Donavon Warren is an actor, director, and producer known for his low-budget cult hit feature film Wheels, which he distributed through his production company, Loaded Dice Films. His latest project (working title: Vampire Apocalypse) is set to move into production in the coming months.
We got a chance to sit down with Donavon and pick his brain about the process of making movies. Here are his biggest tips for aspiring indie filmmakers:
1. Have faith.
2. Don’t let budget stop you.
This goes along with faith but is more important because it’s one of the biggest things that stops people. People use budget constraints as an excuse to not make a film. The truth is, money is an illusion. It’s sheets of paper or digits on a screen. There is always a way to get a movie done with less money than you think you need. When we shot Wheels, we would start a week of shooting without knowing where we’d get the money to finish the week. I sold my car. Signed up for medical testing. Still not enough money. Borrowed. Fundraised. We gave people credits in the film. Still not enough. Then we found a way to trade odd jobs in exchange for using expensive locations. We shot at a studio in exchange for landscaping work. We shot at a dive tank in exchange for hauling debris. Money is never the only answer.
People will also do more for something they love than they will ever do for money. When people see how passionate you are about your film, that passion becomes contagious, and that’s when the magic happens. I would never want to work with someone who is only showing up for a paycheck, that’s not good filmmaking.
3. Shoot more days with smaller crews.
We shot Wheels over 60 days. For low-budget filmmaking that’s unheard of. Most low-budget films shoot for 12 days, some 18, and if you want to get really crazy, 24 days. We shot for 60, and it shows. Kubrick was a big fan of longer shoots with skeleton crews, and so am I. I would rather shoot more days with a small crew than use a huge crew on a tight schedule. That’s how we made Wheels look that good for $60,000. In filmmaking, as in life, time is everything. You have to fight for it. Time is energy and passion. The more you put in, the better the movie.
4. You get rewarded for passing tests.
The universe will test you relentlessly on a film set. We shot for 60 days, and every other day, without fail, there was a show-stopping test. Our first lead actress got pregnant in between shooting blocks and couldn’t film the second block. The new actress got run off the road and rolled her car 7 times on her way to set. The grip truck caught on fire. We had no money to feed people. We had the police called on us multiple times. We got locked out of locations. Someone broke an irreplaceable piece of equipment. On and on. The point is: accept that the universe will test you in ways you’ve never imagined. But when you make peace with the chaos, that’s when the magic happens. There is absolutely no better feeling in the world than achieving something no one thought was possible by creating something as monumental as a feature film.
5. Work with people you love.
Making movies is one of the true blessings of my life, and a big part of that is the people I work with. So many crazy and memorable things happen on set, but the thing that sticks with me the most is the people. The people you surround yourself with will drastically change the way those events play out. When you’re working with the same small group for long hours in stressful situations, you want people that add to those events and create positive memories. Otherwise, it’s just not worth it. When you surround yourself with people you love, you make the process easier and the memories better.
6. Enjoy the process.
Sometimes days are challenging. I don’t know of any other profession where lunch is 8 hours in, or people get more revved up than anything at five in the morning. Walking on a film set at 5am is one of the best feelings in the world. The sun’s not ever up, and people are standing around with their coffee and chatting. There is a palpable energy in the air. I have shot for 36 hours before and loved every second of it. As stressful as it can get, there’s nothing I love more than making movies. It’s important to remember that.
7. Movies last forever.
Chances are, your first film will feel more difficult than you have ever experienced. That is part of filmmaking. But one thing you have to keep in mind is that movies last forever. When you make a movie and it’s finished, you have captured something that will exist long after you are dead. You might go broke or become homeless making it, but pain is temporary…