10 Awesome Movies That Cost Nothing To Make

1. Clerks (1994)

Budget: $27,575

Inspired by Richard Linklater’s ‘Slacker’, Kevin Smith decided to use Robert Rodriguez’s advice to “use what you have” to make his own film, and what he had was access to a convenience store.

The same store that Smith worked at during the day, he filmed Clerks in during the night after it had closed, enlisting his friends and cast members to act as the crew. He funded the film by selling his extensive comic book collection and by taking the risky move of maxing out several credit cards. To help keep things cheap Smith used only black and white film stock and centered the film around dialogue to keep the aesthetic of the film as inexpensive as possible.

Clerks tells the story of two convenience store clerks who talk about movies and annoy customers. That’s about it, and although it might appear to be a movie about nothing, really it’s a movie about movies, about pop culture, and our love for them. The picture is grainy and the sound is rough, but the brilliantly witty dialogue, pop culture references and relatable acting results in a uniquely hilarious and charming film.