Film done. What now?

T

thejessicastar1

Active member
So, here's a question that could be easy or could be hard. I live in Houston, have just finished my first no-budget feature on the dvx, and have DVD in hand. I plan on submitting it to festivals, starting with the biggies (have to at least try, right?) and moving on down the line. Aside from that, what should I do while I wait to hear if I got into festivals? I guess the ideal end result would be selling the movie into distribution (pot at the end of the rainbow, right?), but where do I start? Any sage advice from the pros? I've heard of some indie filmmakers getting their films into the hands of agents to secure representation in case of festival acceptance. Others have gotten their films to people like John Pierson (when he was doing his thing) and such, who have influence in the indie world.

So, does anyone have any advice on what would be a practical (or unpractical) first step with a finished movie? I understand what the odds are, and that they aren't in my favor, so I'm not looking for cynical responses. Hopefully I can get a sincere, "this would be something good to do in the position you're in" response.

Is there anything in Austin that I can utilize? L.A. is reachable by mail and phone, but Austin is right next door to me. Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance for any help or advice,
Nathan
 
No experience in this area but I'd say wait for the festivals to accept it. If you get to the biggies, I'm sure it will get the necessary exposure to take off from there.
Any way you can post a clip?
 
Start selling it! If you don't have a distributor yet, self-distribute until you do. Who is your intended market? Have a small batch of DVDs replicated and target them. Spreading the movie will spread the word (and maybe even put a little cash in your pocket)!
 
Start getting the film out to the people with the money. Go to IMDb and look up films that are similar to your's in genre and production value. Find out who distributed those films, and then start contacting those distributors to set up preview screenings. If you have some cash to spend, I would hire a producer's rep who can do all of that for you.

Rob
 
Odds are good that the festival route is about the only route you have or ever will and not much more. Right now, I'd say there are 4,000 films like yours out there in circulation today that folks think can be distributed. I base this number on the number of film festivals out there and the average number of entries. Problem is, distribution is an enterprise, so there are simply far too many films that will never see the light of day. 10 of the movies at festivals, or 0.3 percent of the submissions will get distribution. The film festival method can get a person distribution (odds about as good as winning the lottery), but even then it has to be in one of the bigger festivals. Or look at it this way, 450 movies are released in the United States every year. There are about 30 recognizable distributors. Of those, major film studios release about half of the films, and independent distributors release the others. But because 90% of the box-office receipts will be sucked up by the studio releases, the reality is that about 225 independent releases are left to compete for remaining sales which means it's tougher than tough to even get considered. And on top of that probably about 2 to 3 independent films a year will actually captivate the popular imagination every year (in 2004 those included "The Passion of the Christ," "Fahrenheit 9/11" and, perhaps, "Supersize Me") you'll see what a thin sliver of pie is left for everyone else. In addition, just on the idea side, every month between 20 and 50 spec scripts and pitches are sold. (In 2004, according to The Hollywood Reporter, 298 new projects were sold: 98 were spec scripts, 87 came from literary material, 70 were pitches, 16 were remakes, 10 were comic books, 6 were true-life stories, 4 came from video games, 2 each derived from television shows and magazine articles, and 1 was from an action figure.) SO even in the idea area, it's a slim to none reality. And of the films that do get made, making money is not as easy as it seems. If a filmmaker successfully navigate Hollywood's gauntlet and their movie is made and released, it's unlikely they'll ever see real money from it. A studio movie costs on average $64 million to produce and $62 million to market, for a total average investment of $128 million per film. (And this is just an average. Many motion pictures have famously cost far more to produce and market.) Last year, only 20 movies grossed more than $100 million at the domestic box office, and, after the theaters take their share, only about 50 percent of the box-office gross revenue comes back to the studio. Even though the domestic box office accounts for about 25 percent of total potential film revenues (DVD sales which flattened out in 2001 account for a big share of the rest), there is rarely much left over from the three-year income cycle of a feature film: profit participations must be deducted and paid to the stars and other luminaries, studio overhead of 20 percent is assessed, distribution fees of 15 to 20 percent are charged, home video marketing costs are recaptured, and the interest accrued on the initial money allocated to produce and market the film is paid off. In other words, making film is more of a love than a profit making business, or at least those that do make it find that out. But don't give up hope!
 
Good info.

Good info.

Well, these are some very good responses, and I appreciate them a lot. I realize that because of where I'm coming from with the movie, the odds of a theatrical release are unbelievably slim, and I would basically just have to luck out and have it become the 'hot' film of the festival to get it sold (I mean, really, no stars, shot on DV for no money, low-concept story...the only thing that could get it seen by people would be festival hype). What I wasn't sure about, I guess, is if there were ways of helping it get accepted, like getting it to someone and hoping they like it (hoping they watch it...) enough to tell someone at the festival to take a closer look at it (I know this is what happened with Clerks and with El Mariachi, even with The Brothers McMullen...basically, people with influence saw it somehow and told people they knew at the festivals to take a look at it...kind of like submitting a resume and having someone recommend that the company look at you...it sets you a part in a way...your film still has to be good enough, obviously, or it wouldn't get recommended in the first place). I wasn't sure if there was any kind of outside thing to do to influence the committee to notice your film (not talking bribes or illegal things).

