Making films is much like anything else – the more you do it, the better you will become. Whilst a great education in watching numerous films might give you a good idea of how it might be done, just like listening to a CD time and time again won’t mean that by the end of it you can play guitar, watching movies won’t make you an expert in direction. But just as picking up a guitar can lead to you teaching yourself to be a virtuoso, getting behind a camera may well mean that you need no other education to become a self-made auteur.
However, even those with less grand ambitions can simply have a great deal of fun making movies and find that they may or may not have a great talent for such things in the process. Once you have an idea of what it will be about you can choose to script it or simply improvise with any actors you have chosen. Even for the amateur auteur, holding auditions is likely to lead to far better results.
Next, you don’t have to spend out huge amounts of money on locations. Using any places you have access to for free can lead to just as good a result, especially when you ensure you have the right movie props to hand. Using cheap replicas of any props you might need will instantly lend the film a very amateur feel, whilst hiring the right movie props alone can suddenly add even the most poorly shot film an air of authenticity.
Props may well be your only cost in fact as, unless you are doing a period drama, you are most likely going to be able to source costumes from cast and crew. Ultimately it is thought and planning that will help make your first film a success or a failure, and rather than spending a great deal of money, only hire what you really need and spend your time, not your money, getting it right.