08.22.08
Posted in Business, Classes/Books, Film Distribution, Film Financing at 12:28 am by Amanda Rogers
I just got back from a lecture on independent filmmaking this evening. The speakers were a husband and wife. She runs a local film festival and he runs a local film production studio and is the son of a very famous football coach. It was really interesting to hear about their jobs, how they got into the film industry, how they met, and the projects they have worked on.
One interesting story he told was of a film that he had invested in. It had been a real attention getter at Sundance and had been nominated for two Academy Awards. You would think that with credentials like that they would make a real nice profit on this film, but the highest price a distributor was willing to pay was only a third of the film’s budget. Needless to say, he and all the other investors lost money on that film.
This is the kind of story I’ve heard over and over again. Most people think that producers who get their films picked up by major distributors make a lot of money, right? Wrong. In most cases it’s the distributors who make the money. And who ends up getting screwed? The investors. So why would anyone want to sell their film to a major distributor? Well, because the opportunity to get the kind of exposure that comes with a wide release is very tempting to a producer. It means that they will become known and that could give them more clout in future negotiations which lead to greater profits for subsequent films.
There’s only one problem with that: you’ve screwed your investors. Why in the world would anyone want to invest in a film where they knew they would lose money? Now some investors love film or believe in a specific project and just want to be a part of it so they’re willing to take the risk. But most are in it to make money. It’s an investment and they want to see a return on their money. I can’t blame them for that.
Some producers justify accepting these distributor deals by saying that their investors are rich and can afford to lose the money. Yes, they do have to have a certain amount of wealth to qualify as an accredited investor. But does that justify taking their money knowing full well they will never see a return on it? My view on this is no. I find it unconscionable that producers would screw the very people that helped to make their film possible. I may get labeled idealistic or naive for this viewpoint. Fine. But I won’t compromise my integrity for anything or anyone.
I strongly believe that producers have a fiduciary responsibility to their investors. It’s not only the job of the producer to make a quality film that is appealing to the audience, but it is also the producer’s job to try to the best of their ability to make a profit on the film and, at the very least, pay back the investors’ money.
Getting a distribution deal with a major distributor is every producer’s dream and I’m by no means against it if they are willing to offer a fair deal. But the more I hear about how tough it is to get a fair deal, the more I have begun to explore other options. I’ve heard that sometimes a smaller distributor will offer a more equitable deal and it’s something I want to look into further.
A question I asked the producer tonight was whether he thought that self distribution was the way to go. He said yes, but he said to be sure to team up with someone who has done it. Self distribution is something I definitely want to explore. From everything I’ve heard it’s a huge amount of work. But if you are going to spend huge amounts of time and effort to get your film made, why woudn’t you spend the effort to make sure your film gets distributed and makes money? It’s what any business in any other industry would do.
In every other industry out there businesses make sure that they have a plan and work that plan for getting their products distributed. But in the film industry I’ve seen filmmakers shrug in defeat when they say they couldn’t get their film picked up by a distributor. Seriously? My jaw drops whenever I hear this. This is a business! Treat it like a business!
The film industry is the only business I’ve seen where many people give all their attention to making the product and no thought to distributing and marketing it. Granted, if you’ve got a bad product, you’re just not going to find many customers who will want to buy it. But that’s no excuse for not trying.
I do want to qualify what I just said and emphasize that not all filmmakers drop the ball when it comes to distribution. There are many savvy producers out there who do know how to maximize profits on their films. Unfortunately, there also seem to be a lot who don’t.
Permalink
11.05.06
Posted in Film Distribution, Film Financing, Film Production, I-Man Cast Film Update, Mike McCafferty, MySpace, Website Updates at 8:31 pm by Amanda Rogers
First of all, let me say that it is a pleasure to have Mike McCafferty join this blog as a contributing author. Without Mike and that conversation we had last year, I would have never been able to take on a project such as this one. But Mike helped me realize that collaboration between a cast and fans is very possible. It just takes willingness on the part of both parties to work together and get it done. We’re definitely going into new territory here. Already, old rules are being broken and new ones are being created.
In his post, Mike asked for your help to promote this project. Now you may be thinking, “Of course, I will help! As soon as that movie is released, I’m going to tell everyone I know about it.” And that’s great. But instead of waiting until the movie is released, how about start now? Seems kind of early, doesn’t it? Well, bear with me and let me explain.
