00:00Welcome to WatchMojo and today we're counting down our picks for the most
00:15remarkable movies that were made on a shoestring budget.
00:25Number 10. Newlyweds. Estimated cost $9,000.
00:29If you do not wake up at least one morning a week and look over at your partner and think,
00:32I have made a terrible mistake, then there's actually something wrong.
00:36Well, Marshall feels that way every morning.
00:37Hollywood filmmaker Edward Burns has gained recognition for his low-budget,
00:41heartfelt dramas, particularly his Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner, The Brothers McCullen.
00:46Newlyweds, a mock docudrama about a newlyweded couple whose marriage is tested by the presence
00:50of an in-law, became the filmmaker's cheapest film to date with an estimated $9,000 budget.
00:56This is what we do. We tell each other everything. It's called honesty.
00:59Really? That sounds like a terrible idea.
01:01To achieve this, Burns shot the entire film in 12 days on his personal camera,
01:06with a crew of only three people. The limited cast, which included Burns himself,
01:10had to provide their own costumes, hair and makeup. While it may not be perfect,
01:14Newlyweds' well-developed characters, smart comedy and impressive performances
01:18prove that you don't necessarily need to break the bank to make a darn good film.
01:22Your sister is the devil!
01:24Oh my god. We need to get as far away from any of our relatives as possible.
01:29Number 9. The Battery. Estimated cost $6,000.
01:33In his feature film debut, director Jeremy Gardner achieves what many people with much
01:37bigger budgets have tried and failed at for a year, putting a unique spin on the post-apocalyptic
01:41zombie genre. The Battery stars Gardner and Adam Cronheim as two former baseball players
01:54traveling through the New England area following a zombie apocalypse. With a micro budget of just
01:58$6,000, the film's production schedule was understandably rushed, with certain necessities
02:03not being available until mere days before filming. Gardner uses this low budget to his advantage,
02:15however, substituting the usual violence and gore for a realistic character-driven story of
02:20isolation and dread that is sure to leave you shaken.
02:22Number 8. The Magician. Estimated cost $2,000.
02:34Ray Shoesmith, the Melbourne hitman at the center of this indie mockumentary, may not be a magician,
02:40but he sure knows how to make people disappear. Filmed as a mockumentary detailing Ray's everyday
02:45gun for higher life, The Magician's riveting screenplay, eccentric dialogue, and compelling
02:49performances make for an entertaining piece of art.
02:52What's even more impressive is that director Scott Ryan, who also stars as Ray, managed to pull it off
03:05in 10 days with a minuscule budget of just $2,000. Now, that's a supernatural feat. The movie won
03:12multiple awards and served as the basis for the FX crime comedy series Mystery In Between.
03:17That's why I did it. He didn't suffer. If somebody else had to did it,
03:22somebody else who didn't give a at him, he would have suffered. Right?
03:27Number 7. The Last Broadcast. Estimated cost $900. Right now, we're going to do a little recapping,
03:32and you're going to see some tape of the history of the legend of the Pine Barrens and the Jersey Devil.
03:39The found footage sub-genre of horror has skyrocketed in popularity, especially in the 21st century.
03:44Due in large part to movies like The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity.
03:48Before those films, there was The Last Broadcast, a mockumentary horror film about a filmmaker trying
03:53to investigate the murders of two cable TV hosts. One of the first films thought to be shot and
04:08edited on digital equipment, The Last Broadcast was made on a shoestring budget just shy of $1,000.
04:14Directors Stefan Avalos and Lance Wyler also wrote, produced, and starred in the film. It received mixed
04:20reviews upon release, but has become revered for his pioneering role in digital filmmaking and the
04:25found footage sub-genre. I wonder though if perhaps the jury, anxious not to ignore DNA evidence,
04:31as it happened in other trials, perhaps look too closely.
04:34Number 6. For Lovers Only. Estimated cost $0.
04:37Hey! Hey! Just a little gasp.
04:41Okay, okay. Michael and Mark Polish, the brothers behind this intimate romantic feature,
04:45set out to make a movie with a zero budget, and largely achieved it. Shot on a digital still,
04:50camera, the brothers were able to film in exquisite locations around Paris without collecting any
04:54permits. They also eliminated costs by shooting almost exclusively with natural light, and lead
05:00actress Stanna Kadic didn't even get paid. The result was a beautiful movie about two former
05:05lovers who have a chance encounter in the City of Lights and end up falling in love again.
05:09Crazy. There's so many questions I want to ask you, and I don't know if I can.
