Five classic scenes that were only created for budget reasons
A budget for a film goes a long way. From determining the format of film a picture is shot on to acquiring a genuinely talented cast and crew to using specifically complex camera and lighting techniques.
There are huge differences between high and low-budget films. Consider the difference between a James Cameron film and any independent filmmaker, for instance. That’s not to say that low-budget films aren’t as good as those with significant financial backing; if anything, the best creative choices are often made when the purse strings are tight.
Interestingly, there have also been several iconic moments in cinema that have been created because of financial constraints, when the budget had been spent, and producers and creators of films had to use innovative means to complete the movies.
We’re going to run through five such instances. So without further do, from Rocky to Holy Grail, let’s dive straight in.
Five classic scenes that were only created for budget reasons:
Rocky – Ice Skating scene
While Rocky eventually turned into a never-ending franchise of constant remakes, reboots, and spin-offs, it wasn’t always that way. The original 1976 original, which saw Sylvester Stallone play Rocky Balboa, had humble roots in a way.
The iconic scene where Rocky and Adrian are skating alone in the ice rink had not actually been intended to be so intimate. There were meant to be hundreds of extras, but the production ran out of budget, which was good fortune because it’s one of the film’s most memorable scenes.
Jaws – Shark scenes without the shark
One of the most intriguing things about Steven Spielberg’s iconic Jaws is that the film’s antagonist spends a startlingly small amount of time on the screen. This helped to create a constant sense of fear at what lurks underneath the water out of sight.
However, the film wasn’t actually meant to omit the shark from the picture so much. The truth is that the mechanical shark that was made for the film frequently malfunctioned, so the crew had to adapt intelligently. Spielberg once said, “Had the shark been working, perhaps the film would have made half the money and been half as scary.”
Swingers – Party scene
Swingers put Jon Favreau (unfortunately), Vince Vaughn and Doug Liman on Hollywood’s map and set them up for very envious careers in film indeed. The film had a minimal budget of just $200,000 and was primarily shot in LA and Las Vegas.
However, those locations are not cheap to shoot in, so as the budget strings drew tighter and still with a massive party scene to shoot, the film’s producer threw a real party rather than a staged one with extras. It’s a classic scene, and what’s more, you can feel the authentic good times coming right out of the screen.
Halloween – Opening scene
Halloween opens with an iconic and unsettling scene shot on a Steadicam that follows a mysterious person through a suburban house before they stab a young girl to death. Of course, we know now that the person was Michael Myers stabbing his sister.
John Carpenter decided to use this technique of filming as his small production team only had one night to shoot the shot. Using this method with no cuts meant that the scene could be wrapped up relatively quickly.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail – Coconuts as horses
Monty Python and the Holy Grail has been passed down through the ages and is still as funny and ridiculous today as it was back then. However, the budget for the film was not vast, and frugal production choices had to be made throughout filming.
One of the best parts of Holy Grail comes when the knights use coconuts to imitate the noise of horses’ hooves. The only real reason they did this, though, was because the producers of the film could not afford real horses. It was Michael Palin who eventually came up with this inventive and hilarious get-around.
