--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Freebie cost virtually nothing. We…" description: "\"The Freebie cost virtually nothing. We funded the movie ourselves, people got paid, but were mostly paid in the back end, we used one of the cheaper ca..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c26/katie-aselton-9957_budgets_the-freebie-cost-virtually-nothing-we-fu_1192119.jpg" --- # The Freebie cost virtually nothing. We funded the movie… ![“The Freebie cost virtually nothing. We funded the movie ourselves, people got paid, but were mostly paid in the back end, we used one of the cheaper cameras we could get. The movies have a look to them, you can sorta point out the really low-budget movie. So even if the heart of the movie and the…” quote by Katie Aselton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c26/katie-aselton-9957_budgets_the-freebie-cost-virtually-nothing-we-fu_1192119.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c26/katie-aselton-9957_budgets_the-freebie-cost-virtually-nothing-we-fu_1192119.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c26/katie-aselton-9957_budgets_the-freebie-cost-virtually-nothing-we-fu_1192119.jpg) > “The Freebie cost virtually nothing. We funded the movie ourselves, people got paid, but were mostly paid in the back end, we used one of the cheaper cameras we could get. The movies have a look to them, you can sorta point out the really low-budget movie. So even if the heart of the movie and the story are really, really great, they always sorta feel a little cheap.” [Katie Aselton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-aselton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Low‑budget filmmaking can feel cheap despite strong storytelling, due to visible production constraints. **In simple terms:** Even great stories can seem cheap with low budgets. Key Takeaway Focus on story, not just production value. Themes budget film production quality perception storytelling Mood analytical pragmatic Type industry creative When to use this quote - indie filmmaking - budget planning - creative storytelling Key Concepts economic constraints aesthetic perception creative resourcefulness Questions to Reflect On - How can low‑budget films mask production flaws? - What trade‑offs are worth making for story? A Different Perspective Budget limits may hinder audience immersion. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Budgets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/budgets/) [Cameras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cameras/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) ## Related quotes > [What's frustrating to me is when, on a low-budget movie, people don't take chances. A big-budget movie, that script's your bible; nobody's going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-henriksen/what-s-frustrating-to-me-is-when-on-a-low-budget-movie-people-don-t/) [Lance Henriksen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-henriksen/) > [You could go out with a camcorder tomorrow and make a movie with virtually no money, but promoting a tiny low-budget movie costs $20…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-heckerling/you-could-go-out-with-a-camcorder-tomorrow-and-make-a-movie-with/) [Amy Heckerling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-heckerling/) > [On a really big budget movie you do chemistry reads, and you sort of hedge your bets a little bit more and make sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-swanberg/on-a-really-big-budget-movie-you-do-chemistry-reads-and-you-sort-of/) [Joe Swanberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-swanberg/) > [It's really nice to go down to an extremely low-budget movie, but that is very daring and courageous and try something different, where the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stellan-skarsgard/it-s-really-nice-to-go-down-to-an-extremely-low-budget-movie-but-that/) [Stellan Skarsgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stellan-skarsgard/) > [ We couldn't afford test screenings. This is a relatively low-budget movie \[Don Jon\]. But what we did have was the festival circuit. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/we-couldn-t-afford-test-screenings-this-is-a-relatively-low-budget/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [When you do a low budget movie, you get a little over-ambitious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-ficarra/when-you-do-a-low-budget-movie-you-get-a-little-over-ambitious/) [Glenn Ficarra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-ficarra/) > [I don't see a big difference between the job of directing a low-budget movie and the job of directing a big-budget movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gunn/i-don-t-see-a-big-difference-between-the-job-of-directing-a-low/) [James Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gunn/) > [I just like to do work that inspires me, and I don't pay any attention to whether it's a high- or low-budget movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/i-just-like-to-do-work-that-inspires-me-and-i-don-t-pay-any-attention/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [Certain actors wanna get paid, they think working in a low-budget movie is being ripped off. But for others it's like, 'Yes, let's do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abel-ferrara/certain-actors-wanna-get-paid-they-think-working-in-a-low-budget/) [Abel Ferrara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abel-ferrara/) > [When I approach a story or movie, the story is the most important thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-aja/when-i-approach-a-story-or-movie-the-story-is-the-most-important-thing/) [Alexandre Aja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-aja/) > [When you're directing you're kind of interested in the movie and the story and the characters. I just sort of prefer the really tough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolph-lundgren/when-you-re-directing-you-re-kind-of-interested-in-the-movie-and-the/) [Dolph Lundgren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolph-lundgren/) > [(The movie) is the story of my life, but it's not about me. It's about anybody who ever dreamed big and had someone tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-gardner/the-movie-is-the-story-of-my-life-but-it-s-not-about-me-it-s-about/) [Chris Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-gardner/) > [It doesn't matter if it's black-and-white. If a movie has a story that is filled with emotion, you can have as much pleasure, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-langmann/it-doesn-t-matter-if-it-s-black-and-white-if-a-movie-has-a-story-that/) [Thomas Langmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-langmann/) > [A director shouldn't get in the way of the movie, the story should.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-darabont/a-director-shouldn-t-get-in-the-way-of-the-movie-the-story-should/) [Frank Darabont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-darabont/) > [When you make movies, you have to be preoccupied with the social problems, otherwise there is no point in making a movie. To have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-dumont/when-you-make-movies-you-have-to-be-preoccupied-with-the-social/) [Bruno Dumont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-dumont/) ## More by Katie Aselton > [It's cool to get some more energy going and more interest. It's definitely more than it was, still not as much as I'd love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-aselton/it-s-cool-to-get-some-more-energy-going-and-more-interest-it-s/) [Katie Aselton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-aselton/) > [By the time you are in your thirties, most of the time, you've got a job, you can pay for your rent, you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-aselton/by-the-time-you-are-in-your-thirties-most-of-the-time-you-ve-got-a/) [Katie Aselton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-aselton/) > [If the opportunities are not being presented to me, I'm going to take the reins and do it. 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You can be sexy and use your big-girl voice at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-aselton/you-can-be-feminine-without-being-a-victim-you-can-be-sexy-and-use/) [Katie Aselton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-aselton/) > [It's really fun to go back and forth from acting projects to directing projects. You don't have as much responsibility when you're acting, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-aselton/it-s-really-fun-to-go-back-and-forth-from-acting-projects-to/) [Katie Aselton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-aselton/) > [If people want to talk about anything I do, they can give it any name they want. 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