Documentary budgets and profitability
- Thread starter Drew Ott
- Start date
NorBro
Major Contributor
That probably shouldn't matter much as chances of getting one bought by them for any decent money are slim (no offense to anyone).
Usually the goal is to make something for as little money as possible if you don't have house money, and then return the most possible.
So you probably wouldn't be looking to raise $500K just because there is a chance of it being bought for a million, you know?
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But I hope you find some numbers and what they are going for as that sounds interesting.
Usually the goal is to make something for as little money as possible if you don't have house money, and then return the most possible.
So you probably wouldn't be looking to raise $500K just because there is a chance of it being bought for a million, you know?
___
But I hope you find some numbers and what they are going for as that sounds interesting.
Stephen Mick
Totally Usable
I’ve heard of Netflix paying up to $10m for a recent doc (“Knock Down the House”), and in the $2-5m range for a few others. But any numbers you’re likely to find are only reported by the trades, and not in any kind of official Netflix communications.
Drew Ott
Wish I were banned.
I understand the value of pessimism but I also think it’s good to aim high. Also it helps to have big numbers to tell potential investors so they have some hope of profiting. Cheers.
Drew Ott
Wish I were banned.
I like the sound of that. I’ll have to check out that doc.
KyleProhaska
Veteran
Prices are all over the place. You could get a big sale at a film festival, or get $10,000 or $20,000. It really depends on what you're making, how good it is, whether or not it fits into a particular audience category, has appeal as opposed to just being well made... yada yada yada.
So many factors it's impossible to estimate which is also while you'll hear a different number from everyone who's made a sale.
So many factors it's impossible to estimate which is also while you'll hear a different number from everyone who's made a sale.
puredrifting
Major Contributor
I agree. I shot a documentary that was produced in 2016 and sold to a cable giant for $500k, the budget was a little over $100k. I also shot another documentary in 2017-2019 that amazingly, had full financing and distribution in place before we even shot it and that was UK money, $1.2 million. But I know plenty of people who have made documentaries that were well made, but too obscure of a subject, too dry, too pedantic, too cause oriented, too boring, not entertaining enough, etc. It's great to make those kinds of films but just know that your chances of ever selling them and even breaking even are low.
Another tip I am hearing from several sources as we are still shooting our documentary but also working on a 5-6 minute trailer is that if your target is the OTTs, Docu Series are MUCH more commercially viable. Streaming has an appetite for series over one offs by far. We are targeting OTTs and upon reflection of all of the footage we have shot, we turned our "film" into a Docu Series, the story/episode elements practically screamed at us as we were working on the trailer and a pretty well placed producer seems interested in pitching/shopping it for us and he wasn't interested in the films idea but he seems much more interested in 60 minutes x 6, as all of us could potentially make a lot more income from a sale. We may still do a single feature too from the same material but the emphasis is now on six episodes to tell the various stories we have shot.
Most of all, this will sound obvious, but you'd be amazed how many documentaries ignore the simplest rules of filmmaking. It HAS to be interesting. It HAS to be engaging and entertaining. SHOW your story and let it unfold, don't TELL your story. Most documentaries that have to EXPLAIN so much context and back story for the viewer to understand what they are watching aren't going to be an easy sale in today's market. It has to NOT be boring! Not saying turn your carefully researched, studiously produced historical documentary into a reality show but demographically, the audience and their tastes have changed and a lot of classical documentaries from as little as 10-20 year ago would have a VERY difficult time in today's market. Audiences still value authentic, gritty, real, uncomfortable, obscure, but you have to package and sequence the content for the ADD generation without overdoing it. If you don't, who will buy your film? More importantly, who will want to watch your film? If you make a documentary that only "olds" want to watch, good luck selling it.
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Drew Ott
Wish I were banned.
You just shared so much valuable information in this post.
Would you mind sharing links to the projects that you're talking about? I'd love to see the docs you shot, knowing what they were produced for and what they sold for.
Also, do you have any specific examples of contemporary docs that are great for the ADD audience, as compared to an old-fashioned doc that is not? Thanks.