Christopher Nolan returned to his London flat to find his front door completely smashed in. The violation taught him that society relies almost entirely on "social protocols" - the unspoken, mutual agreement between humans to respect each other's space - rather than physical barriers.

The hero of the film, an unemployed aspiring writer named Bill, follows strangers on streets until he falls in with a burglar named Cobb who teaches him to see into people's lives through what they leave unguarded.

The budget was approximately £3,000 - roughly $6,000 at the time, about $2,000 less than El Mariachi and $20,000 less than Clerks.

Every actor had a day job. Every crew member had a day job. The director had a day job. They shot on weekends, one roll of black-and-white 16mm film stock at a time, which Christopher Nolan purchased from his salary and loaded himself because he was also the cinematographer. The production took fourteen months.

FOLLOWING (1998) is Nolan's debut feature. He was twenty-eight when he shot it, living in London, writing corporate and industrial training videos to pay the rent.

He shot without professional lighting equipment, using available light throughout, which was made easier by the decision to use black-and-white stock. He used his family's homes as locations.

The film was rejected by Sundance, screened at San Francisco, Toronto, and Slamdance, picked up by producer Peter Broderick who provided finishing funds, and released by Zeitgeist Films in limited theatrical release where it grossed approximately $50,000.

Joel Schumacher saw it and told anyone who would listen that this was a filmmaker to watch. Soon after, Nolan wrote and directed Memento.