I have been invited to witness a very interesting experience. The making of a feature film in a different way, a more frugal way. Let me tell you more about it.

Just like minimalism was born from a reaction (to the excesses of subjectivity in abstract expressionism and pop art), frugal filmmaking was first born from a strong reaction against the diktat of the film industry.

The finance for Rosemary Riddell's 7 million NZ dollar first movie fell through. Cinematographer and Director Tom Burstyn has been making feature films, miniseries and MOW’s for over 30 years. He was tired of the excess, the waste – human and material. He had been formulating a plan to make a film in a very different way, to almost re-envisage the whole production process.

Then Rosemary met Tom and we in now in our first week of shooting Insatiable Moon (working title) an ultra low-budget feature film shot on the streets on Ponsonby, Auckland.

Insatiable Moon is being made using Tom’s Frugal Filmmaker system and philosophy.

What if all the accoutrements of the film set is not always necessary.

What if stripping it back is not just about lack of money but is about allowing the filmmaker the freedom to concentrate on the story rather than the technology.

What if by having to strip down the movie making to its most fundamental components, the days of shooting were shorter, the acting better, the crew more alert, the director more motivated?

Does less time spent on equipment help everyone to focus on the actual story?

This is what is about to be put to practise on the set of the Insatiable Moon.

It’s an experiment. Stay tuned.

Violaine