What makes a low budget film a success??

by Real Kandahar Thu Sep 13, 2012 1:56 pm

It is a very interesting question.. and maybe some of you who spend time watching movies or having info on this could contribute

movies like paranormal activity... Blair witch project...

what turned them into huge success? do people like anything that they believe is based on or is true story or true footage?

What role does marketting play in this? how must this be marketed?

by Forza Thu Sep 13, 2012 4:23 pm

- It has look professional (even with handheld camera, there needs to be a reason for it's use and it has to be done with some technique)
- It has to have wide-spread appeal whilst targeting a particular genre
- It has to have a good quality script and actors

by Real Kandahar Fri Sep 14, 2012 3:34 am

thanks for your reply
could you elaborate on your second point a bit?

by Vibe Fri Sep 14, 2012 3:47 am

Brilliant script
Brilliant acting

Usually the mental movies or horror work better IMO,cause low quality in terms of technology can actually add to it(example Pi).

by Real Kandahar Fri Sep 14, 2012 2:03 pm

thanks for your replies!

although, personally, i found paranormal activity or blair witch project to have a very average Script IMO... and even acting was standard...

you guys care to elaborate?

by Forza Fri Sep 14, 2012 4:42 pm

With my 2nd point, I mean that the film has to be unique enough to be likeable and interesting, but still stick to a particular genre (e.g. horror, action, adventure, fantasy). Many independent small budget films get really dark and unnecessarily weird in the pursuit of being unique and forget about the audience.

by Real Kandahar Sat Sep 15, 2012 12:58 pm

Thanks for the elaboration.

Me and friends were thinking of using this idea to make an extremely successful film.

by dmize Sat Sep 15, 2012 5:19 pm

Well with Blair Witch. Not only was the filming style very unique at the time, it was promoted really really well, I forget what company it was but they spent a lot on promotion. They had a website months before the release. Plus if I remember right it was only released on a few hundred theaters at first, which built up a tremendous buzz and then they expanded nationwide where it really gained popularity.

by Real Kandahar Sun Sep 16, 2012 1:49 am

dmize wrote:Well with Blair Witch. Not only was the filming style very unique at the time, it was promoted really really well, I forget what company it was but they spent a lot on promotion. They had a website months before the release. Plus if I remember right it was only released on a few hundred theaters at first, which built up a tremendous buzz and then they expanded nationwide where it really gained popularity.

That is true, but paranormal activity was not promoted in same manner, yet it was extremely successful as well...

by Le Samourai Sun Sep 16, 2012 3:48 am

Promotion and hype definitely.

Relative success in the festival circuit is the route good to great work usually takes, but in the end those movies aren't usually huge financial successes, simply stepping stones.

Stuff like Paranormal Activity is marketing and hype towards a large audience basically.

by Real Kandahar Sun Sep 16, 2012 3:59 am

Le Samourai wrote:Promotion and hype definitely.

Relative success in the festival circuit is the route good to great work usually takes, but in the end those movies aren't usually huge financial successes, simply stepping stones.

Stuff like Paranormal Activity is marketing and hype towards a large audience basically.

heyy thanks for your input

how do you think that is done? what are some strategies these two movies used to hype up or market their projects?

and also... what is the best way to get movie distributing studios to select a movie?

by Luca Sun Sep 16, 2012 5:49 am

Quality over quantity
It's a nice change of pace from movies clouded by massive budgets which doesn't always make a good movie.

Anyways, I think most of it comes down to plot.
You can have a crappy plot and still have good acting, a high budget etc.

A good plot is a good plot, with money or without. If the story is captivating, then the movie will be worth watching.

The rest comes down to advertising, and creating that buzz which gets attention

by Real Kandahar Sun Sep 16, 2012 8:55 am

luca i agree... however, what makes a story good? or the plot good?

also... before the movie is actually released, very little is known about the plot.. so what contributes to success of movies like that??

personally, i didn't find Blair witch project or P.A to have a good plot... so i don't know how they got the profit they actually did...

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