Can someone explain this to me?

Well if you look at Bronson and Drive, the budget is never really something you're thinking of as incredibly small, it's all so well done, and it's made exactly the way it was intended so it doesn't need a bigger budget.

I'm not talking about production budgets! I'm talking about overall budget, which include the salaries of the actors and directors. Why would he settle for such peanuts when he's so huge and talented? Really, I don't get it. Only God Forgives has already grossed a million over its budget and it hasn't even released in the US. Is there some kind of arrangement between him and the producers regarding the box office revenue? Or is this some idealistic choice he makes, to make films dirt cheap?

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The overall budget is the production budget. There's no need to separate them.

He makes the movies he wants, and he does it for not much money. It's not a bad thing. Hollywood should take notes of this.

But if he is ever going to be trusted with making a "big budget movie" (assuming he even wants to do such a thing) his movies need to make more money. That's the "arrangement."

And I hate to break the news to you, but he's not "huge." Go ask a sample group of movie goers as they leave the theater, and see how many have heard of him.

He's huge among film buffs. You can't deny that. And obviously there's nothing wrong with that, it's definitely a lesson to Hollywood, but I fail to see the ideology behind it.

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I think it is a choice to make smaller budget films in order to have autonomy and creative license. Refn is really only known as a major name amongst film buffs - but he is enough of a name to attract a decent turnout to his films on his name alone. Now this is an extreme - but Cameron makes big budget films - and when you are loaned A LOT of money you have people looking over your shoulder and questioning your choices based on the bottom line not to mention questioning artistic choices and marketability etc. (Cameron is always in fights with the money-men-powers-that-be). If you have read Refn interviews he states he pitches a very general idea and when he gets the money he then figures out what film he wants to make - and since he borrows so little money there is no worry by his creditors in losing their investment - they know a a Refn movie will easily generate enough to pay them back with such a small budget - but that also means they don't give a crap or worry how Refn is spending that money or the commercial viability of his film. At least that is why I think he goes for small budgets - freedom and not having to deal with micromanagement is priceless - not to mention actors are damn near willing to work for free with a good director - he doesn't need a big budget to get big talent.

Good answer

All these voices in my head, and not a single one I understand.

Nicolas has actually said why he does small independent movies instead of big budget movies - He is a master of small movie making, not of all movie making.

He has never made big budget movies so in a way he stays in a field than he knows he is good at and it gives him freedom to do what he wants, which is what he has done all his life. He changes scripts, he writes them himself, he likes violence and blood which doesn't suit pg-13 rated big budget movies.

So Nicolas wouldn't be able to work with a huge producer breathing down his neck every second. He needs his freedom to be creative. It's as simple as that.


'Drive' is pure cinema.

He makes small budget films in order to maintain creative and artistic integrity over his films. If Winding Refn were to make big budget films, then he would lose that level of creative control and have to deal with constant studio interference, which also means that he would lose final cut. Large studios are less interested in artistic statements and more interested in profitable products.

This is the reason such film makers as David Lynch have soured on making Hollywood studio films. Lynch tends to secure financing in Europe, specifically France.