The only expense in this film went to food for the actors, but, while its always good to get rid of extraneous expenses, a bare-bones budget isn’t always the best. There are quite a few issues in this film that could have been corrected given more time and money, but it was hampered by the goal to create and shoot in less than two days.
If this film was meant to be marketed as-is, there’s a lot that could be changed. But if it was just supposed to be an experiment, a practice for actors/crew members/equipment, or a springboard for future projects, then it’s not so bad. There certainly could be a lot of inspiration to come from a project like this.
As a filmmaker, ambition is always a plus – that’s how so many unique advances are made. One more obscure example of this is Alexsandr Sokurov’s Russian Ark, a feature-length film shot in Russia’s Hermitige Museum that comprises 300 years of history, and the entire film was shot with just a single take – certainly something that nearly every filmmaker would say is ridiculous to try. (Of course, Russians do have the distinct advantage of nearly unlimited cast and crew members.)
The goal of creating and shooting an entire movie in a weekend is very lofty. I wouldn’t say to abandon it completely, because it could be possible to do successfully given enough funding and quality equipment. But it’s not always a good idea to keep cranking out movie after movie after movie so rapidly. Making more films in less time doesn’t guarantee you’ll get better with time, in fact it might even make one more sloppy. Better to make one good film every other year than to make twenty of questionable quality very quickly.
Beat the Bastard down is a funny, racy, and quirky movie that was shot in a very unique way. It might be a bit too adult for some audiences, but those with sicker senses of humor could find a new favorite.
