A film made under $100,000. Impossible!
Well, no. A daunting task, sure. But yes, good films Can be made for what we’re dubbing the “Ultra Micro-Budget” price range.
Yes, it takes strategy. Yes, it takes clarity of vision. It hopefully takes talent. And yes, it takes cajónes. But everything on that list also applies to making a film on a bigger scale too. The difficulty knob is just turned up a bit in the Ultra Micro case.
Just ask Felix Werner, co-founder of Modern Media Company and HieronyVision, which has a micro-budget incubator. Werner has seen all sides of the film world, from working on studio fare, to directing indie films, to being a film investor. He believes that the era of shorts is over and making a feature is more important than ever to have a successful career in indie film. That’s why he’s such a proponent of the Ultra Micro-Budget model.
Well, no. A daunting task, sure. But yes, good films Can be made for what we’re dubbing the “Ultra Micro-Budget” price range.
Yes, it takes strategy. Yes, it takes clarity of vision. It hopefully takes talent. And yes, it takes cajónes. But everything on that list also applies to making a film on a bigger scale too. The difficulty knob is just turned up a bit in the Ultra Micro case.
Just ask Felix Werner, co-founder of Modern Media Company and HieronyVision, which has a micro-budget incubator. Werner has seen all sides of the film world, from working on studio fare, to directing indie films, to being a film investor. He believes that the era of shorts is over and making a feature is more important than ever to have a successful career in indie film. That’s why he’s such a proponent of the Ultra Micro-Budget model.
- 3/11/2025
- by John Squire
- Film Independent News & More
Most filmmakers only really get going when the pain of not making a movie finally boils over to the point where it exceeds the pain of making a movie. And once this pivotal point-of-no-return is reached, the accumulated velocity of ambition will not allow petty inconveniences to impede the ultimate realization of its goal. Not even a punishing lack of start-up capital–or even, it turns out, a torrential Southern California downpour choking the streets of LA to a frigid standstill.
So despite being rescheduled from February 6 due to an aggressive late-winter rainfall, Fi’s Filmmaker Tuesday session, The Evolution of Microbudget Filmmaking, finally happened last week on March 19, featuring a panel of four acclaimed indie producers and directors (not to mention Fi Fellows!) who have all managed to make big waves with their work despite microscopic production budgets. They were: Iram Parveen Bilal, Ron Najor, Gia Rigoli and Avril Speaks.
So despite being rescheduled from February 6 due to an aggressive late-winter rainfall, Fi’s Filmmaker Tuesday session, The Evolution of Microbudget Filmmaking, finally happened last week on March 19, featuring a panel of four acclaimed indie producers and directors (not to mention Fi Fellows!) who have all managed to make big waves with their work despite microscopic production budgets. They were: Iram Parveen Bilal, Ron Najor, Gia Rigoli and Avril Speaks.
- 6/19/2024
- by Matt Warren
- Film Independent News & More
The International Puerto Rican Heritage Film Festival (Iprhff) kicks off Wednesday Nov. 13th in Nueva York City celebrating the best in Boricua filmmaking. Opening with crowd-pleaser El Clown, Iprhff started just 3 years ago to pay tribute to the legacy of Puerto Ricans, they have a steady roster of films showcasing “pioneering, historically significant films and documentaries, contemporary shorts and features, and other innovative films”. This years spokesperson is no other Rockaway Beach native, Lauren Velez (Dexter). While the festival is still in its young stages and some of these films have been in release (and some shot years ago) it's still a treat for those yet to discover them. LatinoBuzz picked out some of our faves.
Babygirl, (81 minutes)
Director: Macdara Vallely
Producer: Alan Maher, R. Paul Miller, Felix Werner, Kathrin Werner
Set in the Bronx, Babygirl is a bitter-sweet drama about teenager Lena who, since she can remember, has watched her mom Lucy squander her life on a series of deadbeat men. When Victor, her mom’s latest boy toy, starts hitting on her Lena sets up an elaborate honey-trap, hoping to show her mom what a scumbag the guy really is. But the plan backfires. Trapped in a twisted love-triangle between Victor and her mom, Lena finally realizes that the only way out is to stand up and finally confront some difficult home truths. Baby girl premiered at last years Tribeca where lead actress Yainis Ynoa was greatly acclaimed but oddly enough the film didn't get the festival attention it deserved, it did get a limited release.
