I shot a full length feature on my phone during the pandemic and it became an award winning film. Don't let anything stop you from making your art. Just start....
Primer was shot on film for $7k and is a better movie (and better looking) than most $35+ million films. Gravesend was made for $5k on beta vhs w/film look process and Oliver Stone slapped his name on it after seeing it.
Rodriguez shot and edited El Mariachi for $7K but the studio spent $250K on post. So, the completion budget was $257K. Paranormal Activity (2009) was made for $15K and also had additional post costs, it grossed $194 million. I would think she would be using this as an example. The Blair Witch Project was made for $22.5K and made $248 million. Open Water (2003) cost $130K and made $54 million. The list goes on. For an expert on low budget filmmaking she doesn't actually know that many successful low budget films.
@@joemorgenstern9846 The examples I gave are from IMDB's list of most successful low budget films. Secondly, these films all achieved studio distribution.
Skinamarink was made for $15,000 flat and was written, directed and edited by the same guy. Movie grossed over 2 million. Almost no money was spent on post. This lady is not giving good advice. You don't need to spend a ton of money on post production or festivals. Spend ALL your initial money on the actual shoot. If you have a pile of shit, it doesn't matter how much you polish in post and it doesn't matter how many festivals you submit to because a pile of shit is a pile of shit. Plain and simple. Worry about getting the best footage possible because you can always wait for more paychecks for the festival and post production money. And no one is waiting for the next Tarantino. We already have Tarantino. We're waiting for something new.
If you have $50 million budget and a bad script w/bad actors it will still suck. …A great script with great actors for $7k -$25k budget will be more memorable and possibly still make more money. Primer, El Marachi, Brothers McMullen and Blair Witch are examples.
Ok, so spend 50k (or even "just" 20k) to make your awesome short. Great. So where TF do regular people find 50k (or "just" 20k) to spend on a project like this?
Great interview and thank you so much for the insight. I'm shooting my first feature next month. 3 locations (85% of the shoot is at 1) , 3 "on screen actors" (one of which has fewer lines than Michael Myers in Halloween) and 1 VO actress. I'll be housing everyone at my house, feeding them from my own kitchen. Due to the story, there are no costume changes either. Very little dialogue, so one boom mic and one lav mic should be more than enough. Shooting most of it outdoors so lighting will be key concern...but not as much as the WEATHER. That is my biggest worry at this moment. Wish I could pick your brains in person! Do you have a consulting site?
The reality is that when you are in the begging of your movie making career, you just better do films from your own pocket. It doesn't matter how well planned, who you have in the team, when you're fresh, you don't get funding.
I agree. I think that to get good at this we need to practise 1) creating & telling good stories, and 2) using the resources that we already have at our disposal.
There are plenty of people blowing people away telling stories on social media. They are just not making movies. I think this a reflection that the movie/main stream industry needs to reflect on.
Wow! She totally ignores Spike Lee! He did his first film ("She's Gotta Have It") for $25K. If it wasn't for Spike Lee there would not have been Quinton Tarantino! "Daughters of the Dust" by Julie Dash. was also a low budget film shot in one location. It was/is critically acclaimed, a first of it's kind and shot by a Black woman director. She also missed Gordon Parks films. There was also SamGreenlee's "The Spook Who Sat By the Door". Without either, there'd be no Spike Lee, Robert Rodriguez or Tarantino...
The budget for "She's Gotta Have It" was $175,000, not $25k. And additional funds were required to re-edit the film from it's Super 16 format into acceptable 35mm format for submission to various film festivals.
The less money you put into a film the more it will cost you in the following areas Qc Marketing Payables And ultimately lawsuits for loss and paybacks extended to the genius making the film From my experience...be careful your dream will turn against u..so learn everything before you yell action
If it is like she says, then Why The F would anyone ever want to make a film? Also, if the way she says is how it is done, it is no wonder that the majority of the films today suck. I would not spend 50K on a short film ever! That is just a waste of money
She said why, they have a story to tell, and believe their vision is unique. Some folks have this (stories) in them for years or decades and they want to get them out of them and the story told, the film seen. Others just think it would be cool, and easy, and and have some cash to blow, so so they blow their wad alright.
You wouldn't. You'd first write the script then spend about $10,000 on an agent who would shop it around to get it attached to a talent that makes producers salivate. You get a sort of promissory from the 'Talent' stating that they agree to play a specific character in this specific script with this specific Director for this specific amount of money. I had a friend just complete a low Budget feature this way. I think he may have budgeted to pay himself back the $10,000 via the budget. I'd have to ask.
@@mstevenchapman Agents are not bought for an upfront fee, they work and take a percentage of the revenue is what I always thought. But there are scammers out there looking for an upfront payment.
Here is our full interview with Kim - ua-cam.com/video/8DD3zGzHL30/v-deo.html
I like this lady. I think she is the best guest on Film Courage
true
Kim was one of my instructors back in my days at UCLA in 2009. She was a wonderful teacher!
Nice! Thank you for posting!
I shot a full length feature on my phone during the pandemic and it became an award winning film. Don't let anything stop you from making your art. Just start....
What is the name of the film?
Is it on UA-cam or som OTT
Primer was shot on film for $7k and is a better movie (and better looking) than most $35+ million films.
Gravesend was made for $5k on beta vhs w/film look process and Oliver Stone slapped his name on it after seeing it.
Such an engaging and joyful character. Always love these interviews but this was bursting with fun.
Thank you for a great interview - Kim Adelman is amazing and your questions are spot on.
