My feature film just got distribution!

pekar1876 said:
Did you ever blow up your film to 35mm or keep it on tape? I have the HVX 200 and think it's a great camera for promo work and docs but am not so sure on films.
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Lost Mission lives and breathes in digital. The DVD will be mastered directly from the FCP files. No theatrical release so no 35mm.

Maybe next time. :)

And I'd love to shoot a film on the HVX. If I can make a work with the DVX, then an HVX is going to be that much better.

If you could go back and do the film again would you still shoot it on video? Has shooting on video made it more difficult in selling your film?
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I don't think video has made any difference. First of all, most people who see the DVD screener think it WAS shot on film. But otherwise, given the budget/production value of the movie, we were always realistic that the straight-to-DVD market would be our best prospect.

I say shoot with the best format you're able to with the resources you've got. I owned a DVX so that's what we used. I think if I were able to raise a bigger budget, I'd opt for HD of some kind (not HDV so probably the HVX at the minimum). I'd only shoot film if circumstances demanded it.
 
BrandonC said:
What mic did you use? What settings did you use?

What camera did you use?
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The film was shot on the DVX-100a.

We used an Audio Technica shotgun mic plugged into the camera's #1 audio channel. We couldn't afford a mixer so we used the level controls on the camera itself. Amazingly, there is not one single looped line in the film, although there are some wild lines recorded on set that we used.

The camera settings were pretty much all default settings (master ped, gamma, etc) in the 24pA, anamorphic pre-set.

Because we had so little budget, we saved our money where we could in order to hire a professional sound sweetener and colorist to help finish the film. That made a HUGE difference in the look and sound quality of the finished film. We also hired a professional film composer to do the music, which added tons of production value.
 
pekar1876 said:
So it makes sense to use the HVX if your thinking of only going to DVD and online distribution?
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Definitely. Acquisition resolution makes a difference even if your distribution format is SD. I think the HVX would be a perfect solution for DVD and online.
 
Dude...thanks for taking the time to answer so many questions.

Seems like the DVX, with whatever limitations it has vs the HVX and other cameras, still can do a good job as indie film cam.

Congrats again...
 
Yeah, the DVX is more than adequate for direct-to-DVD.

I am working on a distro deal right now as well for a film I shot with the DVX
 
We don't have a street date yet, so that announcement is forthcoming. As soon as I know, you guys will.

On a related note, we recorded our audio commentary yesterday and it was one of the funnest experiences I've had. I hope it'll be entertaining and informative if anyone actually chooses to listen to it. :)
 
Congrat man, that's awesome.

I am getting ready to hang up my boots after 24 years and make films for the next 50. Do you mind tellings us about the distribution process, nightmares, etc...
 
From the way you have discussed this so far it sounds like things went kinda smoothly for you. Correct? What was your role/input into this film? How long did it take to shoot? Was it always your aim to sell this and sign a deal or did it kinda turn out this way?

Trailer looks great and looks like your hard work has really paid off. Well done and congrats. I look forward to seeing it.
 
airforceguy said:
Do you mind tellings us about the distribution process, nightmares, etc...
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The distribution process developed slowly but was fairly simple. One of our producers blanketed the town with screeners, found someone who really liked the movie and decided to represent us, and sent it out to distributors until one of them bit. That whole process took about a year in our case. So patience is a virtue. :)
 
BWyldeck said:
From the way you have discussed this so far it sounds like things went kinda smoothly for you. Correct? What was your role/input into this film? How long did it take to shoot? Was it always your aim to sell this and sign a deal or did it kinda turn out this way?
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I am the director, co-writer, editor, producer, DP, and visual effects artist for the film. :)

We shot the film in 11 days.

It was our aim to sell the movie somehow or other, although we were realistic about our chances. But we sent the movie around and managed to find the right person who liked it and that was that.
 
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