Art meets crafty in the indie market

Gill points to films in the $1-million to $9-million budget range that are particularly hard-pressed to find financing because it's difficult for investors to recoup their money unless the film gets a significant theatrical release.

Low budget

Rena Ronson, co-head of the independent film department at talent agency William Morris, notes that in headier times, a producer might have been able to raise money with only one or two of the major elements of strong script, director and cast. "Now all the stars have to be aligned. In the $1-, $3-, $5-million budget range, it's difficult," she says, adding, however, that there is still money flowing into the market for established players from Asia and the Middle East.

"It's been tough for at least the last year in terms of how films are getting financed. The budgets are getting lower and lower," adds Michelle Satter, director of the Sundance Institute, perhaps the premier incubator of indie talent (alumni include Paul Thomas Anderson, Kimberly Peirce and Quentin Tarantino).

This doesn't mean scripts aren't being written or films aren't being shot. Technology -- from cheap digital cameras to sophisticated editing systems for the home computer -- has made it possible for anyone to dub himself a director, with varying degrees of success. Indeed, the business -- or rather, the avocation -- of making films costing less than $1 million is still thriving. Submissions to the Sundance Film Festival are running ahead of last year's tally of 8,000 films, says a festival rep.

Hits made for less than $1 million dollars include "The Blair Witch Project" and "Napoleon Dynamite," not to mention cult and art-house favorites. But the financial failures are too numerous to count, particularly because many of these films never get distribution.

Hollywood has plenty of filmmakers who've sold their blood to raise money (Robert Rodriguez), maxed out their credit cards (Spike Lee) or went to other lengths to launch their film careers.

"I often will ask [filmmakers] the question, 'Who cares if your film gets made?' From that place you can plan a strategy. What it is often coming down to is friends, family, business associates. It's equity, but it's not industry equity," says Satter, who says recently she has seen a rise in the number of directors applying for nonprofit grants such as Guggenheims, as well as filmmakers approaching business leaders to sponsor films about their ethnic communities. One recent Sundance lab project is "Haiti Cherie," set in the Haitian community, and filmmaker Patricia Benoit has been approaching Haitian business leaders for support.