A few weeks ago, I had the chance to hear Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu speak at the Chicago International Film Festival, after a screening of his film, Babel. Someone in the audience asked him if he still considered himself an independent filmmaker, now that he had a higher budget (Babel had a $20 million budget compared to the $2 million Amores Perros). Inarritu laughed and said "I am and will always be an independent filmmaker." He then shared a story about how his friend and fellow filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron, was complaining about not having enough money while making the Harry Potter film. said "And no matter what your budget is, you will never have enough money."
So I thought I'd take this opportunity to highlight some of the filmmakers with upcoming films who got their start making low-budget and no-budget films and as a result of their success had loads of cash at their disposal. And I can't help but wonder, is it enough?
Christopher Nolan
Christopher Nolan's new film, The Prestige, opens this week in theaters, starring Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johansson, and Christian Bale, who Nolan worked with on Batman Begins and the upcoming The Dark Knight. Nolan burst on to the film scene with Memento but that was not actually his first film. Back in 1998, Nolan made his directorial debut with Following, a black and white film about a writer who likes to follow strangers around London. The budget for the film? $6,000. Compared to the $140 million it cost to make Batman!
Marc Forster
You may not know the name Marc Forster, but I'll bet you've heard of his films. Forster's latest, Stranger than Fiction, starring Will Ferrell and Emma Thompson, opens in theaters this week. Forster found box office bliss with Finding Neverland and Monster's Ball and also earned nominations for his actors (and an Oscar win for Halle Berry). But his first feature, Everything Put Together, was a small indie film about a young woman struggling with the death of her child from SIDS. This low-budget film starring Radha Mitchell and Megan Mullaly, cost merely $500K to produce--compared to $40 million for ...Fiction.
Darren Aronofsky
Darren Aronofsky's new sci-fi love story, The Fountain, is making its rounds on the festival circuit and will open in theaters in late November. Spanning over one thousand years, and three parallel stories, The Fountain is a story of love, death, spirituality, and the fragility of our existence in this world, and cost roughly $38 million to produce. Compare that to the $60,000 it took to make PI, Aronofsky's directorial debut.
It's interesting to look back and remember these filmmakers got their start. If you get a chance, I'd recommend renting the films on video. I was lucky enough to interview all three of these gentleman who at the time were unknown artists. So to all the filmmakers who are funding their films on credit cards, don't give up. It could happen to you too!
Long live indie film,
Michelle
So I thought I'd take this opportunity to highlight some of the filmmakers with upcoming films who got their start making low-budget and no-budget films and as a result of their success had loads of cash at their disposal. And I can't help but wonder, is it enough?
Christopher Nolan
Christopher Nolan's new film, The Prestige, opens this week in theaters, starring Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johansson, and Christian Bale, who Nolan worked with on Batman Begins and the upcoming The Dark Knight. Nolan burst on to the film scene with Memento but that was not actually his first film. Back in 1998, Nolan made his directorial debut with Following, a black and white film about a writer who likes to follow strangers around London. The budget for the film? $6,000. Compared to the $140 million it cost to make Batman!
Marc Forster
You may not know the name Marc Forster, but I'll bet you've heard of his films. Forster's latest, Stranger than Fiction, starring Will Ferrell and Emma Thompson, opens in theaters this week. Forster found box office bliss with Finding Neverland and Monster's Ball and also earned nominations for his actors (and an Oscar win for Halle Berry). But his first feature, Everything Put Together, was a small indie film about a young woman struggling with the death of her child from SIDS. This low-budget film starring Radha Mitchell and Megan Mullaly, cost merely $500K to produce--compared to $40 million for ...Fiction.
Darren Aronofsky
Darren Aronofsky's new sci-fi love story, The Fountain, is making its rounds on the festival circuit and will open in theaters in late November. Spanning over one thousand years, and three parallel stories, The Fountain is a story of love, death, spirituality, and the fragility of our existence in this world, and cost roughly $38 million to produce. Compare that to the $60,000 it took to make PI, Aronofsky's directorial debut.
It's interesting to look back and remember these filmmakers got their start. If you get a chance, I'd recommend renting the films on video. I was lucky enough to interview all three of these gentleman who at the time were unknown artists. So to all the filmmakers who are funding their films on credit cards, don't give up. It could happen to you too!
Long live indie film,
Michelle
posted by indieIN | 12:20 PM
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