No-budget inspiration: Laurel Nakadate’s experimental narrative features The Wolf Knife and Stay The Same Never Change

One of my most favoritest things in the world is when an awesome “fine artist” makes a semi-conventional narrative feature-length film. This also seems to be general moviegoing audiences’ most LEASTEST favorite thing, ha. If you get an opportunity, check out Laurel Nakadate‘s second feature The Wolf Knife, which was shot over a course of ten days with no money and a crew of three, on an unspecified Sony HD camcorder borrowed from a college after her funding evaporated at the last minute.

Her first feature Stay The Same Never Change was shot in Kansas using local people who showed up to an open casting call. Probably the most endearing never-say-die thing about it is that there are numerous actors in it with black bars over their eyes whenever onscreen. I assume this is due to release/permissions issues. Yet it was still compelling enough of a film to make it into Sundance. Her list of accolades and awards for her two films are really impressive, as are the films themselves, even with the usual formal flaws of a no-budget project.

Also check out my earlier post…
No-budget inspiration: One Thousand Years, a narrative feature