low - budget film
when the pieces and parts have been collected, think big. don' t let your low budget film dictate how you see the project. low budget doesn' t have to mean low quality or diminished investment .
it had a budget of $ 7000 which is very low by comparison to most .
the ideal candidate has a background in a variety of creative agency work from low budget documentaries to high budget branded ads... .
it’s more commonplace for films in the horror genre to capitalize on low budget filmmaking, and even interweave a plot that may have a high concept. however, low budget sci fi films have started to reclaim their rightful place as the high concept / low budget stalwarts. when attempting to do a film of this nature with limited budget, creativity and fresh originality become a huge factors .
although significantly enhanced by digital tools, much of the original ultra - low budget framework remains unchanged. in my 1993 article “learning from low budgets, ” i listed nine rules - of - thumb for microbudget production. let’s examine how these rules have evolved from the early days of the model when every low budget feature was being shot on film until today when the vast majority of ultra - low budget features are made digitally .
the ideal candidate will have produced and distributed a low budget horror / thriller film. award winning boutique production company is currently looking for a ...
former “amazing race” contestant jonathan baker is launching a film fund that will be used to complete low and micro - budget projects, variety has learned exclusively .
low order quantity and quick delivery time fulfillment experience. monitor and ensure tennessee plant costs are maintained within budget... .
possibly the most successful low budget movie of all time was deep throat (1972). filmed on a budget of $ 22, 500 it is rumored to have made over $ 600 million. whether it can be considered one of the best low budget movies of all time would be an interesting debate .
we are in the process of filming
the fix - it - shop
, a low budget film based on the novel by friedrich wilhelm... .
the following is by no means a complete or exhaustive list of high - concept / low budget sci fi films. rather, it’s merely a sample list of some notable films in this genre with relatively low budgets .
park city, utah —
primer ,
an ultra - low - budget film about time travel, and the music documentary
dig !
led an unpredictable group of award winners saturday at the sundance film festival .
we couldn’t squeeze all the notable high concept / low budget sci fi films into our list of just 10 movies, so here are some honorable mentions .
trying to get a movie made with minimal financial backing can be frustrating, as tough decisions need to be made early. check out my firsthand tips on creating a killer low - budget film .
manages multimedia project budgets; ensures vendors deliver timely multimedia materials at low cost; bachelor s degree in film production, communications or ...
synchronicity (2015) – imdb listing production budget: unknown budget, but almost certainly under $ 5m the film’s director, jacob gentry has another sci fi film (the signal) that landed on our original 10 notable films list. while synchronicity was a decent sci fi film, the signal was somewhat more creative on a limited budget .
in the same way i gave advice that 1st time doc filmmakers are unlikely to hear, here are some creative suggestions i wish low budget directors would entertain and their producers be open to .
skimping out in casting is the number one issue that most micro - budget films suffer from. when dealing with a low budget, it’s tempting to call up your actor friends and ask them to give you a freebie, but this is generally a bad idea .
5. lighting & sound. nothing screams louder of a poorly produced indie film than bad audio and lighting. unfortunately, too many film makers on a low budget sacrifice light and sound for other elements. background noise and poorly lit scenes take away of the all - important story lines .
the signal (2014) – imdb listing production budget: $ 4m – source how do you make a large scope / high concept sci fi film for under $ 5m? one good way is to make it a personal story. add in film star laurence fishburne, a compelling concept, a twist ending, a budget under $ 5m and you have a film worth noting. while it was not the best of movies and had its fair share of flaws, it still accomplished a high concept sci fi film on a low budget .
the film was made on a paltry budget of $ 6, 000! i wonder if it can get any more low budget than that, and even more interestingly, nolan shot the film during weekends even while being employed full - time with a company, and he did so for a year before the film eventually was finished. the other films mentioned with their respective budgets don' t even seem to come close .
shooting 35mm for a low budget feature film is nothing new .
george washington
,
duck season
,
napoleon dynamite
,
pariah
and
chop shop
were all impressively shot on 35mm for budgets under $ 1 million .
at high and medium budget levels, digital production provides significant financial and creative advantages. but it is at the ultra - low budget level that it affords filmmakers an unprecedented combination of creative freedom and creative control. whether their films are financed by friends and family or by themselves, ultra - low budget filmmakers have typically had full creative control from scripting and casting through final cut. but ultra - low budget filmmakers shooting on film have usually faced significant limits on their creative freedom due to their limited resources. they can only afford to film at a very low shooting ratio, given the cost of stock and processing. their access to cameras and other rented production equipment is restricted by their budgets. and what they can do in post and for how long is also circumscribed. digital tools have dramatically expanded the creative freedom of ultra - low budget filmmakers. they can shoot as much as they want. they also have the opportunity to shoot with multiple cameras, and to experiment on the set. digital tools have also expanded the creative freedom of ultra - low budget filmmakers in post. they can edit whenever they want for as long as they need. they can create a wide spectrum of visual effects on the computer (avoiding the use of expensive film opticals) and have greater control over color timing. they can manipulate audio and even online on the desktop if necessary .
when building a structure for producing a film can be a conundrum for even the most seasoned film maker .
