Before he commanded multi-million dollar budgets and built full-scale IMAX spectacles, Christopher Nolan shot his debut feature Following for just $6,000. He did not have funding, he did not have studio backing, and his cast and crew held full-time jobs during the week. So, Nolan shot the film entirely on Saturdays, stretching the production over the course of an entire year.
Available Light and Black-and-White
Unable to afford professional lighting equipment, Nolan relied entirely on available light. He staged scenes near windows or utilized practical fixtures already present in the London apartments he borrowed.
To hide this severe limitation, he made the strategic decision to shoot on 16mm black-and-white film. Color film requires meticulous color-balancing when dealing with mixed natural light sources, but black-and-white smooths over these inconsistencies, transforming cheap available light into stark, noir-ish shadows.
Conserving the Celluloid
Because the 16mm film stock was his single largest expense—which he paid for out of his own salary—Nolan had to treat the celluloid like precious metal. He demanded extensive rehearsals from his cast so that he could capture most scenes in just one or two takes.
He operated the compact ARRIFLEX 16BL camera himself, transporting his tiny crew across London in the back of a taxi. Following is a testament to the fact that independent filmmaking is not about having resources; it is about engineering a production model that turns your lack of resources into an aesthetic advantage.
Insights regarding the year-long Saturday shooting schedule, the use of available light on black-and-white 16mm, and the strict rehearsal process were synthesized from production breakdowns.