what's the cheapest movie ever made? - El mariachi (1993) Discussion

[–] jagheterjack00 17 years ago

Possably John Waters First feature MONDO TRASHO which cost about $2000.

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[–] 17 years ago

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[–] Tuco-Benedicto-Maria-Ramirez 17 years ago

Table 5 was shot on 35mm for about £500. Haven't seen it though so I don't know if it's any good!

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[–] Nocturne83 17 years ago

I guess we are talking about fictional features and not Documentaries (I believe "Supersize me" and "My date with Drew" - both shot on Mini-DV were cheaper than "El Mariachi") - but what about this one? http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0327753/ - I warn anyone about seeing this God-awful film, but it must have been cheaper than El-Mariachi...

-n0c-

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[–] dissident187 17 years ago

I believe it is Christopher Nolan's critically acclaimed "Following" which had a budget of $6000, and shot in UK (which is expensive).

"If I were a dog and you were a flower, I'd lift up my leg and give you a shower"

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[–] brtd 16 years ago

A guy at my school made a movie for $3000. He used film students as actors and set it in town so he could film it at locations around and not have sets, but it's a 92 minute full length drama.

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[–] jzappa 16 years ago

Really? What school is this? Has he had any luck with distributing his film?

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[–] 16 years ago

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[–] starspictures1 16 years ago

I shot my first feature (which is not listed on imdb, but can be found here: myspace.com/wulf_movie) for $600. I shot it DV, using a camera I already owned, and tape I already had. I shot six and half hours of footage in 11 days, in the middle of the woods. Editing was done on my Gateway laptop when I had free time at work. All the money I spent, I spent on props. All that's left is to get a distributor.

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[–] 16 years ago

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[–] 16 years ago

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[–] FourFiveEight 15 years ago

The trick isn't to make a film under $7000 the trick is to make one that is successful.
Beg, Borrow, steal refuse to pay for anything and make creative solutions for everything and you can make a feature for almost nothing.

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[–] CrazyJim2004 13 years ago

I think one of the biggest facts getting lost in this discussion and overlooked in the overall story of "Mariachi" is that while Rodriguez only spent $7,000 to make the movie, Columbia had to paid quite a larger overall amount to clean it up and make it presentable as a legit feature. The end product you're watching isn't a $7,000 feature.

http://www.myspace.com/crazyjimfilms
Click here to read my scripts!

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[–] lord-god 14 years ago

How about 70 bucks.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Movies/05/21/Colin/index.html

dude...it's just a movie.

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[–] disintegration_88 14 years ago

I've been doing my own feature that's got no budget whatsoever, I know there are plenty of films out there the same.

As a "legitimate" feature, I think there have been a number of them made lower than Mariachi, but certainly not as impressive in my opinion.

http://s3.invisionfree.com/Tears_in_the_Rain/
My BLADE RUNNER forum!

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[–] danimal97520 14 years ago

Let's not forget "Clerks". Cost more than El Mariachi (27,000) but that's next to nothing as compared to studio made movies. And it was a huge success as well...

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[–] Freebird314 14 years ago

What about The Woodchipper Massacre? That movie had a budget of 400 bucks and 300 of it was for renting the woodchipper.

"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."

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[–] polysicsarebest 14 years ago

Adam Cooley (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3652638/) has made 5 full length feature films -- that have played in theaters, won awards, and been released on DVD -- for $0 a piece. Even the camera filmed on was borrowed until the latest movie, where he actually bought one -- a $24 JAZZ DV151 camera!

http://directoradamcooley.angelfire.com for more info.

The funny thing is, his movies have more action and REAL special effects than many "big" films -- he just happens to be a master at clever editing.

-
pre·ten·tious: characterized by assumption of dignity or importance.

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