Butterflies in the Wind in pursuit of happiness

The major markets are BERLINALE, CANNES, AFM. I'm planning to go to BERLINALE for the first time this coming year. I've been to CANNES since 1986 and the AFM since 1985. I met all the founders of the AFM. It started in 81 I think, or there abouts. The first one I went to was 1985. It was still possible to get in for a reasonable amount of money. Now it's too expensive to join as a company, but attending is still possible, as long as a distributor is taking five or more films.
 
I hope you're also writing about the domestic market, because that's the hardest one to crack for indie filmmakers. Even as cinema houses are beginning to disappear and lose money overall, it's still hard for an indie filmmaker to get his/her film in theaters. It's a strange phenomenon.

So far the only way an indie filmmaker can get a theatrical release is if he/she writes off entirely the possibility of making any meaningful money at the box office.

And it's nothing new. Look at so many of the movies that the indie filmmaker didn't make money while the distributors grabbed everything.

Blair Witch took in 200 million theatrical; the filmmaker(s) reportedly got only one million upfront (I was told they sued and got more; how much I don't know).

The first alien, the filmmaker got nothing for two years, eventhough contractually he had a percentage. He is supposedly had to live in a two bedroom apartment before he got some money. The movie made 100 million dollars the weekend it opened, as I remember.

The writer of Victor Victoria had to sue to get his 5% (it was reported in the Wall Street Journal).

The actress who created My Big Fat Greek Wedding was paid $800,000 for her movie, but after the movie made over $200 million, she had to sue to get a little more.

In fact, I've never heard the indie filmmaker ever making a reasonable return on any movie in the domestic market; everybody gets ripped off.

And the indie filmmakers can't open their mouth. Whoever has sued, has ended up never being hired or picked-up afterwards -- even when they won the Academy Awards. Francis Ford Coppola hasn't worked since he sued (and won) $80 million from Warner Bros.

I can go on and on, but nobody has been able to figure out how to get their fair share of the domestic market -- without suing or being black-balled.

So this will be a great topic for your book as well. How indie filmmakers should approach theatrical distribution (what's left of it :-)
 
Well my book is really about showing indy and specifically microbudget filmmakers how to get their movies out there and possibly make some cash doing what they love. In college it was never about Hollywood, it was mainly about making your film and getting it out there. If the money is in foreign sales and you can make a film for $10,000 or under and make a decent profit then there's no reason to not go for it and keep the domestic rights until you get a good deal.

As for someone like Coppola, with 80 million I wouldn't ask Hollywood for jack. I'd be making and producing my own films with big stars (think friends) and selling them to the foreign markets then hoarding my domestic rights until someone wants to play ball. I'd go completely digital, set up something with iTunes (which I'm sure they'd be willing to do with someone of his stature) and sell that way. The money put into the film would be much lower but the quality would be high.

With $500,000. I bet Coppola could get a minimum of one A lister who he knows, give them a backend deal and get a pro crew, shoot with a Red and online this whole thing digitally. If he makes millions it's a slap in the face to Hollywood. His way of saying "I don't need you." He has enough money to advertise his own film and promote it however he wants and make film prints and put it in theaters as a limited release. It can be done fairly cheap once you get the film prints out of the way. He could probably do it for much less than a Hollywood production company.

My whole game is how to get around Hollywood. Take "Divinity" for instance. If I make good money on foreign sales I'll do my own advertising and distribution here if no one else wants it domestically. The movie would be done and I know some people who can help with marketing so I'd divide the money up based on what I need to live on, what I need to make a new film and what I need to market. I have no problem with never seeing theatrical distribution as long as people know the film is out there and we make sells. There's a built in following for these films, my goal it to let that following know I exist. They will support the film.

-Nate
 
Nate wrote: There's a built in following for these films, my goal it to let that following know I exist.
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I like your indomitable spirit; you'll definitely make it. I think your analysis is passionate and wholesome. Keep on plugging, Nate :-)
 
Nate wrote: Take "Divinity" for instance. If I make good money on foreign sales I'll do my own advertising and distribution here if no one else wants it domestically.
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It's been my belief since the mid-1980s that the best market for American indie movies is the foreign market -- regardless of genre. That's why I also think if I can take BUTTERFLIES IN THE WIND to the market even once, I'll be able to get my money out with DVD sales in the US, even if it means selling them door to door.LOL Sometimes that's the best way....
 
I'm replacing all my videos; they were terrible! I found out that I should make them a little smaller so they don't break apart. I'm going to use DVKitchen at minimum 1200 bit rate from now on.

Thanks for the heads up, Nate :-)
 
He took them down because they weren't small enough or something like that, but I don't know exactly what that means.

-Nate
 
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