Guerrilla filmmaking
Encyclopedia
Guerrilla filmmaking refers to a form of independent film
making characterized by low budgets, skeleton crew
s, and simple props using whatever is available. Often scenes are shot quickly in real locations without any warning, and without obtaining permission from the owners of the locations.
Guerrilla filmmaking is usually done by independent filmmakers because they don't have the budget to get permits, rent out locations, or build expensive sets. Also studios tend not to use guerrilla filmmaking tactics because they could be sued, fined, or get their reputation hurt.
"Guerrilla filmmaking is driven by passion with whatever means at hand", Yukon Film Commission Manager Mark Hill.
, directed by Melvin Van Peebles
, was funded and distributed outside of the Hollywood system and broke conventions with its visual style, as well as its content.
Spike Lee's
She's Gotta Have It
was a guerrilla film on a budget of $175,000 which made $7,137,502 at the box office. This highly stylized film received much acclaim. It was Spike Lee's first feature length film and inspired Spike Lee to write the book Spike Lee's Gotta Have It: Inside Guerrilla Filmmaking.
New Queer Cinema
director Gregg Araki
shot his first two films, Three Bewildered People in the Night
(1987) and The Long Weekend (O' Despair)
(1989) using a spring-wound Bolex
camera and scrap film stock, on a budget of $5,000 each.
Robert Rodriguez
shot the action film El Mariachi
in Spanish
, inspired by John Woo
films. El Mariachi, which was shot for around $7,000 with money partially raised by volunteering in medical research studies, won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival
in 1992. The film, originally intended for the Spanish-language low-budget home-video market, was distributed by Columbia Pictures
in the United States
. Rodriguez described his experiences making the film in his book Rebel Without a Crew
. The book and film inspired legions of hopeful filmmakers to pick up cameras and make no-budget movies.
Pi
, directed by Darren Aronofsky
, was made on a relatively low budget of $60,000. It proved to be a financial success at the box office ($3.2 million gross in the U.S.) despite only a limited release to theaters. Aronofsky raised money for the project by selling $100 shares in the film to family and friends, and was able to pay them all back with a $50 profit per-share when the film was sold to Artisan.
Bookwars
(2000) http://www.bookwarsmovie.com, was produced by Camerado
director Jason Rosette at sidewalk book stands on the streets of New York City
, using a variety of inexpensive small format cameras http://www.camerado.com/press/bookwarspresskit.pdf. No permits were secured (or sought) for the ultra-low budget documentary, which was funded through the sale of used books at the book stand during shooting and a small grant from the Playboy Foundation
. The film went on to win the best documentary award at the 2000 New York Underground Film Festival
and was nominated for an IFP Gotham Award.
Troma Entertainment
is a film
production and distribution company founded by Lloyd Kaufman
and Michael Herz
in 1974. The company produces low budget independent movies, many of which have developed cult followings
around the world. Many Troma films are intentionally produced in the Brechtian form which is vastly different from mainstream horror movies. Troma is also known for reusing the same props, actors, and scenes over and over again, sometimes to save money. Lloyd Kaufman has written the books All I Need to Know about Filmmaking I Learned from the Toxic Avenger
and Make Your Own Damn Movie!
which outline his philosophy of quick and inexpensive independent film.
Looking For Kitty
is a 2004 written, directed, and starring Edward Burns
. The film was shot with a hand held $3,000 digital Panasonic AG-DVX100
camera with a Mini35
adapter. The film's entire budget was $200,000 and was filmed in New York City
with a tiny crew and without standard permits. Burns discussed this unusual film-making process in the director's commentary on the DVD.
