Experimenting with Budgetary Minimalism in the Film Production of Beyond the Badge (2024)

Abstract

This paper introduces and theorizes budgetary minimalism as a filmmaking methodology distinct from classical cinematic minimalism. While traditional minimalism emphasizes aesthetic reduction—limited sets, sparse dialogue, and minimal narrative scope—budgetary minimalism emerges from the constraints of resource-scarce film industries such as Nollywood. It describes a strategic, relational approach to production that leverages collaboration, reciprocity, and adaptive resource management to create high-quality films with minimal financial outlay. Using Beyond the Badge (2024) as a case study, the research adopts a Participatory Action Research (PAR) framework to document the film’s production from concept development through post-production. The filmmaker-researcher outlines how institutional partnerships, deferred labour agreements, and hybrid crew structuring enabled the realization of a large-scale film project that would otherwise have been financially unfeasible. High-end equipment was acquired through service exchange; post-production was completed through goodwill editing agreements; and logistical costs were minimized through site-specific design and digital workflows. The paper aligns its analysis with the Ubuntu Collaborative Model, situating budgetary minimalism within broader African values of communal ownership, goodwill, and collective problem-solving. The findings challenge dominant assumptions that quality filmmaking is necessarily capital-intensive and show how Nollywood’s production culture redefines professionalism through trust-based economies and creative agility. Ultimately, budgetary minimalism is presented not as an austerity-driven fall-back but as a visionary, replicable framework for sustainable filmmaking—particularly in developing contexts where formal funding infrastructures are limited.