In a world of streaming services that create original shows that audiences love, filmmakers are forced to take matters into their own hands. The Ren: The Girl with the Mark team produced their very own fantasy series for less then $35,000 a season. That number is equal to what a single second of Rings of Power costs. 

Ren: The Girl with the Mark

As it is an independent project, The Girl with the Mark is obviously much shorter than a typical fantasy series season. The first season clocks in at about an hour in just 5 episodes. But creating any independent project isn’t easy, let alone a fantasy series. Despite its shorter runtime, the story still very much feels like an epic fantasy series. 

Beautiful cinematography and enchanting music really makes this ambitious series feel like something with a huge budget. Ren: The Girl With The Mark tells the story of a girl who is exiled from her village after being marked by an ancient spirit. The short episodes are great at building tension and the unique world this story takes place in. The action sequences are engaging and well choreographed. Besides the short episodes, viewers would never know that this story was an independent project. 

The 5 episodes are broken up perfectly into what would be considered a 5-act structure in a normal hour long television show. 

“We’re determined never to let the budget hold the story back,” says showrunner Neil Oseman. “We do have to make tough decisions about when to go for it and when to stay small, but I think that just makes you more creative.”

The second season is being released starting this weekend and the production team is very excited for its release. The team’s Patreon series is responsible for bringing the second to life and they are hoping to reach 300 subscribers so that they may start working on season 3. 

Watch Ren: The Girl with the Mark now. Support their Patreon to see more!