Silence, ça tue ! (BELGIUM- 2008), is a mockumentary, directed and starring Chris Lamot AKA Ljo Menzow. A young director disgusted by the financing system of the movie industry decides to shoot a feature movie made from live scenes without any financial support in order to denounce the difficulties to achieve a cinematographic project in Belgium. The rivalries between the cast members, the excesses and the frustrations will slowly lead him to a surrealistic disaster. http://www.horror-101.com/?p=3948
http://www.pulpmovies.com/2009/10/silence-ca-tue/
Onan
(INDIA - 2009), is a Tamil/English language feature film, directed by Shyam Madhavan Sarada. The film, produced for a budget of less than $7,000 by Wannabe Studios, an online network for independent filmmakers, is touted as "India's first full-length guerrilla feature film" and as the result of a unique online collaboration among independent filmmakers and film lovers from 7 countries around the world. The film premiered at the Global Cinema Festival on 11 October 2009, as part of the 'Vista India' section. http://www.wannabestudios.org http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1518231/ http://www.gcfest.com/sec_vista.html http://beta.thehindu.com/arts/movies/article29366.ece
Paranormal Activity directed by first time director Oren Peli
and filmed in his house with one camera for a budget of just $15,000 most of which he said was spent on "a camera and new furniture". It went on to make a gross revenue of $153,469,744
, Avid Media Composer
and Premiere
are a contributing factor to the increase in guerrilla filmmaking. . Digital editing is a cheap and easy form of editing that allows the filmmaker to edit anywhere and at a low budget.
Many guerrilla filmmakers are now using professional quality digital cameras because of their cheap cost, and the ability to set up shots quickly.
Many films have used digital cameras in the place of film cameras such as: 28 Days Later
, Miami Vice
and Sin City
. One recent film shot on consumer camcorders that has received major attention and awards is My Date with Drew
, directed by Brian Herzlinger.
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
making characterized by low budgets, skeleton crew
Skeleton crew
A skeleton crew is the minimum number of personnel needed to operate and maintain an item at its most simple operating requirements, such as a ship or business, during an emergency and, at the same time, to keep vital functions operating.- Uses :...
s, and simple props using whatever is available. Often scenes are shot quickly in real locations without any warning, and without obtaining permission from the owners of the locations.
Guerrilla filmmaking is usually done by independent filmmakers because they don't have the budget to get permits, rent out locations, or build expensive sets. Also studios tend not to use guerrilla filmmaking tactics because they could be sued, fined, or get their reputation hurt.
"Guerrilla filmmaking is driven by passion with whatever means at hand", Yukon Film Commission Manager Mark Hill.
Guerrilla films
Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss SongSweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song
Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song is a 1971 American independent drama film, written, produced, scored, directed by, and starring Melvin Van Peebles, father of actor Mario Van Peebles . It tells the picaresque story of a poor African American man on his flight from the white authority...
, directed by Melvin Van Peebles
Melvin Van Peebles
Melvin "Block" Van Peebles is an American actor, director, screenwriter, playwright, novelist and composer.He is most famous for creating the acclaimed film, Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, which heralded a new era of African American focused films...
, was funded and distributed outside of the Hollywood system and broke conventions with its visual style, as well as its content.
Spike Lee's
Spike Lee
Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, has produced over 35 films since 1983....
She's Gotta Have It
She's Gotta Have It
She's Gotta Have It is a 1986 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Spike Lee. It was also Lee's first feature-length film. The film stars Tracy Camilla Johns, Tommy Redmond Hicks and John Canada Terrell. Also appearing are cinematographer Ernest Dickerson as a Brooklyn resident and...
was a guerrilla film on a budget of $175,000 which made $7,137,502 at the box office. This highly stylized film received much acclaim. It was Spike Lee's first feature length film and inspired Spike Lee to write the book Spike Lee's Gotta Have It: Inside Guerrilla Filmmaking.
New Queer Cinema
New Queer Cinema
New Queer Cinema is a term first coined by the academic B. Ruby Rich in Sight & Sound magazine in 1992 to define and describe a movement in queer-themed independent filmmaking in the early 1990s...
director Gregg Araki
Gregg Araki
Gregg Araki is an American independent filmmaker. He is involved in New Queer Cinema.-Early life:Araki was born in Los Angeles but grew up in Santa Barbara, California...
shot his first two films, Three Bewildered People in the Night
Three Bewildered People in the Night
Three Bewildered People in the Night is a 1987 American drama film directed by Gregg Araki. The film follows three characters through the dissolution of a heterosexual relationship and the possible beginning of a gay one.-Plot:...
(1987) and The Long Weekend (O' Despair)
The Long Weekend (O' Despair)
The Long Weekend is a 1989 American drama film directed by Gregg Araki. The film follows three couples, one gay, one lesbian and one heterosexual, spending a weekend together.-Cast:* Bretton Vail as Michael* Maureen Dondanville as Rachel...
