The budget for Newlyweds is 9k I think. Or at least that's what it was when he was talking about it on Twitter.

EDIT: Yeah. Good article breaking down the budget a little bit here.

http://www.filmmakermagazine.com/news/2011/03/breaking-down-ed-burns-9000-shooting-budget/

Nate, I'll update the OP with that figure and the link. Thx.

No problem.

I honestly have no idea how he makes films for so little (besides being Ed Burns and not paying anyone).

Well. He's not out there making movies with huge set-pieces for 9k. From what I know of how he works, he pulls it off in a couple of ways.

No crew: he has himself and a DP and the two or three or four actors in the scene. They shoot handheld with DSLRs, they use natural lighting 97% of the time, the actors bring their own wardrobe and does whatever extremely minimal makeup they need, they keep their locations to an absolute minimum (and even if they dont, they just go out in NY with a DSLR and three people and they're pumping out scenes), and they pay the absolute minimum. The actors probably get the minimum SAG day rate, and he doesnt pay himself and he doesnt have to pay for any equipment because he already owns everything they use. They pay for food and for film insurance and that's about it.

Obviously, looking at his filmography, he's making a very specific type of movie. Dialogue driven, character-driven stuff with small casts and no set-pieces that involve anything other than actor interacting with actor. He shoots local, he casts local, and since he's Ed Burns, he's probably got a few favors he can call in when he really needs them. The biggest boost, as Scott pointed out, is that he can get himself out there to promote on a national level without having to pay for a campaign. He can also get his movies released on Itunes just based on his name and his track record, and that's something that the vaaaast majority of filmmakers making tiny-budgeted films like this cannot do. If you get a good movie out on Itunes that you made for 9k, Itunes promotes it...guaranteed you're making your money back with some clever social media awareness and word of mouth.

So. You couldn't make a huge action movie like this, but it's getting easier and easier to just get yourself out there with a camera, one extra crewman and some actors. Especially if you're in a big city like NY or LA where there are always going to be people looking for work on a project. It's a really great little set-up that he's got going on, and it's obviously working for him. I know a few other filmmakers in NY that are doing something similar and having a ton of success with it too. It's a really specific type of production, though, and not everyone's going to take to it. But he's making it work and opening other filmmakers eyes to the possibilities, and that's pretty damn cool.