2. production skills. poor production will sink the film if it looks amateurish. you don' t need top of the line equipment to produce a quality project. the test of your skill will be in the making of a low budget film that doesn' t look it was shot on a shoestring. the advances in film technology can make all the difference .
as hollywood tightens its belt we’re seeing an increasing number of low budget films being made. generally film budgets are a grey area, how is the money raised and exactly how much was spent on production let alone marketing? below is a list of some of the best low budget films (less than $ 2million) of the decade, where the filmmakers and producers got it right. they’re artistically strong films whilst packing enough punch to satiate even the most ardent genre lovers .
budget: 3 crore inr collection: 35 crores inr this cult film directed by vikramadiya motwane remains one of the best of hindi cinema .
the film, directed by james o’brien from his own script, premiered in may at the cannes film festival .
love him or hate him, there’s no denying the impact kevin smith has had on low - budget filmmaking in the last few decades. pretty much writing the how - to guide with his debut feature clerks, smith continued to thrive in the low - budget sector over the course of his next few films, culminating with dogma, which i consider to be his most ambitious, successful and most accomplished work of the last 15 years .
the producers, and especially, directors, of these 4 micro - budget features did…and they are now each producing or directing big - budget studio features. start small .
after producing and directing dozens of micro - budget or low budget projects myself, i’ve inevitably learned my lessons (sometimes the hard way) on where you can afford to cut corners and where you absolutely cannot. there may not be an exact formula for this, and of course every production has its own set of requirements and needs, but here are my thoughts on keeping your budget down as they pertain to various departments on a typical small scale film .
napoleon dynamite (2004), $ 400, 000 budget, grossed $ 50 million .
deadline: halloween turns 36 this year. at 30, you were the oldest person on set making a low - budget horror movie in 20 days. why was halloween one of your favorite shoots? john carpenter: man, it was one of the most fun sets because everybody was young and we were just making a movie. most movies involve pain. this wasn’t painful. but the ambitions of this movie were not bigger than its budget; it was designed for the low budget, back in the days when there were still low - budget exploitation movies made. there were certain things i insisted we invest in: dolly shots for a low - budget crew take a bit of time; you have to lay down tracks and level it, put the dolly on and rehearse. panaglide — you strap it on, and off you go, and there’s more freedom in the movement, freedom to track up stairs, around corners, follow characters. i was determined to use that so a lot of scenes were done in one take .
i might dispute this since it has a rather high budget for what i am looking for .
saw (2003), $ 1, 200, 000 budget, grossed $ 103 million .
on paper, the film was so short (21 pages) that the backers thought they were merely providing enough money for a low - budget 21 - minute film, not a micro - budget feature shot downstairs from the afi’s beverly hills headquarters, at night, with a hodgepodge of homemade $ 30 sets. even with lynch nimbly threading everything together — his star’s wife cooked meals for the crew, then helped out on the set — the film still took more than four years to shoot as lynch struggled for funding and equipment .
director michael winterbottom is practically a one - man low budget film industry, regularly turning out one or even two films a year. however, it is probably this, his 2002 dramatisation of the career of factory records founder tony wilson that is his most well known, most accessible, and possibly his best .
john and gus have both given their championships to the film and endorsed the film as executive producers ,
caouette said .
in keeping with its noir roots, this hard - boiled tale moves at a rat - a - tat pace and engages with its own internal film lingo, meaning you may get lost if you don’t pay attention. however, the intricate and rewarding plot is well worth the effort, and johnson with his first film doesn’t seem to understand the concept of a low - budget aesthetic, with the film looking as gorgeous as it is clever .
because of the demands of the film' s low budget, if the lighting was set up for a shot that took place from one particular angle, all the shots from that same angle had to be filmed then and there. this meant that different sides of the same conversation were sometimes shot several weeks apart .
6 - - one hyper realistic scene. if your budget, resources and narrative dictate simple visuals, see if one scene can be stylized to play against that. i don' t want to spoil it but there is a perfect example in
dallas buyers club
. low budget horror films will do the same: save their money for one big scare or special fx. budget for a lean crew and hire
day players
when needed .
unfortunately, a low budget prevents you from including just anything in your script — and that rule especially translates to locations. in other words, just because you have a house, doesn’t mean it’s the right house for your movie. you have other options .
monsters (2010) – imdb listing production budget: $ 500k – source director gareth edwards creates a groundbreaking sci fi feature on a relatively low budget considering the scope of the film. edwards relies on the actors’ improvisation for sizable segments of the film and an implied environment. edwards is also very talented at special effects and did all of the effects himself on his laptop computer. he was able to leverage this movie’s success to eventually direct godzilla, and then star wars: rogue one .
my big fat greek wedding (2002), $ 5 million budget, grossed $ 368 million .
friday the 13th (1980), $ 550, 000 budget, grossed almost $ 60 million .
the evil dead (1981), $ 375, 000 budget, grossed over $ 29 million .
