Blood Runs Cold ($5,000 indie)

[Jon Starr]

I've been thinking. Does money really justify whether a good film can and will be made? I mean it's easy to point out an indy film that surpasses some big hollywood film in terms of story. I'm fairly certain a film like Momento far surpasses a film like Catwoman, and the budgets obviously don't meet eye to eye.

However, is a film like blood runs cold considered a good film in comparison to the money put into it? What makes it good, or well put together? On a technical level?

With that in mind, does a films success really rely on the money, or on the skills associated with it?

Personally I think it's purely about skill. If you're a talented storyteller and director, the story will shine. If you're a talented DP, the image will shine. If you're a talented all around crew, everything will come out fantastic, no matter the budget. Of course a budget let's you do more, have more lights, use better lenses, etc. However if you're talented enough all you need is a recording device, and some good actors.

Also, I feel like when people are given limitations, like budget, or time, or both, they tend to find creative and clever ways of pulling things off. I feel like limitations help to feed creativity.

 

[Kholi]

Skill, yeas. But skill and vision can and will be hindered by budgets. The best movies still have insane budgets, which allow for the kind of leeway a story needs to be realized.

At this level, though, competent production is important, and that an be done very thin.

 

[Jon Starr]

Skill, yeas. But skill and vision can and will be hindered by budgets. The best movies still have insane budgets, which allow for the kind of leeway a story needs to be realized.

At this level, though, competent production is important, and that an be done very thin.

I do understand that. Especially when it's a film or genre that needs a big budget to work in any way. Say a science-fiction film.

However I feel like when people are given too many freedoms, they tend to create something that's not as solid as a more limited creation. However I doubt it's always the case.

 

[snowleopard]

Correct. You see this time and again. Filmmakers with creativity, but little business sense, and no business plan. That's perfectly fine if you're doing it to have fun, to learn, to grow, as a part of life. I'm actually all for that. I wish more people did that. I honestly should do more of that.

But if you're actually hoping to, expecting to make money, you need to have a business plan. Not necessarily a written one with an executive summary and all (though that might be a wise idea) but you should have a sound grasp on your target audience, and how you plan on marketing to them, attracting them. Just shooting your film and blindly submitting it to film festivals, let alone posting it on YouTube/Vimeo, announcing it on Facebook, and letting other filmmakers on DVXUser know about it, isn't much of a plan.

But the problem is -- how is your target market going to even know your movie exists? My feature "Tangled Web" has been on Amazon for a good long time, and it's doing nothing. Why? Because I have no money to advertise, and all my efforts at self-promotion via any kind of free outlet have been fruitless. Promotion is the key.

David - What is Tangled Web about? I typed in "Tangled Web DVD" on Amazon and nothing came up.