Do horror indies make a profit ?

Brian_Rice said:
Yeah, I don't think any indie could possibly be in this just to "make a buck". If you want to "make a buck" get a job working for a studio. It's a massive risk and a massive amount of personal effort and investment to make any sort of film. I don't think hoping that whatever film you want to make might be profitable is a bad thing.

Man wants to make horror movies, let him make horror movies. :D
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I actually am in it to make a buck, and make art, both can be done together. There are many profe$$ional artists in the world who make a buck and like what they do. Making a buck allows one to continue doing the art (Unless, as I have said, one has a patron, a wealthy benefactor-- not the case with moi). For independent film, it seems to me the producer has to look at ways to make the film(s) profitable if looking to attract investors to make bigger and better films. My take on the matter. Lest it got lost in this thread, I am speaking here of feature indies, not shorts; no money in shorts, that is purely for learning, and art.
Randall
 
I don't have a stake in the site, but wanted to say that I have been a member of film specific for over a year now and highly recommend it. It is a great resource to ask questions and learn the business side of the artform from fellow filmmakers and producers who are actively doing it. The private library of podcasts, interviews and other resources are one of a kind. We even hired Stacy to help us find a distribution deal for our two indie dramas with no stars. Two months later, we made a deal. $25/month too high? Cancel your cable bill.
 
Genre aside, to me your reference to indie means you would be making the film first (low budget) and trying to sell it later possibly for profit.

The fact is fewer films made up-front are sold for profits (Blair Witch being one of the exceptions but again it wasn't the "filmmakers" that reaped in the cash..) unless you had funded the project to a point where you had top talent, and other areas that would lend perceived value. If you had top talent and million dollar locations then you really can't call it low budget can you?

Do your own research and read intereviews with actual writers/directors from films like Saw, Shaun of the Dead, etc... and draw your own conclusiones. Mine are that they all started off with scripts, shot a trailer or scene excerpt and shopped it around with their agent until they struck several deals and picked the best one.

Instead of filmspecifics I suggest you buy "The Guerilla Film Makers Handbook" packed with case studies and actual interviews from producers, writers & directors who make have originally thought of their film as "indie" but instead went through the "system" and got a deal that way.
 
starcentral said:
Genre aside, to me your reference to indie means you would be making the film first (low budget) and trying to sell it later possibly for profit.

The fact is fewer films made up-front are sold for profits (Blair Witch being one of the exceptions but again it wasn't the "filmmakers" that reaped in the cash..) unless you had funded the project to a point where you had top talent, and other areas that would lend perceived value. If you had top talent and million dollar locations then you really can't call it low budget can you?

Do your own research and read intereviews with actual writers/directors from films like Saw, Shaun of the Dead, etc... and draw your own conclusiones. Mine are that they all started off with scripts, shot a trailer or scene excerpt and shopped it around with their agent until they struck several deals and picked the best one.

Instead of filmspecifics I suggest you buy "The Guerilla Film Makers Handbook" packed with case studies and actual interviews from producers, writers & directors who make have originally thought of their film as "indie" but instead went through the "system" and got a deal that way.
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All good info, thank you for sharing. Helps with decisions as to whether to go ultra low/no budget, or go for a nice short and then shop that around for feature financing, or to go with a larger budget with investors.
 
Don't discount the web and building an audience either as a path to funding/finding investors for your film. I'm planning on shooting a feature (hopefully in a couple years) revolving around a story I'm developing on the web via transmedia (short films, animation, comics, prose, etc).

I think the key is to be patient and really put in the long hours and work. There's just no way around it if you're in the indie game. I can't imagine how something like Shaun of the Dead would relate to your situation at all as the writers of Shaun of the Dead were hugely famous when they pitched the film.

Don't worry too much about how famous films got funded. Chances are it will not in any way shape or form relate to your current situation. The world is so open now for no-budget everything. There's so much technology and easy marketing methods. Just figure out what your script is and then build an audience and a following of your work or that script.

My advice.
Takes a long, long, long time to get to a place where you're doing anything worthwhile. That's just life and art.
 
Two things.

How a film is shot or looks never really means much and still doesn't. You shoot the right film at the right time, it's going to get bought or find a big audience.

