No budget film
Encyclopedia
A no budget film is a produced film
made with very little, or no money.
Young directors starting out in filmmaking commonly use this method because there are few other options available to them at that point. All the actors and technicians are employed without remuneration
, and the films are largely non-profit
. Usually the director
works alone on such films, or uses a very minimum "crew" of volunteers to assist him/her on such projects where no money or financing is available, not including the cost of film. No-budget films are made every day with video tapes and consumer cameras.
's Pather Panchali (1955), which was produced on a budget of Rs.
150,000 Along with the other films in Ray's The Apu Trilogy the film is frequently listed among the greatest films of all time. In 1960, Ron Rice
released The Flower Thief
, starring Taylor Mead
, to great acclaim. The film was produced for less than $1000 using black-and-white 16mm 50' film cartridges left over from aerial gunnery equipment used during World War II . In the early 1960s, filmmaker Jack Smith
used discarded color reversal film stock to film his no budget film classic, Flaming Creatures
. John Waters
' 1964 black-and-white film Hag in a Black Leather Jacket
allegedly cost $30.00 to make. Craig Baldwin
's Flick Skin is entirely made from discarded film, or "found footage
", retrieved from a projectionist's booth. The No Wave Cinema
movement of the late 1970s, represented by filmmakers such as Vivienne Dick
, produced many notable no budget films shot on Super 8 such as Beauty Becomes The Beast. In 1993, Sarah Jacobson
's first film, I Was a Teenage Serial Killer, was made with "one camera, one tape recorder, one mic and, like, four lights" . G.B. Jones took 13 years to film, direct and edit on Super 8mm the feature film The Lollipop Generation
, which was filmed whenever she could afford to buy a roll of film, and finally released in 2008.
Filming for no budget films is often done on location without permission, which is referred to as "guerrilla filmmaking
", using sites such as the home of the filmmaker or their friends, in the backyard or local neighborhood. The no-budget documentary, BookWars was shot with borrowed cameras on the streets of New York, and was financed from the sales of used books during shooting. No budget films have often been made in the past using Super 8 mm film
or video
, but recent films have taken advantage of low cost digital cameras and editing programs.
No budget films have frequently been screened at experimental film festivals which highlight low budget productions, such as the Flicker Film Festival
in Los Angeles
, The 8 Fest in Toronto
and the Trasharama A-Go-Go
festival in Australia
. Many directors resort to screening their films at clubs and bars, while others set up DIY screenings. While some of these films are made available on video and DVD, many directors have taken advantage of the internet to show their films either on their own websites or sites devoted to such films.
While generally ignored by the commercial film sector, they have, on occasion, garnered much recognition in the world of alternative culture and arts. It is rare that a no budget film manages to receive recognition and launch a filmmaker's career; only a handful have achieved any level of high acclaim - prime examples being Kevin Smith's Clerks and Christopher Nolan's Following.
Other successful no budget films include The Gamers
, Heathen
, and Paranormal Activity.
Cinematography
Cinematography is the making of lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images for cinema. It is closely related to the art of still photography...
made with very little, or no money.
Young directors starting out in filmmaking commonly use this method because there are few other options available to them at that point. All the actors and technicians are employed without remuneration
Remuneration
Remuneration is the total compensation that an employee receives in exchange for the service they perform for their employer. Typically, this consists of monetary rewards, also referred to as wage or salary...
, and the films are largely non-profit
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
. Usually the director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
works alone on such films, or uses a very minimum "crew" of volunteers to assist him/her on such projects where no money or financing is available, not including the cost of film. No-budget films are made every day with video tapes and consumer cameras.
Examples
Satyajit RaySatyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray was an Indian Bengali filmmaker. He is regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of 20th century cinema. Ray was born in the city of Kolkata into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature...
's Pather Panchali (1955), which was produced on a budget of Rs.
Indian rupee
The Indian rupee is the official currency of the Republic of India. The issuance of the currency is controlled by the Reserve Bank of India....
150,000 Along with the other films in Ray's The Apu Trilogy the film is frequently listed among the greatest films of all time. In 1960, Ron Rice
Ron Rice
For the American football player see Ron Rice Ron Rice was an American experimental filmmaker, whose freeform style influenced experimental filmmakers in New York and California during the early 1960s.-The Flower Thief:Rice twice collaborated with future Warhol star Taylor Mead, including Rice's...
released The Flower Thief
The Flower Thief
The Flower Thief is an underground film directed by Ron Rice, shot in 1959 in San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood, using surplus 16mm film. The film features non-professional actors like Taylor Mead and Eric "Big Daddy" Nord, and Beat poets living in North Beach such as Bob Kaufman.-External...
, starring Taylor Mead
Taylor Mead
Taylor Mead is an American writer, actor, and performer. Mead appeared in several of Andy Warhol's underground films including Tarzan and Jane Regained.....
, to great acclaim. The film was produced for less than $1000 using black-and-white 16mm 50' film cartridges left over from aerial gunnery equipment used during World War II . In the early 1960s, filmmaker Jack Smith
Jack Smith (film director)
Jack Smith was an American filmmaker, actor, and pioneer of underground cinema...
used discarded color reversal film stock to film his no budget film classic, Flaming Creatures
Flaming Creatures
Flaming Creatures is an American experimental film by filmmaker Jack Smith. Due to its surreal, graphic depiction of sexuality, the film was seized by the police at its premiere, and was officially determined to be obscene by a New York Criminal Court. The 43-minute featurette attracted media and...
