How Every No-Budget Film Can Change Your Life

This month I’ve found myself in discussions for two of the biggest film projects I’ve ever been considered to direct.

In both cases, it was my micro-budget projects that got me in the room. The very films that many traditionally minded filmmakers had advised me not to do, as they were seen as “too small” and insignificant.

But without them, I would have no body of work. I would have no experience. And no network of collaborators. Each of which has played a pivotal role in helping me reach this next phase.

While I have had many moments of doubt over the years, I always believed in the micro-budget path. It was the only thing that made sense to me.

I wanted to get in my 10,000 hours, and I saw no other way to get there. No one was going to hand me millions of dollars to make a film, nor did I care to make a movie for a huge budget.

My North Star was always the work itself. Writing, directing, editing. Being on set and working with actors. Learning the craft and finding my voice as an artist.

There were never any guarantees of success, and there certainly still are not. But creating art was always the only option. I had seen too many filmmakers remain stagnant for years, waiting for the perfect moment, only to look back 10 – 15 years later and wish they had just started.

Even still, I had completely overlooked perhaps the greatest benefit to making these micro-budget films.

I always assumed the main purpose of DIY filmmaking was to build a body of work. To prove that I could see projects through, and make something out of nothing.

But what I never realized was the greater gift these films provided was an ability to speak to the process from real world experience.

In multiple conversations this month (for totally different projects), it was my on set experience that drove the discussions. Talking about working with different types of actors, putting out fires on set, solving specific issues in production & post, and a million other things.

Had I never made a film before, I would have nothing to offer in these conversations. There would be no way to give others confidence in my own abilities without being able to speak from experience.

It all played a giant part in both getting me into the room, but more importantly giving me something to say once I was inside.

On one recent lunch meeting, without even realizing it, I had referenced anecdotes from every single film I had ever made. Including the smallest projects I made with no money and no crew – which often made for the best topics of discussion.

And for the first time, my micro-budget journey clicked in a new way. I saw the importance of each one of my very humble productions through a new lens.

Suddenly, projects I made 10 years ago for no money were relevant again. And they mattered as much (or more) than projects I had made more recently with slightly better means.

I share this to remind filmmakers of the importance of creating your art.

There are so many people out there who will try to stop you. Often, with very convincing arguments. 

But what most people don’t get is that the intangible benefits of filmmaking are the most valuable. Just because you can’t quantify them, doesn’t make them any less real.

A “failed film” that you make today, will still put you 10x further ahead than the perfect film that only exists in your mind. It not only makes you a better artist, but it allows you to speak from experience. And that experience is exactly what is needed to give other people confidence in working with you on a higher level.

Personally speaking, I can now draw a direct line between the smallest most “insignificant” projects I’ve ever made, and the biggest opportunities that have ever come my way. And I am no anomoly – this is true of countless filmmakers.

So if nothing else, try to remind yourself of this when looking back on your body of work, or considering whether it’s worth making something small.

Every project is worth it. No matter the immediate outcome, they will all serve you long term in ways you can’t yet imagine. 

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