When Christopher Nolan Makes a No-Budget Film
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- Опубликовано: 27 июн 2022
- In this video, Christopher Nolan explains how to make a good no budget film like Following (1998).
Music by Anthony Baden Saggers.
Following was Christopher Nolan's debut feature film and was made for only $6000 dollars. Almost all over that money was used to fund the costs of film stock and film processing, which means that modern filmmakers using digital photography can imitate Nolan's process to make a no budget film that literally costs nothing (if you have equipment available to you). 
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My big takeaway: You don't need film school, just a burning desire to learn; try a bit of everything so that you can communicate your ideas to everyone on set. I absolutely love that approach and I plan to use it in my self-study program.
That's pretty much valid for anything in life. What's University or School? Just people who (hopefully) had more time to gain experience, and they're passing it to you. Of course, when we're talking about thing like Medicine, it's better to learn from people with experience, so you don't learn by failing and trying again (we don't want people dying in the hospitals). But with filmmaking, it's learn by doing and doing and doing.
Too bad he didn’t learn sound better. Dude is trash at volume. Can’t hear anything in tenant. And the original Bane sound was so bad… he had to dub over everything they shot.
@@smlambert2 You do know he's not the guy in charge of recording and mixing the sound, right?
@@joaocorreiamedia correct, however he is the Director of the whole movie. Tenant was so bad almost unwatchable due to the sound. He is responsible for the whole movie.
@@smlambert2 That we can agree with. But the biggest problem from Tenet wasn't the sound, was the shitty-ass story.
His willingness to do whatever it takes to get the job done is inspiring for those of us still starting out.
"Limits breed creativity."
@@8eight104 @8eight104 I like that adage; who coined it?
You can make it happen. Never stop learning and never stop being curious. But always remember to take what you have leaned and apply in a way that satisfies your desires as a filmmaker
I didn't go to Film School, I went straight to Films.
- Quentin Tarantino
James Cameron, Spielberg never graduated till later
His video store was his film school.
You wanna be a writer? Write.
You wanna be a film maker? Film.
Get started now while you still can.
The actress really looks like she came out of a Hitchcock movie. It's a brilliant little film that showcases Nolan's undeniable talent.
prib bcs she is blonde
Yeah, his talent to bore me to death with his bullshit.
A talent that is very raw but waiting for that bigger budget to fulfill that untapped potential.
I absolutely LOVE how there's a batman logo on a door in his first film 2:27 and then goes on to make a Batman trilogy later in his career
Well spotted, I love the synchronicity or meaningful coincidence. :) Ty for bringing that detail to my attention.
The irony of that logo was not lost when he made the DKT : don’t think he knew what was in his (& our) future 😃👏❤️
Thank you very very much
Step 1: Have a good story.
Step 2: See Step 1
Take notes, Hollywood.
@@TheUnintentionalWildCard only so few people over in that archaic veil even commit to it. Otherwise, they wasted their English skills…
As a young director working with no budget (by no budget I mean $0), I find collaborations very helpful. Lovely watch
Love that last note on having empathy for your crew and the technical kinds of jobs that they're accomplishing on your set. Definitely one of the better lessons to take away from this as well as that "try doing everything" approach to learn.
Nolan's humility and modesty are part of what makes him the best in the business. Great insights.
I bought Following on DVD 📀 after watching his next film: Memento. Being "Following" him since then. I miss Dunkirk when it came out on theaters. All his movies are WORTH seeing in the big screen. One of my Top Ten directors.🤗
you're right little buddy 🤗
Following is a Good Movie. It is an inspiration for anyone who wants to be a Filmmaker or Director 👍
Christopher Nolan+Cillian Murphy+ Tom Hardy = Masterpiece
More like garbage
Love this - Christopher Nolan is a filmmaking genius - The Dark Knight Trilogy and Interstellar are movies I can watch again and again. The 'one day a week filming instead of filmmaking everyday for 3 weeks, is one of the best educations and experiences for any filmmaker - I do the same, every Saturday, as most of the filmmakers I work with have day jobs in the week - It's a great learning curve as you have time to prepare for each shoot, it's not rushed as I don't have anyone giving me a time-limit (I am basically director, writer, cinematographer, sound designer, producer and studio) and you can get some great footage and imagery and learning. It also introduces you to the amazing skills, humanity and generosity of people who will give you their time to realise your vision.
