, but Xerxes Sangco proves it can be done.
The film was completed on a budget of $210
Plot Synopsis:
Two Hunters in search of valuable game are pit against prehistoric rivals in this sci-fi action film.
Written, Produced and Directed by Xerxes Sangco
He also has a detailed production blog that gives insight on just how he made the piece.
http://huntersfilm.blogspot.com/
Diary of a no name film maker 
Thank you for featuring my film on your blog! I really appreciate it. I’m always more than happy to answer any questions about this film.
Here’s some quick info:
-The film is a student short film made for Mt. San Antonio College
-The film was shot in 2 days which included 51 shots + 8 reshoots on the second day. Roughly totaled to about 14 hours of shooting the entire film.
-The original 2 actors cancelled out a week before shooting. I was lucky enough to find Nikolay and Spencer through a craigslist posting last minute.
-Made on a budget of $210, which includes meals/wardrobe
-All fx shots and editing was completed in a month, a week before it’s deadline.
-Filmed on a Canon T2i/550D using a Sigma 18-50 f2.8 and Sigma 18-200 f3.5-6.3; also used a DIY dolly and a Glideshot 6′ Jib.
Hope this helps!
-Xerxes
December 13, 2010 at 9:32 pm
Here’s some info I posted over at DVXuser on my approach to getting unpaid actors through Craiglist:
Everyone from cast to crew worked for copy, credit and meals. Because everyone was working for free, I tried my best to make sure their morale was up high. Feed your actors and crew well, never yell at them if they’re not giving you what you want, just try to keep a really good vibe throughout the whole project. There was even a point where we were joking around about the Pepsi bottles we had and I let my crew direct this really bad Pepsi commercial
As for finding actors on craigslist, in my experience, you will get flagged and your post will be removed if you don’t offer any pay. I understand that people need to get paid, but I found it ridiculous that my postings were constantly flagged when I stated that it was merely a student project. So be prepared to post up different variations of the same post (since craigslist doesn’t allow you to post the same exact one).
I don’t know if holding auditions for an unpaid gig is a good idea. Mainly because it’s not paid. I basically said ‘Reels are a plus, but not required’. But I don’t know, that’s just my opinion.
Also, I’d recommend showing your previous work. I was able to get my cast and crew ready for the film by showing them the FX tests I created, that way they knew what they were getting into.
Lastly, if you can, offer a digital copy of the film to download somewhere. DVDs are cool, but being able to download the film online is more convenient for everyone.
Hope this helps!
December 16, 2010 at 1:29 am
Xerxes, was kind enough to write up a detailed production blog regarding the production of this film
http://huntersfilm.blogspot.com/
December 17, 2010 at 2:38 pm