Can you see what I see? Differing perspectives between low and micro-budget filmmakers and film development agencies

Abstract

Low and micro-budget filmmaking is less documented than mainstream cinema, and as such, less understood. There is a need for more research into all aspects of low and micro-budget cinema, as it is often the portal through which some filmmakers will pass on the way to bigger things. This paper uses a comparative literature approach to explore two texts from different perspectives of low and micro-budget filmmaking; John Connors' acceptance speech for Best Actor at the Irish Film and Television Academy Awards in 2018, and the UK Film Council's 'Low and Micro-Budget Film Production in the UK' report from 2008. The aim is to understand: is there a different perspective between the low and micro-budget filmmaker and the state development agency that seeks to support filmmaking? The conclusion identifies some differences in perspective and argues that it is due to a lack of understanding about each party that creates the friction.