Microbudget Films?

Yesterday, Lionsgate announced that it will produce upto 10 microbudget films every year to as a new strategic planning and operations. Microbudget films means that it has a a $2 million dollar budget. Joe Drake,the president of the motion picture group of the company stated that,

“Microbudget films involve minimal overhead and very little risk, but a potentially high reward. This initiative allows us to add another layer to our slate of movies that work both financially and creatively."

 I thought this was an interesting attempt in producing movies.

I did say low-budget movies would be the thing for a couple more years but,  $2 million?? Microbudget???

I don't know... It does seem risk-free like Drake suggests, yet still risky.

Let's face it. What can you do with a $2 million dollar budget?

Pay for the staffs' lunches? Borrow equipments?

Recent low-budget films had a production cost of $10 million minimum, and cutting 80% from the already tiny budget can be an extreme choice in movie making.

With little money to spend on casting and special effects, I'm guessing Lionsgate has an incredible director and script to really pull this off. 

Matt Kaplan, who will oversee all of the productions, commented that:

“It’s clear that movie-goers are hungry for fresh stories told in bold ways. That means big, distinctive concepts, but it also means focusing on the humanity of the story. All the movies we greenlight will push the envelope of what we've seen on screen. The low-budget aspect definitely imposes some constraints, but also forces us to find our value in great characters, explosive situations and excellent writing. And we’re excited that some of the best in the creative community are eager to jump in with us.”

 It's a relief that Kaplan realizes the constraints in the microbudget films. He seems to have a plan or certain standards for the greenlight films, which shows what he wants.

I agree that this attempt to produce more low-budget movies will allow for much more diversity and fresh faces. Starting from writers and actors, there will definitely be a burst of newbies in Hollywood, which will be interesting to see. However, focusing on the "humanity of the story," as Kaplan stated, would be risky in some ways. There has been several films recently that focused on such aspects of the film and have been successful. Yet if the trend continues on for a number of movies, it's soon enough going to be boring.

I'm in no place to judge or jump to conclusions on Lionsgate's decisions.

I'm actually for it in many ways. It's a fresh new attempt to really introduce new concepts and ideas to the public, especially in this time of depression and hardships. It would be amazing to see how these movies breakthrough.

So let us sit back and see the magic happen!