Having an agent shop it around for you comment is funny, because if you have a half way decent agent, selling something on spec is a lot easier. Selling it on spec without an agent is the mega battle of life, and quite risky.
 
Brian_Rice said:
...My advice.
Takes a long, long, long time to get to a place where you're doing anything worthwhile. That's just life and art.
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I have been studying the craft of screenwriting for 5+ years now, actually 2012 is the year I will be finally marketing myself as a screenwriter, sending query letters to find an agent and pitch my feature spec screenplays to prodcos. Have also studied filmmaking a few years and shot a couple of shorts with actors. For an indie feature, I am writing a script that will keep it all very simple, 3-4 actors, one location, shoot it with two (A,B) RED cameras, hire professional actors, high quality Sennheiser mics including wireless lavs. I have plenty of experience with photography and lighting people, and also have studied film scoring for several years and have film composer friends to possibly recruit for the music score. So I am pretty optimistic. But you are right about pre; i plan to storyboard, etc.
randall
 
If I were starting a site like FilmSpecific I'd charge as well. A monthly fee is an automatic filter that eliminates a lot of noise. Take these forums as an example ;)
 
Kegan said:
Filmspecific.com is VERY worth it. I thought it was priced too highly myself but committed to a 6 month membership...in retrospect, one month would have been fine and definitely worth it. You want to get away from the talkers and start hanging with the do'ers? Head over to filmspecific.com Kegan
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I signed up at filmspecific.com, downloaded lots of free and member documents. Worth it for the one month fee imho, considering the work the owner of the site did putting it all together. At this stage I am unlikely to continue beyond a month, for now I got all the docs, mp3, videos, etc i need in just a couple of hours off the site. I can spend time reading all that offline, perhaps return some day to the site.
 
The advantage of a membership is the ongoing changes in the marketplace and news from each of the markets and festivals as to who is who, who is buying, etc. While a one month membership can work fine, it is only a temporary view into a ever changing landscape.

Michael
 
MichaelP said:
The advantage of a membership is the ongoing changes in the marketplace and news from each of the markets and festivals as to who is who, who is buying, etc. While a one month membership can work fine, it is only a temporary view into a ever changing landscape. Michael
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I am sure once I was in production or even pre-production for an indie feature, I would sign up for an annual membership on filmspecifics. Right now I am at the stage of writing a couple of indie budget feature screenplay, wanting to research to strategize what budget level if any to think on, or to go other routes like filming a high quality trailer to pursue a budget of $__, or produce a short version of the story (cf. The Ring, Saw, etc) to obtain financing for a budget of $__. Or, if I learn there is a slim to zero chance of recouping an indie film budget, then the answer might be to forego indie feature production and stick with writing, or shorts for fun, or both. I am just in research mode for now.
 
even if you dont make a profit with it... i am certain that it would open other doors in the business. It seems like Sanchez and Myrick(Blair Witch) were not able to capitalize but other directors have. I think you have to look further down the road at it. Plus, if you are just looking to make a profit... probably not the best field to be in.
 
^ Yes, while I disagree making a low budget film out of your pocket has likelihood of reaching a deal (I have friend who self-financed $250k "low budget" film trying this) it will on the other hand go a long way to demonstrating your skills, it will open doors, and show people you are serious and have what it takes for the "next" opportunity. Everything I have seen around me with the people who have been successful from it all have these stepping stones in common.
 
starcentral said:
^ Yes, while I disagree making a low budget film out of your pocket has likelihood of reaching a deal (I have friend who self-financed $250k "low budget" film trying this) it will on the other hand go a long way to demonstrating your skills, it will open doors, and show people you are serious and have what it takes for the "next" opportunity. Everything I have seen around me with the people who have been successful from it all have these stepping stones in common.
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So I just came across the Polish brothers (The Astronaut Farmer, etc)-- started out with a $500,000 then a $400,000 indie (Jackpot, and with Daryl Hannah in it no less), then a $25M film. wtf, how did THAT happen? No microbudget first film or two, just skipped all that and went right ot $500,000.
 
Randal, is your idea of low budget in the hundreds of thousands? When you said low budget horror I imagined thousands at most...
 
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