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Who sells well overseas?


James Steven Beverly

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Finding the top A-listers that are popular in foreign markets is a piece of cake, the problem is finding the B-listers or fading stars that still sell well in foreign markets are the problem. Sure I can look at the actors that have a Star Meter rating of a 1000 or less but that doesn't tell me who sells better than another overseas. I've been going with actors that have significant name recognition and up and comers that are predicted to break out in the next year or two from sources who's predictions have proven very accurate over the last few years and even THEN, I have no idea if they'll appeal to foreign audiences. The other criteria and it is perhaps even more critical is talent. I want GOOD actors even if they are not as well know but ideally, I would prefer actors that have both name recognition and talent even if they have faded a bit from where they once were because I believe that talent is a gift and never truly fades. Given the right property, it emerges as like new.

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There should be some cross referencing data there. At least last I checked.

 

As for B-listers that'll fly in foreign markets, my gut tells me that talent trumps name recognition, and will do so every time. My personal opinion is that your better off mining for talent regardless of where it comes from; an older actor with a forgotten name or a fresh face.

 

Just me. Best of luck.

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I just don't think it's an either/or situation. It's an artistic endeavor but unfortunately, because of the huge expense involved, it MUST be a business as well and BUSINESS it the bigger word in "Show Business". Even with my miniscule budget, I'll be responsible for more money than some people will earn their entire lives.I feel if I'm being entrusted with that kind of responsibility, I need to do my utmost to insure I do everything I can to help give my investors and the production the best chance of succeeding. Movie Stars are movie stars for a reason much like pro athletes are pros for a reason, they have a quality that other people don't . It's less definable than with athletes but when they're on screen, the audience can't take their eyes off them. That quality is like gold, rare, precious and expensive but worth the cost because once its been fashioned into something incredible to look at, it brings in much more than it cost.

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Yeah, that may be true, but some of them aren't always the best actors or may not suit the role at hand, which could be just as dangerous as casting a nobody. There's a lot of failure with movies that have big stars in them and I think one reason is because the stars aren't playing a role the audience are used to.

 

But take the success of a very small movie like Gabriel, no one knew the actor's names but they were good in the roles and had a very star like quality. There has been a whole bunch of Aussie movies that bring in pretty well known stars and they barely gross a dime.

 

There's definitely no science towards successful films, but I wish you luck going at it.

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Oh, I don't disagree that some stars aren't very good actors and often times an audience turns on a movie where the star is way off center of the type if role he or she is normally expected to play. Bill Murray got lambasted for The Razor's Edge but then was praised years later for Lost In Translation, so who knows. At the budget we have available, it will make money with a star attached on name recognition alone BUT I am considering stars that ARE good actors or ones that are exactly right for the part. I'm also considering up and comers because they will add revenue over the long haul as their careers grow legs. (AND it doesn't hurt to have given a big star their first break.) With all due modesty, it's a terrific script and I do give the actors something to do. No star just makes it harder to get distribution and distribution is EVERYTHING. SURE you can sell a movie with a no name cast but it makes it exponentially harder and time consuming to get distributed and there is virtually NO chance of a theatrical release at all unless you four wall it. Now before you go sighting numerous examples of no name cast films that have done extraordinary business, bear in mind, the number of no name cast films shot each year especially on video. These movies are VERY MUCH the exception, not the rule. There is a reason top actors make 20 million dollars a movie plus back end. They are what brings audiences into the theaters and that's what makes the money to keep the industry going.

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Have you BOTH considered sending your scripts out for coverage? I recommend, screenplaycoverage.com, their reports are excellent value for the money. Be prepared to have your work cut to shreds, that's what they do.

 

Better they do it now, than to have an agent say, "I'm not passing this piece of crap onto my client." Or worse, have all the buyers say, "we aren't buying this piece of crap," when it's all done.

 

R,

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If your casting session went well, and you have a capable director who can tune the actor to get the right performance out of them, and you have a solid script, then you shouldn't have any troubles selling the film concept. The rest of the film making process becomes a technical issue; DP, crew, location, SFX (if any) and so forth.

