5 movies filmed for under $50,000 that made money
By Michael Knox, mknox@modernfilmzine.com
Here is a round-up of five movies made for less than $50,000 that actually made money.
1. “Tarnation” (2004) — Shot for $218 with a U.S. gross of more than $500,000. Directed by Jonathan Caouette the movie is part documentary, part narrative fiction, part home movie, and part acid trip, according to the Internet Movie Database. A psychedelic whirlwind of snapshots, Super-8 home movies, old answering machine messages, video diaries, early short films, snippets of ’80s pop culture, and dramatic reenactments to create an epic portrait of an American family travesty. The story begins in 2003 when Jonathan learns that his schizophrenic mother, Renee, has overdosed on her lithium medication. He is catapulted back into his real and horrifying family legacy of rape, abandonment, promiscuity, drug addiction, child abuse, and psychosis. As he grows up on camera, he finds the escapist balm of musical theater and B horror flicks and reconnects to life through a queer chosen family. Then a look into the future shows Jonathan as he confronts the symbiotic and almost unbearable love he shares with his beautiful and tragically damaged mother.
2. “My Date With Drew” (2005) —- Shot for $1,100 with a U.S. gross of more than $180,000. Directed by Jon Gunn and Brian Herzlinger the documentary follows Herzlinger’s pursuit of actress Drew Barrymore. Ever since the second grade, when he first saw her in “E.T. The Extraterrestrial”, Brian Herzlinger has had a crush on Drew Barrymore, according to the Internet Movie Database. Now, 20 years later he’s decided to try to fulfill his lifelong dream by asking her for a date. There’s one small problem: She’s Drew Barrymore and he’s, well, Brian Herzlinger, a broke 27-year-old aspiring filmmaker from New Jersey. But that doesn’t stop Brian and his film school pals from doing everything they can think of to convince Barrymore to go out with him – and documenting their quest along the way. Equipped with a video camera they have to return to Circuit City in 30 days and the $1,100 Brian won on a game show (where the winning answer was, prophetically, “Drew Barrymore”), they’ve got one month to accomplish their mission. To succeed, they’ll need to negotiate an army of publicists, agents, producers and assistants who surround the star so Brian can pop the question. My Date with Drew is the award-winning, inspirational story of an ordinary guy who, despite incredibly long odds, puts everything on the line to pursue his lifelong dream. It’s also an astute and often hilarious look at contemporary dating rituals, the culture of celebrity and the power of passion.
3. “Clean” (2006) — Shot for $10,000 with a U.S. gross of more than $130,000. Directed by Olivier Assayas this low budget feature film landed known actor Nick Nolte. Proof that a $10,000 movie can include a name actor. According to the Internet Movie Database the story deals with the former successful forty-two years old rock star Lee Hauser. Hauser is decadent and his friends blame his girlfriend Emily Wang for the fall in his career due to excessive use of drugs. Their son Jay is raised by his grandparents Albrecht Hauser (played by Nick Nolte) and Rosemary Hauser in Vancouver. When Lee dies of overdose in a motel room, Emily is sentenced to six months in jail. She moves to Paris where she unsuccessfully struggles to keep clean. When she decides to retrieve the guard of her son, she is supported by her father-in-law and finds the necessary strength to rebuild her life.
4. “The Puffy Chair” (2006) — Shot for $15,000 with a U.S. gross of more than $190,000. Directed by Jay Duplass, this film follows the adventures of Josh Sager as he drives cross-country on a mission to deliver his father’s birthday gift – a giant purple LazyBoy.
5. Cavite” (2006) — Shot for $7,000 with a U.S. gross of more than $70,000. Directed by Neill Dela Llana and Ian Gamazon the film focuses on Adam, a security guard, who travels from California to the Philippines, for his father’s funeral. He arrives in Manila. As he waits, a phone rings in his backpack; he answers it, and a male voice tells him that his mother and sister are captives and will be killed if Adam doesn’t cooperate. Over the next hour, the voice sends Adam by bus, taxi, motorized tricycle, and on foot through an urban landscape of busy streets, cramped apartments, a fetid squatters’ camp, a bank, a cockfighting arena, and a church. Adam’s conversations with the voice cover murder, Islam, jihad, rebellion in Mindanao, and his family.
By Michael Knox, mknox@modernfilmzine.com