05:16I know. Through a brilliant online promotion strategy, the film topped the iTunes charts and
05:22realized $500,000 from digital sales alone. Pretty impressive for a film with no budget.
05:28You just had a near-death experience. That's what it feels like when you feel like you're going to die.
05:45It's incredible, isn't it? This 2014 found footage psychological horror film
05:49may not be scary in the traditional sense, but it certainly lives up to its title by being utterly creepy.
05:55Hello, my name is Peach Fuzz. I might look like I eat you up.
06:02Director Patrick Bryce plays Aaron, a freelance videographer who responds to a Craigslist
06:07ads to film an anonymous person over the course of one day for $1,000. His employer, Joseph,
06:12is a strange man whom Aaron only discovers to be a lot stranger and more sinister as the day progresses.
06:18Death. It's coming. Filmed on a paltry $10,000 budget, Bryce maximizes every dollar, with a
06:28limited cast and crew in mostly just two locations, to bring the audience a hilarious yet deeply
06:34disturbing experience. It keeps getting better.
06:374. Eraserhead. Estimated cost, $10,000.
06:40David Lynch's feature film debut, this disturbing surrealist picture about a factory worker whose
06:45bizarrely deformed baby is left in his care, premiered to polarizing reviews from critics
06:49and moviegoers. Although it eventually became a cult classic, the film's journey to the big screen
06:54was just as strange as its subject matter.
07:03Lynch struggled to find funding until he won a $10,000 grant from the AFI Conservatory,
07:07where he was studying. During production, he ran out of money and had to take on odd jobs and
07:12cash donations from friends to facilitate filming. Some sources indicate the budget was ultimately
07:17more than $10,000, but we're going to give it the benefit of the doubt because it's too important
07:22a film not to include.
07:283. Primer. Estimated cost, $7,000.
07:34The concept of time travel is one that has been explored in multiple movies and TV shows,
07:41ranging from horror to mystery and even comedy. Very few, however, have tackled its technical
07:46aspects as brilliantly as this indie sci-fi flick about two engineers who accidentally create a time
07:51machine. Director Shane Carruth, a former engineer himself, wore many hats in his directorial debut,
08:07writing, directing, scoring, editing and starring as one of the leads. With just $7,000, Carruth shot
08:13most of the movie in his garage with such skill and precision that the finished film hardly even looked
08:18low budget. Even with its puzzling plot, the movie was positively received, winning the grand jury
08:24prize at the Sundance Film Festival.
08:252. Following. Estimated cost, $6,000.
08:37You're late. Sorry.
08:40Before he became a Hollywood sensation with his non-linear, time-warping blockbusters,
08:44Christopher Nolan helmed this neo-noir black-and-white thriller that introduced him to the world.
08:48The movie tells the story of a struggling writer who follows strangers around London for inspiration,
08:53only to find himself thrust into a spiraling world of crime.
08:56If you get them, you won't look at the photos and you won't even look in the envelope.
08:59Of course, sir.
09:00I forgot your word on that.
09:02You have my word.
09:04Due to its $6,000 budget, which was spent mostly on 16mm film stock, scenes were heavily rehearsed before
09:10they were shot and the cast and crew mostly still worked their day jobs while filming on the weekend.
09:15Following premiered to positive, critical reviews and gave a glimpse into the remarkable
09:19mind of one of the most brilliant filmmakers in movie history.
09:22No, you wouldn't say that if you saw what I saw.
09:24No, I mean, this is horrible.
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09:52This indie neo-western thriller kicked off Robert Rodriguez's directing career
09:56and served as the first part of his Mexico trilogy.
09:59To achieve the sprawling crime saga he had in mind with a $7,000 production budget,
10:03Rodriguez cut costs in every way possible.
10:11He hired local inexperienced actors and had no crew members,
10:15instead using actors who weren't needed in certain scenes to help out.
10:18These cost-cutting methods were obvious in the finished product,
10:21with several bloopers making their way into the movie.
10:33Nevertheless, El Mariachi was an instant hit and arguably the best film of the Mexico trilogy,
10:41grossing over $2 million and receiving widespread critical acclaim.
10:45Do you think low-budget movies have a lot more to offer than Hollywood blockbusters?
10:49Let us know in the comments down below.
10:51And don't forget to like and subscribe for more WatchMojo videos.
10:53Happy with that?
10:54Yeah, it's all right.
10:55Happy?
10:56Yeah?
10:56Yeah.
10:57All right, peace out.
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