at the time i did following, i was looking at the american ultra - low - budget model that didn’t really exist in the uk. a low - budget film in england tended to be about £500, 000 to £600, 000. in america, there was a tradition of guys like robert rodriguez and kevin smith making films for thousands, and that’s what we’d been doing for short films. so it was really just a case of using that knowledge and expanding it to feature length. i hear of people doing it in the uk now and i think that’s a great thing .
now think about $ 50, 000 or $ 100, 00 and what you could do with a 2 - camera, 2 - week shoot, with 3 - 4 locations, a 10 - 12 person crew and a sag ultra - low - budget agreement .
we’ve also put the generally agreed budget beneath each film, although without being directly involved with their making, there’s no way to know precisely how much money was invested .
skills in mastering the production value are key. working with a small budget today doesn' t mean you can' t get any professional visuals. take advantage of new digital technologies that are cost effective. it is now possible for films makers to shoot and edit a film using the latest in digital equipment for a low cost .
but let' s say you too wanted to make a low - budget movie – there are a couple of things you might do to streamline the creative process, even if the results were intended only to amuse your friends and family, or to post on youtube .
dov s - s simens after 12 years lecturing at nyu, ucla & usc, was voted “america’s # 1 film instructor” by the national association of film schools and in 1996 formed the hollywood film institute .
these are just three of the stories stallone tells in the enchanting 25th anniversary dvd of
rocky
( mgm, $ 20), the low - budget film about a stumblebum boxer who falls in love and regains his dignity in the ring .
rocky
made stallone a superstar, and the box - office hit won several oscars, including best film and best director (john g. avildsen) .
it was made on a budget of $ 7000 and got pretty good reviews. i enjoyed it anyway .
with a little magic, small budget horror films pack a big punch npr' s ari shapiro talks with jason blum, founder and ceo of blumhouse productions, about the magic of micro - budget horror films .
the budget was about £3million, which is low for an independent film – but yes, it was a huge leap of faith. memento was clearly on a bigger scale than following, but at the same time there were very strong stylistic connections. people want to see something that shows them you can do what you say. that’s the trick .
i was genuinely shocked when i saw how little this film was made for. in comparison, the hangover part 2 had a budget of $ 80 million. as to which film will remain in your heart years later, there’s simply no competition .
three film students vanish after traveling into a maryland forest to film a documentary on the local blair witch legend, leaving only their footage behind .
3. location. locations can cost a lot of your budget, but it doesn' t have to .
budget: $ 1 million collection: $ 225 million slyvester stallone wrote the screenplay of this movie, besides essaying the lead role. a movie making 225 times it' s budget - exceptional, isn' t it ?
the movie was shot with a budget of rs. 60, 00, 000 ($ 150, 000 )
you are “under the radar”. you are quite amazing. and, if you can get this micro - budget feature film in a major festival for a midnight screening… welcome to hollywood .
former “amazing race” contestant jonathan baker is launching a film fund that will be used to complete low and micro - budget projects, variety has learned exclusively. baker has announced the formation of the baker entertainment fund with $ 5 million in bank - sourced capital. “we want to make the difference for indie, experimental, and genre filmmakers for whom a [ … ]
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pontypool (2008) – imdb listing production budget: $ 1. 5m – source this one is a little more of a thriller / horror / suspense film than a true sci fi film, but i had to include it because of its high concept, relatively low budget and tangential, philosophical sci fi elements. it’s reminiscent of the war of the worlds radio broadcast, and goes to show what can be done in the theater of the mind. it’s one of the best films on this list and stephen mchattie is absolutely stellar as grant mazzy .
this one squeaks in just under our arbitrary limit of what we consider “low budget” at $ 5m. however, every cent of the budget winds up on the screen as this film goes into the madness sam rockwell portrays as a lonely moon miner. the movie soundtrack is also top notch. like many of the other films on this list, it was the launching pad (see what i did there) for director duncan jones to go on and direct source code and warcraft .
finishing a film of any genre, length or budget is a huge accomplishment. more people talk about it, critique it than can actually pull it off. i hope i acknowledged our limitations but left you armed with new creative tools to make a good film great .
rocky (1976), $ 1 million budget, grossed $ 225 million and won the best picture academy award .
the world is for doers and you have just made your first “micro - budget” feature film for likely under $ 10, 000 (yes, the post’s title is $ 5, 000) .
with only so much money to go around on a micro - budget film, you have to be really careful about where it goes. think of your budget as a balancing act between money and quality, and don’t assume that you can simply save money in one department without diminishing the quality of your final product .
i don’t believe in fate. nor do i believe in quitting, which is why it’s hard for me to accept defeat. after about an hour of sadness, i came up with a new plan: i would make a micro - budget film. screw placing marketability above artistry. i would make something i care about. read more: 10 tips for producing a micro - budget indie film
• mark out as few locations as you need to make your film interesting .