. John Waters
John Waters (filmmaker)
John Samuel Waters, Jr. is an American filmmaker, actor, stand-up comedian, writer, journalist, visual artist, and art collector, who rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films...
' 1964 black-and-white film Hag in a Black Leather Jacket
Hag in a Black Leather Jacket
Hag in a Black Leather Jacket is a John Waters short film made in Baltimore, Maryland, starring Mona Montgomery and Mary Vivian Pearce.-Plot:...
allegedly cost $30.00 to make. Craig Baldwin
Craig Baldwin
Craig Baldwin is an American experimental filmmaker. He uses “found” footage from the fringes of popular consciousness as well as images from the mass media to undermine and transform the traditional documentary, infusing it with the energy of high-speed montage and a provocative commentary that...
's Flick Skin is entirely made from discarded film, or "found footage
Found footage
Found footage is a filmmaking term which describes a method of compiling films partly or entirely of footage which has not been created by the filmmaker, and changing its meaning by placing it in a new context. It should not be mistaken for documentary or compilation films. It is also not to be...
", retrieved from a projectionist's booth. The No Wave Cinema
No Wave Cinema
No Wave Cinema was a Colab sponsored boom in underground filmmaking on the Lower East Side neighborhood of New York City. Its name, much like its cousin No Wave music, was a stripped down style of guerrilla/punk filmmaking that emphasized mood and texture above everything else.This brief movement,...
movement of the late 1970s, represented by filmmakers such as Vivienne Dick
Vivienne Dick
Vivienne Dick is an Irish experimental and documentary filmmaker.She was born in Dublin but moved to the United States in the 1970s. In the U.S., Dick became active in No Wave film culture and produced a series of Super8 short films. Many of her films were staged around well-known New York City...
, produced many notable no budget films shot on Super 8 such as Beauty Becomes The Beast. In 1993, Sarah Jacobson
Sarah Jacobson
Sarah Jacobson was an independent filmmaker who wrote, produced, and filmed her own movies.-Career:...
's first film, I Was a Teenage Serial Killer, was made with "one camera, one tape recorder, one mic and, like, four lights" . G.B. Jones took 13 years to film, direct and edit on Super 8mm the feature film The Lollipop Generation
The Lollipop Generation
The Lollipop Generation is the first feature film by G.B. Jones.The Lollipop Generation premiered as the Gala Feature presentation of the Images Festival in Toronto on April 3, 2008....
, which was filmed whenever she could afford to buy a roll of film, and finally released in 2008.
Filming for no budget films is often done on location without permission, which is referred to as "guerrilla filmmaking
Guerrilla filmmaking
Guerrilla filmmaking refers to a form of independent filmmaking characterized by low budgets, skeleton crews, and simple props using whatever is available...
", using sites such as the home of the filmmaker or their friends, in the backyard or local neighborhood. The no-budget documentary, BookWars was shot with borrowed cameras on the streets of New York, and was financed from the sales of used books during shooting. No budget films have often been made in the past using Super 8 mm film
Super 8 mm film
Super 8 mm film is a motion picture film format released in 1965 by Eastman Kodak as an improvement of the older "Double" or "Regular" 8 mm home movie format....
or video
Video
Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.- History :...
, but recent films have taken advantage of low cost digital cameras and editing programs.
No budget films have frequently been screened at experimental film festivals which highlight low budget productions, such as the Flicker Film Festival
Flicker Film Festival
Flicker Film Festival is an ongoing film festival that happens in many cities around the world. This non-competitive film screening series is dedicated to giving local filmmakers an outlet and forum for their Super 8 and 16 mm short films.- External links :...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, The 8 Fest in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and the Trasharama A-Go-Go
Trasharama A-Go-Go
Trasharama A-Go-Go is an annual low-budget/no-budget short film festival started in 1997 by Dick Dale of Adelaide bands Gacy's Place and Kamikaze...
festival in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Many directors resort to screening their films at clubs and bars, while others set up DIY screenings. While some of these films are made available on video and DVD, many directors have taken advantage of the internet to show their films either on their own websites or sites devoted to such films.
While generally ignored by the commercial film sector, they have, on occasion, garnered much recognition in the world of alternative culture and arts. It is rare that a no budget film manages to receive recognition and launch a filmmaker's career; only a handful have achieved any level of high acclaim - prime examples being Kevin Smith's Clerks and Christopher Nolan's Following.
Other successful no budget films include The Gamers
The Gamers (film)
The Gamers is a 2002 very-low-budget cult film written and directed by Matt Vancil and produced by independent movie company Dead Gentlemen Productions. It is an affectionate spoof of role-playing games, and often shown at gaming conventions...
, Heathen
Heathen (film)
Heathen is a 2009 British thriller film directed by Ross Shepherd. It tells the story of William Hunt, a reclusive railway worker, who suddenly finds himself on the trail of his missing brother, when he is sent mysterious clues relating to his disappearance...
, and Paranormal Activity.
External links
- B-Independent.com The leading networking and how-to site for no-budget cinema.
- Indie Filmmaking The comprehensive guide to no budget filmmaking.
- MakeCrappyMovies.com You don't need a Hollywood budget to make crap (but it helps).