The cheapest film you'll see in Hollywood

[@Gearparadummies]

Nobody will ever beat Robert Roddiguez's "El Mariachi" and his $7k budget.

[@DeconstructedWithJosh]

Primer by Shane Carruth comes close 2nd at costing also $7k. Rodriguez though was first AND literally paid for his film with flesh!

[@heyitsthatmoviedude1627]

El Mariachi is terrible in every way. It even looks terrible. If you want a movie that looks great, feels great. Has perfect practical effects, the perfect look, has a brilliant story for when it was made, and has a talented English speaking cast that was made in Canada... The Signal (2007). Budget is $50k. EDIT: Oh, and the movie has heaps of different locations, a fair amount of actors, and is 99% practical effects.

[@DeconstructedWithJosh]

@@heyitsthatmoviedude1627 "Well, that's just like your opinion man." Also he sold el Mariachi for $1million (142x the original cost!), only to make Desperado later with a bigger budget and cast. Would like to see what you can do with $7k.

[@heyitsthatmoviedude1627]

@@DeconstructedWithJosh I mean, you're more than welcome to continue happily cradling Rob's nutsack while defending him, but i think i'll just continue to stick on topic and enjoy his talent as is via the films he puts out as per everyone else does. P.s. - 'Primer' was better. Same budget, better story, better script, better cinematography ;)

[@DeconstructedWithJosh]

@@heyitsthatmoviedude1627 lol Nutsack comment was gold. Agreed that Primer is much better. Cheers mate.

[@filmwright7188]

The other way you can save a lot of time/$ making a movie is buy planning everything out before hand (with storyboards etc) so you know exactly what you are gonna shoot and youre not really figuring anything out on set. That way you don't have to shoot any coverage you only film the bits you need(which also saves a lot of time in the edit). Each approach has different merits i guess

[@ZachRamelan]

Very good point, I'm planning a video right now that talks about this!

[@dj1NM3]

It also means that if you've only (and I mean literally *only* ) shot the footage you need to tell your story, then without spending a tonne of money, the studio can't muck it around too much from your original vision, apart from ash-canning and writing it off for tax purposes.

[@ComedyBros5]

Fantastic breakdown. These are my most favorite films in cinema. They show me how creative folks can be when they're limited. It's funny. 99% of the time, a movie with a massive budget is awful and flimsy. However, take a movie with 1/4 of that budget and it's 10000x a better movie in every way. People always find a way to make more with less. It's awesome to see. A great example of this is 2022's "The Outfit" as well.

[@ZachRamelan]

Thank you so much. I've wanted to see the Outfit! I like how even superhero films are going in this direction (kind of) , like the New Hellboy and Captain America films. Closing in the concept and making it more character and situational-driven.

[@alexmarion6987]

I'm surprised the movie “phonebooth” wasn't referenced here.

[@TimmyJay02]

The movie cost 13 million dollars dude! Keifer Sunderland and Collin Farrel ain't cheap (Collin Farrel was a hot actor at the time).

It is so interesting that you mention the same problems i often have about moving the camera. So often i do not have enough time to build the tracks for a dolly, slider etc. and handheld is just not steady enough for many shots, moving to a gimbal was also always pretty time consuming when i needed to change lenses, and then rebalance etc. i ended up getting the ronin 4d... i only have to balance one axis, the 4th axis makes every thing pretty slider like and the sportmode is at a press of a button there for handheld moments, i simply wonder why it is not more popular, people still like wasting time on unreliable spaghetti monsters more

[@Olivierhero]

Budget not Budeget. Sorry I spotted that typo. Cheers, great content.

[@jer3006]

Agreed! In the transcript is one thing, but in a video title? Ouch.

[@MakerMark]

@@jer3006i've seen same kind of errs in the thumbnail text... are people really that lazy?

[@LouisFindlay]

This was super inspiring and im so motivated to shoot my 2nd film, I think CONTAINED is the way to go for me this time and I accept the challenge. SWAY looks unreal and i cant wait to see it.

