John Wesley Norton
Active member
Yikes!
CineCell has pulled no punches. I withhold all comments about a filmmakers work until I've seen the product, and even then I tend to withhold if I thought it sucked. Most distributors do this as well. Instead of, "This is pure garbage!" you will get, "I'm sorry, this is not for us but good luck somewhere else." If someone here at DVXUser makes a film and it's available, I rent it. Or even buy it in some cases. I have done so even before I became an actual member. I try to encourage, not condemn. That's just me.
However, I think it's also good that someone like CineCell roams these dark halls because the distributors who take the "We'll have to pass on this film at this time" approach are really doing no favors to the filmmaker. The filmmaker hears this and thinks that their film must be pretty good, the distributor just happens to have a full slate or something.
No. Most films shot on DV are terrible. Let's face facts. A lot of films shot on any other format are terrible as well. Daniel Rubino's point about money not being an issue and doesn't make your film good is valid, but only to a certain point. If someone has no money for their film, they may still make something decent, even good, but great? Almost never. And even if it is great, that means very little to a distributor. The first question any distributor asks is, "Who is in it?" They have to market it and name talent attached is the easiest way. The small distributors know that they won't get to see a film that has stars (unless the film is so bad, no large distributor will touch it) so they specialize for certain markets. Black/Latino/Urban for instance has a built in audience and so does slasher/horror. If you make a film in these genres you will have an easier time getting it distributed, but it's not guaranteed, and you won't make any money on it. Trust me.
If you want to make a living as a filmmaker, the first thing you have to do is develope the skills to do this. Some of the filmmakers here and abroad buy a camcorder and think they can make films for a living. If you stop and think about how many people there are out there, right now, who are thinking the same thing right now it well certainly give you pause. My partners and I submitted a filmmaker's movie to a mid-level film festival because we thought it was pretty good and had a chance of getting some recognition. We received word soon after that they could not accept the film at that time because they had already made there selections from the more than 3,000 films submitted that year. 3,000! That is the kind of competition we are all up against. How many of those films will get distribution? 5%? Not even that much I'll bet.
You need money. If your script is good, money will make it better. But chances are, your script is not good. If you have ever been through a professional script development, believe me, it's not pretty. Everyone likes their own material, but all too often, your film is doomed from the start because your script is weak. We get scripts sent to us all the time from filmmakers who want us to help them find financing. You would NOT BELIEVE the CRAP that I have read. I have read many a post on this and other forums where the filmmaker will say something like, "I'm not the best writer," or "The script is okay, but not great." Holy Type-O Batman! Stop right there for God's sake. How is your film going to be good if your script is just, "okay?" If you can't write. Find someone who can. Develop the story with them if you want, but creating a solid story is very difficult. Very.
I hate writing these long posts. I think that most people just skim right over them, so I'll end it here. I guess my final thought is if you want to be a filmmaker, then do it right. This is a professional industry after all. Write or get ahold of a killer script. Killer! And raise money. It doesn't have to be alot these days, but you have to have some. Get name talent attached. How? Send them your script. If they like it, that's a great place to start the negotiations. If they sign on, you can take their letter of intent and try to raise money off of that. How long does this take? I've seen it take from one year to seven years. Sometimes in never happens. While you are waiting, shoot as much as possible, work as a grip on a larger production to see how things work, and edit. Editing is a great way to learn how to make a movie.
That's enough for now.
John
I've said this before, but owning a camera does not make you a filmmaker. Owning a car does not mean you can race in the Indy 500. The camera is a very small fraction of what it takes to make a good film.
CineCell has pulled no punches. I withhold all comments about a filmmakers work until I've seen the product, and even then I tend to withhold if I thought it sucked. Most distributors do this as well. Instead of, "This is pure garbage!" you will get, "I'm sorry, this is not for us but good luck somewhere else." If someone here at DVXUser makes a film and it's available, I rent it. Or even buy it in some cases. I have done so even before I became an actual member. I try to encourage, not condemn. That's just me.
However, I think it's also good that someone like CineCell roams these dark halls because the distributors who take the "We'll have to pass on this film at this time" approach are really doing no favors to the filmmaker. The filmmaker hears this and thinks that their film must be pretty good, the distributor just happens to have a full slate or something.
No. Most films shot on DV are terrible. Let's face facts. A lot of films shot on any other format are terrible as well. Daniel Rubino's point about money not being an issue and doesn't make your film good is valid, but only to a certain point. If someone has no money for their film, they may still make something decent, even good, but great? Almost never. And even if it is great, that means very little to a distributor. The first question any distributor asks is, "Who is in it?" They have to market it and name talent attached is the easiest way. The small distributors know that they won't get to see a film that has stars (unless the film is so bad, no large distributor will touch it) so they specialize for certain markets. Black/Latino/Urban for instance has a built in audience and so does slasher/horror. If you make a film in these genres you will have an easier time getting it distributed, but it's not guaranteed, and you won't make any money on it. Trust me.
If you want to make a living as a filmmaker, the first thing you have to do is develope the skills to do this. Some of the filmmakers here and abroad buy a camcorder and think they can make films for a living. If you stop and think about how many people there are out there, right now, who are thinking the same thing right now it well certainly give you pause. My partners and I submitted a filmmaker's movie to a mid-level film festival because we thought it was pretty good and had a chance of getting some recognition. We received word soon after that they could not accept the film at that time because they had already made there selections from the more than 3,000 films submitted that year. 3,000! That is the kind of competition we are all up against. How many of those films will get distribution? 5%? Not even that much I'll bet.
You need money. If your script is good, money will make it better. But chances are, your script is not good. If you have ever been through a professional script development, believe me, it's not pretty. Everyone likes their own material, but all too often, your film is doomed from the start because your script is weak. We get scripts sent to us all the time from filmmakers who want us to help them find financing. You would NOT BELIEVE the CRAP that I have read. I have read many a post on this and other forums where the filmmaker will say something like, "I'm not the best writer," or "The script is okay, but not great." Holy Type-O Batman! Stop right there for God's sake. How is your film going to be good if your script is just, "okay?" If you can't write. Find someone who can. Develop the story with them if you want, but creating a solid story is very difficult. Very.
I hate writing these long posts. I think that most people just skim right over them, so I'll end it here. I guess my final thought is if you want to be a filmmaker, then do it right. This is a professional industry after all. Write or get ahold of a killer script. Killer! And raise money. It doesn't have to be alot these days, but you have to have some. Get name talent attached. How? Send them your script. If they like it, that's a great place to start the negotiations. If they sign on, you can take their letter of intent and try to raise money off of that. How long does this take? I've seen it take from one year to seven years. Sometimes in never happens. While you are waiting, shoot as much as possible, work as a grip on a larger production to see how things work, and edit. Editing is a great way to learn how to make a movie.
That's enough for now.
John
I've said this before, but owning a camera does not make you a filmmaker. Owning a car does not mean you can race in the Indy 500. The camera is a very small fraction of what it takes to make a good film.
