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Stip.
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April 14, 2023 at 5:53 am #206257
Does anyone have recommendations for very low or no budget movies that found ways to create simple yet intriguing cinematography?
Could be anything, clever use of practicals and available light, efficient but powerful ways of shot arrangement or maybe just great intuition overall.
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April 15, 2023 at 9:08 am #206918
Sorry to Bother You (2018) 👍
April 18, 2023 at 12:42 am #207265Thanks, I will check it out!
I just watched ‘Primer’. Made on a budget of $7.000 and a crew of 6, including the lead actors. They cleverly used what they had, embracing restrictions. It just works. It won the 2004 Sundance Great Jury Prize, being refreshingly different and smart.
April 18, 2023 at 12:31 pm #207383“Nobody Knows” is a personal favorite. Japanese film from 2004. I don’t know the specific budget, but I remember reading about it at the time that the production did not have a lot of money. They rented an apartment for one year, and the majority of the shoot took place in that apartment with natural light. The crew used it for their accommodations as well during this time. Cinema Verite style- Super16. It’s always stayed with me.
April 18, 2023 at 10:08 pm #207476That sounds wonderful, I love Japanese cinema but don’t know that one!
This reminds me of “Beyond the infinite two minutes”, also a Japanese movie, Shot in one location. It’s Shot in one take but with marvolous, typicall Japanese twist. During the end credits you see how they pulled many of the Shops off – with sheer and hilarious creativity.
April 18, 2023 at 10:23 pm #207482Sorry for all the errors, typed on my phone with German autocorrect 🙂
April 20, 2023 at 7:59 am #207700Huge Kore-eda fan here. I’m a bit down for his last one as I didn’t like it much tho!
I don’t know the budgets his movies manage but I wouldn’t consider them low budget.
As we are all on Japanese mode I would recommend “One Cut Of The Dead” (2017). Super low budget film. It’s a zombie film so bear that in mind. But the script it’s so good. It’s shot with small ENG cameras so the cinematography is crazy handheld. But it’s a masterpiece for how they pull it out. Recently they even did a remake of it in France. With big actors and a lot more budget , haven’t watch it yet but the low budget style sometimes plays in favor of the story.
April 20, 2023 at 8:39 am #207709Sounds great, too! The Japanese have such a pronounced love for creativity, it’s quite different to Europe. Something that’s considered mind bending here seems to only cause a weary smile in Japan. I believe their manga culture is a major driver of constantly moving cerebral goal posts 🙂
April 20, 2023 at 9:49 am #207719I was discussing exactly this with some people the other day.
I think the tradition here in Europe has always been to do stories more anchor to the reality. And when I say Europe I also mean US in a way. I’m not saying there hasn’t been mind bending reality stories from writers or screenwriters from Europe but the vast majority it’s attach to reality in a way or another.
This is one of the reason I’ve always like Latin America writers, they mix genre way better than Europeans to me, they are more open to crazy stuff and that also applies to Asian writers. Specifically Japan has lots of social and super down to earth stories but at the same time as you mention the Anime and Manga power has been super crucial.
I’m from a generation that really was the first to get all the crazy Anime in Europe. I still remember watching “Akira” as a kid but we were very few into that. Nowadays there is no kid in the world that isn’t watching anime and yes, there is a lot of anime out there, some are more attach to reality but other is completely insane stuff.
This is one of the reasons, I think, a movie like “Everything Everywhere All at Once” can become a movie for the masses. When I was watching it with my partner (an anime fan) our first reaction was that it literally was an anime remake or something. It’s a live action anime film. And its success is because masses are used to watch anime and its crazy stories. This movie just 10 years ago it wouldn’t have been such a big hit.
Still, I didn’t enjoy it as even when watching anime I like attach to reality stories.April 20, 2023 at 1:27 pm #207767Just watched “One Cut Of The Dead” and absolutely loved it!
Actually, “Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes” is of the very same kind of japanese playful, choreographic wizardry, so you might enjoy that too.
April 20, 2023 at 4:03 pm #207799I watched “Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes” tonight and loved it too!
It’s smart and goofy. Surreal and with lots of winks to other stories. There was a clear Momo reference and I’m sure plenty more I missed.
A clear proof you don’t even need a camera to shoot a movie, just a good script.
April 22, 2023 at 12:46 pm #208760‘Culloden’.
May 25, 2023 at 3:58 pm #214537Pi (1998) — dir. Darren Aronofsky, DP Matthew Libatique
May 28, 2023 at 2:26 pm #214548Also meant to submit:
Columbus (2017) — dir. Kogonada, DP Elisha Christian
May 29, 2023 at 1:05 am #214549Those are all great suggestions, thanks guys!
I haven’t seen ‘Columbus’ yet. Looks like it’s an unagitated, intimate story and the cinematography seems to reflect that – will certainly watch it!
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