, film school gave me a total inability to watch today' s cinema .
mr. simens, a revolutionary and former green beret, wanting film education to be available for everyone created his extremely affordable “2 - day film school”, “dvd film school” and “online film school” programs (see below) so that anyone with a dream, talent & work ethic can succeed as a producer, writer or director .
even on a list of low - budget films, there are a few whose budget made me do a double - take, and this is one of them. one man show rian johnson directs, writes and edits this film noir set in a high school, and it is a simply outstanding debut. student brendan frye (a magnificent and career changing role for joseph gordon - levitt) investigates the death of his ex - girlfriend emily, resulting in a dizzying tale involving drugs, gangsters, guns and double - crosses .
blue ruin, another recent low budget film that won multiple awards, is a revenge thriller – another genre that, like horror, provides a strong narrative structure. there are even ways of making cheap science fiction, a genre that used to be associated with b - movies, but that nowadays invariably involves big budgets and expensive special effects. but gareth edwards, who directed godzilla (budget: $ 160 million) cut his teeth on monsters (budget: $ 500, 000), a relationship - cum - road movie set against an alien invasion, while shane carruth made his time - travel conundrum primer for a measly $ 7, 000 .
this movie made in 1976 had a budget of about $ 1. 3 million which is clearly' low' when compared to the budget' s of movies of the 70' s. the movie grossed $ 28, 262, 574 in the united states and is considered to be one of the best movies ever made. it went on to win four academy awards and the american film institute ranked taxi driver as the 52nd greatest american film on their afi' s 100 years…100 movies list. the film was chosen by time as one of the 100 best films of all time. the phrase
you talkin' to me ?
used in the movie has become a pop culture icon .
budget films such as t2: trainspotting are finding it hard to make it to the big screen. photograph: graeme hunter pictures
as well as the changing focus of the film industry, pressure is being ramped up by the boom in big - budget drama flooding tv, typified by shows such as netflix’s £100m co - production the crown .
sure, you can get your crew to volunteer or call in favors to get your locations for free, but there are also risks associated with cutting corners that can directly result in your film suffering on a creative level. so how do you create the very best film with a minuscule budget ?
aside from just making a film an essential ‘bottle episode’, you have to get pretty creative to tackle high concepts. a common trend among these movies is that a majority of the film’s budget usually goes into post production rather than the actual shooting of the film. this has been a winning strategy for most films keeping the quality at a level that audiences have become accustomed to .
debra granik narrates a sequence from her film featuring thomasin harcourt mckenzie and ben foster .
this is bhutan' s film. . as we all know bhutan is poor country. . film shoted in a small village near himalaya. . no starcast. .
lucia is an indian kannada language psychological thriller film directed and written by pawan kumar .
if your character is supposed to be a starving artist, but you shoot in your friend’s brand new condo, that’s not going to be very convincing. and since you don’t have an art department, you can’t even set decorate it to look the way you want it to. this may sound obvious, but i’ve seen some relatively well - funded low - budget productions make this mistake and it always cheapens the film .
6. casting. don' t be shy about asking actors to climb on board with your
lower
budget film. you might be surprised that they see your film as a way to break out for some skills they want to master. if you don' t have the connections to the big names, don' t sacrifice the film for less - than - famous actors. set up a casting call and spend a few days auditioning actors that are willing to work within your budget or for free .
far superior to subsequent ‘torture - porn’ films, saw is an incredibly tense psychological mystery thriller, with a brilliantly original and tightly plotted premise. this is low - budget filmmaking at its most inventive, with cary elwes’ performance pitched perfectly to add to the mayhem. then, to cap it all off, it has that twist ending .
american graffiti (1973), $ 777, 000 budget, grossed $ 140 million. nominated for a best picture academy award .
slumdog millionaire (2008), $ 15 million budget, grossed over $ 360 million worldwide and won the best picture academy award .
budget: 11 crores inr collection: well, this movie recovered 10 crore in the first week itself, let alone the rest .
two things happened in the early ‘90s to change the thinking of many independents. first, home video financing virtually disappeared. then in 1992, three ultra - low budget features succeeded at festivals, received critical acclaim, and found theatrical distribution. they were nick gomez’s laws of gravity ($ 38, 000), gregg araki’s the living end ($ 22, 769), and robert rodriguez’s el marachi ($ 7, 225). unlike in the previous 15 years when a notable ultra - low budget features appeared once every year or two, here were three in a single year. excited by how much these directors had achieved with so little, i wrote an article entitled
the uk is a sombre case study for the mid - to - low - budget film industry. the number of domestic uk films costing from £500, 000 to about £30m to make, such as t2: trainspotting and florence foster jenkins, fell from 77 to 60 between 2014 and 2015. this is the lowest number made since 2006, according to annual figures published by the british film institute (bfi). the number of small to mid - sized budget co - productions, funded by mostly european producers, such as the oscar - winning the lobster, and i, daniel blake, fell from 37 to 30 – a level not seen since 2008 .
