Filmmaker posts $500 short on Youtube, nets film deal worth millions

Stephan: | December, 12, 2009

Excellent! More in the blockbuster / scenario-less type rather than independent moviemaking, but smashing nonetheless. Sometimes people just deserve success. Very well done. Can’t wait for the film. Cloverfield 2 coming back with a vengeance to Mexico maybe?

Sproketz: | December, 12, 2009

Obviously a very nice job. But the $500 isn’t fair to throw out as the “budget”.

The news:lite article say that the director “runs a post-production visual effects house in Uruguay”.

So he had facilities available to him and the skills to use them. How much “free” help from other people working there? This is more like a demo piece for the VFX company’s reel.

Still, a great job. Great that it landed him a deal for a full feature.

Just wish people would be more honest when they talk about their “budgets”.

hevets: | December, 12, 2009

The effects look like TV-show quality; no better, no worse.  What are the producers buying?  All of the designs look like re-treads.  I wouldn’t even hire the guy as a concept artist.

The $500 budget number is laughable.  The power bill from the render farm was prolly $500.

Steven Bradford: | December, 12, 2009

You’re kidding right?

It looks like a demo spec to get some big VFX work. Someone with access to too much money actually saw this and thought this indicated a talent to make a feature film with a story?

stephen v2: | December, 12, 2009

Alive in Jo’burg was far more impressive from years back - more innovative CGI but with a something worthwhile to say and more entertaining to boot. And the resulting District 9 was an action sci-fi with a great story to tell.

This is a nice work (although some shots are a little weak even a low rez) but has zero appeal to me - we don’t need any more Michael Bay Emmerichs’s making movies.

cowpunk52: | December, 12, 2009

Wow, really? This is a bit sensationlist, don’t you think?

Fede Alvarez isn’t some “unknown filmmaker” the same way Neill Blomkamp wasn’t some “unknown filmmaker.” Both of them are compositors and pixelmonkeys from way back; both of them have worked within the system in some form or another for quite a while. 

As to the $500 budget, that’s the money he had to spend because he couldn’t call in favors. And when your business is post-production, you can call in a lot of favors, because favors are often called in on you.

Come on, PVC - you’re not cable news.  You don’t need to sensationalize, just tell the truth.

Eric Granata: | December, 12, 2009

Looks like Canabalt, the movie.

Matt Jeppsen: | December, 12, 2009

Some valid points by all, but I’d like to defend the premise that Federico Alvarez is indeed a virtually unknown director.

A quick IMDB search turns up some Spanish language editing/writing/directing work starting from around 2001. Generally when you see write+direct+edit, you can assume it’s an indie effort. He is certainly unknown in the US, where the Mandate Pictures deal went down. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1793079/

As to the $500 budget, I agree that it’s a nice sensationalist line for the director and the studio to push. Which is why I subtly jab at that above, when I stated I’m glad there is finally another El Cheapo movie for student filmmakers to talk about (because they always say that Desperado was made for $5K, but the reality is it cost many many times that to distribute). Perhaps that was a little too subtle.

Anyway, if the guy was involved in VFX and post, then he clearly has access to tools and training that most of us aren’t privy to. For the sake of discussion, let’s assume that he called in favors and that the $500 number is actually valid as it’s been reported…$500 was the total out-of-his-pocket number spent on the film. If that’s the case, maybe YOU can’t do the same film for that cost, but HE DID. And isn’t that the crux of indie filmmaking? Tell a story with the tools that you have available to you?

-MJ

Steven Bradford: | December, 12, 2009

Well, you see a film. I see an effects sequence. Who’s the main character? What’s the story?
I see nothing here that tells me this guy could make a real movie that people would pay to sit down for a couple of hours to watch—in that category I include big budget effects spectaculars. I was barely able to sit through this, I was bored after the shooting started.

ericescobar: | December, 14, 2009

Matt, and by “Desperado” you mean “El Mariachi”, right?

“Desperado” was the 7 Million dollar remake, ahem, I mean sequel to the 7 Thousand dollar budget “El Mariachi”, both made by Robert Rodriguez.

Not to nitpick here, but I want to make sure any future film students will be able to accurately annoy you.

And congrats to Mr. Alvarez, it’s nice to see Uruguay get some Hollywood love.  Although I’m not sure I’m going to run out and pay 10 bucks to watch space robots pound Montevideo into oblivion.

Matt Jeppsen: | December, 16, 2009

@ericescobar Yeah, that’s right. “El Mariachi” was it. See, this stuff is confusing. I look forward to future film student nitpicking, that sounds awesome…

-MJ

AndrewK: | December, 21, 2009

While I too am going “hmmm” about how a VFX exercise got spun into a big picture deal, I’m not going to hate on the guy just because he got ‘discovered’ and I haven’t… yet.

We all know getting a big break is more about luck (right place, right time, friend of a friend, chance encounter, etc.,) than skill (although it’s the skill that keeps you from blowing your big break hopefully) so I don’t agree that he should get ragged on just ‘cause some people have sour grapes.

Best of luck to Federico.  Trying to blow out his candle won’t make mine burn any brighter.

WickedGenius: | August, 16, 2010

Love the major classic influences like the baby crib falling down the steps. Also, the intimate way it started with the child was very good along with the empty swings. Nice work. If any of you can’t see the educated directing influence from major Hollywood productions (not just VFX) you are blind.
Excellent work.