I never thought about how shooting in black and white saves time and makes it so you dont have to worry about lighting as much
The moral is NOT “just work hard”, many people forget TALENT is key, no amount of effort will equip you with everything you need. We are patting too many amateurs on the back “just for trying” these days
You gotta start somewhere though. How can one discover which talents they possess and should develop without exploring their interests?
Nolan killed film school with this video filled of golden nuggets. he didn't go to school but he is a masterful teacher!
The Training is Nothing......Will is EVERYTHING ! #RESPECT
Skill over Will. Lots want it.
I'd love to see him make another "no budget" film today!
His approach about learning and filmmaking it's actually true and applicable to almost anything you want to pursue in life, obviously is a really good one to starting a business, is very much the "tenet" of the lean startup
Keep up the great video Cinedome, we filmmakers really appreciate you!
It's so funny that I am going about this approach in this video popped up. It makes me feel less crazy thank you for this!
This is an important lesson. Learn about stories and how to tell it before going behind the camera. Reading English in particular is helpful. There are so many hack directors out there who just like the idea of directing but can't tell a story to save their lives, or even worse, aren't even interested. They're just interested in just cinematography.
Amazing video and truly inspirational words from one the greatest filmmakers of all time.
Spot on. I consider my time in film school to have been a wasted year, and a waste of 20k. I learned more about filmmaking from making my own movies over the past twenty years.
I think film school can give you connections, am I right?
After watching this I hope many of the questions of why he is successful in filmmaking are answered. I also like his advice on how shooting over an extended period of time, and in real life environments has significant advantages. Thank you for sharing this video. It is jam packed full of good advice. 🙂🎬
Your RUclips channel is absolutely amazing.The content you create is both entertaining and informative,Keep up the fantastic work, you're doing a fantastic job.Your hard work and dedication are truly inspiring. Keep shining and reaching new heights 🙏🏻
Thank you so much for this video. It's exactly what I needed.
Got ‘following’ a few days ago. A fun thriller, mystery all in just over 60mins. Enjoyed it a lot
Thank you. Keep doing this. It’s important what you are doing.
Here's something important for low-budget producers! It was a good video! Thank you!
Outstanding interview and accompanying video.
Going through it now.
This same struggling
So inspiring man! Love Nolan 🙌🏿
The only problem with this is that actors are absolutely sick of being asked to work for free on the basis of 'exposure'. Find a way to pay them. In the end its your project not theirs. Don't ask people to give their labour for free.
Honestly, if you have an amazing vision people won’t care if they have to work for free. They’ll ask you to work with them. This doesn’t apply to professional artists but def applies to upstarts.
@@imtotallyseriously also dont go asking for free work with experienced actos, look for the students, they will also want to gain experience, its a win win for both of you.
this idea is nice but doesn't work, don't give tips that are idealistic, give practical advice. actors can be paid later if profits are made or actors and regisseur and other workers form a cooperative etc. on the other some actors just want to play in a movie and take no money (don't be so patronizing like you know everything about people and their motives)
what i really dislike about advice like yours is, it sounds like "be rich", you can only make projects if you money etc. ignorant capitalistic mindset.
Or just tell them before hand that you want to make a movie, this is everything you need to know about the story and your character and what i want from you BUT I won't be able to pay you anything. So if you wanna come, do it for the art and belief in my script.
Anurag Kashyap, an Indian director said these things when he wanted to make his 1st big movie and gathered some of the brilliant theatre actors, musicians, even some veterans and colleague from his previous flop films, all for free and made a great cult classic movie- GULAAL.
