HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
Three renowned directors’ debut features that heralded their later blockbusters
BLOCKBUSTERS are usually filmed on large budgets that afford their directors the freedom to fulfil their creative visions, but good storytelling needn’t cost hundreds of millions. The following films were the feature debuts of three well-established directors, and each was filmed on an extremely limited budget (relatively) at the beginnings of their respective careers. Watching them is a good reminder that money isn’t the be-all and end-all to projects – especially those of a creative nature.
1 Following
Christopher Nolan’s directorial debut, Following, was a neo-noir crime thriller produced on a budget of just $6,000. The 1998 film was self-financed by Nolan and, out of necessity, designed to be as inexpensive to produce as possible. Despite this limitation, however, the film was well received by critics, and won several awards on the festival circuit. It also established Nolan’s penchant for non-linear storytelling, which he’s since repeated in other works like Memento.
2 She’s Go a Have It
Spike Lee’s feature about a sexually liberal young New Yorker and her three suitors was filmed on a shoestring budget that needed deferred payments for its cast due to cash flow issues. Alas, the project still ran out of funds before it could be completed. Lee screened a rough cut at NYU to raise money for postproduction, and finished with an eventual budget of $175,000. The film was wellreceived both critically and commercially, and grossed over $7 million domestically.
3 A Fis ul of Fingers
Edgar Wright is best known today for directing blockbusters such as Baby Driver, but his first feature was a $15,000 remake of a spaghe i western that he had originally produced in school. Neither the original nor the remake saw widespread distribution, so you’ll have to turn to creative channels to get copies of either. Should you manage to, however, you’ll discover the nascent forms of Wright’s signature pacing and humour that still inform his films today.