Can Fantasy Ever be Accessible to Indie Filmmakers?

This is a question I ponder frequently. I always want to say yes, but is it simply wishful thinking? Or something that is actually attainable?

One of the biggest blockades is always going to be budget. Having money allows you to hire the talented artists in all different departments to bring your vision to life. To many of us Indie filmmakers on the greener side of the industry, fathoming a budget that exceeds even $20,000 is kind of mind blowing.

For funsies, I looked up some of the budget/box office gross numbers of the most successful “independent” films released over the last couple of decades to find out these films were still made with 4-5 million dollar budget (with some help from studios and production companies). Believe it or not, that is considered a small budget for a feature film.

Even with a 4-5 million dollar budget, you couldn’t create Middle-Earth, or Arrakis, or Pandora.

Unfortunately, if your goal is to do high-fantasy, I don’t think it’s possible with a true indie level budget. However, if you pivot and make it a character driven story in a low-fantasy world, I totally think it’s achievable with some elbow grease, patience, and creativity.

With a low-fantasy world (check out my previous post where I break down these terms), you could explore popular genres like horror, comedy, romance, and thriller.

I want to share the incredible success story that was “Paranormal Activity.”

This was a Supernatural-Horror film that was shot for $15,000. It was eventually acquired by Paramount and they did some re-shoots with newly found studio support, and did a wide-scale release. They made enormous amounts of money in the box-office and spawned an entire spin-off franchise.

The component that really works for the storytelling and tone of this film is the found-footage convention, which definitely was influenced by another successful ‘Indie” horror film called “The Blair Witch Project.” This film was truly scary, and even holds up in present day. The secret was preying on the viewer’s imagination and using practical effects in an innovative way.

Knowing and understanding your genre is even more important when you don’t have lots of money to spend. Make smart choices, be a good leader who can inspire your vision in those you collaborate with, and allow people to do what you hire them for! I encourage you to continue to dream big, but be flexible with your vision so that you don’t force yourself into a corner that will spawn a mediocre version of your story.

A compelling script and strong character choices with distinct voices goes a long way, and until you can secure that multi-million dollar budget for your project, continue to fine-tune your craft and build your audience.

What are some of your favorite indie movies? What are the most important elements of a film? Do you think big budgets have gone too far?