[@ZachRamelan]

Thanks, man, and good luck with making another short film! Can't wait to see it

[@dvdganon0812]

The phone booth with colin Farrel was amazing

[@CapitalFProductions]

The biggest caveat I’d give is to make sure you’re writing/directing a movie that you want to actually see, not just because it’s cheaper and faster to make. Movies of any size can grind you down and if you’re gonna expend the time and effort to make one, it has to be something you love because I think audiences can tell if you only made it for budget reasons. The contained thriller is more akin to a play and is incredibly hard to pull off for any writer, even the pro’s and just have to ask yourself if you’re making a play or a movie. No audience member is going to care about how much money you saved, they just want to be entertained, and it’s so much harder to get their interest if it’s obvious you never leave the living room. One room location movies made during Covid were all we were getting for awhile and it’s not a trend I think people want to continue

[@ZachRamelan]

I totally agree, making a film is also a commitment to the creator. If you're bored of the film while writing it, you'll hate it by the edit. It took us a year to make Sway, from script, to screen. There are a lot of stages in the process, and you'll never watch a movie more times than you own - so you better LOVE IT.

[@CapitalFProductions]

@@ZachRamelan yup, I just think producers and such got obsessed with one location movies because of cost and because it’s all you could shoot during Covid but it wasn’t born out of audiences loving that scope. It’s all that could be shot and honestly, most indie filmmakers don’t have the talent to write a compelling one location movie. It has to be organic or else it’ll just be another ignored indie

[@TiagoCavalcanti-ji6hu]

Wisely said.

[@assmatic75]

Amazing simply amazing thanks for the break down cant wait to see the whole movie and learn more

[@_Corbs_]

I'm 15 and I've made 12 short films, still haven't made a feature and I'm not going to, My dream is to make great feature films, I know I will. Right now I only have to budget for short films... I'm going to make a feature film when I know that I CAN

[@NunsenseStudios2110]

Pro tip: you'll never actually be ready for making your first feature. Or if you are, it's always incredibly difficult to tell. My advice: make the feature when you want to, but PLAN. Plan, plan, plan, and plan some more. The best movies spend a lot of time in pre-production, before the spending of money and time really starts to add up. You can't plan for everything, but do the best you can to have contingencies in place for the most important aspects of the project, namely: crew, cast, location, schedule and budget. I wish you a great amount of success going forward!

[@_Corbs_]

@@NunsenseStudios2110 thanks for those amazing tips!!

[@weedtopia4.20]

Eat corn

[@floydlazer2614]

When you started talking about the concept the film that immediately came to mind is to me the most obvious example of this (although on a slightly expanded scale) phone booth (2002). It’s damn good and I would recommend.

[@ZachRamelan]

Such a good example film! High-concept small space. Totally slipped my mind!

[@notundermywatch3163]

Buried with Ryan Reynolds is a forgotten movie as well.

[@notundermywatch3163]

​@@ZachRamelan "Buried " with Ryan Reynolds was literally Ryan Reynolds in a dark box with a cell phone for the entire movie

[@TiagoCavalcanti-ji6hu]

Regarding the Contained Thriller genre on a budget, apart from the 'hors concour' classics "Twelve Angry Men" (which I'd bet my right ball you've memorized by now) and Hitchcock's "Rope", plus the ones you mentioned already, I'd say "Oxygen", "Phone Booth", "Moon" (for contained, no that cheap), and "Reservoir Dogs" (Yeah, I know) are all worth checking. But what I REALLY want to ask you is: Have you or have you NOT seen: 1. The Man From Earth (best story ever told, IMHO). 2. Primer (best time travel flick ever, IMHO) 3. Coherence (a masterclass in non-script directing and acting) 4. Exam (a bit over the top, but neatly done; definitely worth studying) 5. Timecrimes /Cronocrímenes (time loop done fair - fair's better than most, lol) Eh? Cheers!!! And thanks in advance for your future enlightening take on these flicks! ;)

[@RobinDale50]

Those are all awesome movies. Honorable mention to Time Trap, Suspension, Grand Tour Disaster in Time, Time Lapse. Just some small-ish, fun movies revolving around time that are enjoyable.

[@L-A-M-E-nergy]

Why were there so many people on the set… the first step to lower cost is to make crew smaller and more agile! If the crew member isn’t needed then don’t have them. It’s disrespectful to them and it slows down production and causes redundancies that creat more moving parts. More moving parts more chance for breakdowns, breakdowns cost more money.

[@mabitzz9484]

interesting that you judge that without having an idea of the needs for lighting, art department etc.

[@chrisb9564]

Best of luck with your film man, God Bless you take care bro.

[@MARZILLI]

Killin it Zach! Looks amazing… Great acting… Cinematography is creative…

[@ZachRamelan]

Thank you so much!

