The most common pushback I get from aspiring filmmakers is that micro-budget movies don’t get seen. So there is no point in making one.

In reality, this is simply not true. Micro-budget movies today have far greater potential to reach audiences worldwide than ever before. Despite the obvious challenges that every completed film faces.

Struggling with distribution is not unique to the micro-budget world, either. Plenty of well funded indies fail to gain widespread attention or find an audience. The same goes for multi-million dollar studio pictures.

So when a filmmaker asks why they should “make a film that no one is going to see”, I’ll usually respond with this –

To assume no one will watch your film is to underestimate your capabilities as an artist.

There is no reason to believe you are not capable of making something great, other than to give yourself an excuse to further procrastinate and avoid potential “failure”.

It is true that many features fail to reach audiences broadly – and that does of course apply to micro-budget films as much as any other.

But plenty of films do cut through.

When something breaks new ground in story, technique, or style, it does not go unnoticed. The cream rises to the top.

If something is truly that good, no one cares how much money was spent on it or which A list actors star in it.

But let’s say it’s the worst case scenario. You make a feature film and it bombs. Literally no one sees it. What then?

You’re still lightyears ahead of where you were before making the film – particularly if it is a first feature.

The amount of craft you develop, the industry relationships you form, the actual real life experience of being a director – all of that matters. Whether your film is a smash hit or not.

The good news is, most indie films do land distribution, recoup some (if not all) costs, and reach at least a modest amount of viewers.

All of that often leads to new opportunities with more well known actors, investors, and other strategic partnerships for the filmmakers.

And with micro-budget filmmaking, it’s not about getting the most amount of people to watch. It’s about getting the right people to watch.

Your film could be seen by one person. But if that one person wants to invest $10MM in your next feature, the journey is still a massive success.

However you slice it, making a micro-budget feature offers almost only upside with minimal or no downside.

Will be it hard to do? Yes. But if you don’t like hard work you probably won’t enjoy filmmaking on any level.

At the end of the process you will have either:

A) Made an amazing movie that defies the odds and launches your career

B) Made a flawed movie that still puts you 10 steps ahead of where you were

C) Made a movie (good or bad) that made you realize filmmaking is not for you

C is rare, but it happens. And it’s just as valuable of an outcome. Filmmakers waste years talking about making something, only to make it and then realize they don’t even like directing.

Wouldn’t it be better to figure that out on the sooner side?

So my advice to filmmakers on the fence about moving ahead with their projects is this:

If you want to direct, direct. 

Waiting only delays the inevitable. 

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