Funding

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You're self-releasing to at least 40 theaters. You've set this up already? Or, you're hoping to do it? Are these theaters capable of projecting digital OR are you planning on making prints for these theaters. Prints for 40 theaters is a lot of money, especially going from digital. Of course, you've already considered this and are budgeting for it, right?
 
Blaine said:
You're self-releasing to at least 40 theaters. You've set this up already? Or, you're hoping to do it? Are these theaters capable of projecting digital OR are you planning on making prints for these theaters. Prints for 40 theaters is a lot of money, especially going from digital.
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The 17 from the theater I'm talking to are digital, plus the others will hopefully be with Landmark Theaters (not sure if there 100% digital or not.).
 
Andrew McCarrick said:
The 17 from the theater I'm talking to are digital, plus the others will hopefully be with Landmark Theaters (not sure if there 100% digital or not.).
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If it is your plan to release there, these are things you need to know BEFORE you even start. It's part of doing your due diligence.
 
ok, well that's a start.

if we can't make back at least 60k
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what then? are you just going to sit down and feel sorry for yourself? how about dvd sales? online viewing?

the point of a business plan is to minimize "effing up". it's as simple as that. as you write a business plan, you'll discover things you hadn't thought of prior. it gives you a chance to sort out all of the "what ifs" and have a solid foundation on which to base "not effing up".

i mean, you already know how hard it is to raise money, it's going to be 1000 times harder to raise a profit. that's what your business plan will tell you how to do with a certain degree of accuracy.

what if the 17-theater owner doesn't like the end product? have you thought of alternative distributors?

honestly, as it stands now, you have no more than an idea for a production. ideas are nice, but if you can't quantify it, you're lost-literally.

i don't want to sound discouraging, but i'm being realistic. money doesn't grow on trees, etc. etc.

and please note, writing a business plan isn't THAT hard. it just takes time. that's all. it's akin to homework for the professional realm.

what you have here sounds like a disaster waiting to happen (as far as money is concerned).

if you're interested in having a business plan, check out these threads that revolve around the issue:

How do you write a proposal for documentaries

Proposal samples?

however, if you're not interested, then good luck to you, as luck is the only thing this project is riding on, as it stands.
 
Fahad said:
if you're interested in having a business plan, check out these threads that revolve around the issue:

How do you write a proposal for documentaries

Proposal samples?

however, if you're not interested, then good luck to you, as luck is the only thing this project is riding on, as it stands.
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I've written business plans before... In fact I have two for the other two films I shelved. They're about 60 pages or so long. It would probably only take me half an hour to change some stuff around to get to a finished business plan, for this film. So it's not that I don't know how to do them, I just don't see the point on budgets under $100k.
 
money is still money, man.

and i don't think it's fair, nor accurate, to use one business plan as a cookie-cutter for every project.
 
I am not trying to discourage you. This forum is made dreamers and doers ,and the desire to make something great (whatever that means to a person) is a common denominator.My comments are simply my opinion (take them for what they are worth).

People are trying to help you . . . perhaps you might just start by asking why you have shelved the previous 3 projects.

Perhaps your ideas are a bit to grand to be attained and so you are defeating your own will before you actual begin.

Learn from your mistakes. You have the added benefit of being able to learn from other peoples mistakes on this forum.

Question: Why should I give you $5?

Answer: Because you can convince me that you are going to give me back 10? (at least :-)

To me this is funding in the simplest terms.

Your posts are indeed full of excuses.

One of the most crucial skills to have is resourcefulness. All of the challenges that arise must be faced - "adapt or be destroyed" - Taoist saying

Having a plan implies that you have done all that you can to foresee & minimize the challenges AND that you are potentially capable of marshalling a group of people and creative ideas across the finish line. It also implies that you have begun to rise above the masses of people who naively underestimate the forethought, and detailed planning necessary to manifest your vision on a big screen.

Without detailed, executable plans your chances for failure are quite high.

Don't give up until it is time to give up.
 
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Granville said:
I am not trying to discourage you. This forum is made dreamers and doers ,and the desire to make something great (whatever that means to a person) is a common denominator.My comments are simply my opinion (take them for what they are worth).

People are trying to help you . . . perhaps you might just start by asking why you have shelved the previous 3 projects.

Perhaps your ideas are a bit to grand to be attained and so you are defeating your own will before you actual begin.

Learn from your mistakes. You have the added benefit of being able to learn from other peoples mistakes on this forum.

Question: Why should I give you $5?

Answer: Because you can convince me that you are going to give me back 10? (at least :-)

To me this is funding in the simplest terms.

Your posts are indeed full of excuses.

One of the most crucial skills to have is resourcefulness. All of the challenges that arise must be faced - "adapt or be destroyed"

Having a plan implies that you have done all that you can to minimize the challenges AND that you are potentially capable of marshalling a group of people and creative ideas across the finish line. It also implies that you have begun to rise above the masses of people who naively underestimate the forethought, and detailed planning necessary to manifest your vision on a big screen.

Without detailed, executable plans your chances for failure are quite high.

Don't give up until it is time to give up.
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Alright then, tell me what you'd expect to see in a business plan.
 
A synopsis of the film, bios of the key creatives, a competitive analysis, a budget, a marketing plan, a financial plan including a schedule for recoupment, and a listing of any and all competitive advantages you might have such as existing production/post capability, talent attachments, unique technology/story rights, or even your agreement with these 40 theaters. (of course, that's assuming you have a written contract for those 40 theaters and a plan to market the release... otherwise you'll probably end up with an unknown number of empty theaters)
 
Andrew:

Again, for the second time (or more), people are trying to help you here but I don't think you are really reading/listening to what they are writing to you.

First, you say you can't get investors/grants/loans for $60,000, then you say you have 17 theaters lined up and will go ahead anyway with this film. This reads like a mess, it really does.

If you don't plan even for a five minute short, you will be all over the place. You are talking about making a feature with no plan... good luck with that. Do you think films just have someone picking up a camera, shooting and a film is born? You know how much work it takes to get a film off the ground? Don't skip over the credits next time you what a flick, watch to see how many people are involved and how many of those are behind the scenes (not involved the technical aspects of making the film). There is so much planning to making a film that you aren't even aware of, it's incredible really how many people's hand touch one film before it's released.

How can you realistically start shooting something unless you have $$$ in place. Are you just going to film something and then hope for the $$$ to come in? In that case, you may be waiting a long time (if something comes up at all). Understand too, paranormal shows/films are everywhere, what makes yours any different? This is why you need a plan... to show how yours is different from the 10+ paranormal TV shows out there and the 50+ movies that have paranormal storylines in them released in the last 5 years.

I think you've gotten some great advice from people on here and if you choose to not take it, I know how it will turn out for you in the end... not good.
 
Also, a production schedule (which you have already given some thought to and which perhaps comes more naturally to you as it does to me) showing that you are considering all aspects of executing your ideas.

People that fund want to feel safe. They will want to know that you have thought of EVERYTHING.
 
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