@@imtotallyseriously Wes Anderson is a good example. never asked anyone to work for 'free' per say, but effectively 'free' by modern standards. Enthusiastic artists wanna work with one another; creative minds attract one another, and making art for art's sake will always be worthwhile.
There were a whole bunch of us maki g no budget movies at the same time as Chris - The Following was shot around the Raindance 4:22 office in Soho
Peeps like Edgar Wright, Simon Hunter, Jake West all trying to out do each other and make a film for less!
Following was my first encounter with him, I knew this director would go big someday.
Done: ruclips.net/video/yqUjllb27Ts/видео.html
Done Again: ruclips.net/video/llkoXQXksH8/видео.html
To do that, the no-budget-filmmaker needs good quality recording devices and lots of time for the filmmaker with income elsewhere.
Greatest filmmaker in the history of mankind IMO .
Great vid, brilliant man
He was waaaaaay more transparent about his first (?) black and white filmmaking process than I thought he would be.
How can this video be so underrated holy fuck so good
Listening to Chris nolan on how to make low budget film its like getting diet tips from fluffy
Learning by doing is an extremely effective and under appreciated way of getting into something.
Learning academically can actually be limiting, especially in terms of developing your own style and reaching your potential.
Obviously it depends on the subject. If you want to be a doctor or a solicitor, you've got to go to school.
But if you're looking to get into creative work, learn by doing and as for difficult technical Jobs within it, find someone who knows the field who is Not a teacher by trade, but can help you teach yourself.. This has become so easy with the internet.
Gold. This is gold.
Utterly inspiring.
Wow! Christopher Nolan is a movie making god. He knows how to make a movie that requires no money involved. Interesting.
God? Naah.
So inspiring!
PURE GOLD.
Nolan is the auteur director, whose higher budget movies would have been EQUALLY GOOD, if they were shot B&W and from $6000, like Following (or for appropriate ratio budget), because he has unique ideas, and they write good stories and plots.
If only someone had the courage to write a komplex, long, unique, Nolan-like EPIC story, and made it from minimal null-budget, or close. We would have more REALLY GOOD movies :)
Why would a massive decrease in budget make a film better?
@@davidhrzenjak because it forces filmmakers and writers to get creative
@@davidhrzenjak And we would get more GOOD stories. My suggestion is if someone have an original and groundbreaking, EPIC idea / script, it should have been made from a low budget, instead of putting it in the drawer because lack of money. If the story is good, and it is REALLY good, it is good in B&W and with a budget like Following...
Imagine TENET (but you can imagine Inception too, or The Prestige (maybe without costumes and period sets, in present time, with modern tricks!!! - even better!!!!)... (SPOILERS)
1. Opera house, hostage situation - less s.w.a.t., less terrorist, empty hall, just one hostage... doable from no budget...
2. Railway station, old trains... every city has trainstation... guerilla... doable form no budget...
3. Boat / ship scene.. rather a hospital scene... with ship on sea cut scene... doable.. maybe dont need ship, just some shot on the sea... Huge wind-powerplants... every country has some... (they haven't be on the ocean / sea) doable...
4. Mumbai / London / Oslo / Tallin / city / restaurant / university / interior scenes... doable with some guerilla tricks, not so important to be in another country (if Tenet would be set only in a city, it would be just as good!)
5. Amalfi coast - interchangeable with local lake / seashore / high mountain buildings, not even necessary to be a luxurious place, not even abroad
6. Huge yacht - interchangeable with some villa or just some headquarters, OR you can rent a catamaran / motoryacht around 4000EUR / week (in Europe) and there is the yacht.
