Jump to content

The Price of Filmmaking


Guest FilmmakerJack

Recommended Posts

Guest FilmmakerJack

Background: I'm planning on filming this short, which runs about seven minutes. Most of the scenes are fairly simple and with good takes, I figure I can shoot everythinng with 33 minutes of film. I'm shooting on a Canon Scoopic with 100' reels, so it comes out to be about 12 reels.

 

Problem: Using some of the best places, Filmemporium, Cinelab, and Cinepost, The cost for the film, film process, and film transfer will be about $1000. I know filmmaking is expensive, but I'm still a student and I'm not sure if I can pull together $1000 just for the film alone.

 

Question: Does anyone have any ideas on how I might be able to cut costs?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member

Cut it down to 3:1 if you can. That'll cut down your film by about 12 minutes (a little over 400 feet). Shoot black and white if you can. Get recans/short ends. Process and transfer at MovieLab (GREAT prices and they're not too bad).

 

That'll get it down under 1000, well under. Three hundred dollars will get you 1000 feet of processing at transfer at Movielab, if I remember their quote.

 

You could easily shoot for under 1000.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member

Actually, his original shooting ratio seemed more realistic -- that's like a 5:1 ratio, which is already tight but doable. I've never been able to make a movie for less than a 7:1 ratio, most at 10:1, and lately now nearly 20:1.

 

As for costing $1000, it seems to me if that's too much money for him, then 16mm is probably the wrong format to be using. I made Super-8 shorts that cost be a couple of hundred dollars by the time I was done, so $1000 doesn't seem that unreasonable to be working in 16mm.

 

There's an old rule we had in film school, over a decade ago, that a 16mm short would end up costing at least $100 per page, so if you have a 7 page script, then $700 would probably be close to what you'd spend, and that's not including inflation for the past decade... I shot some 16mm shorts for students that ranged from $2,000 to $20,000 in costs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Isn't there a place you can sell your plasma near by?

 

Tons of film students at my university sold their plasma to finance their student films. It will make a better story when you're famous, you'll be on the DVD commentary of your first feature saying, "I paid for my career with my blood, literally!"

 

You're lucky you can sell your plasma in the USA, in Canada the law says you have to give it away for free.

 

Richard

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Shooting B&W will help reduce your cost by a few hundred bucks...

But you should defintely expect to pay at least $600US for your short.

 

PersonallyI think that's a bargain...

I shot most of my shorts in filmschool with a budget around $1,500US

 

If you think that's too expensive you should stick to MiniDV

The first thing you'll learn is: it takes money to shoot film.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Shooting B&W will help reduce your cost by a few hundred bucks...
How so? Isn't b/w processing dearer than colour? (it is here!)

 

You are figuring just over 80c per foot, with a 5:1 ratio (actually a bit tighter). Don't plan on anything tighter - you'll probably regret it: better to have a couple of short ends and a dollar or two left over than a missing shot because the budget ran out.

 

So - you can get short ends for 25c if you look around.

Processing according to Movielab for around 10c (how do they do it???)

 

transfer all your neg at one time for best telecine rates (unless you find a per-foot rate). You'd probably need 1 1/2 hours for your 33 minutes of film.

 

Google just found $135 per hour somewhere (unsupervised). You might need to look for a dearer supervised rate to get the results you want. Don't forget a little extra for tape stock.

 

Still, all up that's not much over $600. Maybe $700. Problem solved? well, it's looking better.

 

Isn't there a place you can sell your plasma near by?

I genuinely thought this referred to selling your expensive TV set to rasie a few bucks. Then I read on. . . Totally unprepared for the concept of making money out of body parts. Is that really legal in the US?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member

Hi,

 

I would not expect to be able to produce anything of substance on 16mm for less than about £5,000, but that's here. $1000 seems incredibly tight even there.

 

Anyway, what will save you more money than scrapping around after short ends is planning...

 

Phil

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kodak has a student discount of 20% for film (but not processing) and Fuji has a program with specific labs such as FilmWorksFX in Santa Monica where you buy the film from them and they process for free.

 

If you are using student actors you may want to shoot a thorough rehearsal on MiniDV, edit your program, then make a really tight shot list. You may be able to shoot less film when you shoot for real.

 

Last idea: have a party and charge admission.

 

Good luck.

 

Theo Lipfert

Dept. Media and Theater Arts

Montana State University

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member
Kodak has a student discount of 20% for film (but not processing)...

Theo Lipfert

Dept. Media and Theater Arts

Montana State University

 

Here is information about the Kodak Student Film Program and grants:

 

http://www.kodak.com/go/student

 

http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/students...d=0.1.4.3&lc=en

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Totally unprepared for the concept of making money out of body parts. Is that really legal in the US? "

 

Hey Dominic,

 

It's not only legal in the USA, it's encouraged!

 

The usual plan is to set up a blood bank in a college town, that way you have access to young and most importantly poor people. Then run ads in the university paper. Oddly enough the blood banks are quite busy during the last few days of each month, rent is due on the first after all :huh:

 

Then you suck em' dry, literally. I certainly was not joking when I said film students at my school would sell their plasma to help finance student films. So I don't see why this guy can't do it?

 

Here's another one for you that has actually been done, I kid you not! Marry a girl from a wealthy Chinese family and they'll pay you at least $10,000.00. This is so their daughter can get her green card and become a US citizen, once she has her green card the American man can just divorce her.

 

$10,000.00 will finance a pretty nice student film.

 

I would have done this, but no one wants to marry a Canadian for money :( After all who would be dumb enough to aspire to live in Canada?