[@AlexTylerMeyers]

The Guilty 2021 did great. Definitely a rock in my shoe for sure.

[@Dirkfensty]

Love the page!!! Keep up the good work

[@HorizonSearch]

This video is very well put together. Great job!

[@ZachRamelan]

Thank you, I put a lot of time into this one. Really appreciate your support

[@thisiseric]

The One I Love (2014) is one of my favourite "bottle" films that all take place in one location. It has mystery, sci-fi, humour, romance, drama...etc all wrapping the location in as a central element of the story. The location IS the story. And the ideas are BIG even though the film is small.

[@MobileFilmmaking]

I need to check that out

[@ComedyBros5]

I also strongly recommend trying out "The Outfit (2022)," all done in one location. Bottle films are always my favorite!

[@thisiseric]

@@ComedyBros5 I've seen that! It was really good!

[@ZachRamelan]

Me and Neal reference that film all the time, it has such an awesome concept! Big world small universe! Also, I saw your short film dude, IT WAS SO GOOOOD! You're one talented dude, keep it up!

[@thisiseric]

@@ZachRamelan AH! Thank you so much! I'm so happy you saw it! I used so many of your videos for tips and tricks while making it. Thanks for watching :)

[@threethievesmusic]

Locke! Very good movie all the budget went on Hardy, but it still looks amazing.

[@matthewjamesellul6661]

Great Video, keep up the good work. Just FYI you have some slight popping in your sound when you're speeking into the mic. It's very subtle I can hear it because I'm with headphones.

[@JaredIsham]

Love this. How almost all my scripts are written currently.

[@dchiznit209]

Paranormal Activity - $15,000 originally, if you want the edited post paramount edition, $215,000

[@TimmyJay02]

It wasn't made for hollywood though, just a indie home made movie that a giant studio bought.

[@YoungBlaze]

where can we see your film?

[@LovelessDogg1]

Sean Baker filmed the entire movie Tangerine on an iphone. It had $100,000 budget and ha maybe one Hollywood actor in it. Great film. In fact all his films are pretty great and are a good example of how to make a small budget, big film. 99% of his actors are basically nobodies that he cast on location and there's usually only one actually actor playing off everyone else.

[@Maliniasredmask]

tbh with you ryan reynolds' "burried" didnt even have me at the edge of my seat, i was like skipping through a lot of stuff... it was never really interesting... this is the only part of film where- i dont like this genre, even if its low budget and meant to bring a challenge or something... be more creative! instead of a wooden box-

[@MobileFilmmaking]

This is awesome !!!! I’m going to give it a try

[@ZachRamelan]

DO IT!

[@raredreamfootage]

10:07 - Think from what you are saying I'm hearing "Ronin 4D"!!!

[@goliathonscave9834]

LOL! I made the same comment!

[@tunnellightstudios5183]

You mentioned that this is your third feature.. Is your other films on Tubi or other streaming services? Did you get distribution? Shopped it at the American Film market etc.

[@davadh]

Let's not forgot Shane Carruth's film, Primer (2004), which had a budget of $7,000. Limited actors and location as well

[@ZachRamelan]

PRIMER!!!! YES!!!!

[@thetalentof]

Indeed, also the 2019 films 'Cosmos' and 'Suburban Wildlife' were both made for even less than 'Primer' and have genuinely great stories with on-point acting, shot composition, lighting, sound design and production value (for that budget).

[@davadh]

@@thetalentof Suburban Wildlife is impressive. I haven't seen Cosmos so will need to check it out

[@LHROSS]

- and let's not forget John Curran's Mercy Road - a fine Australian phone call car thriller with one lead actor. if you've not seen the little known Maria Bello Rufus Sewell 4 location thriller - Downloading Nancy (I wrote it) shot by chernobyl emmy winner Johan R. of Spaceman (adam sandler) fyi.

[@ZachRamelan]

Phone call thriller! That's the perfect name for this genre. I'll have to check it out!

[@KonnorGann]

“Lowest Budeget” 😂 Not sure if on purpose or not but we still love you! Lmao

[@ModoBro]

Fall was a terrific example of what can be done on a low budget

[@adventureStaley]

Solid advice

[@TimmyJay02]

To be honest, Terminator 1 and District 9. Sure they cost a couple millions but they look like 200 million dollar movies (well T1 would back at the day).

[@DensDigitalDen]

Anything is doable. It must be watchable.

