How to Make a Movie for €34k – Q&A with Blurred Lines Film Makers

We asked actor/ writer/ director Mark Agar and actor/ writer/ producer Siobhán Aislinn about their new micro-budget film Blurred Lines, made for an amazing €34,000. They give some hints and advice to others who wish to do the same! You can see the results below.

Can you tell me a little about how this project came together? Have you worked together before?

Siobhán Aislinn (SA) – I started writing Blurred Lines in April 2022, initially as a short film. Not long after finishing the draft, I began working as an actress on an indie project, where I met my co-star, Mark. We immediately clicked, and I couldn’t help but picture him as Lucas, one of the characters in my script (meant as a compliment, of course!). I asked him to take a look at the script, eager for his feedback. Given his experience with writing and producing a feature film, I valued his insights.

Mark was hooked from the start and urged me to expand it into a feature, given the timely themes. From there, we teamed up and began co-writing a feature, secured funding, and kicked off our first production with me as producer and Mark as a first-time director.

The film is listed on IMDB as having a budget of €34,000. Is this correct? While in terms of movie budgets, it is a tiny amount but in the real world it is a substantial sum of money. Where did you get the budget from?

SA – We were fortunate to secure part of the budget through investments from family friends into Aisteoiri Productions, the production company I founded in 2023. Although we applied for funding from various bodies, we were unsuccessful, so we knew we were going to have to fund this privately. We were determined to get this movie made and we wanted to ensure that the cast and crew were paid fairly and all accommodation and catering was provided. Therefore myself and Mark contributed the rest of the sum, between ourselves as an ‘in kind’ payment, which of course must still be accounted for in the budget to reflect the true value of the production.

What was the budget spent on? Was it technical items such as cameras and crew, or more practical items such as food and transport?

SA – With the budget secured through investments, we allocated funds across production costs, post-production, and marketing. The majority went toward paying our amazing cast and crew and securing essential equipment. We were fortunate to be catered by O’Connor’s Guesthouse in Cloghane, which also served as our filming location for the pub scene—some of their wonderful staff even joined us as extras! We were incredibly lucky to use Cloghane Holiday Homes—my family’s business—as our primary filming location and accommodation. This not only saved us a significant amount but also allowed me to bring the story to life in a place close to my heart, something I had envisioned while writing. About a quarter of the budget was
allocated to post-production, and the remainder is being used for marketing and film festival submissions.

It must take a lot of planning to manage such a small budget. Were there any unexpected items you needed to spend on?

Absolutely! We didn’t exactly anticipate losing all the sound for one scene, and despite our best efforts, it was beyond recovery. So, a chunk of the budget went toward ADR to re-record the entire scene. Let’s call it a brilliant learning experience! To top it off, since the film is set at night, we somehow picked the sunniest week of 2023 to shoot. Cue the tin foil—every window had to be covered to block the light, which led to one breaking and needing replacement. Safe to say, our next project will include an emergency fund for these little surprises!

The filming location is listed as ‘Chris and Jane’s House’ in Dingle. Can you tell us a bit about where and when it was filmed?

This project was especially important to me. I chose to film at Cloghane Holiday Homes in Cloghane village on the northern coast of the Dingle Peninsula, where I grew up. The cast stayed in one house, the crew in another, and we spent six days filming in one of the homes.

While I’d have loved to stay in Dingle, my career as an actress and filmmaker brought me to Dublin. But filming in West Kerry was non-negotiable from the start—it was my way of showcasing the beauty of this part of the world. Plus, the cast and crew got a little Kerry getaway in the process! After wrapping on this location, we had a bonus day to explore, where I got to show off the peninsula. Mark even found new locations for our next project ‘In Other Words, I’m Sorry’ during that adventure, which he’s already written and we have begun pre-production for.

Now the film is finished, what is your aim with it?

SA – Our goal now? Distribution! We’ve poured our blood, sweat, and tears into this project, and we’re eager to see a return on investment while sharing our work with the world. This film is a true collaboration with an important message, and we’d love nothing more than to see it hit the big screen or land on platforms like Amazon Prime (and hey, Netflix, if you’re reading!). We’re actively networking, getting the word out, and working hard to secure these distribution channels to make that happen. Also, the cast in this movie are emerging actors and we think they are incredibly talented, if they could get some killer roles off the back of this movie, it would be truly fantastic.

Are you planning to get it shown at film festivals?

SA – Since completing the film in May, we’ve gained some wonderful momentum. We’ve already won several awards, including Best Indie Film, Best Team Performance, and our Tamara Stzanko won Best Lighting at the Five Continents International Film Festival. Our Irish premiere at the Underground Cinema International Film Festival on September 1st was a triumph, and we took home Best Independent Feature Film. Next, we’re heading to Luxembourg on September 17th for our Continental European premiere at the British and Irish Film Festival. We have a few more exciting updates in the pipeline, so stay tuned!

Did you learn much about making a film? What would you do differently if you were starting again?

Mark Agar (MA) – Every film you learn something new and this one was no different, it would be almost impossible to list out all the lessons learnt from the project. But if we were to go back and start again, I’d say the biggest change I would make would be to somehow give us more time. I know that all depends on the budget but more time generally always creates better movies, and as pleased as I am with our film, if we’d had even more time to get more coverage or try out new and exciting ideas than the schedule would previously allow, then who knows how different the film might look today.

What advice would you give to any young filmmakers hoping to make their first feature?

MA – My advice to young filmmakers is that your film is never going to be exactly how you envisioned it, you’ll only go insane trying to make it so. So go wild, experiment, and don’t box yourself in trying to attain exactly what you want as there might be something else you’re missing entirely.

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, happy accidents are real and they’re the greatest joy in filmmaking. Also, try to shoot everything. EVERYTHING! your editor will thank you later!