- 2 months ago
From DIY masterpieces to cult classics, these micro-budget films prove creativity beats cash every time! Join us as we explore remarkable movies made with less money than your car payment. These filmmakers turned financial limitations into artistic liberation, creating unforgettable stories that launched careers and influenced cinema forever.
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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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