If there’s anyone who knows how to get the most production bang for the least bucks, it’s Laura Colella. The Film Independent Member shot Breakfast with Curtis on what she calls, “the micro-est budget possible.” The principle locations were her back yard and her neighbor’s back yard, and her actors were her housemates and her neighbors. “I would schedule shorter shoots so I wouldn’t have to feed people. I didn’t even give them water. They’d have to go into their houses to get a drink.” The biggest item in the budget was the camera. “I decided to bite the bullet and buy a camera and lens. I bought a few props; wrap beer most shoot days, a 12 pack; for one of the lead characters, I think I bought him a couple jugs of red wine.”

All that penny pinching paid off. Colella finished her film and hit the festival circuit. Curtis had its world premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival, then Paul Thomas Anderson got behind it by hosting a special screening. Colella brought in an Executive Producer Michael A. Jackman, and she’s now preparing for a theatrical (Abramorama) release in November and December, as well as a digital (Sundance Artist Services) release.

The film was nominated for two 2013 Film Independent Spirit Awards and won the Jameson FIND Your Audience Award, which comes with a $50,000 grant that Colella says was an “essential part of the puzzle, the support we needed to give it a little launch. The biggest challenge was getting the film out into the world. My first few films, I didn’t have any budget for doing that. This was no exception but I got this grant and now it’s not just me, I have a team. It makes a big difference to have the resources.  The grant is going into hard costs of putting it out there—everything from the publicist to posters and ads.” (Submissions for the 2014 Spirit Awards are due October 15.)

But perhaps the most valuable thing Colella learned from her experience as a micro-budget writer/director/editor/producer is the feeling of empowerment she got from just making it all happen on her own. “It taught me I can make a film at any time. There’s not an excuse to not make something. It was really empowering and opened my eyes. I don’t have to wait around for other people. I think it’s easier than ever for someone to make something on an ultra-low budget that can actually make it out in the world.”

By Pamela Miller / Website & Grants Manager