7. Ok, Magne Viking is out, haha :D
8. Reversed highway chase - it would be a headache, BUT if you rewrite that sequence, it can be made on a rentable airfield with 2-3 cars... here in Hungary there are more airfield, that they rent for car-shows, etc. Need some trick, but doable... Firetruck and other huge vehicles smashing into the van is not necessary, it can be overwritten to just as good effect with a simpler setup
9. Boeing 747 is out :) But what if, instead of the Boeing smashing into the building, there would be some reversed happening, just like at the opera... and there we got the excitement... not just a big smash can be exciting...
10. reversed fighting scenes, reversed movements, etc... ok, its hard to plan and coreograph, but there are ways to do it, it is the very hard part of the production, but hey... we are talking about a Nolan concept, it wont't be a walk in the park :)
11. big war scene - totally unimportant, if 2-2 soldiers (2 red, 2 blue) go in and make things happen (more like in a Splinter Cell style, rather then a war style), equally satisfying...
12. and that's all... my personal opinion, that TENET is a wasted opportunity, because I would write MORE reversed scenes and more mind-fuck effects from reversed happenings, maybe they could be integrated into the low-budget version for more excitement factor...
Ok, it would be more than $6000, but it can be made from around $20.000-30.000...
And this would be a very good movie, not just another so-so indie flick.
And it would be a Nolan-level story / movie...
And imagine that someone would write a new EPIC Nolan-level movie on his/her own with a low budget in mind, where everything is spot on!
And that's what I talked about!
@@pauldeak3265 I think a good movie lies somwere in between what you described and what we got from Nolan. I do like when seemingly less is at stake but you are more conected with the characters if that makes sense.
@@davidhrzenjak You are right and I agree!!!!
Christopher Nolan is the proof that you don’t need film school the become a successful, well acclaimed filmmaker…
If you're as good as Nolan, then yeah. Also he has an English degree - works great for story and world building. It's not like he was an uneducated bum off the street.
@@Dayvit78 yeah but still you don’t need to be good as nolan to be a well acclaimed director.
@@Dayvit78degrees aren’t the end all be all. You can educate yourself outside of school.
You know what my daddy would think if I told him I went to film school?! It would kill him!!
Stop. He is the outlier.
There was this thing years back where the Beatles couldnt read music.
No.
They just made girls cry, wrote great material, we’re on the cutting edge of the rock era and were all cute.
You need to deal with the reality of actual possibilities.
Millions of amateur filmmakers will never accomplish a billionth of the success of Nolan.
Find a more realistic example, please.
Thank you!
Christopher Nolan CBE a Big Inspiration to Young Filmmakers
thanks for this
Nice video
6:30 When you want something specific it's very useful to be able to speak the same language as the specialized professional who's actually capturing or creating that thing that you want.
It's hard to communicate what kind of lighting you want, if you can't really express yourself fully about lighting, and have that vocabulary...
I feel like the 'Director' in films, in its modern incarnation... Should really be someone specialized in communicating efficiently and with detail with many different departments...
As a director your main focus shouldn't be coming up with, visualising and writing something interesting.. Your main focus should on how you can communicate something interesting to everyone involved it realizing that...
A lot of people can think of something cool... You need to be able to express and communicate something cool in specific ways, and in specialized fields and "languages" to different people... That's really the hard part.
You essentially make it in your head. But even for that you need to feed the brain.
Thanks guys
One location movies like The Outfit(with talented but unknown actors)
very cool
Primer is my favorite small budget film
2:25 - Batman logo on the door ... Foreshadowing?
Greatest Director of our time
No budget, more freedom - Martin Scorcese
He is like the dad to all young filmmakers
It's a shame Nolan didn't learn anything about sound engineering. Could have fixed Tenet audio :)
The fact is that he did it on purpose
I was watching Tenet the other day and I was like why the fuck would you do that. God knows what he was thinking, completely ruined the theater experience because of the lack of subtitles in theaters.
Nice👍
@02:26 Batman logo on the door (!)
Genius!
As no-budget filmmakers, what equipment should we be using? Do festivals take entries created on mobile phones? Should we invest in cameras and buy microphones?