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Have you BOTH considered sending your scripts out for coverage? I recommend, screenplaycoverage.com, their reports are excellent value for the money. Be prepared to have your work cut to shreds, that's what they do.

 

Better they do it now, than to have an agent say, "I'm not passing this piece of crap onto my client." Or worse, have all the buyers say, "we aren't buying this piece of crap," when it's all done.

 

R,

 

Richard, I will consider what you say. However, my goals are different than James. Im going to market to a niche and not seek traditional distribution but am aimed at the Christian community. I plan to self distribute with the help of my church and "grass roots" style. Im not spending a ton to make this movie so I'm not all that worried about recovery. Also, its entirely funded from family and myself so I dont have angry investors to deal with. I've discussed the script and plans with them so, if they are satisfied, I'm greenlighted.

 

I might look into your service because it is interesting. But it wont influence my plans too much if they try to get me into adding or taking away content that goes to the root of the message I'm trying to get across. And I don't think my distribution channel will work if I stray too far from their ideas. ;)

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Have you BOTH considered sending your scripts out for coverage? I recommend, screenplaycoverage.com, their reports are excellent value for the money. Be prepared to have your work cut to shreds, that's what they do.

 

Better they do it now, than to have an agent say, "I'm not passing this piece of crap onto my client." Or worse, have all the buyers say, "we aren't buying this piece of crap," when it's all done.

 

R,

 

I don't like people who say they are "experts" on script writing and can tell me where my problems are. I also don't like people screwing with my head. I ESPECIALLY doing like people screwing with my writing. I have made a living as a playwright in EL PASO TEXAS! I know when a script works and and when it sucks and what it will take to fix it. I currently have 3 producers wanting to make the movie. I'll leave having "your work cut to shreds" to the masochists who have no confidence in themselves or their own abilities or plain just don't have any talent.. Here's a lists of movies that almost never got made because t studios passed on them!:

 

http://www.denofgeek.us/movies/22058/the-hit-films-hollywood-studios-didn%E2%80%99t-want

http://thescriptlab.com/features/the-lists/1027-top-10-films-that-almost-never-got-made

 

Screw the "experts"!!

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Richard, I will consider what you say. However, my goals are different than James. Im going to market to a niche and not seek traditional distribution but am aimed at the Christian community. I plan to self distribute with the help of my church and "grass roots" style. Im not spending a ton to make this movie so I'm not all that worried about recovery. Also, its entirely funded from family and myself so I dont have angry investors to deal with. I've discussed the script and plans with them so, if they are satisfied, I'm greenlighted.

 

I might look into your service because it is interesting. But it wont influence my plans too much if they try to get me into adding or taking away content that goes to the root of the message I'm trying to get across. And I don't think my distribution channel will work if I stray too far from their ideas. ;)

 

Blood, guts, explosions, gunfire, beautiful women, chases, monsters, sex and profanity..... I think I'm the antithesis of your film making goals! :D B)

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I don't like people who say they are "experts" on script writing and can tell me where my problems are.

 

Well that's true, there is the old saying, nobody knows anything. What we are talking about here is the statistical odds, and having them more in your favour. Covered scripts are statistically going to be better than non-covered scripts.

 

R,

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Well that's true, there is the old saying, nobody knows anything. What we are talking about here is the statistical odds, and having them more in your favour. Covered scripts are statistically going to be better than non-covered scripts.

 

R,

 

Exactly, Richie. If you'd have pitched Dark Reprieve to a bunch of "experts" they'd ripped you to pieces and here you are working on your 4th movie. Screw the experts. If people listened to the experts, 95% of indie films wouldn't get made at all. (There's a lot that SHOULDN'T have been made but that's a whole other story!) The ONLY THING I'm willing to gamble big on is myself. to quote Tony Montana "Who do I trust??!! ME!!" I know when I'm right and I know when I f^cked up. I ALSO know what I have to do to correct it. I didn't just "Have" this knowledge, I earned it over years of trying and studying and learning and screwing up and succeeding. I don't need anyone to tell me how to do my job

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I still wish I had sent Dark Reprieve out for coverage, it would of saved me a lot of pain. One day I'll reveal the FULL story behind that project, only part of it was told on here.

