# Writing for budget vs. believability.



## ironpony (Nov 30, 2019)

For my screenplay, I am trying to write it for a very low budget and one thing I wrote is that the villains pour bleach on the crime scenes to cover up any dna.  However, I was told that that will not work and they would have to burn down the crime scenes, since fire works compared to bleach.  But fire of course has a large budget.  I was wondering, what if I wrote it so that they don't get any dna on the crime scenes, cause they wear gloves and clothes and hoods that cover up their dna from getting anywhere?  Is that believable, or do I have to write it so that the burn the crime scenes down literally?

For example in real life murders, like the OJ Simpson murder for example, there was dna all over the place, but could that have been avoided if the killer was more careful?  Or would the villains have to actually burn down the crime scenes for dna erasing to be believed?


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## Cephus (Nov 30, 2019)

Don't worry about budget, you're not actually making a movie, you're telling a story. Budget is up to the directors and producers down the line.


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## JohnCalliganWrites (Nov 30, 2019)

Maybe their victim could stand really still on a giant tarp while they kill him?

Alternately, you could have dude pour the gas (water) then flick the match, and end scene. No need to show the fire.


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## ironpony (Dec 1, 2019)

JohnCalliganWrites said:


> Maybe their victim could stand really still on a giant tarp while they kill him?
> 
> Alternately, you could have dude pour the gas (water) then flick the match, and end scene. No need to show the fire.



Maybe but the police would still check the entire area for dna perhaps.  I maybe could not have to show fire, it's just that in one crime scene they have to burn and erase, the protagonist is still there, hiding and will have to wait till the leave to escape, thus escaping, while the place has already been set on fire.

There is also another part, where the police are waiting outside a building, waiting on a warrant, and on the inside, they will have to set fire to the building, so the police will have to see the fire and intervene.  But perhaps no fire has to be shown, as long as it doesn't look compromised for trying to hide the lack of it.

I am also the producer as well as the writer, and trying to keep it down.


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## seigfried007 (Dec 1, 2019)

Cephus said:


> Don't worry about budget, you're not actually making a movie, you're telling a story. Budget is up to the directors and producers down the line.


I second this.

Let others worry about budgets. Just get it written.


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## ironpony (Dec 1, 2019)

But I am also the producer, the one budgeting it, and have to be prepared for a plot plan that will work, in case the fire is not do-able.


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## Ma'am (Dec 1, 2019)

I think if you plan to produce it and don't have much of a budget, that kind of answers the question. You will _have_ to figure out ways to show things in a way that doesn't cost much.

Do you have a timeline in mind for this project? I can't wait to see it!


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## Earp (Dec 1, 2019)

I can't count the number of TV shows and movies I've seen where bleach was used to successfully erase DNA evidence. Accurate or not, it seems to be a popular trope, so I wouldn't worry about it.


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## Foxee (Dec 1, 2019)

A fire can occur without having to be on-camera.


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