(1989) using a spring-wound Bolex
Bolex
Bolex is a Swiss company that manufactures motion picture cameras and lenses, the most notable products of which are in the 16 mm and Super 16 mm formats. The Bolex company was initially founded by Jacques Bogopolsky in 1927. Bolex is derived from his name. He had previously designed cameras for...
camera and scrap film stock, on a budget of $5,000 each.
Robert Rodriguez
Robert Rodriguez
Robert Anthony Rodríguez is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer, editor and musician. He shoots and produces many of his films in his native Texas and Mexico. He has directed such films as Desperado, From Dusk till Dawn, The Faculty, Spy Kids, Sin City, Planet...
shot the action film El Mariachi
El Mariachi
El Mariachi is a 1992 Mexican-American action film that is the debut of writer/director Robert Rodriguez. The Spanish language film was shot in the northern Mexican bordertown of Ciudad Acuña with a mainly amateur cast...
in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, inspired by John Woo
John Woo
John Woo Yu-Sen SBS is a Hong Kong-based film director and producer. Recognized for his stylised films of highly choreographed action sequences, Mexican standoffs, and use of slow-motion, Woo has directed several notable Hong Kong action films, among them, A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, Hard...
films. El Mariachi, which was shot for around $7,000 with money partially raised by volunteering in medical research studies, won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
in 1992. The film, originally intended for the Spanish-language low-budget home-video market, was distributed by Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Rodriguez described his experiences making the film in his book Rebel Without a Crew
Rebel Without a Crew
Rebel Without a Crew is a 1995 non-fiction book by Robert Rodriguez...
. The book and film inspired legions of hopeful filmmakers to pick up cameras and make no-budget movies.
Pi
Pi (film)
Pi, also titled ,WorldCat gives the title as [Pi] and provides a note which states, "Title is the mathematical symbol for Pi." . Amazon gives the title as Pi with no notation concerning the math symbol . is a 1998 American psychological thriller film written and directed by Darren Aronofsky...
, directed by Darren Aronofsky
Darren Aronofsky
Darren Aronofsky is an American film director, screenwriter and film producer. He attended Harvard University to study film theory and the American Film Institute to study both live-action and animation filmmaking...
, was made on a relatively low budget of $60,000. It proved to be a financial success at the box office ($3.2 million gross in the U.S.) despite only a limited release to theaters. Aronofsky raised money for the project by selling $100 shares in the film to family and friends, and was able to pay them all back with a $50 profit per-share when the film was sold to Artisan.
Bookwars
Bookwars
BookWars is an award-winning documentary produced by Camerado, about the life and times of New York City street booksellers. Made on an ultra-low budget in a jazzy, impressionistic style reminiscent of the films of Robert Frank and poetry of the Beat Generation, BookWars is the only first-person...
(2000) http://www.bookwarsmovie.com, was produced by Camerado
Camerado
Camerado is a commercial film, video and multimedia production group that produces independent, multicultural-themed films, videos, and media events with a prosocial agenda....
director Jason Rosette at sidewalk book stands on the streets of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, using a variety of inexpensive small format cameras http://www.camerado.com/press/bookwarspresskit.pdf. No permits were secured (or sought) for the ultra-low budget documentary, which was funded through the sale of used books at the book stand during shooting and a small grant from the Playboy Foundation
Playboy Foundation
The Playboy Foundation is a corporate-giving organization that provides grants to non-profit groups involved in fighting censorship and researching human sexuality. It gives grants and in-kind contributions, such as advertising space in the Playboy magazine to organizations concerned with US First...
. The film went on to win the best documentary award at the 2000 New York Underground Film Festival
New York Underground Film Festival
Founded in 1994 by filmmakers Todd Phillips and Andrew Gurland, the New York Underground Film Festival was an annual event that occurred each March at Anthology Film Archives in New York City from 1994 through 2008...
and was nominated for an IFP Gotham Award.