turbo kid (2015) – imdb listing production budget: $ 50k * (this is the only budget information i could find, and this was just for the film’s promotion. i’m sure the production budget was much higher .) – source this film is buckets of awesome. take an 80s theme in a post apocalyptic world, a totally rad synth soundtrack, add some over - the - top gore and blood, mix in a kid on a bmx bike with a stack of comic books and you have turbo kid. the producers were able to raise the film’s promotion budget within 7 days on indiegogo, and they even got michael ironside to star as the bad guy. this was an impressive debut effort for the canadian writer / director team of françois simard, anouk whissell and yoann - karl whissell .
the film which established christopher nolan as one of the most ferociously talented directors working today. his previous work, following, may have been made for a fraction of even memento ’s modest budget, but it is this film which showed the world that nolan was no one - trick pony, and had everyone talking .
overall responsibility for monitoring budget expenditures in the school. produce end of the year student screenings exhibited at local theaters in the los ...
npr' s ari shapiro talks with jason blum, founder and ceo of blumhouse productions, about the magic of micro - budget horror films .
this hungarian film is a careful, compassionate and beautifully acted character drama with a social conscience .
the film' s reputation has grown rapidly - the finished version was only finalised for the sundance film festival in january, after which the director received hugs from strangers who had seen it .
one of the classic formulae for low - budget film - making is :
some characters in a room
. cheap thrills, which zeroes in on four main characters in a couple of interiors, shares this characteristic with the directing debuts of steven soderbergh and quentin tarantino – sex, lies and videotape and reservoir dogs, both of which cost just over a million dollars, are brilliant exercises in making you forget they' re essentially just films about people standing around talking .
“ as it is in heaven ” is a feature film directed by joshua overbay in kentucky around a small college film department. shot in scope digital video, the film is now available on vod. below, overbay writes about how, as a first - time director, he managed to make a micro - budget film and get it released. find out more about the film here: urltoken. like every other young, ambitious directing student, i graduated film school with two goals in mind: making a feature film and making it as soon as humanly possible. i had a solid script two years in the making, a business plan, a team of committed filmmakers, a “reasonably” low budget ($ 900, 000), some industry connections and a degree of momentum from a year on the festival circuit. according to the textbooks, we were set for success. even our script was built on the practical wisdom that we should suspend our desire to make personal films and instead focus on something that could start our careers: a successful genre film. and yet, after two years of numerous meetings, false starts, trips to nashville and la, phone calls, thousands of emails, multiple rewrites, and various “attachments” from cast and crew members, we hadn’t raised a dime .
completed on a budget of $ 1. 2 million, reservoir dogs was named by the empire magazine the
greatest independent film ever made
. it has since become a cult hit. it had an earning of about $ 15 million .
develop and monitor budget for logistics services within the facility. the position in geismar, la oversees dozens of employees and their affiliated operations ...
night of the living dead (1968), $ 140, 000 budget, grossed $ 30 million. introduced the zombie movie to the world .
the budget was just 0. 75 crores inr (us $ 120, 000). the money was raised through crowdfunding technique with 110 investors .
do a “blair witch”, a “paranormal activity”, a “saw”, a “pi” (aka: no - budget filmmaking) … and launch your career .
linklater booked the original 16mm film into austin' s dobie theater, where it played a record 11 weeks, and entered it in film festivals, where it was often but not always rejected .
general film history. completed ma / mfa (or equivalent degree) in film and media (or related field). reading and composition (first - and second - year university ...
primer (2004) – imdb listing production budget: $ 7k – source much like the famed el mariachi, it’s hard to believe this film was done for just $ 7k. it’s hard to believe you can produce any feature film for just $ 7k for that matter. this film was very ambitious in scope and had a high concept of time travel by a few silicon valley geeks. however, given its very limited budget, it was hard to pull off any sort of real fx payoff. however, they still get an “a” for effort for stepping up to this great challenge .
the 2012 suspense thriller starring ace actress vidya baan and directed by sujoy ghosh takes the cake as one of the most successful small budget films made in bollywood. based on the theme of feminism, the film was shot all the way in kolkata and made with a meager budget of rs 80 million, but went on to gross as much as rs 1. 04 billion in just 50 days .
- it is essential to find capable cast and crew who will work for little or no compensation while enduring the rigors of ultra - low budget production. shooting digitally may make it easier to attract actors who want the opportunity to give their best performances. for digital productions it is important to find a talented dp, who is either experienced in digital cinematography or committed to learning the fundamentals .
spellbindingly perfect, moon is the consummate low - budget masterpiece, and one which will always be hailed as a great film. sam rockwell plays sam bell, a lone astronaut on the moon whose job is to mine and rocket back to earth helium 3, a miracle clean energy source. with no direct communication available back home, his only company is a computer, gerty. but when sam is injured in an accident, he has an encounter which changes his very conception of reality .
