When film fans envision writers and directors and producers getting together over that first cup of coffee, where they'll map out a production, some might think that those early conversations are about finding the perfect setting, about incorporating a fun dance number, and what if two characters should really get together or not.
Money, however, is the main topic of conversation, and, after that, money, and then money, and then casting ideas, and then money. Finance can run, rule, or ruin a fledgling film, a fact of the business that the people involved with the No Budget Film Festival have rather blithely overlooked.
Oh, well, maybe not blithely: There are some bucks in the flicks chosen to screen in this annual cineparty, a bash that pays homage to artworks made on a shoestring, or, rather, the aglet, that little bit of plastic at the end of a shoestring.
The No Budget Film Festival charms the Mack Sennett Studios with its thrifty 'n nifty ways from Friday, Nov. 21 through Sunday, Nov. 23.
What's doing for 2014? Some "5 film programs, 4 workshops, 3 fireside chats, and 3 parties" will festoon the fest roster. A class project focusing on a relationship and a haunted house eeker made on phone are two of the scrappy cinetastic treats, as are cameos from an "Adventure Time" scribe, a workshop with 5 Second Films, and art gallery with works that complement what's up on the screen.
You could discover a movie that moves you, despite being made for peanut ("peanuts" seems too plural for a festival honoring a lack of budget). Or you could be inspired by filmmakers who are out there doing their interesting, wild, and, yep, polished things, despite having a few hundred bucks to pull it all together.
Because while finance should play a part in the initial conversations of any enterprise, when it comes to art, ideas and vision should be the first topic on the table.