Troma Entertainment
Troma Entertainment
Troma Entertainment is an American independent film production and distribution company founded by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz in 1974.The company produces low-budget independent movies that play on 1950s horror with elements of farce...
is a film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
production and distribution company founded by Lloyd Kaufman
Lloyd Kaufman
Lloyd Kaufman is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and occasional actor. With producer Michael Herz, he is the co-founder of Troma Entertainment film studio, and the director of many of their feature films, including The Toxic Avenger and Tromeo and Juliet. Kaufman also serves as...
and Michael Herz
Michael Herz (producer)
Michael Herz is an American film producer, director and screenwriter. With Lloyd Kaufman, the two are the co-founders of Troma Entertainment, the world's longest running independent film studio, known for their comedic horror films, including the cult favorite Toxic Avenger series and the...
in 1974. The company produces low budget independent movies, many of which have developed cult followings
Cult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...
around the world. Many Troma films are intentionally produced in the Brechtian form which is vastly different from mainstream horror movies. Troma is also known for reusing the same props, actors, and scenes over and over again, sometimes to save money. Lloyd Kaufman has written the books All I Need to Know about Filmmaking I Learned from the Toxic Avenger
All I Need to Know about Filmmaking I Learned from the Toxic Avenger
All I Need to Know about Filmmaking I Learned from the Toxic Avenger is the autobiography of Lloyd Kaufman, published by Berkely Boulevard, a subsidiary of Penguin Putnam, in 1998. Kaufman is the co-founder of B-movie company Troma Entertainment and the director of such films as The Toxic Avenger,...
and Make Your Own Damn Movie!
Make Your Own Damn Movie!
Make Your Own Damn Movie is both a book and a DVD set about Troma Entertainment and independent film in general.-Book:Make Your Own Damn Movie!: Secrets of a Renegade Director is written by Lloyd Kaufman published by St. Martin's, in 2003...
which outline his philosophy of quick and inexpensive independent film.
Looking For Kitty
Looking for Kitty
Looking for Kitty is a 2006 American film written and directed by Edward Burns, in which he plays a private detective in New York City, hired by David Krumholtz to help track down his run-away wife. It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on May 6, 2004...
is a 2004 written, directed, and starring Edward Burns
Edward Burns
Edward Fitzgerald Burns is an American actor, film producer, writer and director.-Early life:Burns was born in Woodside, Queens, New York, the son of Molly , a federal agency manager, and Edward J. Burns, a public relations spokesman and police officer. He was raised a Roman Catholic...
. The film was shot with a hand held $3,000 digital Panasonic AG-DVX100
Panasonic AG-DVX100
The Panasonic AG-DVX100 was the first affordable digital progressive scan camcorder.The camera is popular among television studios and is popular with independent film makers because of its many film-emulating features and has a large following. Currently the latest and last revision is the DVX102B...
camera with a Mini35
Mini35
A P+S Technik Mini35 adapter is a depth-of-field adapter for use with 35 mm lenses on a video camera while maintaining identical depth of field and angle of view as the same lens on a 35 mm camera....
adapter. The film's entire budget was $200,000 and was filmed in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
with a tiny crew and without standard permits. Burns discussed this unusual film-making process in the director's commentary on the DVD.
Silence, ça tue ! (BELGIUM- 2008), is a mockumentary, directed and starring Chris Lamot AKA Ljo Menzow. A young director disgusted by the financing system of the movie industry decides to shoot a feature movie made from live scenes without any financial support in order to denounce the difficulties to achieve a cinematographic project in Belgium. The rivalries between the cast members, the excesses and the frustrations will slowly lead him to a surrealistic disaster. http://www.horror-101.com/?p=3948
http://www.pulpmovies.com/2009/10/silence-ca-tue/
Onan
Onan (film)
Onan is a 2009 action thriller film. It is the debut film of writer/director Shyam Madhavan Sarada. The Tamil/English guerrilla film was shot in the Indian cities of Chennai and Kochi with a mainly amateur cast....