Trailer
El Clown , (105 minutes)
Director: Pedro Adorno, Emilio Rodriguez
Producer: Emilio Rodriguez
El Clown, Emilio Rodriguez and Pedro Adorno’s tale of a circus clown’s rise to stardom as a pitchman, tracks the erosion of creativity through corporate branding with a healthy dose of absurdism. Pic’s sly portrait of the artist as a conflicted clown is rich in the meticulous craftsmanship it celebrates, its consummate slapstick deflating any overwrought Pagliacci operatics or facile art-vs.-commerce preciousness. Intelligent crowd-pleaser reps a rousing triumph for the burgeoning Puerto Rican film industry and, with savvy handling, could conjure a niche for itself under the indie big top. —Variety
Trailer
Lemon , (85 minutes)
Director: Laura Brownson, Beth Levinson
Producer: Dan Cogan, Stan Lathan, Russell Simmons
Three-time felon. One-time Tony award winner. Lemon Andersen is a pioneering poet whose words speak for a generation. But Lemon has landed back in the ‘hood, living in the projects with thirteen family members and desperate for a way out. So he turns to the only thing he has left, his pen and his past. In this intricately crafted documentary, Lemon follows one man’s harrowing journey to bring his life story to the stage while battling the demons from his past.
Trailer
Read our interview with Lemon Andersen Here
Machetero , (99 minutes)
Director: Vagabond Beaumont
Producer: Vagabond Beaumont
Post 9/11 definitions, ideas and notions of terrorism are challenged in this highly controversial and experimental film. Machetero is an allegorical narrative that follows French journalist Jean Dumont played by Isaach de Bankolé (The Keeper, Ghost Dog, Coffee and Cigarettes, Mandalay) to a New York prison where he interviews Pedro Taino a so called “Puerto Rican Terrorist” played by Not4Prophet (lead singer of the Puerto Punk band Ricanstruction). Pedro is a self-described Machetero fighting to free Puerto Rico from the yoke of United States colonialism. He is obsessed with freedom, freedom for his country, his people and for himself. Jean questions Pedro about his decisions to use violence as a means to achieve that freedom. As Jean and Pedro speak, another story unfolds. A ghetto youth played by Kelvin Fernandez (in his first starring role) grows up in the ghetto streets and crosses paths with Pedro. Pedro sees potential in the ghetto youth and reawakens a revolutionary spirit instilled in from childhood by a mentor in Puerto Rico.
Trailer
Read our interview with Vagabond Beaumont Here
For their roster and schedule check them out Here
Written by Juan Caceres. LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow @LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook.
Babygirl, (81 minutes)
Director: Macdara Vallely
Producer: Alan Maher, R. Paul Miller, Felix Werner, Kathrin Werner
Set in the Bronx, Babygirl is a bitter-sweet drama about teenager Lena who, since she can remember, has watched her mom Lucy squander her life on a series of deadbeat men. When Victor, her mom’s latest boy toy, starts hitting on her Lena sets up an elaborate honey-trap, hoping to show her mom what a scumbag the guy really is. But the plan backfires. Trapped in a twisted love-triangle between Victor and her mom, Lena finally realizes that the only way out is to stand up and finally confront some difficult home truths. Baby girl premiered at last years Tribeca where lead actress Yainis Ynoa was greatly acclaimed but oddly enough the film didn't get the festival attention it deserved, it did get a limited release.
Trailer
El Clown , (105 minutes)
Director: Pedro Adorno, Emilio Rodriguez
Producer: Emilio Rodriguez
El Clown, Emilio Rodriguez and Pedro Adorno’s tale of a circus clown’s rise to stardom as a pitchman, tracks the erosion of creativity through corporate branding with a healthy dose of absurdism. Pic’s sly portrait of the artist as a conflicted clown is rich in the meticulous craftsmanship it celebrates, its consummate slapstick deflating any overwrought Pagliacci operatics or facile art-vs.-commerce preciousness. Intelligent crowd-pleaser reps a rousing triumph for the burgeoning Puerto Rican film industry and, with savvy handling, could conjure a niche for itself under the indie big top. —Variety
Trailer
Lemon , (85 minutes)
Director: Laura Brownson, Beth Levinson
Producer: Dan Cogan, Stan Lathan, Russell Simmons
Three-time felon. One-time Tony award winner. Lemon Andersen is a pioneering poet whose words speak for a generation. But Lemon has landed back in the ‘hood, living in the projects with thirteen family members and desperate for a way out. So he turns to the only thing he has left, his pen and his past. In this intricately crafted documentary, Lemon follows one man’s harrowing journey to bring his life story to the stage while battling the demons from his past.