 

R,

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I cant send out for coverage yet because I realized my script has two locations that I stand no chance in hell of getting. Im going to have to modify it or cut it out completely :(

 

I'm pretty sure that they will tell me that my script should have the first encounter of the protagonist with the antagonist before act 2. In my case its impossible without cutting out the introduction of the necessary characters. perhaps they might say i have too many characters. before I know it, it isnt even my script anymore!

 

oh well, curiosity will get the best of me and i WILL send it out.

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I cant send out for coverage yet because I realized my script has two locations that I stand no chance in hell of getting. Im going to have to modify it or cut it out completely :(

 

I'm pretty sure that they will tell me that my script should have the first encounter of the protagonist with the antagonist before act 2. In my case its impossible without cutting out the introduction of the necessary characters. perhaps they might say i have too many characters. before I know it, it isnt even my script anymore!

 

oh well, curiosity will get the best of me and i WILL send it out.

I cant send out for coverage yet because I realized my script has two locations that I stand no chance in hell of getting. Im going to have to modify it or cut it out completely :(

 

I'm pretty sure that they will tell me that my script should have the first encounter of the protagonist with the antagonist before act 2. In my case its impossible without cutting out the introduction of the necessary characters. perhaps they might say i have too many characters. before I know it, it isnt even my script anymore!

 

oh well, curiosity will get the best of me and i WILL send it out.

 

Well, you know what Spielberg once said: "Thank God for the fifth draft." Before spending all that cash, why don't fix the problems, smooth out the dialog and continuity, get it to a point you feel confident in it THEN consider whether or not to let some stranger rip it to shreds. You might be surprised how much better you feel about it. Another thing, never say never. How do you KNOW you can't get a location until you try? Rodger Corman, one of my cinema heroes had a simple philosophy when it came to locations, Don't ask for permission, they'll never give you permission, just go in and shoot it. Part of that is because he was notoriously cheap when it came to production so if he didn't HAVE to pay a location fee, he didn't. The other thing is he learned from experience that being bold is the single best weapon you have in your arsenal as a director. You'd be AMAZED at what you can get away with by being bold. You're in a good position to get away with things because you're using small video cameras so you can LOOK like you're just shooting armature video. Just don't act suspicious or bring attention to yourself or your cast and you might pull it off. You can also hide the camera or hold it as though it's not running. I still love the scene in Woody Allen's "Take the Money sand Run" Where he hides the camera in a loaf of French bread and has the loaf of bread up to his eye as he films the interior of the bank he is planning to rob. I about busted a gut when I first saw it. Unless you're want to film at Area 51 or the Pentagon, you can probably find a way to make it happen. ALSO, don't forget the power of establishing shots. MANY a film has locations that were cheated after establishing where the action supposedly that's place. Scarface (1983 version) was set in Miami and Columbia, The Cubans in Miami protested their portrayal in the film (before it was even shot) and there were threats so the company was moved back to LA and it was shot there. There's ALWAYS a way. You just gotta make it happen.