(INDIA - 2009), is a Tamil/English language feature film, directed by Shyam Madhavan Sarada. The film, produced for a budget of less than $7,000 by Wannabe Studios, an online network for independent filmmakers, is touted as "India's first full-length guerrilla feature film" and as the result of a unique online collaboration among independent filmmakers and film lovers from 7 countries around the world. The film premiered at the Global Cinema Festival on 11 October 2009, as part of the 'Vista India' section. http://www.wannabestudios.org http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1518231/ http://www.gcfest.com/sec_vista.html http://beta.thehindu.com/arts/movies/article29366.ece
Paranormal Activity directed by first time director Oren Peli
Oren Peli
Oren Peli is an Israeli-born American film director, producer and screenwriter, best known as the director/creator of Paranormal Activity. He is also a video game programmer.-Biography:...
and filmed in his house with one camera for a budget of just $15,000 most of which he said was spent on "a camera and new furniture". It went on to make a gross revenue of $153,469,744
Technology
The advent of digital cameras and home computer editing systems such as Final Cut ProFinal Cut Pro
Final Cut Pro is a non-linear video editing software developed by Macromedia Inc. and then Apple Inc. The most recent version, Final Cut Pro X, runs on Mac personal computers powered by Mac OS X version 10.6.7 or later and using Intel processors...
, Avid Media Composer
Avid Technology
Avid Technology, Inc. is an American company specializing in video and audio production technology; specifically, digital non-linear editing systems, management and distribution services. It was created in 1987 and became a publicly traded company in 1993...
and Premiere
Adobe Premiere Pro
Adobe Premiere Pro is a timeline-based video editing software application. It is part of the Adobe Creative Suite, a suite of graphic design, video editing, and web development applications developed by Adobe Systems, though it can also be purchased separately. When purchased separately, it comes...
are a contributing factor to the increase in guerrilla filmmaking. . Digital editing is a cheap and easy form of editing that allows the filmmaker to edit anywhere and at a low budget.
Many guerrilla filmmakers are now using professional quality digital cameras because of their cheap cost, and the ability to set up shots quickly.
Many films have used digital cameras in the place of film cameras such as: 28 Days Later
28 Days Later
28 Days Later is an acclaimed 2002 British horror film directed by Danny Boyle. The screenplay was written by Alex Garland, and the film stars Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Brendan Gleeson, Megan Burns, and Christopher Eccleston...
, Miami Vice
Miami Vice (film)
Miami Vice is a 2006 American crime drama film about two Miami police detectives, Crockett and Tubbs, who go undercover to fight drug trafficking operations. The film is a loose adaptation of the 1980s TV series of the same name, written, produced, and directed by Michael Mann...
and Sin City
Sin City (film)
Sin City, also known as Frank Miller's Sin City, is a 2005 crime thriller film written, produced and directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez...
. One recent film shot on consumer camcorders that has received major attention and awards is My Date with Drew
My Date with Drew
My Date with Drew is a 2004 documentary film starring Brian Herzlinger. Since he first saw E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial as a child, he has had a crush on its star Drew Barrymore. Now, more than 20 years later, Herzlinger combines his passions for filmmaking and Drew Barrymore to document his quest...
, directed by Brian Herzlinger.
See also
- Independent filmIndependent filmAn independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
- Digital cinematographyDigital cinematographyDigital cinematography is the process of capturing motion pictures as digital images, rather than on film. Digital capture may occur on video tape, hard disks, flash memory, or other media which can record digital data. As digital technology has improved, this practice has become increasingly common...
- Digital film festivalsDigital film festivalsDigital film festivals emerged in the mid to late 1990s, to showcase artists and filmmakers utilizing the nascent tools of desktop digital filmmaking....
- Planning the Low-Budget FilmPlanning the Low-Budget FilmPlanning the Low-Budget Film is a book by Robert Latham Brown describing the processes involved in scheduling and budgeting motion pictures....
- The Guerilla Filmmakers HandbookThe Guerilla Filmmakers HandbookThe Guerilla Filmmakers Handbook is a bestselling textbook on low-budget and independent film production written by Chris Jones and Genevieve Jolliffe. Currently in its third edition, it consists primarily of interviews with filmmakers and case studies in filmmaking...
External links
- The 48 Hour Guerrilla Film Competition
- Spike Lee on guerilla [sic] filmmaking
- Cinemacuteo free film school with guerrilla filmmaking techniques
- Guerrilla Filmmaking 101
- Top ten tips for guerilla [sic] filmmaking
- How to Become A Guerrilla Filmmaker
- Adventures in Guerrilla Filmmaking, or Angels in the Editing Room
- Nuts and Bolts Guerilla [sic] filmmaking