As producers of It Happens in Florida, we take pride in being resourceful. Scrappy. "Creative with constraints." You know—broke but optimistic.

So when our accountant gently whispered, “You guys are hemorrhaging money like a sunburned piñata,” we knew it was time to tighten the belt.

What followed was a bold initiative called: “Operation Budget Slash (But Keep the Gators).”

Here’s how that went:

📍Location, Location... Backyard?

To save on location fees, we decided to shoot a scene in Oscar’s cousin’s backyard. The problem? His cousin lives in a swamp. Like, an actual swamp.

Production was paused twice:

1. Once for a surprise alligator appearance.
2. Once for Raymond getting stuck in ankle-deep mystery mud and yelling, “This is not what I trained at Juilliard for!”

👕 Wardrobe? We’ve Got Goodwill!

We slashed the wardrobe budget and told the cast to “bring their own Florida-inspired looks.” Oscar showed up in swim trunks, cowboy boots, and a poncho that may or may not have been a shower curtain.

Raymond tried to wear a suit, but his dry cleaner ghosted us.

The bride character wore a gown made from lace curtains and duct tape. Frankly, it worked.

🎤 Sound Guy? We Have a Boom Stick.

Instead of hiring a sound tech, we gave Oscar a selfie stick with a mic taped to it and told him to “just follow the action.” He did.
Unfortunately, the mic was off the entire time—but we did capture six hours of Oscar narrating everything he was doing, including his mid-scene snack break: “I am currently eating string cheese. This is my process.”

🎭 Extras? Hello, Craigslist.

We hired “local talent” from Craigslist. One of them brought their ferret. One thought it was a documentary about meth. One refused to take off their fursuit.

🧯And Then the Fire.

We tried using discount smoke bombs for “dramatic atmosphere.” They were mislabeled.

They were not smoke bombs. They were firecrackers.

In the end, we spent more fixing the chaos than if we’d just stuck to the original plan. But hey—that’s filmmaking in Florida.

We may be low-budget.
We may be mildly injured.
But by God, we’re still rolling.

So next time you watch an episode and think, “This feels wildly unprofessional but oddly charming”—just know:
 

That’s not style. That’s survival.