"If you have a feature script for a million or under, limited locations, regardless of the genre, it will sell." --- The Exec Hour with Brodrick Haygood
What's your favorite $1MM-n-under, limited locations, limited characters movie?
Mine is HALLOWEEN. Made for $350K, grossed over $70MM, and became a massive franchise.
1 person likes this
FYI, the Making Of HALLOWEEN is a great lesson in film production: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXtPgnuL330.
4 people like this
It's a bit of an open door: "El Mariachi".
2 people like this
$350K in 1970's in about $1.6M today.
Fav $1M - under movie? Hmm maybe "Spank the Monkey" 30-years ago, or recently, "Moonlight."
2 people like this
"Halloween," Francisco Castro. My second favorite is "Mad Max."
3 people like this
Probably The Evil Dead ($350,000), Clerks ($27,575- funded in part by Kevin Smith selling part of his comic book collection), and Once ($150,000). Each film was successful enough to lead to the filmmakers' next projects having larger budgets and legitimacy.
4 people like this
Blair Witch.
3 people like this
"In The Company Of Men" - 1997 - Made for $25k. Launched both Neil LaBute and Aaron Eckhart.
3 people like this
Brothers McMullen for $25k in 1995. I believe Edward Burns got that loan from his Dad.
3 people like this
EL MARIACAHI... CLERKS... IN THE COMPANY OF MEN... BROTHERS MCMULLEN... Great choices!!! Those take me back to the great 90s Indies when I went to grad school for Screenwriting. I dove head first into Indies and studied all of them especially LIVING IN OBLIVION, GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS, RUBY IN PARADISE & GAS FOOD LODGING.
2 people like this
Night of the Living Dead is really magnificent.
2 people like this
BROTHERS MCMULLEN - I forgot about that one. Another $25K film. Made $19M. Burns later made a film with digital camera for $9K. Any skilled filmmaker can do this on a micro budget if they can just get a winning script. Most fail because they write the script themselves.
2 people like this
"She's Gotta Have It", for $175,000.00
2 people like this
"Buried"... approx. 60K + 1 x coffin + 1 x Ryan Reynolds... didn't made it into franchise through, but on the other hand that would've been silly...still one of the most tasteful written single location scripts - a true masterclass in writing such genre...
2 people like this
Shane Carruth's Primer - $7k - shot on film, each scene 1 take only and he pretty much did everything. And it is a great film!
Buried was $2m!
2 people like this
The IMDB estimate for Buried is $3m. They had Ryan Reynolds for 16 days. A bargain at twice that price.