 

Richard

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest FilmmakerJack

Thanks everyone. These are a lot of awesome suggestions. I crunched some numbers and got the film down to about $600 which is pretty good. Now to try to finance everything else in production, haha.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Anyone unfortunate enough to be stuck in the UK, that's who."

 

Why Phil? So you have easier access to the USA?

 

Just drive across the border when ever you feel like it?

 

Every summer here in Canada boat loads of immigrants will show up and claim "refugee status" in Canada. Which is a pile of you know what.

 

Then as soon as the Canadian gov't releases them they sneak into the USA under cover of darkness. Canada is just used as the patsy nation, they don't actually want to live here.

 

The Chinese criminals that do this are called "Snakeheads". They load up an old boat and head for Canada. Even if Canada's pathetic coastal defences intercept the boat, they still have to bring all the illegals ashore and give them asylum hearings.

 

My favorite was the guy who claimed he'd be persecuted back in China because he was Catholic, they asked him to name the Pope, he could not.

 

Any whoo, this thread is about financing student films, so I digress :D

 

I still think selling plasma is better than mowing lawns or painting a house, that's real work! Why do that when you can lay in a bed, eat a cookie, and be drained of your blood?

 

Richard

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Anyone unfortunate enough to be stuck in the UK, that's who."

 

Why Phil?  So you have easier access to the USA? 

 

Just drive across the border when ever you feel like it?

 

Every summer here in Canada boat loads of immigrants will show up and claim "refugee status" in Canada.  Which is a pile of you know what.

 

Then as soon as the Canadian gov't releases them they sneak into the USA under cover of darkness.  Canada is just used as the patsy nation, they don't actually want to live here.

 

The Chinese criminals that do this are called "Snakeheads".  They load up an old boat and head for Canada.  Even if Canada's pathetic coastal defences intercept the boat, they still have to bring all the illegals ashore and give them asylum hearings.

 

My favorite was the guy who claimed he'd be persecuted back in China because he was Catholic, they asked him to name the Pope, he could not.

 

Sounds like there is a film to be made about Canadian immigration - a $1000.00 film!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Depends on how much you get for plasma. "

 

Good point I never actually did this when I was living in the USA. It seemed like you hit rock bottom when you sell your plasma for rent money.

 

But students who did it told me they where paid well.

 

Of course this opens up a wide discussion for funding an indie film. Imagine what you could get for a healthy kidney? You have two, and you can get by with one.

 

Richard

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OK I decided to answer my own question with regard to plasma, I found this info...

 

"Nonprofit blood collection agencies such as the Red Cross have long struggled to keep their donor rolls full. One problem voluntary agencies face is competition from for-profit blood plasma collection centers, which pay donors an average of $9 to $20 per donation. 

 

For-profit centers traditionally have attracted members of the nation's poorest populations, including homeless people. But beginning in the 1970s, for-profit agencies began targeting college students, a strategy that research suggests is working today. 

 

...Because the body replenishes plasma more quickly than whole blood, plasma donations can be made twice weekly "

 

$9-$20 per donation? Hmmmm doesn't seem like much to me. I was bang on the money though about these clinics "preying" on the student populations. Seems wrong on many levels for the USA to allow this, but that a discussion for a different board :D

 

So $20.00 twice a week is $40.00 times four weeks is $160.00. Geez we are starting to bridge that funding gap here!

 

Then again a sperm and plasma combo donation might do the trick to fund that student film? Ok just a second I'll see what I can find on rates for sperm.

 

Ok here's what I found for sperm donation, it looks very encouraging...

 

"Yes, you will probably get paid. How much? Well, it depends. One center advertises rates of $1 to $45, depending on the quality of sample. Another center promises up to $200 a week for weekly donations for 6 months. "

 

Let's say you are in the $100.00 a week range, this would add $400.00 to your monthly total of $160.00 for plasma, now you've got an easy $560.00!!!

 

Come on after two months you've got your $1000.00 and you have not even broken a sweat!

 

Now get this, you can even sell your urine if you are drug free! Drug users will buy it from you to pass USA drug testing, which is quite common now.

 

Is there any body product I missed that can be sold to help finance a student film?

 

I think I've come up with a rock solid funding model here, thanks to good ol' Yankee capitalism!!

 

Richard

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest FilmmakerJack

Robert Rodriguez? I'm not sure. Did you mean the filmmaker who performed the experiments, or got experiments done on? One job is really a lot better than the other. I'm glad to hear selling blood might do the trick. Now I won't have drymouth and insomnia while locked up in a cage for thirty days at a time!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Of course this opens up a wide discussion for funding an indie film.  Imagine what you could get for a healthy kidney?  You have two, and you can get by with one.

 

Richard

 

I dunno if it's wise to encourage indie filmmakers

To sell their body parts to fund their film...

There might be some dumb enough to do it.

 

 

Wait a minute....on the otherhand.... :rolleyes:

 

Come to think of it selling your liver can fund two MiniDV features...

And selling your heart will give you a three picture deal with Warner Bros.

There! That oughta knock off some of the more guillable ones...

Less competition...I like your jib Richard :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's another one for you that has actually been done, I kid you not! Marry a girl from a wealthy Chinese family and they'll pay you at least $10,000.00.  This is so their daughter can get her green card and become a US citizen, once she has her green card the American man can just divorce her.

 

$10,000.00 will finance a pretty nice student film. 

 

Richard

 

How many wealthy Chinese immigrants are out there

Who have daughters without greencards?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...