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How do I get funding?


Adam Orton

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Well I continually tell people you have to generate opportunities. I had Elizabeth Hurley in my last film, an A-list actress. But fact is there was a film to put her in that I wrote for starters, and got financed second. If there was no script in the beginning nothing would of happened. So you can't just sit and do nothing, I'm sure most people understand that simple advice.

 

R,

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I can write a script for anyone I like, it's never going to get produced though, is it?

 

I'll get it made just to annoy you. :)

 

Did you get my email about UK dvd?

 

R,

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Selling a $500,000 feature is totally doable, yes. Do not, however, expect it will receive any kind of theatrical distribution, let alone wide release.

True, I mean you aren't taking a $500k movie and putting it into 3000+ screens, that's never going to happen. However, if you do limited runs in major cities, roughly 200 screens, that's pretty successful in the long run.

 

When you do the math... (on average) with 30 people per screening, 4 screenings per day, 7 days a week and a 2 week run... that's 168,000 people watching your movie and honestly, it would have to be pretty bad or unmarketed to get less then an "average" of 30 people per screening. I'm also not talking art houses, I'm talking actual theatrical run at a major theater.

 

The trick is to make a product that looks like a 5M movie and never tell anyone it cost $500k.

 

Hell, most direct to dvd films have budgets in the range of $1,000,000 or even more, and are often healmed by production veterans; even they don't get wide release in cinemas.

Ehh, I've worked on quite a few and TODAY in 2017, the budgets are MUCH lower. I've seen direct to DVD movies being made for $150k - $200k right now. The day's of the million dollar direct to DVD movie, are over. Anyone making a movie over $500k, is going to struggle to make their money back without a seriuos distribution deal that includes VOD/international.

 

Getting your $500k movie into a few select markets is certainly doable. However, I don't consider your film a theatrical success story if I have to drive 6 hours to Chicago, or 9 hours to NY to see it.

A success story is making back your money via theatrical. Hard to do when you put in the marketing money, but it's very possible. It's not about the budget of your movie, it's about how much faith your distributor has in the product to back the marketing aspects.

 

Also, we just did a direct to DVD movie and ya know what, it was on the shelves for 2 weeks in most stores. That appears to be the turn around time these days and it's really sad. That's the problem we all face today, how to get our movies in the faces of people so they can watch it. If it's off the shelves in 2 weeks, that doesn't give us a good chance at being successful. Our Netflix exclisive deal was great, but it was ONLY GREAT because the distirbutor buldled it with other stuff. Had it not been a good deal, we would be upside down on the movie, 5 months after it's initial release. I'm anxious to hear about the numbers, we should be getting actual data soon.

 

For many studios and distributors, $2,000,000 or less is fairly easy to recoup from DVD, streaming, and overseas sales deals - and without the added cost and risk of a cinema release. Yes, they might be willing to get it into a large market and pump some marketing dollars into one or two cities, just to get some clout for the film, but for most filmmakers that is as far as that is going.

It costs around $10-20k per market (at minimal) to do a theatrical release. It really costs no less to do a proper DVD or VOD release, the only difference is that you're taking that same budget and spreading it across more markets instead of focusing it on a hand-full.

 

Obviously the studio's spend 20 million + marketing their movies, but nobody is going to put a million into marketing a half million dollar movie, unless it's a surefire guarantee.

 

Since I've done this work and have spent quite a bit of time with distributors on deals, I must say it's still all about who you know and what they're willing to risk. If you know nobody, you ain't getting a good deal, period.

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I'll get it made just to annoy you. :)

 

I'm not in any doubt you could get it made, it's a case of whether it's reasonable to assume anyone could.

 

Although that does make me want to write a huge summer movie with robots and explosions, and see what you can make of it.

 

Did you get my email about UK dvd?

Not that I can tell.

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Although that does make me want to write a huge summer movie with robots and explosions, and see what you can make of it.

 

NP, stop motion robots, with all in camera gasoline explosions. It will be a hilarious high concept comedy. Made for nothing, but a massive hit.

 

R,

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Given some of the absolute drivel excuses for movies that Netflix actually paid for their services, I'm less convinced that quality of the movie matters. If it is an action film, fantasy film, rip-off of a current blockbuster, or a horror movies, you have a good chance of getting your movie in front of millions of people, despite the quality (or lack thereof). Got a 'B' list actor? You're in my friend!

Edited by Landon D. Parks
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And available on Netflix! :D

 

That reminds me of a movie that I'd love to watch!

 

 

So, if they made this movie, anybody can make a movie!!!

That looks hilarious and awesome. I think it may actually be easier to get the greenlight on something like that then a film like Manchester By the Sea.

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