How We Created American Meltdown, Our Crime Comedy, with a Budget of $75,000

      American Meltdown, the first feature film from writer-director Andrew Adams, is an anti-capitalist "coming-of-rage" film that follows a woman who loses her job and struggles to pay rent until she befriends a pickpocket who persuades her that the only way to succeed in America is through petty crime.

      Adams' intimate storytelling propelled the film through a remarkable festival circuit, where it garnered accolades such as Best Feature at the Chattanooga Film Festival, where it premiered, Best Screenplay at FilmQuest, and several performance awards for lead actors Jacki Von Preysing and Nicolette Sweeney. The film was acquired by Quiver Distribution and released in November.

      Below, Adams and the team reveal how they successfully crafted a micro-budget feature that delivers exceptional production value, acting, story, and style. —M.M.

      Nicolette Sweeney as Mari, left, and Jacki Von Preysing as Olivia enjoy a slice of van life in American Meltdown. Quiver Distribution.

      THE MONEY

      (L-R) The American Meltdown team includes Alejandro Ramos (1AC), Mark Evans (DP), Andrew Adams (Director), Stewart Cory (Producer), Josh Atwell (Field Mixer), Clayton Farris (actor, “Lou”), Jacki Von Preysing (actress, “Olivia”), Mercedez Gonzalez (hair and makeup), Alex Kumph (filling in for Ivan de Crécy as grip/gaff), and Crystal Collins (co-producer).

      Andrew Adams: The film's budget was $75,000. Losing my dream job had a silver lining: I qualified for a $35,000 low-interest Economic Injury Disaster Loan. Shortly after, my late grandfather sent me a $5,000 check. The rest came from personal savings and credit cards, accumulated over four years. Our aim was to make $75,000 appear and feel like $1,000,000.

      Andrew Crabtree (producer): A crucial aspect of budgeting for a truly DIY indie film is to accept that the budget will inevitably increase. It's as certain as death and taxes. If your project is structured around a $100k budget, you’ll likely end up needing $170,000. Thus, we set our target budget at $40,000, anticipating that personal funds could reach $75,000 when unexpected costs arose. And they certainly did.

      Andrew Adams: We allocated approximately $20,000 for production (including crafty, costumes, props, camera and lighting, insurance, and permits), $17,000 for locations, $23,000 for cast and crew fees, and $15,000 for post-production.

      CAST & CREW

      Andrew Crabtree: The most vital component of DIY indies is the people involved. The film's impressive look and sound result not from expensive equipment but from our exceptionally talented crew, including cinematographer Mark Evans, sound mixer Josh Atwell, editor Josh Cole, makeup artist Mercedez Gonzalez, on-set producer Stewart Cory, co-producers Crystal Collins and Coraline Kong, among others. Moreover, the film is engaging due to the cast's talent, which is priceless.

      Andrew Adams: It was essential to hire cast and crew with intention, especially friends. Actors Jacki Von Preysing, Shaun Boylan, and DeMorge Brown have been close collaborators for years, while Clayton Farris was a friend of Drew’s. Our shared history fostered a trust that proved crucial during the most challenging production moments. We knew we could rely on one another to create something special.

      Andrew Crabtree: Everyone involved must be on the same page regarding the type of movie being made. Our initial conversation with any new hire clear about the kind of film we were creating. We lacked the resources that larger productions have and didn’t want to misrepresent our capabilities. We needed people who understood the assignment. DIY indies aren’t for everyone, and that’s perfectly fine! But our cast and crew grasped the challenges from the start and excitedly collaborated to produce the best film possible.

      Andrew Adams: I directed rehearsals with the cast on Zoom during the Covid lockdowns, allowing ample room for improvisation, then revised the script to include their ideas. Clayton's character took on a more villainous tone, while Nicolette’s character became more grounded. We integrated this collaborative spirit into the script early on, resulting in a solid screenplay ready for shooting.

      CAMERA

      Mark Evans (cinematographer): It’s relatively easy to create a visually appealing film on a tight budget if you’re willing to make sacrifices. Much of the film's visual success is due to the carefully selected locations. The time of day and the sun's position were far more crucial than the equipment we used. Planning our shooting schedule based on the sun's position helped us enhance the film's look despite limited resources.

      Andrew Adams: As we had no art department, I spent months scouting for aesthetically pleasing locations. We shot in December