Creating Pilgrim for $5,000 Was a Wonderful Family Experience

      Pilgrim, which premiered at Cinequest, is a film directed by the father-daughter duo of Doug and Scout Purdy. In this segment of our Films at Any Budget series, Doug shares insights on how they produced their film — featuring numerous extras and locations — for just $5,000 with a micro-budget.

      “Dad, I want to make a movie with you.”

      There’s nothing that ignites creative inspiration like hearing those words from your 14-year-old daughter. Mine is named Scout.

      “So, what exactly does that mean?” I asked her. “Do you want to write, act, or direct?”

      “Yes.”

      Movies have always been a part of our family life. My wife Brooke and I met in an acting class many years ago, got married, and continued chasing our dreams. However, after having kids, our priorities changed. Fast forward to seven years ago, when we realized our dreams were still alive. We then collaborated on a low-budget film titled Quality Problems, where Brooke wrote, and we both directed, while friends Jen Prince, Jhennifer Webberley, and Colette Freedman produced, casting ourselves and our children as the leads.

      Our successful crowdfunding campaign through Seed&Spark propelled us forward — we received awards, participated in numerous festivals, and secured distribution. It was fantastic.

      However, that momentum eventually came to a halt, and we found that nothing particularly significant emerged from our efforts.

      We recognized it was time to do it again. That's the thrill we're pursuing: the act of creation. So we pressed on.

      Our first challenge was understanding that crowdfunding is not a resource you can continually rely on. Friends and family might support one project, perhaps two, but it tends to wear thin over time. Thus, we understood we needed a fresh approach, one that didn’t hinge on money or substantial favors.

      It was time to dig deep.

      Our first task was to find a story. Scout and I brainstormed for a while but made little progress. Every idea we had seemed already explored. Yet we persisted.

      One day, while she was gazing at her screensaver of a stunning mountain range, she exclaimed, “That should be a movie.” And just like that, we had our concept.

      Writing Pilgrim

      Our logline: When an ambitious teenager treks the Pacific Coastal Trail to connect with her deceased mother, she must confront her troubled relationship with her immature father.

      We quickly drafted a rough outline for what would turn into Pilgrim and proceeded to develop the script. We took turns writing scenes: Scout would contribute a couple of pages after school, and I would write in the evenings. It felt more like an improvisational exercise with us continually building on each other's ideas. Within two to three months, we had our script. We watched a myriad of films for inspiration, including much of Ed Burns’ work, especially the 2011 film Newlyweds, which he created for $9,000 and which revitalized his career. Another unusual source of motivation was The Texas Chainsaw Massacre; Tobe Hooper described the film as a flare shot dispatched from Texas, emphasizing that financial limitations should not hinder the making of a classic film.

      Next came the significant challenge of financing our film. Crowdfunding was a possibility, and we’d likely secure a reasonable amount given the gap since our last campaign. However, I was eager to try something different: could we make this film for next to nothing, almost as an experiment? It would undoubtedly be challenging and require immense creativity. After some discussion, I persuaded her. This decision helped us cultivate a distinct style, both psychologically and in our filmmaking approach. When you’re without resources, you’re not beholden to anyone. You can define your own rules. You can be daring. You have absolute control.

      Interestingly enough, lacking the fear of failure often leads to bolder decisions.

      To minimize expenses, we chose locations that were free or nearly free. Colette, a playwright and script consultant who teaches screenwriting, connected us with one of her Antioch University MFA students whose family has owned a property in Big Bear Lake since 1914. It was relatively close to our home in Burbank and featured eight cabins across several acres. We filmed half of the movie there, taking advantage of the cabins, mountains, woods, hiking trails, and the lake. It was magical. Our largest expense was food, as we needed to provide three meals a day for the cast, along with actors’ gas money to reach the mountain.

      Filming Pilgrim

      Scout and Doug Purdy on set of Pilgrim. Photo by Colette Freedman.

      Shooting the entire film took us about two months, working in a piecemeal fashion. We spent a week in Big Bear, capturing seven to ten pages of Pilgrim each day. To avoid the harsh afternoon sun, we filmed from