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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Stalingrad

30 million USD in hollywood doesn't really count as a big blockbuster budget anymore... Not for a movie that looks this big.

Pah! Who needs 30 millions? I shot this (as part of a documentary I'm doing) with almost nothing. :beer:Watch in full rez.


 
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You guys have no idea how far $30 million USD gets you in Russia. That kind of money might not be a lot of money in the US, but it is BIG money in Russia (and eastern Europe) and there are wicked talented crews in Russia.
 
Saw the trailer when it hit the web a little while ago. Still impressed every time I watch it.

Really looking forward to seeing more.
 
You guys have no idea how far $30 million USD gets you in Russia. That kind of money might not be a lot of money in the US, but it is BIG money in Russia (and eastern Europe) and there are wicked talented crews in Russia.
yeah, $30mil gets you THIS far in Russia :)
and it cost THAT much only because a ton of foreigners (including americans) worked on it... and all the post-work was done outside of russia
there are about only 3 people in russia that can afford a budget like that... Bondarchuk is one of them. Bekmambetov is two, Mikhalkov is three. Tha's it!
 
I know this trailer has been out for a few weeks already.. but I just saw another chunk of this film and the cinematography is just absolutely stunning. Shot on Epics and Scarlets in Russia with an incredibly low budget. Lots of VFX but more of this is in camera than you would expect...

I think you and I have differing opinions on what "incredibly low budget" means
 
I think you and I have differing opinions on what "incredibly low budget" means

its all relative.... If you took this film and took it to hollywood and it looked as good as it ended up looking, you probably would be spending right up to the 150-200 million dollar mark.

Even more astonishing considering that Dennis's statement about foreign workers seems pretty accurate.
 
Has anyone seen Inhabited Island? Fedor's other famous film. Visually it looks great, and is. But the Russian film industry has been trying too hard to make their films "look" like the quintessential blockbluster film. They should stay with their own visual look and style of story telling.

But lets hope Stalingrad will be great!
 
$30 million actually falls into the dead man's zone in Hollywood these days. They gravitate towards the under $10 million films and the $100 million + tent pole movies generally speaking. the mid budget films of the past seem to be disappearing.

Having said that I'll need to go find the facts to back it up. :-)
 
40 mill seems like a sweet spot these days. Look at looper. Enough money to make a great looking movie, but not enough to try to solve every problem by throwing money at it. To me mid ranged budget movies hit a great spot in trying to really make the story count but still having all the Hollywood qualities you expect. This should be a cool and fun flick
 
"Stalingrad" looks like a blockbuster! 30 mil
"Dumb and Dumber to" 27 mil
Two movies similar budgets. Style vs Stars
 
I know this trailer has been out for a few weeks already.. but I just saw another chunk of this film and the cinematography is just absolutely stunning. Shot on Epics and Scarlets in Russia with an incredibly low budget. Lots of VFX but more of this is in camera than you would expect...


Looks like Enemy at My Gates. Do not like the Soundtrack.
Director must be the son of Sergey Bondarchuk.
 
We picked that song as our first dance at our wedding! Louis Armstrong "What a wonderful World" I loved it!
 
We picked that song as our first dance at our wedding! Louis Armstrong "What a wonderful World" I loved it!

Had it for my Bridal waltz to for my Wedding ;-) but LA version. Just do not like it for that movie.
 
Pah! Who needs 30 millions? I shot this (as part of a documentary I'm doing) with almost nothing. :beer:Watch in full rez.




Pretty cool, Frank. You piqued my interest.

While I like a good spectacle-driven, escapist tentpole extravaganza as much as the next person, I really like seeing what filmmakers are accomplishing without all the accoutrements of a multimillion dollar production budget, too. Even though most of the individuals here either know tons of crew, have access to boatloads of toys, or whatever...I'm wagering not many of us are able to make $5million films, let alone a $30 million dollar film. And if your surname is linked to generational wealth, how many can you do before it's a wrap for all that?

That's why I am so interested in films like The Girlfriend Experience, and yours for that matter. Stories such as these are more attainable. And given all the creative limitations we face even with vast sums, these efforts are far more impressive and captivating to me.

Studios seem to be slowly, but surely shifting their strategy. It seems they will become more open to appropriating, err acquiring, smaller films from indie production entities. Well, unless distribution platforms like ODEMAX prove viable. In that case, I think we'll be seeing studios producing fewer, but bigger, movies in any given year.

I sincerely want one of the members of this forum to be among the first viral hits; I can only imagine if ODEMAX distributed Paranormal Activity, or Blair Witch. Those films were great word-of-mouth campaigns, and produced huge returns for the studios that acquired them. What happens when there is NO studio? I want to find out, and it would be lovely if artists stopped chasing deals, simply started working together, and shared the proceeds of their hard work. I don't care to ever see another VFX studio bankrupted, while the chieftains are collecting awards.

The advent of television definitely provoked a response from the film industry, and a similar paradigm shift seems to be upon us. One can only speculate at what that responsive action might look like, but it is clear something will have to be done. It is going to be really interesting to see what happens when the capability exists to stream from home to a theater of our choice (or any other platform for that matter), and track admission stats and sales data. We're going to need to coin a new term because "four-walling" is no longer broad enough.

REDRAY + ODEMAX = End game.

Will we even need a DCP at that point? Or will .RED be a new flavor of DCP, so to speak?
 
$30 million actually falls into the dead man's zone in Hollywood these days. They gravitate towards the under $10 million films and the $100 million + tent pole movies generally speaking. the mid budget films of the past seem to be disappearing.

Having said that I'll need to go find the facts to back it up. :-)

Exactly what I was just suggesting in another post. Stats aren't always necessary -- eyes and guts suffice.
 
... there are wicked talented crews in Russia.

I would absolutely LOVE to shoot there. I have been studying the capability exhibited in Russian cinema for quite some time, and it has always been inspiring to see what has been accomplished, and for comparatively little outlay.

Russian Ark is an amazing example of ingenuity, and boldness.
 
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