Screenwriting : Can you name a few feature films produced for under 5 million? by Greg Cox

Like everyone, well below $5M; from Jim Jarmusch Strangers Than Paradise, Spike Lee She Gotta Have it, PTA Hard Eight, Tarantino Reservoir Dogs, Scorsese Mean Streets, Kevin Smith Clerks, James Wan Saw, Chazelle Whiplash, Jenkins won Best Pic for Moonlight under $2M. Too many!

$5M is a lot of bread for a first-timer!

Greg Cox Ghost Game, Halloween (1978), Primer, Paranormal Activity, Whiplash, Short Term 12, Napoleon Dynamite

Yeah, I think it's best for an unknown writer to keep budgeting in mind when writing screenplays/have a budget target. I made the mistake of only writing big-budget and mid-budget spec scripts starting out. New writers can write whatever they want (especially if they're only using their spec scripts as writing samples), but I suggest at least writing micro-budget and low-budget scripts starting out. It's usually easier to sell micro-budget and low-budget scripts as a new writer, especially micro-budget scripts.

A few I can think of off the top of my head, Napoleon Dynamite, Memento, El Mariachi (Guiness World Record Holder for lowest budget film to hit 1 million), Trainspotting, Donnie Darko. I would keep budget in mind when writing a script, but I wouldn't let it dictate how you write the script. Having a budget in mind is great for a pitch on your work and for possible future conversations with interested parties.

There's loads of lists out there that cater to this. However, keep this in mind, you have to adjust for inflation, know that few actually know the true budget of a project, and there can be massive amounts of P&A spend to help promote a "low budget" movie (looking at you, Paranormal Activity).

Writers who don't understand production logistics are going to struggle to write realistically to a budget, but it's always worth a writer pushing themselves to pen a single location film with minimal cast. It really pushes your craft.

Hardcore Henry was made for $2million. Very unique first person POV shooter video game style. Which was wild. Although the total first person POV would be cool to see for a Rom Com or maybe even a horror film

Hey Greg Cox, personally speaking I absolutely think a writer should keep a budget in mind. As an independent producer, I know what my budget range is in terms of how much capital I can potentially raise, again I'm speaking personally. If i receive a great script that would cost $100m to produce, then all it really is to me is a solid writing sample. If i read a script that i really like AND it can be done for a budget, then I consider it just THAT much more seriously. Side note for some shameless self promotion, we are going to discuss this very subject next Wednesday November 20th on the WR Webcast with producer/director Jack Binder.

Thanks. I'll check out that Webcast. Say you receive a great script that would cost 50m to produce, but you can option that and produce it for 25m. Is that a scenario that never would happen? I assume there are many things you could do to trim cost, and I'm guessing that once the script is sold, the original writer has little say in how it's produced.

The Blair Witch Project was low budget and made millions. Personally, it scared the hell out of me.

Apparently Whiplash was made for 3 million

RUST CREEK made for Under-$1MM.

As a writer, I've always had budget in mind when I write.

Greg Cox doubt you're gonna find a producer online with $50M funds. And why would producers cut their rates in half? And if they have $25M, they better give you more than $1 options. Anyways if someone has $25M funds, they can hire Sheridan to rewrite. Just pray you win Arbiration credit case

blair witch

sex lies and videotape

once

whiplash

many of them

look them up yourself

budget = ?

gross = ?

Tangerine

"Milk & Serial" - 800 bucks, y'all know "Blair Witch Project" approx. 60K, my buddy director's "Te Dua, I swear" - done only on catering for the cast and the crew, It's now most watched theatrical release in my country for the 2023 - beating "Oppenheimer"...and I could name many more not only under 5 mill, but a stringshoe considering the length...and all somehow manage to bring success..

Hey Chris Ross Leong - thanks for the list. I've always found it difficult to find accurate production budgets for recent films. And frankly I'm stunned that some of these movies can be made so cheaply. Take the film Once for example, supposedly made for $150,000. I realize that isn't today's dollars. Still, when I think about cast and crew salaries, camera gear, locations, editing, sound, marketing, etc., it's hard to believe.

Greg Cox yes, it's common for producers to take a script that ideally needs a certain amount spending and then cut it back. Action scenes are typically where this happens. They can have that intention while they are reading material for the first time.

What one producer can do with a certain amount of money and the next can do varies a lot too.

SAW was done for $1m