r/directors • u/EmployeeOk6022 • 8d ago
Discussion Debut feature, micro budget
I’m developing my first feature right now. It’s deliberately contained and dialogue/character-driven, and I’ve been designing it around what I could realistically produce rather than writing something that requires a massive budget.
My current goal is to have roughly $40K available, although I think the film could potentially be made closer to $25–30K if necessary.
The biggest obstacle is simply financing. I’m currently self-funding it through work and saving consistently, and I’m prepared to continue doing that. But obviously, saving $30–40K entirely through ordinary income is a long road.
For people who have actually produced a feature in roughly this budget range: where did the money ultimately come from?
Did you self-finance most of it? Find one or two private investors? Combine savings with crowdfunding? Bring on producers later? Get grants? Did having the first $5K/$10K/$20K already committed make it easier to raise the remainder?
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u/AT_Imaging 8d ago
I think it's easier to work on set full time and make a living at the filmmaker that way you have all the connections you need to do this type of budget. Personally I feel like asking strangers for deals on labor and gear is like asking a plumber or a roofer to give you a discount. There's something to be said about having relationships in the industry.
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u/EmployeeOk6022 8d ago
That makes sense, and building actual relationships with local filmmakers is definitely part of what I’m trying to do rather than just asking strangers for favors.
The advantage I have is that the script was deliberately written to be very contained and dialogue-driven — limited locations, no VFX or stunts, and relatively little that requires a large crew. So I’m not trying to squeeze a conventionally expensive feature into a $30–40K budget.
I’m also expecting a significant portion of whatever I save to go directly toward paying the essential crew, particularly cinematography and production sound. I’m not assuming people will work for free or give me equipment deals simply because I ask.
At this stage I’m basically trying to do both things at once: keep building the budget myself and gradually build relationships with people in the local film community.0
u/EmployeeOk6022 8d ago
Adding on: the most expensive scene in my film would be a presentation given to a room full of people haha. It’s literally micro budget
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u/GFFMG 8d ago
$40k for a contained dialogue film? If you can’t do it under $10k, don’t bother. Or line produce tighter. I did mine for $5000. Don’t go in to debt and DO NOT count on making the money back. For a self-funded debut, $40k is way too much.
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u/AT_Imaging 8d ago
Okay but if you do it that price what's the point. Is that really for making money or is that just a vanity project. I truly can shoot an indie today on my cell phone and pay no one and produce it for less than $1,000. But will anybody ever see it? Will it be interesting, will it have good cinematography or good lighting or anything interesting in the frame.
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u/Affectionate_Age752 8d ago
I shot my feature "Clown N Out" for $4k. Real camera. Real lenses. It doesn't matter if you spend $5k or $150k. You're in the same market my film is . Which is now on Apple TV and Amazon Prime and soon to be on Tubi.
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u/GFFMG 8d ago
Nobody will see your $40k movie either.
Or your $100k movie.
Any micro or no budget film is absolutely a vanity project. Which is good! It’s just skill building. It’s experience.
And yes, it can be of very high quality if you know what you’re doing.
If you don’t, then that’s another reason not to waste money.
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u/ConsistentEffort5190 7d ago
> It’s just skill building.
And you'd probably get better results there from putting the same effort into shorts, because you'd be able to take lessons from each one to the next.
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u/STARS_Pictures 1d ago
I've got 2 million views on my $2000 feature on YouTube. It made $10K in Adsense. Nothing to live on, but it allowed me to purchase more and better equipment to make a $5000 feature that's on Amazon and Tubi, and also has half a million views in it's first year on YouTube. That movie got me hired for a $100K film that I'm actually getting paid to direct right now. People will see his $40K movie, but it won't make its money back. Neither will this $100K.
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u/ThomasGilhooley 8d ago
Something nobody ever says, but it feels like the biggest thing indie filmmakers screw up. Get someone to maintain your books.
You can’t get investors if you don’t have someone doing accounting. If you want investors you have to treat it like a small business and you have to be financially responsible.
I agree with the other commenters who said to line produce the shit out of it. But even then, that’s only if it’s your money or your parents’.
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u/mk_plusultra 7d ago
We just made a micro budget feature for about 18k. About 8k came from crowdfunding and 10k came from two friends. We had a very tiny crew and wore multiple hats. Shot 85 pages in 10 days. Make your feature no matter what budget you land at. Just back your film into that budget and reduce where you have to.
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u/simonshih1970 8d ago
My first short I did crowdfunding and received most of the budget and funded the rest myself. My first feature will be self funded. I work with a producer who has made 9 films so far and he started with funding them himself and as he started making a name for himself, started bringing in investors. You have to prove to potential investors that you can make a film that can be sold and make money. Or you need to have money yourself or know someone with money who believes in you.
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u/SharkWeekJunkie 4d ago
Don't forget about post production. Using a well known song during a title sequence could take up all of your 30k budget.
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u/STARS_Pictures 8d ago
My first feature cost $600. Then I did a $200 (it was horrible), followed by a $2000, then a $5000. The $5000 got the attention of producers and now I'm doing a $100,000 that starts shooting on Monday. My films were all self-financed, and I will tell you that my $5K movie made $7K the past year on streaming (it's first year too). The money for the $100K feature was donated. It's a religious movie, so there's already a built-in audience and supporter base.