Invest 98% of your time and money in learning what a story is, the structure of stories, what makes a good story, character development, story and character arcs etc... Schindler's list would still be a great film even shot on an iPhone. The Godfather, Psycho, Stagecoach all would still be great films shot on a basic DLSR in 1080. The equipment can help express the story the story is always king even over the equipment. I'm learning this lesson the hard and expensive way.
Standing by the window if you can't afford lighting. lol
Awesome Movie❤
At 2:27: When the universe decides who saves Batman
that was inspiring
Wish i had this advice 10 years ago. Would have changed my life
So you are 80 years old now?
3:24 hello potter
CHRISTOPHER. NOLAN. COULD. NOT . GET . INTO . FILM . SCHOOL .... understand that deeply. It is not an exagerration to say that over the last decade Nolan has nearly single handedly kept the flame of film going.
Film school is evil and filled with bitter failures who are trying to destroy the medium because they were too cowardly to realize their own films.
Hayy! 1:27 is me!! Can I have some credit ?? 😊
be born to an upper-middle-class family in london, have an uncle who is an actor, a father who is an ad executive who worked with ridley scott who can afford to send you to private school and then a top university in london with film equipment...
As Arnold Schwarzenegger said, “I’ll be back…”
…to watch this video again, Lord willing. 👍🎬
"If there is a voice in you mind telling you you cannot paint, then by all means, paint and the voice will fall silent."
-Vincent Van Gogh
I need a real " No budget" advice thing. Nolan, Raimi and others all had a lot of money to just throw at a project. $6,000 is alot for normal people.
Yeah, and that is 11500$ in todays money… But then again, you can start out today without buying and developing filmstock, so you can have a mere shoe-stringy budget because of digital…
You just can't, no matter how much bs these people throw at us but unfortunately the reality is one and only: Filmmaking ain't for the poor :/
A friend of mine asked me to make the soundtrack to a film in Manchester he had NO MONEY at all lol just typical for a film maker. But hey, you got to start somewhere. He gave up in the end.
Lmao i mean wow. This guy makes prolly the most proffesionall films i ve ever seen. How is it possible ?
Was that John Hurt at 4:22?
It is John Nolan. He also appeared in Batman Begins :-)
Nolans the real deal
One of my favofilmmakers 👏 I try to make films on saturdays 😂 #filmmakingismypassion
Watched Following last night. Great movie! Best low budget movie I’ve ever seen.
It costs a lot of money to create a set that really looks like if you were shooting on just some street, or in some apartment... Rather than shooting on just some street or in just some apartment...
Do a video on Hans simmer too please 🥹
One day.
I wonder if this works today?
The best director in the world.
Some great movies like 12 Angry Men and Glengarry Glen Ross are just people sitting around talking. If you can write a great script with a clever idea that doesn’t need action or effects, shoot your friends and family on your smartphone, use natural lighting, you can make a good movie for next to nothing.
Misleading thumbnail....
6:21 Seems like a wrong scene insertion 🙂 . This is a scene from Robert Pattinsons Batman which was not shot by Nolan 😆😆😆😆😆
Actually I think that’s from tenet.
This was great. I would be interested in finding out how he was able to get jobs doing his films for major studios.
After Following which seen by many at festivals, he made another low budget movie Memento and that actually ran in indy theaters for a long time in US/UK and was a cult hit. So he was able to get a studio film Insomnia starring Al Pacino/Robin Williams and that was a critical rated very high and did fairly well for the genre. That is how he was able to pitch Batman to WB and go onto back bigger movies.
@@shawman5676 So film a low-budget movie like Memento, which is an incredible movie (compared to any director), is a tall order!
1:05 In the true sense... 6000 dollars. Well then it's not bloody in a true sense no-budget film then. XD
I just need friends. that is all what I ask, but unfortunately still didn't find one.
I am making videos with no budget over 2 years now...