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Filmmaking is broken.

Distribution models are crumbling. Studios are slashing budgets like they’re cutting coupons. Streaming platforms are more obsessed with metrics than storytelling. Sound familiar?

It should. We’ve been here before.

The 1970s Playbook

If you’re feeling the squeeze of today’s filmmaking landscape, take comfort in this: we’re standing on the edge of a transition, not an apocalypse. In the 1970s, the system really broke. Studios were bleeding money. Audiences were restless. Big-budget spectacles were losing steam. But out of that chaos came something we still talk about today: the rise of auteur-driven, gritty, low-budget films.

Directors like Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola didn’t wait for studios to fix things. They took risks. They embraced constraints and they built masterpieces that shaped cinema for decades.

Scorsese’s Mean Streets? Shot on a modest budget. Real locations, handheld cameras. They didn’t rely on expensive sets—just the streets of New York and a team hungry to tell the story. That grit you feel in Mean Streets? It’s not from a multi-million-dollar lighting rig. It’s from necessity, from embracing the rawness of the world around them.

Coppola’s The Conversation? A masterclass in simplicity and tension. Tight locations, a small cast, and minimal production design. The focus was on paranoia, tension, and atmosphere—not special effects or flashy visuals. It’s proof that when the story is strong, you don’t need a huge budget to captivate an audience.

And while Apocalypse Now was bigger in scale, it was built on the same principles. Coppola stretched every resource to its limit, pushing creativity to the forefront. Yes, it was chaotic, but chaos brought genius. The grit came not just from the jungle but from the rawness of human experience—something we can recreate today without the million-dollar set pieces.

Strategies that Worked Then—And Now

These filmmakers weren’t just lucky. They were strategic. Here’s what worked then that can work now:

• Location Shooting: Instead of relying on expensive studio sets, they used real locations. Scorsese shot Taxi Driver on the streets of New York City, capturing the city’s pulse without dressing it up. Coppola used real, lived-in environments for The Conversation. Real locations gave films their edge. You don’t need a soundstage to create authenticity. You need the world outside your door.
• Casting: They built relationships with actors who believed in the project. These directors weren’t chasing stars; they were casting talent who fit the roles. And this is how we cast our projects. We look for talent who fit the role, and don't shy away from taking our time to find the right person. We cast 13 Miles with this approach in mind.
• Smaller Crews: The crews were lean. Scorsese didn’t have an army of assistants or technicians. He had a small, dedicated team that moved quickly and efficiently. With fewer people on set, there’s less overhead, and the intimacy of the project comes through in the film.
• Gritty Production Design: Forget lavish sets. The filmmakers of the 70s thrived on minimalism. Coppola used sparse, calculated production design in The Conversation. Every piece of the set added to the atmosphere, not the budget. For independent filmmakers now, it’s about using what you have access to—simplifying but making sure everything serves the story.
• Improvisation: Scorsese embraced improvisation, letting actors play off the energy of the moment. It added unpredictability, making the film feel alive. Today, we can embrace that same philosophy—more freedom for actors to bring their own creativity.
• Music and Sound: Herrmann’s score in Taxi Driver wasn’t flashy, but it was perfect. The Conversation was built on sound, not elaborate scores. The tension came from the quiet moments, the subtle audio cues that made the audience lean in. Sound design can elevate a film’s tension and atmosphere without blowing the budget. It’s not about layering tracks—it’s about choosing the right ones.

A New Old Opportunity

Sound familiar? It should. That’s because it is. Today’s industry is ripe for this kind of reinvention again. And for independent filmmakers, like you and me, that’s good news.

Why? Because the very things causing the big players to panic—shrinking budgets, fractured distribution models, confused audiences—are the conditions that allow indies to thrive. You don’t need a Marvel-sized war chest to make something that resonates. You need a clear vision, a passionate team, and the willingness to pivot when the ground shifts beneath you. Just like those 1970s rebels did.

And let’s be real—anyone who’s spent time on a film set knows how to pivot. If you can figure out how to light a scene with one busted bulb and a roll of gaff tape, you can figure out how to get a film made in the midst of a “broken” system.

The studios are slashing budgets? Great. That gives us the room to experiment without someone breathing down our necks demanding a tie-in action figure line. Distribution models are crumbling? Wonderful. That means audiences are scattered and hungry for something different, something real.

The Independent Advantage

Sure, the game has changed. But like Scorsese dodging New York City traffic with a 16mm camera, we too can dodge the constraints of big studios and create films with authenticity and boldness. It’s not about making do with less; it’s about embracing limitations as creative opportunities.

The filmmakers of the 70s proved you don’t need a blockbuster budget to create a lasting impact. You need resourcefulness. You need grit.

Scorsese and Coppola didn’t wait for the perfect opportunity—they made the most of what they had. Lean crews, real locations, casting based on talent and commitment. The stories were the focus. Everything else was just a tool to get there.

This is where we, the independent filmmakers, thrive. While big studios panic over spreadsheets, we’re out here creating.

So yeah, we’ve been here before. And guess what? The last time this happened, it led to some of the greatest films ever made.

Time to Pivot

The world doesn’t need more cookie-cutter, algorithm-approved content. It needs stories that can only come from the edges—stories that we make. Independent filmmakers are poised to take the same rebellious leap as Scorsese and Coppola. The system might be cracking, but that’s exactly where the light comes in.

Get creative. Push through. We’re standing in the same spot as those 70s filmmakers—on the edge of something new.

Want help?

Making a first movie, or even a second, is a daunting task, but it largely comes down to waiting for someone else—this elusive person who will solve all your filmmaking problems if they'd just give you some money—to give you permission! We don't need permission. We need to take action and be responsible for ourselves. That's what Scratch to Screen is, and it's my 52-week email and video roadmap to getting your first (or next) feature film made without waiting for someone else to grant you permission to make it.

Got any questions? Reply and let me know.

Cheers,

Anthony (He/Him)​
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​Habethy Film Productions Ltd.
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​Unceded xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish, BC) and Tsleil-Waututh (Vancouver, BC) territories.​
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