Making A $4000 Feature Film Over 1 Year With Filmmaker Mark Hensley
Update: 2025-11-21
Description
In this episode, I’m joined by filmmaker Mark Hensley, whose new feature Clown and Out in Valley Village was shot entirely guerrilla-style over the course of a year, for just $4,000.
Mark shares how he wrote, shot, lit, and edited the film with no crew, no permits, and no safety net, all while working full-time as a re-recording mixer for major network shows.We dive deep into micro-budget filmmaking, practical sound strategies, on-the-fly rewrites, and why taking your time on a no-budget feature can actually elevate the final product far beyond what traditional indie shoots allow
Topics covered include:
Mark shares how he wrote, shot, lit, and edited the film with no crew, no permits, and no safety net, all while working full-time as a re-recording mixer for major network shows.We dive deep into micro-budget filmmaking, practical sound strategies, on-the-fly rewrites, and why taking your time on a no-budget feature can actually elevate the final product far beyond what traditional indie shoots allow
Topics covered include:
- Shooting a feature over a full year with no crew
- Rewriting and reshaping a 200-page script for micro-budget practicality
- Why slow, flexible production schedules often lead to better movies
- Reshooting scenes strategically - and why even big studio films build this in
- Making “bad” production audio usable with smart technique
- How pros mix dialogue on network shows (and why lavs can beat booms)
- Picking the right camera for the film - not the “best” camera
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