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What I learned from making a movie with no money | Sev Ohanian | TEDxLittle Armenia
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Key Moments
Filmmaker Sev Ohanian produced an Oscar-nominated film by leveraging his Armenian immigrant community's 'hustle' instead of traditional resources, proving that unique cultural backgrounds are a strength, not a limitation.
Key Insights
Sev Ohanian initially pursued journalism as a safer career path due to the perceived high risks and lack of established Armenian filmmakers.
His first viral videos, created with family and friends using a home video camera, garnered international attention from the Armenian diaspora.
The zero-budget film 'My Big Fat Armenian Family' was shot over a year with community members and family, even facing a police encounter due to not having a permit.
The premiere of 'My Big Fat Armenian Family' saw an unexpected surge of attendees, validating Ohanian's belief in the power of community support.
A screening of his Armenian film for classmate Ryan Coogler led to the realization that specific cultural stories can resonate universally.
Ohanian emphasizes that coming from a smaller, community-based background is a significant strength, as community members trust and support each other's success.
The immigrant hustle and a dream deferred
Sev Ohanian, a child of Armenian immigrants, grew up in Los Angeles within a close-knit community. His parents' resilience and hard work instilled a strong sense of 'immigrant hustle.' Ohanian developed a love for storytelling through reading and movies, initially aspiring to be a filmmaker. However, the perceived requirements for success in filmmaking—connections, professional talent, resources, and knowledge—seemed unattainable, especially given his background. He felt that pursuing such an uncertain path would be a betrayal of his parents' sacrifices. Emotionally, he also lacked visible role models from his community who had achieved success in filmmaking, making the dream feel impossible. Consequently, he chose the safer route of journalism, becoming editor-in-chief of his high school paper and majoring in journalism in college.
Accidental viral hits with a home video camera
While pursuing journalism, Ohanian casually made short, humorous videos with friends using his father's old MiniDV camcorder. One such video, featuring a skit about an Armenian dad and son, unexpectedly went viral within the global Armenian diaspora on YouTube. Emboldened, he created a second video where a friend played both the Armenian dad and mom. This video, noted by Ohanian as an inspiration for the film 'Sinners,' also achieved significant viral success. These experiences began to challenge his earlier perception of risk; people started asking if he was going to pursue filmmaking professionally. Yet, Ohanian still hesitated, believing he lacked the authentic resources for a 'real' movie.
Producing a 'fake movie' with zero budget
Driven by the desire to create something more substantial without traditional means, Ohanian decided to make a 'fake movie' called 'My Big Fat Armenian Family.' This zero-dollar production involved him writing, directing, shooting, and even doing makeup. He mobilized his extensive network: parents, their friends, cousins, and a supportive Armenian teacher who allowed them to film on school grounds. The film depicted a clash between traditional Armenian parents and their Americanized children during a family vacation. The production was fraught with challenges, including a nighttime scene where community members were mistaken for a group of Middle Eastern individuals, leading to a police encounter with drawn guns. This incident, while terrifying, underscored the unconventional nature of their filmmaking, highlighting the absence of typical crew, lighting, or permits.
An arduous year of editing and grassroots premiere
After completing the year-long shoot of 'My Big Fat Armenian Family,' Ohanian dedicated a full year to editing the film by himself on his computer following his journalism classes. The challenge then shifted to exhibition. Unable to secure an auditorium easily, they resorted to borrowing a projector from Best Buy using a return policy and having his mother sew a movie screen from fabric, with his father constructing a scaffolding to hold it. To promote their unconventional premiere, Ohanian leveraged his journalism skills by hosting a press screening for Armenian media outlets. He also plastered flyers across schools and engaged with the community by creating a 'ruckus' at Armenian cultural events and colleges, showing snippets of the movie to build excitement. A pre-law student even stepped in to help with the necessary paperwork, demonstrating the community's organic support.
The premiere's unexpected triumph and a community validated
The premiere night arrived with initial anxieties as few people showed up on time. Ohanian feared this moment would confirm his initial doubts about the possibility of filmmaking for someone like him. Fortunately, Armenians are known for not being punctual, and attendees began to arrive in droves—dozens, then hundreds, then thousands. The audience's reaction surpassed his expectations; it wasn't just laughter but genuine applause and emotional responses, particularly during scenes of familial conflict and empowerment, like a daughter standing up to her father. The film became a word-of-mouth success, selling out screenings for weeks and its DVD selling out globally. This overwhelming community embrace and validation gave Ohanian the courage to pursue filmmaking seriously, leading him to leave journalism and enroll in USC's graduate film program.
Finding universal resonance in specific stories
At USC, Ohanian was one of the few Armenian students and initially felt self-conscious about his homemade Armenian film, especially as it wasn't HD and featured unconventional elements. However, his classmate Ryan Coogler (later director of 'Fruitvale Station' and 'Black Panther') asked to see the movie. Ohanian, initially nervous about a non-Armenian audience understanding it, was profoundly moved when Coogler not only got it but related to it, seeing reflections of his own family in the characters. This encounter was a pivotal lesson: sharing specific cultural experiences can indeed connect with others on a universal human level. Coogler's question, 'Why are you in film school? You've already made one,' highlighted that Ohanian's 'fake movie' was, in fact, a legitimate filmmaking achievement.
Community as infrastructure and enduring strength
Ohanian realized that the connections, resources, and knowledge he believed he lacked were present all along within his Armenian-American community. His family, friends' parents, teachers, and even the student who helped with paperwork formed his foundational support system. This realization shifted his perspective from seeing his background as a disadvantage to recognizing it as a profound strength and support. This community-based support has been instrumental throughout his career, from an Armenian tuxedo shop providing a suit for the Cannes Film Festival for 'Fruitvale Station' to his first client, the pre-law student, becoming his long-term entertainment attorney. His wife, Natalie Kassabian, whom he met at an Armenian event, is now his producing partner, further illustrating the enduring network.
From niche to mainstream: building belief through collective success
Ohanian concludes by extending his message beyond Armenians to anyone from smaller cultural, ethnic, or religious communities who might feel outside the establishment. He argues that this position is not a weakness but a massive strength, allowing individuals to build with people who know, trust, and want them to succeed. When someone from such a community achieves success, it represents a collective win, reinforcing the belief for everyone within that community that 'it is possible.' This shared belief is what empowers others to take risks and pursue their own dreams, transforming individual achievements into communal validation and inspiration.
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Filmmaking with No Money: Key Takeaways
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Common Questions
You can make a movie with no money by leveraging your community for resources, actors, and crew. Utilize existing equipment (like a home video camera), seek out free resources (like borrowing a projector), and get creative with production, even if it means doing makeup yourself.
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Mentioned in this video
A former video rental store, mentioned nostalgically as the place where the speaker's father introduced them to movies.
A newspaper where the speaker interned during their journalism studies.
A social media platform, used as a modern comparison for the early viral videos the speaker created with friends.
The platform where the speaker uploaded their early viral videos.
A retail store that allowed the speaker to borrow a projector for free using their return policy for the screening of 'My Big Fat Armenian Family'.
The first feature film made by the speaker, produced with zero budget and primarily using their family and community as resources.
The first movie Ryan Coogler directed, which the speaker helped produce and was screened at the Cannes Film Festival.
The speaker's most recent film, which had its LA premiere co-hosted by the Armenian Film Society and was screened globally by Armenians.
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