This is it.

This is the war.

This isn't a "short film." This isn't a "fun weekend." This is a feature. This is a 90-page monster. This is a three-week, sleep-deprived, relationship-ending, soul-crushing marathon.

And you've got $50,000.

Let me be the first to tell you: $50,000 is the worst budget in the world. It's just enough to convince you that you're a "real" filmmaker, and just enough to hang you when you try to make a $2 million movie with it.

It's the budget where you hire a C-list "name" actor who eats your entire budget in hotel fees. It's the budget where you rent an ARRI Alexa... and have no money left for lights, sound, or the edit.

It is the single greatest trap in indie film.

But you're not going to fall for it. You're a GFS producer. You're a shark. You're going to use that $50k for one thing and one thing only: TO. FINISH. THE. MOVIE.

First, let's get one thing straight. Your $50,000 is not $50,000.

It's $25,000.

This is the GFS 50/50 Rule, and it will save your life. 50% FOR PRODUCTION. 50% FOR POST-PRODUCTION.

The single biggest mistake producers make is spending their entire budget on the shoot. They wrap Day 18, high-five, and then realize they have $0 left to edit the damn thing, mix the sound, color the footage, or license the one song they need.

Your feature will be saved in post. You must budget for it.

So, you don't have $50k. You have a $25,000 production budget. Now we can talk.

Step 1: Your AI is Now a Studio Exec (And It's an Asshole)

On your $10k short, your AI was your line producer. For your $50k feature, it's your new studio boss. And its only job is to say "NO."

Your single biggest cost-saver is THE SCRIPT. You don't save money on set. You save it in the script... six months before you ever shoot.

Your $50k feature script is NOT a 120-page epic with 30 locations and 15 actors.

Your $50k feature script is:

• 1 Location. (A house, a cabin, a warehouse.)

• 4 Actors. (Max.)

• 90 Pages. (Tops.)

This is the "Sandbox" method on steroids. This is Coherence, Saw, Primer. You are weaponizing your constraints.

Before you ever attach a DP, you feed your script to your AI partner.

Prompt: "Act as a ruthless studio executive with a $25,000 production budget. Read this 90-page script. Your job is to kill this movie. Flag every element that creates a new cost.

• Every new location.

• Every new character (even 1 line).

• Every stunt (a "punch" is a stunt).

• Every "crowd" (more than 5 people).

• Every prop that can't be bought at a thrift store.

• Every night shoot.

Now, deliver the 'pass' notes on why you are not greenlighting this script."

The AI will hand you a 5-page list of everything wrong with your script. Your job, as the producer, is to rewrite... and rewrite... and rewrite... until the AI can't find a single thing to cut.

When the AI says, "I have no notes. This is a shootable $25k film"... then you have a green light.

Step 2: The "No More Favors" Budget (Where the $25k Really Goes)

This isn't a "Pizza & Beer" budget anymore. This is a "Day Rate & Paycheck" budget. Your crew is no longer your "friend." They are your employee.

This is where the money goes.

• INSURANCE ($3,000 - $5,000): Your $10k short had a weekend policy. Your feature needs a 1-month General Liability & Gear policy. It's non-negotiable. It's your first check.

• THE HOLY TRINITY (Your Crew) ($15,000): This is your production value. You are not hiring a "crew." You are hiring three artists for 3-4 weeks.

  • DP (with gear package): ($5k-7k) You're paying for their eye and their kit.

  • Sound Mixer (with gear package): ($4k-6k) You're paying for clean audio for 90 pages.

  • Production Designer (with art budget): ($4k-6k) You're paying them to transform your one location.

• TALENT (The Actors) ($3,000 - $5,000): You're not using your friends. You are paying actors. You are using the SAG Ultra Low Budget Agreement. This makes you a legitimate production. This gives you access to real talent.

• LOGISTICS (The Boring Shit) ($2,000 - $4,000): This is FOOD. This is the real morale. This is coffee. This is water. This is decent, hot lunches every day. A hungry crew is a mutinous crew. This is also your "Oh Shit" fund for gas, gaff tape, and hard drives.

Wait... that's more than $25,000.

WELCOME TO PRODUCING.

This is the job. You have to make the hard calls before you roll. Can you find a DP who will do it for $5k? Can you cut the shoot from 18 days to 15? Can you find a location for free?

Your AI partner is now your 24/7 Unit Production Manager.

Prompt: "Act as my UPM. My $25k budget is over by $3,000. I cannot cut crew pay. My shoot is 15 days.

1. Find $3,000 in cuts from my 'Logistics' and 'Talent' budgets.

2. Generate a 15-day 'stripboard' schedule, grouping all 'kitchen' scenes and all 'night' scenes to save time."

The AI will do the math. It will create the schedule. It will be your ruthless, un-sleeping, logical partner.

Step 3: The Other $25,000 (Finishing the Damn Thing)

You wrapped. You're a hero. You're exhausted. You're broke.

No, you're not. You're a GFS producer. You're a genius. You have $25,000 left in the bank. And now, you're going to use it to save your movie.

This is your Post-Production Budget.

• Editor ($5,000 - $10,000): "But I can edit myself!" Stop. Just stop. You are too close to it. Hire a professional storyteller to find the movie you actually shot, not the one you think you shot.

• Sound Design & Mix ($5,000 - $8,000): This is everything. This is why your film will sound like a movie, not a student project.

• Colorist ($3,000 - $5,000): This is the polish. They will make your DP's work sing.

• Music ($1,000 - $3,000): You're not getting Hans Zimmer. You're licensing from an indie music library or hiring a hungry, talented composer.

• Festival Submissions / Legal / "Oh Shit" ($2,000 - $4,000): You have to submit the movie. You need a lawyer to review your (AI-drafted, human-checked) contracts. This is the finish line.

Final Thought: You Didn't Make a Movie. You Built a Product.

A $50,000 feature film is not a "passion project." It is a business. It is a test of your discipline, your leadership, and your ability to plan.

You didn't waste your money on a "name" actor. You didn't blow it on a helicopter shot.

You spent it on Talent. You spent it on Time. And you saved half of it to Finish.

You just did what 99% of indie filmmakers fail to do. You didn't just start a feature. You completed one.

You're not a filmmaker anymore. You're a monster.

Kavan Out.