Trailer
Read our interview with Lemon Andersen Here
Machetero , (99 minutes)
Director: Vagabond Beaumont
Producer: Vagabond Beaumont
Post 9/11 definitions, ideas and notions of terrorism are challenged in this highly controversial and experimental film. Machetero is an allegorical narrative that follows French journalist Jean Dumont played by Isaach de Bankolé (The Keeper, Ghost Dog, Coffee and Cigarettes, Mandalay) to a New York prison where he interviews Pedro Taino a so called “Puerto Rican Terrorist” played by Not4Prophet (lead singer of the Puerto Punk band Ricanstruction). Pedro is a self-described Machetero fighting to free Puerto Rico from the yoke of United States colonialism. He is obsessed with freedom, freedom for his country, his people and for himself. Jean questions Pedro about his decisions to use violence as a means to achieve that freedom. As Jean and Pedro speak, another story unfolds. A ghetto youth played by Kelvin Fernandez (in his first starring role) grows up in the ghetto streets and crosses paths with Pedro. Pedro sees potential in the ghetto youth and reawakens a revolutionary spirit instilled in from childhood by a mentor in Puerto Rico.
Trailer
Read our interview with Vagabond Beaumont Here
For their roster and schedule check them out Here
Written by Juan Caceres. LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow @LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook.
- 11/13/2013
- by Juan Caceres
- Sydney's Buzz
"The Biggest Loser" returns for Season 15 with a new theme, "Second Chances," a celebrity contestant, and some exciting new twists.
For the first time in "Biggest Loser" history, the trainers, Jillian Michaels, Bob Harper and Dolvett Quince got to sit in on casting sessions and help pick the Season 15 contestants. They will also have a brand new "trainer save" at weigh-ins. Each of the three trainers will get to save one eliminated contestant along the way.
As was revealed earlier in the summer, "American Idol" Season 2 winner and Grammy nominee, Ruben Studdard, is getting his second chance at reality competition show fame -- and a new lease on life -- as the first ever celebrity contestant on "The Biggest Loser."
Other contestants include Olympic weight lifter Holley Mangold, who hopes the show will help whip her into fighting shape for the 2016 Olympic games, and Rachel Frederickson, a former nationally ranked...
For the first time in "Biggest Loser" history, the trainers, Jillian Michaels, Bob Harper and Dolvett Quince got to sit in on casting sessions and help pick the Season 15 contestants. They will also have a brand new "trainer save" at weigh-ins. Each of the three trainers will get to save one eliminated contestant along the way.
As was revealed earlier in the summer, "American Idol" Season 2 winner and Grammy nominee, Ruben Studdard, is getting his second chance at reality competition show fame -- and a new lease on life -- as the first ever celebrity contestant on "The Biggest Loser."
Other contestants include Olympic weight lifter Holley Mangold, who hopes the show will help whip her into fighting shape for the 2016 Olympic games, and Rachel Frederickson, a former nationally ranked...
- 9/4/2013
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
Exclusive: Marco Polo Production, which is owned by Hannibal Classics/Hannibal Pictures’ Richard Rionda Del Castro, has purchased Aventi Distribution, the leading independent home entertainment distributor in France. For Marco Polo, this acquisition represents an anticipated $20 million in annual revenue. Aventi’s network of clients includes over 3000 retailers and the largest chains in France, plus all direct access to all French VOD platforms. Marco Polo’s goal is to have Aventi distribute 70 titles in all media platforms, including ten theatrical releases per year. The acquisition has been approved by all Aventi shareholders, Eton and Edmond De Rothschild Investment Partners. And both groups will now be shareholders of Marco Polo along with Patriot Capital. Company says that the Aventi business will continue to run as it has, with a staff of 24 people, but with a new CFO and consultants hired by Marco Polo for TV sales and acquisitions of films. The...
- 6/2/2013
- by MIKE FLEMING JR
- Deadline
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