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was a critical and popular success. influenced by italian neorealism, satyajit ray developed his own style of lyrical realism in this film. the first film from independent india to attract major international critical attention ,
it’s not an easy film to follow, and requires a few watches to wrap your head round, but the fact this film exists as it does on this budget is nothing short of miraculous. i imagine a few of you could probably save up $ 7, 000 if you tried. now try making anything even a fraction as good as primer .
halloween (1978), $ 320, 000 budget, grossed $ 60 million worldwide and started a whole new genre of
slasher
horror movies .
eventually he founded the austin film society, and in 1987, when he wasn' t reading, made a short 8mm film called
it' s impossible to learn to plow by reading books .
as the cannes film festival rolled up the red carpet for another year, having garlanded a clutch of arthouse critical smashes, spare a thought for the small film - makers struggling to reach the big screen .
enter the dragon (1973), $ 850, 000 budget, grossed $ 90 million worldwide and introduced bruce lee and martial arts movies to the world .
you now have $ 4, 805 in your budget left after you spend $ 20 registering the treatment with the wga and another $ 20 registering the screenplay .
fair chance that you use your own house, your own property or a friends house or apartment for the location to shoot the movie and budget $ 0 .
the first part of george miller' s dystopic action thriller was shot in and around melbourne on a budget of $ 350, 000, though (with the exception of its first sequel, mad max 2) you' d be hard - pressed to find motorbike stunts more insanely life - threatening than the ones on display here. the van smashed in the film' s opening chase was miller' s own, since the production was running out of money. due to the low budget only leading actors mel gibson and steve bisley were dressed in real leather - all the other actors playing cops had to make do with vinyl, which tended to split at the knees .
2 - - hire a professional production designer as a consultant. a pd' s ability to elevate a story via color, space and furnishings is it' s own form of wizardry yet frequently an afterthought in low budget films. before putting your best friend' s unemployed roommate in charge, see if you can consult with a pro. pay them well for three days work (instead of 2 months) to offer suggestions on the overall look of your film, advice on which resources and locations are budget friendly and to recommend crew who can do the
day to day
and operate successfully within your limitations. ask how they' d like to be credited .
the good news is that in most cases, when you do need to cut the budget, you can avoid causing a negative ripple effect on your film by making it up in other ways — most often this comes in the form of putting in more time .
the sense of place is as pervasive as a character in “moss, ” a film by daniel peddle .
it’s hard to believe that this program represents the best shorts that the sundance film festival had to offer .
a marathi film by my director friend mangesh hadavale. . making cost was only 27 lacs ...
i sometimes worry that audiences are becoming addicted to big budgets, that soon they will no longer tolerate films without stars and state - of - the - art digital effects, or films that rely on ingenuity and makeshift solutions rather than money. perhaps the next time you feel like complaining about the quality of the latest blockbusters, you might try tracking down a small independent film instead. not every low budget film will be as terrific as cheap thrills, but it' s here that the real leaps of imagination are made – often out of necessity – and you will see and hear things you have never seen or heard before .
funding a film is difficult at the best of times, especially in the uk, where decades of confusion about the role of the film industry has left it in a bit of mess, to put it mildly. which makes it a reason for celebration when new talent does emerge, especially with a film like kidulthood .
global creatures, a company founded by a wealthy australian, is breaking into theater with high - profile, big - budget productions, including “king kong” on broadway .
media represents two - thirds of bric' s annual budget, non - media programming the remaining third; strong financial management and analytical skills combined with ...
this film marked the breakthrough performances of jean - pierre belmondo and jean seberg; both would proceed on very successful acting careers. a bout de souffle was also the first of many films that the film' s cinematographer raoul coutard and godard worked on. together, they would set a new yardstick for visual tone in film .
a genre - defying odd - ball comedy which defeated the odds and went massive, in the process becoming a cultural touchstone (i’m looking at you ‘vote for pedro’ t - shirts), napoleon dynamite remains what all good comedies should be: very funny and well - observed. another directorial debut (proving that low - budget films remain the best way to cut your filmmaking teeth), jared hess’s film speaks to the outsider in us all, with jon heder as the ultimate loner napoleon dynamite, who spends his time drawing ligers .
the vast majority of films are not financed by big hollywood studios. in fact, many of them aren’t american, and must rely on the more modest resources of national film associations. such is the case with new zealand comedy eagle vs shark. the script was developed at a sundance workshop and then sold, leading to the new zealand film commission putting up the budget for it .
7. budget reality check: be sure everyone on the team is aware of the budget. are they willing to double up at the motel? can they afford to work for less? nothing is more uncomfortable than a crew member who didn' t factor in the time and fee adequately. it only takes one person to cast a pall on the film because they didn' t realize the impact on their time commitment and the finances .
– ultra - low budget filmmakers have to be able to create and take advantage of opportunities. digital production allows more opportunities for creative choices throughout the process. there is an increasing amount of digital moviemaking at higher budget levels. george lucas has been a leading proponent of digital production and his star wars episode ii – attack of the clones (shot entirely in 24p high definition) is the highest budget live action digital feature made so far. robert rodriguez has already shot two features digitally, the $ 38 million dollar spykids ii and the $ 28 million dollar once upon a time in mexico, which is in postproduction and is the last film in the el marachi / desperado trilogy. both lucas and rodriguez have been so pleased with their digital experience that they may never make a movie on film again. many other established filmmakers from lars von trier and eric rohmer to michael winterbottom and mike figgis have used digital tools to great advantage on budgets of $ 1 to 15 million dollars .
baker has brought in former relativity executive daniel herther to oversee baker entertainment group’s film and television production and development .
musicians are everywhere. go to soundcloud. got any film commission’s website. post on craigslist. you will quickly discover that there are 100s even 1, 000s of talented musician who would like to score a feature film .
