How to Make a Short Film for Only $4.50
And have it be successful too.
What is the least amount of money you think you could spend on the production of a short film (from pre-to-post-production) and still get into a major festival? If you guessed $4.50, then you probably read the title of this podcast, because it's a figure that’s almost unimaginable in today's crowded short film landscape.
foundfootagexx100n.s.1 from Tony Grayson on Vimeo.
Nevertheless, performance artist/writer/actor Tony Grayson did just that back in 2017. Fresh off a disappointing stint trying to “make it” in New York City—and armed simply with a friend's old digital camcorder—Grayson set off for his dad’s research lab in Chicago to try and shoot something, anything. What he ended up with was foundfootagexx100n.s.1 and its ensuing acceptance to the SXSW Film Festival was anything but disappointing.
I sat down with Grayson and talked about how he pulled off the shoot for such a minuscule budget, the value of casting aside preciousness in your work, and how a SXSW premiere led him to his next project, Allen Anders Live at the Comedy Castle (Circa 1987).
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This episode was edited by Jon Fusco.
