If my blog has made anything clear in the past weeks, I hope it’s that filmmaking is, well, really fun. But it’s also really expensive. For someone just entering the film playing field, it can be overwhelming to look up pricing online for the software alone. But if you want to break into filmmaking without breaking your budget, there are several free-to-affordable options for filmmaking software. This article isn’t sponsored by any of these programs; these are just my personal favorites of the free and affordable software I’ve tried.
Video Editing
DaVinci Resolve - Free or Affordable
DaVinci Resolve is the free version whereas DaVinci Resolve Studio is the more advanced $300 edition, but for a beginner, DaVinci Resolve is where it’s at. Its interface is very similar to Adobe Premiere, the industry standard, and it features a shockingly good color correction studio considering its price (or lack therefore). Collaborative teamwork, noise reduction, and 3D stereoscopic grading are featured in the paid version, but if that doesn’t sound like something you’ll need, the free download is a good choice to get started.
HitFilm Express - Free (with a minor catch)
Okay, so this one technically isn’t free; it has a tiny price - all you have to do is share a status on social media promoting the software. It’s well worth it for all you get with HitFilm: professional-level interface, 180 built-in special effects, layers and masks, 3D video support, chroma keying, and more. HitFilm Express is the best editing software you can get for nothing more than a small favor.
Audio Editing
Audacity - Free
The only free audio editor I’ll recommend is Audacity. It’s intuitive to use and it contains all the features a beginning filmmaker might need for audio work, and then some.
Screenwriting
Trelby - Free
Of all the free screenwriting software I’ve used, Trelby is the best. There are some downsides that you’ll have to accept in exchange for the missing price tag, such as watermarks and the inability to format dual dialogue, but if you’re a beginning writer, this should suit your needs well.
Fade In - Free or Affordable
Fade In is the writing software I use. It’s extremely simple and easy to use, offering little distractions for us distraction-prone writers. And you can actually import Final Draft documents (Final Draft is the industry standard, and significantly more expensive, screenwriting software) directly into Fade In without losing formatting. The same goes for PDF’s.
Fade In offers a free demo version, which features most of the perks of the real deal. However, if your screenplay is over ten pages long, the demo version displays a message asking you to purchase the full thing every ten or so minutes. If you’re okay with that, and the fact that there will be a watermark, the demo is for you. If not, jump for the full version, which is only $80 (still less than half of what the industry standard costs).
I’d like to add that if you want to get serious about filmmaking, I advise you to make an investment in industry-standard software. For video editing, it’s either Adobe Premiere, Final Cut, or Avid (although Premiere is quickly picking up steam to become the top dog). For audio editing, many professionals use Adobe Audition; Logic or Pro Tools are used for even more specialized work. For screenwriting, it’s Final Draft, although Fade In’s cross-compatibility with Final Draft makes it a near-perfect substitute. Nonetheless, if you’re just starting out, or your projects don’t require a level of technicality that these advanced software provide, I highly recommend these programs to you.