I've made a few shorts. Everything has been on a shoestring budget. It sounds like you're looking to produce something a little more involved. Nevertheless I would offer the following advice.
- For actors reach out to local acting schools. There are people of all ages that enroll in those classes, many are invested in pursuing it as a career and will jump on any opportunity to be in anything. I've been impressed by the quality of actor I've worked with.
- For crew, there are meetups and communities for filmmakers, where a lot of behind the camera people get together. They work on productions that come through town and/or do a lot of local corporate work. Many will jump at the chance to do something creative.
- I usually write a draft of what I want, then revise it into something I can realistically produce once I've started to put together a cast and have a good sense of what will be possible.
- Be prepared to constantly re-write and edit scenes on the fly because there are hurdles everywhere - actor has to leave at certain time, location doesn't the way you imagined, people in the area not cooperating, and a million other things.
- Don't settle for mediocre for a shot or scene. The lack of available time sometimes leads to sacrifices on takes, etc, which you hope to cut around, but it's rare. Make sure you're happy with it. Pickups with small budget are unrealistic.
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