On March 19, HieronyVision proudly sponsored On a Budget: The Evolution of Microbudget Filmmaking hosted by our friends at Film Independent. The sold out live event offered a fascinating panel discussion about the highs, lows, pains and joys of making movies on a microbudget. HieronyVision founder Felix Werner moderated the discussion, which featured the panelists Iram Parveen Bilal (Producer/Director: Wakhri (One of a Kind), I’ll Meet You There), Ron Najor (Producer: Short Term 12, I Am Not a Hipster), Gia Rigoli (Producer: Plastico, Anchorage) and Avril Speaks (Producer: African America, Jinn).

This accomplished group of producers and filmmakers offered a diverse range of experiences and perspectives on microbudget cinema. The conversation started out by acknowledging past microbudget cinema movements: from John Cassavetes to Peter Ohs and the Black filmmakers of the L.A. Rebellion to the critics-turned-auteurs of the French New Wave, they found no shortage of inspiration in the history of microbudget and DIY cinema. As for the present and future? There are challenges to making films at this level but also rewards.

Of course, the biggest and most obvious challenge is the money. The panelists all offered different insights into how to raise money, discussing the pros and cons of small dollar and big money investors, as well as whether crowdfunding has a future (the consensus: probably not). They also related their experiences with alternative ways to make money on films, from self-distribution and event screenings, which can be overlooked opportunities at a low budget level. There was also an honest discussion of the need to make a living in the microbudget world, which can mean side projects and other jobs, whether in the industry like directing for a TV series, film adjacent work like teaching day jobs, or completely outside the industry. There is no shame in a day job anymore!    

As for the rewards? For a panelist like Bilal, it’s all about creative freedom, telling the story you want to tell. For multiple panelists, it’s about elevating voices that still don’t get enough representation in Hollywood: Black and Latinx filmmakers, Pakistani, Asian, and Muslim-Americans. Nabors finds the sense of community and authentic storytelling in the microbudget world worth it compared to the more lucrative opportunities in film. While everyone has lived experience with the frustrations of making films with less resources than traditional productions, there was a shared acknowledgement that it was worth it.

Interestingly, one place where there was less agreement was the budget levels that qualify as “micro” today. Is it less than $1 million? $250,000 or less? Less than $100,000? At HV, we fall into this last category, but there’s room for debate. And if you can raise $500-750K with no strings attached, let us know the secret! Whatever the dollar level, there was pretty much unanimous consensus that microbudget filmmaking is the best hope for independent cinema, and, by extension, film at large.

We’d like to thank Paul Cowling, Jennifer Murby, and Serah Mirzaeian at Film Independent for their help with the event. Every aspiring filmmaker or fan of independent film should sign up for Fi membership, which includes access to exciting events like this and other great resources. For anyone who wasn’t able to attend, the full video will also be available to watch on HV later!