The scope of what constitutes an indie film is fairly straightforward; it’s when a movie is made without the financial backing of a film studio or major production company.¹ As a result, it’s generally the responsibility of the main players such as the Producer or Director to find that financial backing on their own.

That might mean any number of funding streams from crowdfunding to independent investors to credit cards – or a combination of all of them. In short, an indie film is given that title when it is independent of the monetary support provided to more mainstream movies.

Indie films are not new. Moviemaking has been around for just over 100 years, and in that time, plenty of Filmmakers have been creating and producing projects without the financial help of studios and production companies.

However, the conversation around indie films has grown as the divide grows between them and studio-backed movies. A film greenlit by a studio may have a seven or eight-figure budget with which to work. In the case of a franchise film such as the next installment of Star Wars² or the Marvel Cinematic Universe,³ that number can easily get bumped up to nine figures.

Filmmaking is always a hustle, but in the case of an independent film, it’s doubly so. With no studio or production company to foot the bill, it’s entirely up to the Director, Producer, or whoever else is driving the project to find that funding. Given how expensive making movies is nowadays, getting an indie film off the ground is indeed a feat.

As mentioned, the divide between studio movies and indie films appears to be getting wider. As the last several decades have demonstrated, most studios are focused on the global franchises that can appeal to worldwide audiences and provide the foundation for seemingly endless opportunities for sequels, spinoffs, and lots of merchandise tie-ins. That often equals to movies concentrated on figures like our beloved Star Wars, Marvel, DC, and Harry Potter characters. Not to mention, lots of special effects.

In contrast, indie films are smaller in nearly everything – budget, notable cast and film crew, locales, special effects (if at all), and storytelling. Certainly, indie films are getting made today, but the responsibility is generally on the Filmmakers to first make a completed movie that then a production company or studio is willing to buy and distribute. At that point, the production heavy-lifting has already been done all without the help of those entities.

Again, because of the expense of making even the most modest movie, is it typically a struggle to get an indie film made. But with the help of social media and its related platforms, such as online crowdfunding spaces, independent Filmmakers have at their disposal some options for raising the necessary funds for their projects. In some cases, these avenues can also give Filmmakers more direct access to potential investors instead of radio silence by the powers that be at the studios and production companies.

So you want to make an indie film?⁴ Pending your goals for it, you might already have all that you need to begin.

Rather than renting expensive camera equipment, some indie Filmmakers turn to their smartphones, which have impressive recording capabilities. From there, they might then ask their friends or family members to perform as the characters the Filmmaker themselves have created in an original script of their own. They can shoot the film in their home and then edit it on any number of free editing software platforms currently available. Once they complete post-production on their film, they can upload it for free to Vimeo or YouTube for distribution.

The above exemplifies the simplest – and likely cheapest – manner in which to make an indie film.

But for many Filmmakers, they want higher production quality or more expensive locales or wider distribution to reach more viewers. All valid aspirations. In that case, it will take more time, effort, and again, money.

How one decides to bankroll their indie film depends on their available resources and risk threshold. Sure, maxing out your credit cards to pay for your project is one way to go about making an indie film, but it comes with a host of risks that can significantly impact your professional and personal life. Which is why finding independent investors and crowdfunding to cover budgetary needs have both become highly common avenues for indie Filmmakers.

In both scenarios, it might take months or even years to secure the necessary funds for a film to be made. Hence, why indie filmmaking is always a hustle.

But it’s not all doom and gloom when it comes to making an indie film. Plenty of independent Filmmakers have produced highly successful projects… And here are just a few.

Horror movies commonly top the list of successful indie films because they generally necessitate more modest budgets in comparison to other film genres. Perhaps one of the most successful indie horror films was John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978). The original slasher was made for approximately $325,000, which was a hefty amount of money in the late 1970s. But that investment turned into a $47 million global box office return.⁵ Not too bad, eh?

Similarly, horror films The Blair Witch Project (1999) and Paranormal Activity (2007) also made a big splash from small budget. The former was made for approximately $60,000 and made back $248 million.⁶ The latter was made for just $15,000 and made back $193 million.⁷

But what if you’re not a horror Filmmaker? There’s plenty of indie film success to go around. From Good Will Hunting (1997) to My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) to Black Swan (2010) and more, other indie films of various genres and budgets have earned back and then some what they spent to get the project made. And in many cases, it’s the indie films that get the majority of the awards season love.

Which is another way to define success outside of monetary revenue. Because many indie films focus on unique stories and unusual characters that often studios and production companies don’t want to take a chance on, when they resonate with audiences, they also get great critical acclaim.

While acclaim alone won’t pay the bills, many Filmmakers who started out in the indie space have been and still are carving out creative and fulfilling careers for themselves by either remaining in independent film or branching out with more mainstream projects. Some well-known indie Filmmakers include John Cassavetes, Richard Linklater, George Romero, and John Sayles.

Often we know what an indie film is when we see it. Striped of the polish of bigger budget movies, these projects often center on small locations, unusual characters, and compelling stories not often told through studio or production company-backed productions.

For that reason, indie films are often highly beloved by both the Filmmakers who produce them and the audiences who find them. It is truly a labor of love to get an indie film out into the world, and for those who connect to those stories, they appreciate the unique artistic expression of the Filmmakers who shared their vision with them.

Which is why indie film is integral to the health of cinema as a whole. There will always be a place for the tentpole and blockbuster films we know and love that get the big studio budgets. But to remain a place of true creative expression, indie films and those who make them are just as important and central to this artform.