8. designing the shot. how you design your shots is not a budget issue, but an artistic one that will make a major difference in the quality of the film. it' s something you learned in film school, but may not think about in the adrenaline rush of producing your own project: the fibonacci rule of thirds. these rules and an artistic eye make the difference in a well - crafted film and one that appears slapped together without thought to the balance of a scene .
below is a list of fifteen things we did to help us get our movie made. certainly, there are many more, but i feel that these principles are absolutely essential to making a successful micro - budget film: 1. get off your ass and make a movie .
shapiro: that seems like it would be true of any genre, and yet we only seem to see these low - cost breakout hits in horror. why do you think that is rather than, i don' t know, drama or romantic comedy or other things ?
the man from earth (2007) – imdb listing production budget: $ 200k – source this indie has some familiar faces gathered at a country house as they discuss a thought experiment “what if a man from the upper paleolithic survived until the present day? ” it’s a common technique for getting around having a high budget of showing things to just have people sitting around talking about things. so is it really a sci fi film if nothing really ever happens ?
- the script is often written after the resource assessment. but whenever it is written or modified, it must be possible to make the scripted movie with the resources available. shooting digitally rather than on film usually reduces the budget thus reducing the risk of running out of money during production .
50% of your film is the audio. if you have poor audio, your film’s production value will be lowered immensely. in fact, many would argue that good audio is more important than good visuals to the average viewer .
won
best human document
at the 1956 cannes film festival, establishing satyajit ray as a major international filmmaker .
after financing for hunger was turned down by the irish film board, the film was instead co - funded by n orthern ireland screen, broadcast commission of ireland, channel 4, film4 productions, and the wales creative ip fund .
time lapse (2014) – imdb listing production budget: unknown budget, but almost certainly under $ 5m here is a creative way to turn a sci fi film into a really effective indie thriller. time lapse plays with the very common “what would you do if you could tell the future? ” theme in time travel movies. however, the uniqueness of this film is that there is a machine that just lets you see the future. so what would you do? bet on sports? play the lottery? see what happens with this group of friends as they find out .
the easiest solution would be to re - work that scene so it takes place in a coffee shop, or a park, or a restaurant, or anywhere else that you may have access to. kevin smith’s low - budget legend clerks is a perfect example of utilizing the locations that you have. he worked at a convenience store and wrote the story around that store as that’s what he had access to. that’s exactly what you should do, too .
james bond’s golden anniversary moment in the spotlight hasn’t ended yet. the twenty - third film in the spy series, skyfall, is still counting the cash, bringing home a total of $ 669 million so far (with a budget of $ 200 million). website pajiba recently surveyed 007’s place amongst the most expensive movies of all time, and the titles aren’t entirely surprising, but the numbers are indeed outrageous. the comprehensive list got us thinking about the opposite end of the spectrum: low - budget films that became unexpected hits. success is subjective, and we’ve measured each movie by its cult likability and by the numbers (not adjusted for inflation). click through for more movies made on the cheap that became big, and tell us your favorites .
frustration and impatience are essential traits if you want to make a feature film with no money. combine this frustration with an important realization: unless your last name is “coppola, ” your short film received major attention at sundance, or you have many rich uncles you’re not going to be make a feature film for more than $ 100, 000. you’re going to have to work for it. and even after that work, it’s unrealistic for you to make something with a significant budget. 2. stop worrying about writing something marketable .
the 13 - year - old lead actor turgoose had never acted before this film, in fact he had been banned from his school play for bad behaviour, and demanded £5 to turn up for the film’s auditions. this convinced director shane meadows he was perfect for the role. the film was dedicated to turgoose’s mother, sharon, who died of cancer on 29 december 2005; while she never saw the film, she saw a short preview. the cast attended her funeral.
a low-budget film or low-budget movie is a motion picture shot with little to no funding from a major film studio or private investor . many independent films are made on low budgets , but films made on the mainstream circuit with inexperienced or unknown filmmakers can also have low budgets . many young or first time filmmakers shoot low-budget films to prove their talent before doing bigger productions . many low-budget films that do not gain some form of attention or acclaim are never released in theatres and are often sent straight to retail because of its lack of marketability , look , story , or premise . there is no precise number to define a low budget production , and it is relative to both genre and country . what might be a low-budget film in one country may be a big budget in another . modern-day young filmmakers rely on film festivals for pre promotion . they use this to gain acclaim and attention for their films , which often leads to a limited release in theatres . film that acquire a cult following may be given a wide release . low-budget films can be either professional productions or amateur . they are either shot using professional or consumer equipment . some genres are more conducive to low-budget filmmaking than others . horror films are a very popular genre for low-budget directorial debuts . jeremy gardner , director of the battery says that horror fans are more attracted to how the films affect them than seeing movie stars . this allows horror films to focus more on provoking a reaction than on expensive casting choices . thriller films are also a popular choice for low-budget films , as they focus on narrative . science fiction films , which were once the domain of b movies , frequently require a big budget to accommodate their special effects , but low-cost do-it-yourself computer-generated imagery can make them affordable , especially when they focus on story and characterization . plot devices like shooting as found footage can lower production costs , and scripts that rely on extended dialogue , such as reservoir dogs or sex , lies , and videotape , can entertain audiences without many sets . the money flow in filmmaking is a unique system because of the uncertainty of demand . the makers of the film do not know how well the film they release will be received . they may predict a film will do very well and pay back the cost of production , but only get a portion back . or the opposite may happen where a project that few think will go far can bring in more profit than imaginable . a big gambling variable that is also involved is the use of stars . frequently stars are brought on to a project to gain the film publicity and fame . this process can be profitable , but it is not a foolproof mechanism to successful funding . well-known actors may join a low-budget film for a portion of the gross . 