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Well, you know what Spielberg once said: "Thank God for the fifth draft." Before spending all that cash, why don't fix the problems, smooth out the dialog and continuity, get it to a point you feel confident in it THEN consider whether or not to let some stranger rip it to shreds. You might be surprised how much better you feel about it. Another thing, never say never. How do you KNOW you can't get a location until you try? Rodger Corman, one of my cinema heroes had a simple philosophy when it came to locations, Don't ask for permission, they'll never give you permission, just go in and shoot it. Part of that is because he was notoriously cheap when it came to production so if he didn't HAVE to pay a location fee, he didn't. The other thing is he learned from experience that being bold is the single best weapon you have in your arsenal as a director. You'd be AMAZED at what you can get away with by being bold. You're in a good position to get away with things because you're using small video cameras so you can LOOK like you're just shooting armature video. Just don't act suspicious or bring attention to yourself or your cast and you might pull it off. You can also hide the camera or hold it as though it's not running. I still love the scene in Woody Allen's "Take the Money sand Run" Where he hides the camera in a loaf of French bread and has the loaf of bread up to his eye as he films the interior of the bank he is planning to rob. I about busted a gut when I first saw it. Unless you're want to film at Area 51 or the Pentagon, you can probably find a way to make it happen. ALSO, don't forget the power of establishing shots. MANY a film has locations that were cheated after establishing where the action supposedly that's place. Scarface (1983 version) was set in Miami and Columbia, The Cubans in Miami protested their portrayal in the film (before it was even shot) and there were threats so the company was moved back to LA and it was shot there. There's ALWAYS a way. You just gotta make it happen.

Well, you know what Spielberg once said: "Thank God for the fifth draft." Before spending all that cash, why don't you fix the problems you know you have, smooth out the dialog and continuity, get it to a point you feel confident in it THEN consider whether or not to let some stranger rip it to shreds. You might be surprised how much better you feel about it. Another thing, never say never. How do you KNOW you can't get a location until you try? Rodger Corman, one of my cinema heroes had a simple philosophy when it came to locations, Don't ask for permission, they'll never give you permission, just go in and shoot it. Part of that is because he was notoriously cheap when it came to production so if he didn't HAVE to pay a location fee, he didn't. The other thing is he learned from experience that being bold is the single best weapon you have in your arsenal as a director. You'd be AMAZED at what you can get away with by being bold. You're in a good position to get away with things because you're using small video cameras so you can LOOK like you're just shooting armature video. Just don't act suspicious or bring attention to yourself or your cast and you might pull it off. You can also hide the camera or hold it as though it's not running. I still love the scene in Woody Allen's "Take the Money sand Run" Where he hides the camera in a loaf of French bread and has the loaf of bread up to his eye as he films the interior of the bank he is planning to rob. I about busted a gut when I first saw it. Unless you're want to film at Area 51 or the Pentagon, you can probably find a way to make it happen. ALSO, don't forget the power of establishing shots. MANY a film has locations that were cheated after establishing where the action supposedly that's place. Scarface (1983 version) was set in Miami and Columbia, The Cubans in Miami protested their portrayal in the film (before it was even shot) and there were threats so the company was moved back to LA and it was shot there. There's ALWAYS a way. You just gotta make it happen.

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You're in a good position to get away with things because you're using small video cameras so you can LOOK like you're just shooting armature video. Just don't act suspicious or bring attention to yourself or your cast and you might pull it off. You can also hide the camera or hold it as though it's not running.

 

James?! Ive been on this forum since 2006 and you still dont know me?! Im shooting on 16mm, friend, with 400' mags. Cant exactly hide my 17 lbs camera in my jacket. But you are right that I should be bold.

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James?! Ive been on this forum since 2006 and you still dont know me?! Im shooting on 16mm, friend, with 400' mags. Cant exactly hide my 17 lbs camera in my jacket. But you are right that I should be bold.

OK, First find a REALLY BIG French bread..... Naw, dude, I was going by the camera in your picture. BUT there ARE some really small 16s that take 100 ft daylight loads you could use for covert operations. If you can find one with a good lens, you might still get away with pretending to be a tourist. Worth a shot if it gets you the location you want. I've got a terrific little 16mm Bell and Howell wind up. I'm sure there are small 16s that would have electric motors and sync.

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Hey, what about a Bolex REX, small, concealable AND there is an option for a 200ft mag you can slap on top. That'd work.

maybe you could rent something like this for those sequences:

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BOLEX-EBM-16MM-FILM-CAMERA-KERN-VARIO-SWITAR-12-5-100mm-ZOOM-LENS-ACCESSORIES-/170962806292?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27ce2d6614

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