[@crystalfoxfilms]

Love this. great job. you may want to correct the spelling of the word "budget" at :04 though. :)

[@from1978]

What does a successful short film do for the makers? Is it purely a resume piece?

[@NathanZwicker]

Budeget I love your vids. Thanks for everything you put out 🙏

[@ZachRamelan]

Thanks for watching!

[@ZachRamelan]

Also thanks for calling that out haha

[@chcamporezi]

Strange darling is the best movie of the year and it cost just some bigmacs with warm kool-aid for the cast and crew

[@karimarkuswww]

4 million gets lots of Big Macs

[@LukeLytikainen]

how did you get audio on the 360 shot on the balcony?

[@thecomicdirector8417]

i want my 1st movie to be a contained thriller

[@shuwilson1460]

Wheelman is a good one

[@gummoman]

Ask yourself how much a leading actor like Tom Hardy or Jake Gyllenhaal earns and the cost of distribution and you will see what a big lie a "low budget" is. A film is not expensive because of the camera or the locations. Shooting and editing is only half the process but you learn that over time.

[@ParisDylan1]

My buddy directed "BRAKE" w Stephen Dorff , take a look at that one too . Right up your alley !

[@theresemarkham9387]

Powerful

[@derpyshark3305]

I loved this movie

[@gord5670]

Hey everyone, I'm wondering what you all think about those circling shots. For me, it always looks like the actors are posing/acting for the camera. Also, as the camera circles around, there's a good chance it's going to look like the actor is looking directly into the camera and breaking the fourth wall. I don't think I've ever seen a circling shot that didn't take me out of the movie.

[@MrInnovativeMusic]

Where is the video for scene coverage?

[@GuineaPigEveryday]

Is Daddio also a good example? Or Locke? Or Reality? Great examples of drama taken out of confined spaces

[@helium73]

Logistical things have to do with all the people. I've seen so many well shot but incredibly boring movies. I suppose if you want to impress people with your cinematography there's no point in shooting a really good script with a single iphone camera in multiple locations. Unless your me and you want to get a job as a writer rather than a cinematographer. The main thing is the sound and the story. Beautiful shots are sort of the icing on the cake. There are so many great films with lousy cinematography. You can still make an entertaining and immersive film without amazing visuals.

[@tysonburns9535]

You forgot "Wheelman" with Frank Grillo. Awesome movie. A handful of actors, shot mostly in a car.

[@x-0x-.27]

I thought sway came a long time ago, I saw posters of it in your room, explanation please?

[@L-A-M-E-nergy]

I can’t get over it… seeing all of those unneeded “crew” huddled up behind the camera… its just ridiculous and ameture

[@MakerMark]

How the heck do you spell budget wrong???

[@goliathonscave9834]

Using a DJI Ronin 4D would have saved you even more time.

[@Bandkstudios]

Will Sway Ever Be Released to KZbin??

[@grantgreyguda]

👍 👍

[@HowToRender]

The Guilty was low budget because they had to pay a lot to the og french poeple for getting them to approve for a english remake of it (not to be taken seriously)

[@NikNikTikTak]

The og wasn’t made by french people?

[@HowToRender]

@@NikNikTikTak The Guilty 2018 is the first ever movie to be made (also it wasnt french it was danish ;-;) and of its based on a book so neither of em are "original" ig (but again yea ig the had to pay/get permission from the OG writer)

[@NikNikTikTak]

@@HowToRender yea i was sure the “og” one was danish But you made me unsure lmao

[@Sibelius101]

I guess a KZbin video about filmmaking at the “lowest budeget possible” could not afford spellcheck. 🤷🏽‍♂️😁

[@strallent]

👍👍👍👍👍

[@VincentVanBro]

Bruh how did you post a video with such an obvious and immediate typo 😂 it bugs me

[@MsBob314]

Lowest "Budeget"?lol

[@toddjersey800]

Spell budget correctly to begin

[@6ThumbsYT]

Whats a BUDEGET? do you mean BUDGET?

[@jerzyhaftka4915]

Watch the original

[@ABIRHS]

i dont like Jaws.

[@belindathorndike3987]

Harris Deborah Harris Brian Jackson Charles

[@idknils2920]

lowest budeget possible

[@GustavoBissoli]

budeget hahahahahaha

[@Blabbermouth-w5w]

... and it shows.

[@Mike365Smith]

Budeget ? @0:04