Looking for some inspiration?

Check out 100+ case studies on how these low budget indie films got made.

I started the @filmparliament instagram page to showcase how independent films used creative cost cutting and problem solving to get made.

I wanted to demystify "movie magic."

Filmmaking is just regular people using a script as a blue print to put it on the screen, together.

Poster of film I Will Follow with Ava Duverney shouting it out on her instagram story.

Ava DuVernay shouting out the case study on I Will Follow*, the $50k feature that launched her career.

I sift through countless interviews (and sometimes conduct my own) to break down what stands out to me.

These are case studies you can actually learn from.

Real budgets, real decisions, real filmmakers breaking down exactly how they got their movie made.

Proof it's possible, no matter your budget.

Scroll through and run with what works for your film.

Read the caption for info for where the idea for the movie came from!

Then swipe 👉 for the details on how they made it at that budget level.

Pillion Budget $1mil Shoot Days 28 Location Bromley & Kent, England, UK Year 2024 (July 29 -Sept 6) 👇for how it started -> swipe for the facts Harry Lighton’s (writer/director) spark of inspiration for this film originally came when
Budget $600k Shoot Days 12 Location Los Angeles Year 2022 👇for how it started -> swipe for the facts “The Final Rose really came out of the pandemic. During lockdown, my wife had me watching The Bachelor, and around that same time I met m
Budget $40k Shoot Days 13 Location Los Angeles, California Year 2023 👇for how it started -> swipe for the facts In this post, Robert DeBoucher (Writer/Director/Producer) took me through how he and his small, but mighty crew made “Rolling&
Budget $600k Shoot Days 20 Location Los Angeles Year 2012 (September) 👇for how it started -> swipe for the facts Destin Cretton (writer/director) based the film on his experiences he had working at a residential facility for at-risk teenagers f
Budget $250k Shoot Days 6 Weeks (originally scheduled for 15 days) Location NYC Year 1990 👇for how it started -> swipe for the facts “Poison” is Todd Haynes’ second feature and Christine Vachon’s first feature film. He
In 2018, this was my second feature that I line produced. I was brought on to Line Produce “Boy Genius” (originally titled Emmett) after budgeting a different film for the same producers, which we later made that year in Texas called &ld
Another round of some of my favorite words of wisdom that didn’t make it into the final posts! These all will give you a nice boost to keep you going. When you think you can’t do it and you want to give up, that’s when you know yo
Budget $13k  Shoot Days 15 Location San Francisco Year 2007 (Nov) 👇for how it started -> swipe for the facts “You know, it was really a broken heart to make the most simple statement. But it was also the need to affirm to myself and
Budget $200k Shoot Days 19 Location Los Angeles, CA Year 2011 (June) This is Ava DuVernay’s second narrative feature film. If you haven’t read the case study on her first film, “I Will Follow,” check that out! Interestin
Budget $300k Shoot Days 10 Location Chisholm/Hibbing, MN Year 2024 (July) 👇for how it started -> swipe for the facts Robert Enriquez (producer/director) first discovered the script in 2004, when it was titled “Stone’s Point.”
Budget $2mil Shoot Days 35 Location Florida (Kissimmee/Orlando) Year 2016 (July/August) 👇for how it started -> swipe for the facts In 2011, Co-writer Chris Bergoch first brought the idea for TFP to Sean Baker after noticing families with childr
Budget $130k Shoot Days 17 Location New York (Brooklyn) Year 1991 👇for how it started -> swipe for the facts “Basically when I started I just wanted to do a film about young black women. That’s a story that hasn’t been told.&
Budget $325k ($1.6mil for inflation today) Shoot Days 20 days Year 1978 (April/May) Location Los Angeles (South Pasadena/Hollywood) This movie is indie budgeting royalty. The idea for “Halloween” actually came from executive producer I
Budget $1 mil Shoot Days 20 Location Los Angeles (Hollywood Hills) Year 2014 (June) 👇for how it started -> swipe for the facts Karyn Kusama returned to independent filmmaking with “The Invitation,” her first indie feature since her
Budget $5.5 million Shoot Days 31 Location Oregon (Portland) Year 2014 (Oct & Nov) 👇for how it started -> swipe for the facts Cannes premiering “Green Room” is Jeremy Saulnier’s (writer/director) third feature film. His
Budget $800k Shoot Days 22 Location California (Los Angeles) Year 2010 (April/May) 👇for how it started -> swipe for the facts James Wan (director/co-editor) and Leigh Whannell (writer) had huge success with “Saw” in 2004, but afte
Budget ¥3 million ($30k) Shoot Days 8 days Location Japan (Mito, Ibaraki, Japan) Year 2017 (June 21-July 1) 👇for how it started -> swipe for the facts Shin’ichirô Ueda (director/writer/editor) had shot seven shorts before &ldquo
Budget CAD $179k (US $186k) Shoot Days 15 (+2 pick up days) Location Montréal, Québec, Canada (Nun’s Island) Year 1974 (8/21 - 9/17) 👇for how it started -> swipe for the facts “Shivers” went through several title
Budget $2 mil Shoot Days 30  Location Montana (Livingston/Bozeman) Year 2015 (March/April) 👇how it started -> swipe for the facts “Certain Women” is Kelly Reichardt’s (Writer/Director/Editor) 6th feature. Reichardt grew u