You know how to write a cliffhanger, Scott: now I'm on the edge of my seat waiting for the rest of this story!
I have spent most of my life in various guerrilla projects (or "fishes and loaves" projects, as I think of them at the time when I need to pull resources out of thin air) and the practical considerations of writing budget and microbudget screenplays fascinate me. I'm thrilled you're addressing this topic. I'm sure the GITS community will have some interesting first-hand experience with budget filming, too, and I hope some readers will share their own insights.
Incidentally, I was reading
Ian McKellen's annotated script for Richard III last night (which was filmed for around 6 million pounds--not a micro budget movie, but not a bad budget for an ambitious period piece), and came across this note which I thought you'd enjoy:
[Scene 41] Once all the dialogue was filmed, there was scarcely time for the all-important reaction shots from the other guests at dinner. This would involve moving the camera to Queen Elizabeth's point of view, with the attendant lighting change to illuminate the wall opposite her. Dawn was breaking and so instead of moving the camera and lights, we moved the actors, who exchanged places with those opposite. The wall behind Queen Elizabeth thus did double service.
I love elegant solutions.