a low-budget film or low-budget movie is a motion picture shot with little to no funding from a major film studio or private investor. many independent films are made on low budgets, but films made on the mainstream circuit with inexperienced or unknown filmmakers can also have low budgets. many young or first time filmmakers shoot low-budget films to prove their talent before doing bigger productions. many low-budget films that do not gain some form of attention or acclaim are never released in theatres and are often sent straight to retail because of its lack of marketability, look, story, or premise. there is no precise number to define a low budget production, and it is relative to both genre and country. what might be a low-budget film in one country may be a big budget in another. modern-day young filmmakers rely on film festivals for pre promotion. they use this to gain acclaim and attention for their films, which often leads to a limited release in theatres. film that acquire a cult following may be given a wide release. low-budget films can be either professional productions or amateur. they are either shot using professional or consumer equipment. some genres are more conducive to low-budget filmmaking than others. horror films are a very popular genre for low-budget directorial debuts. jeremy gardner, director of the battery says that horror fans are more attracted to how the films affect them than seeing movie stars. this allows horror films to focus more on provoking a reaction than on expensive casting choices. thriller films are also a popular choice for low-budget films, as they focus on narrative. science fiction films, which were once the domain of b movies, frequently require a big budget to accommodate their special effects, but low-cost do-it-yourself computer-generated imagery can make them affordable, especially when they focus on story and characterization. plot devices like shooting as found footage can lower production costs, and scripts that rely on extended dialogue, such as reservoir dogs or sex, lies, and videotape, can entertain audiences without many sets. the money flow in filmmaking is a unique system because of the uncertainty of demand. the makers of the film do not know how well the film they release will be received. they may predict a film will do very well and pay back the cost of production, but only get a portion back. or the opposite may happen where a project that few think will go far can bring in more profit than imaginable. a big gambling variable that is also involved is the use of stars. frequently stars are brought on to a project to gain the film publicity and fame. this process can be profitable, but it is not a foolproof mechanism to successful funding. well-known actors may join a low-budget film for a portion of the gross.
a low-budget film or low-budget movie is a motion picture shot with little to no funding from a major film studio or private investor. many independent films are made on low budgets, but films made on the mainstream circuit with inexperienced or unknown filmmakers can also have low budgets. many young or first time filmmakers shoot low-budget films to prove their talent before doing bigger productions. many low-budget films that do not gain some form of attention or acclaim are never released in theatres and are often sent straight to retail because of its lack of marketability, look, story, or premise. there is no precise number to define a low budget production, and it is relative to both genre and country. what might be a low-budget film in one country may be a big budget in another. modern-day young filmmakers rely on film festivals for pre promotion. they use this to gain acclaim and attention for their films, which often leads to a limited release in theatres. film that acquire a cult following may be given a wide release. low-budget films can be either professional productions or amateur. they are either shot using professional or consumer equipment. some genres are more conducive to low-budget filmmaking than others. horror films are a very popular genre for low-budget directorial debuts. jeremy gardner, director of the battery says that horror fans are more attracted to how the films affect them than seeing movie stars. this allows horror films to focus more on provoking a reaction than on expensive casting choices. thriller films are also a popular choice for low-budget films, as they focus on narrative. science fiction films, which were once the domain of b movies, frequently require a big budget to accommodate their special effects, but low-cost do-it-yourself computer-generated imagery can make them affordable, especially when they focus on story and characterization. plot devices like shooting as found footage can lower production costs, and scripts that rely on extended dialogue, such as reservoir dogs or sex, lies, and videotape, can entertain audiences without many sets. the money flow in filmmaking is a unique system because of the uncertainty of demand. the makers of the film do not know how well the film they release will be received. they may predict a film will do very well and pay back the cost of production, but only get a portion back. or the opposite may happen where a project that few think will go far can bring in more profit than imaginable. a big gambling variable that is also involved is the use of stars. frequently stars are brought on to a project to gain the film publicity and fame. this process can be profitable, but it is not a foolproof mechanism to successful funding. well-known actors may join a low-budget film for a portion of the gross.