Rodriguez shot and edited El Mariachi for $7K but the studio spent $250K on post. So, the completion budget was $257K. Paranormal Activity (2009) was made for $15K and also had additional post costs, it grossed $194 million. I would think she would be using this as an example. The Blair Witch Project was made for $22.5K and made $248 million. Open Water (2003) cost $130K and made $54 million. The list goes on. For an expert on low budget filmmaking she doesn't actually know that many successful low budget films.
That's true, but both the director and (half true) "story" of the making of El Mariachi are more well known.
Could your examples be outliers?
@@joemorgenstern9846 The examples I gave are from IMDB's list of most successful low budget films. Secondly, these films all achieved studio distribution.
Skinamarink was made for $15,000 flat and was written, directed and edited by the same guy. Movie grossed over 2 million. Almost no money was spent on post.
This lady is not giving good advice. You don't need to spend a ton of money on post production or festivals. Spend ALL your initial money on the actual shoot. If you have a pile of shit, it doesn't matter how much you polish in post and it doesn't matter how many festivals you submit to because a pile of shit is a pile of shit. Plain and simple. Worry about getting the best footage possible because you can always wait for more paychecks for the festival and post production money.
And no one is waiting for the next Tarantino. We already have Tarantino. We're waiting for something new.
There's quite a few omissions.
Kevin Smith- Clerks
John Townsend- Hollywood Shuffle
Sam Raimi- Evil Dead
And these are just off the top of my head.
“Film is forever.” 🖤
Good advice hope to use some of it myself with my own ideas!
If you have $50 million budget and a bad script w/bad actors it will still suck.
…A great script with great actors for $7k -$25k budget will be more memorable and possibly still make more money.
Primer, El Marachi, Brothers McMullen and Blair Witch are examples.
I ve bought her book, great eye opener... Great interviews by the way!! Thank you!
Thank you so much! Great essay.
good interview and topic.
Ok, so spend 50k (or even "just" 20k) to make your awesome short. Great. So where TF do regular people find 50k (or "just" 20k) to spend on a project like this?
There a companies for funding these projects, people don't usually spend out of pocket
@@danger_0795which companies do you recommend
@@danger_0795 which companies are giving people a lot of money to make shorts? Shorts don't really have an ROI.
We just have to get grant money or investor support.
Great interview and thank you so much for the insight. I'm shooting my first feature next month. 3 locations (85% of the shoot is at 1) , 3 "on screen actors" (one of which has fewer lines than Michael Myers in Halloween) and 1 VO actress. I'll be housing everyone at my house, feeding them from my own kitchen. Due to the story, there are no costume changes either. Very little dialogue, so one boom mic and one lav mic should be more than enough. Shooting most of it outdoors so lighting will be key concern...but not as much as the WEATHER. That is my biggest worry at this moment. Wish I could pick your brains in person! Do you have a consulting site?
The reality is that when you are in the begging of your movie making career, you just better do films from your own pocket. It doesn't matter how well planned, who you have in the team, when you're fresh, you don't get funding.
I agree. I think that to get good at this we need to practise 1) creating & telling good stories, and 2) using the resources that we already have at our disposal.
This is great!
These Rock!
$3.00 for a festival submission? Short films cost a lot more than that unless you sent it to scammy festivals…
Beautiful
👍 👍
There are plenty of people blowing people away telling stories on social media. They are just not making movies. I think this a reflection that the movie/main stream industry needs to reflect on.
I make no budget films outta crap I find on the internet for my own amusement.
and nobody ever sees them?
Wow! She totally ignores Spike Lee! He did his first film ("She's Gotta Have It") for $25K. If it wasn't for Spike Lee there would not have been Quinton Tarantino!
"Daughters of the Dust" by Julie Dash. was also a low budget film shot in one location. It was/is critically acclaimed, a first of it's kind and shot by a Black woman director.
She also missed Gordon Parks films.
There was also SamGreenlee's "The Spook Who Sat By the Door".
Without either, there'd be no Spike Lee, Robert Rodriguez or Tarantino...
The budget for "She's Gotta Have It" was $175,000, not $25k. And additional funds were required to re-edit the film from it's Super 16 format into acceptable 35mm format for submission to various film festivals.
The less money you put into a film the more it will cost you in the following areas
Qc
Marketing
Payables
And ultimately lawsuits for loss and paybacks extended to the genius making the film
From my experience...be careful your dream will turn against u..so learn everything before you yell action
🎬🌲✨ Greetings to y’all another day Mates in Film etc
‘
Waiting on a new Tarantino but keep making woke garbage? How does that add up? Clearly they’re AFRAID of the next Tarantino.
If it is like she says, then Why The F would anyone ever want to make a film? Also, if the way she says is how it is done, it is no wonder that the majority of the films today suck. I would not spend 50K on a short film ever! That is just a waste of money
She said why, they have a story to tell, and believe their vision is unique. Some folks have this (stories) in them for years or decades and they want to get them out of them and the story told, the film seen.
Others just think it would be cool, and easy, and and have some cash to blow, so so they blow their wad alright.
You wouldn't. You'd first write the script then spend about $10,000 on an agent who would shop it around to get it attached to a talent that makes producers salivate. You get a sort of promissory from the 'Talent' stating that they agree to play a specific character in this specific script with this specific Director for this specific amount of money. I had a friend just complete a low Budget feature this way. I think he may have budgeted to pay himself back the $10,000 via the budget. I'd have to ask.
@@mstevenchapman Agents are not bought for an upfront fee, they work and take a percentage of the revenue is what I always thought. But there are scammers out there looking for an upfront payment.
I'd do it just for fun, or just for practise, or just to voluntarily help society. Organizations offer grants, so why not use that on a good story?
@@mstevenchapmanPay an agent 10k? Any agent that takes money up front is a scam.