It’s going to take some time to build buzz (which the dictionary defines as “excited interest or attention”) and there are fewer of us now than there was before, so the earlier we start the better. Not only can buzz help increase the audience for the movie, but it can also help to get it made. How is that?
There are two big hurdles to jump over in getting this movie made: financing and distribution.
Let’s talk about financing first. I mention on the About Page that I have had some preliminary interest from a funding source, and that’s true. But at this point in time it’s not guaranteed. That funding source might come through for us and provide all the money needed to get this movie made. On the other hand, it could also fall through for a variety of reasons: from simply losing interest in the project, to having resources already tied up in other ventures, to thinking that this isn’t a good investment. Having funding fall through is actually a fairly common occurance in filmmaking and anyone who wants to be a producer has to be prepared to deal with that fact. I’ve been told to not just wait until the check is in the bank, but wait until the check actually clears.
People who invest in movies know that it is a risky investment, but they also know that the payoff can be big if the movie turns out to be hit. There are several factors that they look at when considering whether or not to invest in a film venture, but I’m going to only cover a couple right now: audience and distribution.
Having a built-in audience is not something that every film has, but producers often try to minimize the risks and make the film more appealing to financiers by getting a “name” star or two in their film. It doesn’t always work and we could probably all cite examples when a known star was in a film that flopped. But many times it does work. How many of you have gone to see a movie just because Tom Hanks, Johnny Depp, or Angelina Jolie was starring in it? These actors are considered bankable, which is why if producers can get a name actor interested in their movie, they have a better chance of getting their film funded.
We happen to be very fortunate. We have a very talented cast from an awesome little TV show for our film. But the show has been off the air for a few years in the U.S. (though it is still airing in a few other countries), so investors are going to want to know if there is still a worldwide audience that wants to see this cast come together again.
Another thing that investors consider is distribution. While investors sometimes fund films without any kind of distribution deal in place, having a distribution deal already in place makes for a stronger case. As a producer, I owe it to the investors to get the best distribution deal possible. To do otherwise is unconscionable. After all, they are the ones who are putting their money on the line.
So do distributors consider the audience when deciding what films to promote and distribute/air? Yes, that’s definitely one of the factors they take into account. Like investors, they too are putting their money on the line. A film that already has a built-in audience can definitely be more attractive to them.
Now, I’m going to work my you-know-what off for this film and try to make it as good as I can with the resources I acquire. And, if you, the audience, are willing to support that and show that there is an audience for our I-Man cast, our chances for success will be that much greater. I know we can create something special of which we can all be proud.
Now you may be wondering just what is it that you can do to help, so I’ve taken Mike’s suggestions and added a couple of my own. These ideas are easy to do and don’t cost anything.
- Tell a friend–Do you have a friend that is a fan of The Invisible Man or its cast? Do you know someone who enjoys quality TV and movies? Tell them about this project and website! And tell them to tell their friends. Spread the word!
- Bulletin Boards–Do you visit any online bulletin boards? As long as it doesn’t violate the board’s rules or policies, how about posting a blurb about this exciting project? And don’t forget to include a link to this website.
- Blogs and Websites–Do you have a blog or website? Please consider putting up a link to Shoom Zone Productions. Links help in a couple of ways: 1) They help drive visitors to this site, and 2) They help increase our search engine rankings. Once you have a link up, please contact me via the Contact Form or leave a comment and let me know that you’ve linked to this site. Don’t forget to include a link to your website or blog because I want to be sure to reciprocate by adding your website or blog to a new link category I’ve created called Friends & Supporters. The idea is to grow the list of friends and supporters as large as possible. When I give presentations to investors and distributors, I want to be able to show them all the people who support this project! And I want it to be impressive!
- MySpace–Do you have a MySpace page? So does Shoom Zone Productions! It’s located at http://www.myspace.com/shoomzoneproductions. Please add Shoom Zone Productions to your MySpace friends list. The goal is to spread the news and grow the friends list. Let’s make it huge! Let’s impress those investors and distributors!
Those are just a few things that you can do right now to help out. For your convenience, I’ve posted them on a new page called How Fans Can Help. This list is by no means comprehensive, so if anybody has any ideas that I can add to this list, please let me know.
Thank you for your support. Let’s get our cast together again!
Permalink