Movies can potentially be expensive to make, but they don’t always have to be. You don’t need a few million dollars to get your movie made. In fact, with some stories you hardly need any money at all. Enter the micro-budget film.
This is a list of 5 fantastic micro-budget movies that absolutely play to their strengths. By understanding their limitations and working to enhance whatever the filmmakers actually have control over, the films reach a new height.
By developing strong dialogue, an intriguing mood, and a unique story with individual texture and aesthetics, these films are remembered as cult classics and are enjoyed by a wide audience.
If you put your efforts into making sure that things that you can control without spending any money are top-notch, then you’re on your way to making a great micro-budget movie.
While not “technically” perfect in some regards, these 5 micro-budget movies represent what a little bit of money can produce with a lot of hard work.
1. The American Astronaut – Dir. Corey McAbee (2001)
Being a space western musical you might think that this film would have an extraordinary budget, but by cleverly masking visuals with black and white grain and a hefty amount of shadow, a simple bedroom can be made out to be a space ship.
The American Astronaut uses techniques found in classic noir and German Expressionist films to create an entirely new mood and visual sense to the sci-fi genre.
McAbee, an accomplished musician, adds in his unique style of music in order to blend genres in a way that hasn’t been done before. By incorporating musical theater, another layer is added to film making it impossibly more fun.
The script, which was developed in the Sundance Screenwriters Lab in 1996 and not produced until 2001, is pushed to the absolute limits. By focusing on dialogue, and making it as interesting as possible, audience interest is retained without having to rely on fancy sci-fi visual effect tropes.
Its unique sense of humor gives it a touch of absurdity making it seem fresh and spontaneous. Its unpredictable nature grants it a timeless quality, thus earning it a cult status that has allowed it to not fall into obscurity more than 20 years after its original release.
Key takeaways for burgeoning micro-budget filmmakers are: Use visual limitations to your advantage; Spend as much time as needed to develop a unique and fresh script; Fusion of genres.
2. It’s Impossible to Learn to Plow By Reading Books – Dir. Richard Linklater (1988)
Before Slacker, Richard Linklater developed the micro-budget film It’s Impossible to Learn to Plow By Reading Books over a 3-year period (1985-88) and used it to hone his skills as a filmmaker.
He worked completely on his own using only the tools that he had available to him, and used the film as a personal project rather than a marketable project. The story is purposefully vague and abstract, and an emphasis is put on framing and composition which could be done leisurely as the film was done in a guerrilla-style.
In the director’s commentary included in the Criterion Collection’s edition of Slacker, Linklater presses that fact that the film was made solely as an experiment to test what interested him as a filmmaker while making an actual film. By doing this with a low-risk project, his future projects, specifically the phenomenon that Slacker made, flourished and set him up for success down the line.
Linklater also emphasizes patience as a filmmaker and how important it is to assess that you are ready to begin production before you actually begin.
When working on a micro-budget scale, you might have the luxury of time. No production studio is on your back about a due-date, because your financing is done independently. With this in mind, it’s important to take your time and make sure everything is right before you choose to release your film.
You might have more leeway in regards to writing,reshooting, and editing, so make sure you use that time to its fullest.
Takeaways: Be patient, use your time to make every element as good as it can be, Composition can be a wonderful tool especially if you have the time to make it just right.
3. The Caretaker – Dir. Clive Donner (1963)
Sometimes referred to as The Guest, The Caretaker is adapted from a Harold Pinter play of the same name.
The film, originally turned down by all major studios, was eventually made when a number of interested patrons including Peter Sellers, Noël Coward, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and a handful of other generous artists, all invested 1,000 Pounds each, resulting in a 7,000 Pound total budget.
The result is a micro-budget, psychological-drama masterpiece. Taking place almost entirely in a single room and made up of a cast of three talented actors, the story is dark, humorous, and filled with raw drama.
By keeping the setting simple and the cast small, caveats of many great theatrical pieces, the story is contained and loose ends are easily tucked in.
The score, a series of sound effects, is another micro-budget masterclass. The dripping of water and the rattling of pipes being replaced with electronic synthesizer motifs is cost effective and creates a unique atmosphere.
When you have great actors such as Robert Shaw, Donald Pleasence, and Alan Bates, along with the writing of a master such as Harold Pinter, simplicity becomes infinitely interesting.
Takeaways: Work to find actors who know their stuff and are willing to work, there are plenty other than your best friend’s cousin; Music can add a world of difference to atmosphere, and, like actors, plenty of talented composers exist and are willing to work on interesting projects, you just have to find them; and, of course, great deliberate writing will always enhance any story.
4. Coherence – Dir. James Ward Byrkit (2013)
So, clearly, writing is important. But what if you have a great story concept for your micro-budget film, but don’t feel confident in your writing capabilities?
Enter Coherence, a wonderful mind-bending surreal sci-fi film that relies heavily on actor improvisation.
The writers, James Ward Byrkit and Alex Manugian, had an idea and a general treatment for the story, but rather than executing a normal script, they decided to instead use improvisation.
During shooting, the actors were given slips of paper in secret with prompts detailing how their character should react to certain things. The actors would begin their scene, improvise, and all was captured with handheld cameras by a skeleton crew.
The frantic nature of both the shaky cam and the actor’s performances gives the film that psychological edge that makes it a great genre piece.
If you have a great idea for a story, it might be worth trying an improvised approach. While the improvisations might not be clean enough for a finished product, the experiments are sure to elicit ideas for a conventional script.
This is not unlike how Mike Leigh operates, albeit on a much higher budget.
Takeaways: If you have an interesting story but are struggling with a script, try improvising with some actors to get some ideas; Handheld cameras have long been a staple of independent thrillers, and for good reason, it adds a certain edge to visuals.
5. Last Night at the Alamo – Dir. Eagle Pennell (1983)
Eagle Pennell’s filmography is the reason that Robert Redford began the Sundance Film Festival, as a means of distributing and showing independent film work that would otherwise get lost to time.
Pennell’s films utilize many of the micro-budget techniques brought up so far, including; a single set, a talented ensemble of actors, harsh biting dialogue, and gritty black and white footage.
Where Pennell stands out is that he knows what he wants to say. His vision is clear and envelopes the entirety of the film. The characters are blue-collar workers who feel that they are trapped and being pushed out by a new America, a very relatable subject.
By having a cohesive, well-thought out theme that is highly relatable to an audience you highlight engagement. The film doesn’t administer any fancy camerawork or editing, and it doesn’t need to.
By working simply, Pennell creates a great, timeless film on a budget.
Takeaways: Having a clean, cohesive vision makes your film seem polished; Relatable stories easily hook in an audience; Films don’t need complicated techniques in order to be complex, simplicity also works.
Conclusion
Micro-budget films are everywhere and each will reveal different tips and techniques on how to make impactful films without breaking the bank.
By watching many, and familiarizing yourself with how it’s done, filmmaking can be a much more accessible medium.
All it takes is a little creativity.