So, aside from all of that, aside from theatrical distribution, is there a market for these type of films to get distributed? TV? Public TV? Cable? Overseas? DVD?
Anyone know?

Here's another question...since I'm not too familiar with the industry yet...is there any way to use this film as kind of a "demo" or a calling card to get another script made? Even if it never makes a festival? If so, where should I take it? I'm not necessarily talking about Hollywood, because I'm not really looking to make big budget films, but I guess more in the independant or boutique (psuedo-indie?) divisions of the film industry.

Thanks for all of the help so far. I always remember hearing that the best way into the movie business, if you want to write and direct movies, is to write and direct a movie. Did that...trying to figure out what's next. I'm sure I'm not the only one in this boat. I've seen a lot of people on here who have made features on the DVX. Anyone want to share some experiences, good or bad?

Sincerely,
Nathan
 
The more people who see your movie, the better you chance of getting recommended. I would suggest doing screenings for distributors. You can also hold press screenings to build some buzz for the project.

A producer's rep would be able to help you get your film into non-theatrical markets, although most of those markets rely on box office numbers to justify the expense of licensing rights.

The best way to use this film to help fund your next is by getting seen by people, getting good press coverage for it, and winning an award or two on the festival circuit.

Rob
 
Very accurate post. Just a couple addendum. Not making money off of your film is primarily limited to your first sale (depending on the distributor and theatrical release). I know the director of "Raising Victor Vargas" made a decent salary on that film. His first (technically) was "Five Feet high and Rising" - an award winning festival short. A director acquaintance I know made a name for himself on the festival circuit and now is making a very decent living doing straight to video fair, and commercial T.V. So, there are possibilities.

Also, in Canada at least, many films find a home on cable t.v. While festivals are the preferred venue, distribution is not limited to theatrical. Bravo, Omni t.v, Showcase etc... Like Walter said, don't give up hope.
:)

Walter_Graff said:
Odds are good that the festival route is about the only route you have or ever will and not much more. Right now, I'd say there are 4,000 films like yours out there in circulation today that folks think can be distributed. I base this number on the number of film festivals out there and the average number of entries. Problem is, distribution is an enterprise, so there are simply far too many films that will never see the light of day. 10 of the movies at festivals, or 0.3 percent of the submissions will get distribution. The film festival method can get a person distribution (odds about as good as winning the lottery), but even then it has to be in one of the bigger festivals. Or look at it this way, 450 movies are released in the United States every year. There are about 30 recognizable distributors. Of those, major film studios release about half of the films, and independent distributors release the others. But because 90% of the box-office receipts will be sucked up by the studio releases, the reality is that about 225 independent releases are left to compete for remaining sales which means it's tougher than tough to even get considered. And on top of that probably about 2 to 3 independent films a year will actually captivate the popular imagination every year (in 2004 those included "The Passion of the Christ," "Fahrenheit 9/11" and, perhaps, "Supersize Me") you'll see what a thin sliver of pie is left for everyone else. In addition, just on the idea side, every month between 20 and 50 spec scripts and pitches are sold. (In 2004, according to The Hollywood Reporter, 298 new projects were sold: 98 were spec scripts, 87 came from literary material, 70 were pitches, 16 were remakes, 10 were comic books, 6 were true-life stories, 4 came from video games, 2 each derived from television shows and magazine articles, and 1 was from an action figure.) SO even in the idea area, it's a slim to none reality. And of the films that do get made, making money is not as easy as it seems. If a filmmaker successfully navigate Hollywood's gauntlet and their movie is made and released, it's unlikely they'll ever see real money from it. A studio movie costs on average $64 million to produce and $62 million to market, for a total average investment of $128 million per film. (And this is just an average. Many motion pictures have famously cost far more to produce and market.) Last year, only 20 movies grossed more than $100 million at the domestic box office, and, after the theaters take their share, only about 50 percent of the box-office gross revenue comes back to the studio. Even though the domestic box office accounts for about 25 percent of total potential film revenues (DVD sales which flattened out in 2001 account for a big share of the rest), there is rarely much left over from the three-year income cycle of a feature film: profit participations must be deducted and paid to the stars and other luminaries, studio overhead of 20 percent is assessed, distribution fees of 15 to 20 percent are charged, home video marketing costs are recaptured, and the interest accrued on the initial money allocated to produce and market the film is paid off. In other words, making film is more of a love than a profit making business, or at least those that do make it find that out. But don't give up hope!
Click to expand...
 
The "art" part is complete, and now you have a "widget" to sell. With thousands of other "widgets" on the market, you've got to find a selling point.

There are several different approaches we can discuss, but let's start with your movie's title. I heard Fred Olen Ray say at a convention that "a movie's title is fifty percent of its marketing." (I believe he attributed that quote to Roger Corman, but I can't remember.) Fred was the director of a movie that has one of my all time favorite titles: HOLLYWOOD CHAINSAW HOOKERS.

Sure, it's over the top, but if you're looking at the video rental shelf (or online) and you see that title, you know EXACTLY what that movie's about. You don't need to see the trailer. You don't need to see who is starring in it or who directed it. That title, coupled with the appropriate imagery on the box cover, will sell the movie to its intended audience.

Does your feature have a great title that sells the movie instantly?
 
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