Fast, Cheap & Under Control: Lessons Learned from the Greatest Low-Budget Movies of All Time

by John Gaspard

"In this book, you'll learn how to: stretch your production dollars; make your movie stand out from the pack; and get great performances out of your actors." In this user-friendly fact-filled book, you'll discover hard-earned lessons from such low budget mavericks as Steven Soderbergh (sex, lies and videotape), Roger Corman (The Little Shop of Horrors), Jon Favreau (Swingers), Daniel Myrick (The Blair Witch Project), and more that will help you make your movie - from start to finish.

Genres: Film, Audiobook, Nonfiction

380 pages, Paperback

First published August 15, 2006

About the author

John is author of the Eli Marks mystery series and the Como Lake Players mystery series. He also has four other stand-alone novels: “The Greyhound of the Baskervilles,” “A Christmas Carl,” “The Sword & Mr. Stone” and “The Ripperologists.”

He hosts two podcasts: "Behind the Page: The Eli Marks Podcast," and "The Occasional Film Podcast."

In real life, John's not a magician, but he has directed six low-budget features that cost very little and made even less - that's no small trick. He's also written multiple books on the subject of low-budget filmmaking. Ironically, those books made more than the films.

John lives in Minnesota and shares his home with his lovely wife, several greyhounds, a few cats and a handful of pet allergies.

Reviews

[Carol Fischer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Each movie is a short 3-5 page summary of what points a filmmaker learned while developing said project. An interesting "behind the curtain" look at the profession.

[Andrea Blythe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love filmmaking, I love the process, and I love books that tell stories about the process. and books about filmmaking and and filmmakers allows me to live vicariously through the creation process and learn about how it all comes together. Fast, Cheap and Under Control looks at the experiences behind some great low-budget movies to offer advice to potential future filmmakers, but the stores told are often entertaining enough to be of interest to non-filmmakers, too. One of the main lessons in this book is if you really want to make a movie, just get out there and do it. Persistence is the key to getting a movie made, not necessarily money. Though the chapters on each movie were short (and I kind of wished for more stories about some of them), I really enjoyed this glimpse into the process.

[Jay Fingers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool little tome full of interviews with indie (and some big-time) filmmakers on the craft of filmmaking and getting it done… well, fast, cheap, and under control. The anecdotes behind some of your favorite indies are amusing, but there are real lessons to be learned from the likes of Steven Soderbergh, Robert Rodriguez, Richard Linklater, Kevin Smith, David Lynch, Roger Corman, and so many more. It’s an inspirational read, one leaving you feeling like you can pick up the nearest camera and shoot your own low-budget feature.

[germ · Rating 3 out of 5]

because i am obsessed with movies right now, in a very nerdy way

[Ira Livingston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gaspard's questions keep this book tight and concise, for those of us trying to get into the industry. A great, quick read.