profit potential of an indie feature?

I think there is a difference between recouping your money, and making a living. My last film was far less than $25K (not counting my time). It has sold and made more than that back so far - but there is no way I can make a living at doing only that. With kids about to go to college, mortgage and all of life's other things, it isn't happening. Might I get lucky one day? Perhaps - I make movie because I love the process of storytelling. I make my living another way right now - thankfully in a related field that keeps it exciting.

Mchael
 
JonathanLB said:
I think he's talking about the fact that very few will be BIG hits sold for a ton of money (though I don't consider $1M a ton of money, I consider that idiots without a good lawyer to negotiate a share of the future profits, so even the biggest hits are usually not that great of success stories in the sense there are a lot of people who think $1M is a lot of money, which it isn't). I don't think he's talking about 1 in 50,000 makes their money back.

If so, we obviously have different experiences, as everyone I know who has done this before has either made their money back, come very close, or made a profit. That sample size is only about 15 features, but people I know who work in the indie film industry are shooting films for $100K to $200K and making their money back no problem. I've said it before and I'll say it again -- there's clearly a contrast between the DVX User forum where apparently everyone believes the odds of making your money back are 1 in a million and the real world where people I know in person are doing this regularly. So I'm really not sure what's up with that. My guess is the reality lies somewhere in between and that probably MOST films do not make their money back, but that a lot of good indie films with pro results do.

Until I do it myself, though, I won't really know how tough that is. To be fair Barry is just trying to protect people from making stupid moves. It's not smart to risk money you don't have on what is frankly a pretty bad business plan. If you have the money, though, and you can make a great film, I say give it a shot because "fortune favors the bold." If your solution to making it in Hollywood is sitting around on a forum complaining about how it's impossible to make it and indie features never make money, well, I think my plan is still about 100 times better than yours ;)
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Well I guess then, I would like to hear a little more about how those guys you know, did it. What kinds of films did they make? How did they sell them? And son on...
 
gi-jones said:
Well I guess then, I would like to hear a little more about how those guys you know, did it. What kinds of films did they make? How did they sell them? And son on...
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Why do you want to know what kinds of films they made? So you and all the other indies can all go make them and be the same?

Hey Mr. distributor, I got another movie you have seen 10k times, wanna buy it?
 
gi-jones said:
Well I guess then, I would like to hear a little more about how those guys you know, did it. What kinds of films did they make? How did they sell them? And son on...
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here's what just about every "success story" has in common. they have someone like UTA behind them or a producers rep like John Sloss behind them. These entities are submitting the film to festival programmers directly for consideration, by-passing the first round of volunteer screeners. This doesn't guarantee entry, but it helps to have a recommendation from a trusted source. And when they do get into a festival, they arrive with a publicist ($7,000 to $10,000 per festival) and their producer's rep to set-up meetings and negotiate offers for a percentage. Some hire consultants like Stacy Parks or Peter Broderick. A suitable budget for doing a top tier festival right is about $30,000.
 
Zak, if all these indies had a producers rep / publicist would thier films be sold?

Does John Sloss take evryones money or does he just say your flm sucks and it's not worth it?
 
ChipG said:
Zak, if all these indies had a producers rep / publicist would thier films be sold?

Does John Sloss take evryones money or does he just say your flm sucks and it's not worth it?
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1) No. Plenty of films who did it right last year (We Live In Public) had offers but nothing worth taking. However, the ones who bring a team get completely lost/ignored. No one is getting them press and buyers are opting for the films with buzz.

2) He only backs films he thinks he can sell. In Search of a Midnight Kiss was a recent one. like any reputable... uh, rep... Cinetic doesn't charge up front, but takes a percentage.
 
IFC has a reputation for being vultures. but Magnolia has put up some good offers. I've spoken with the filmmakers behind Humpday and they are very happy with Magnolia.
 
Zak Forsman said:
IFC has a reputation for being vultures. but Magnolia has put up some good offers. I've spoken with the filmmakers behind Humpday and they are very happy with Magnolia.
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To the point where they are willing to come on the board and buy these other films everyone wants to make here or has?
 
ChipG said:
Don't we all. That eliminates 99.9% of the people you are saying to get him for a rep, so now what do they do?
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I'm just saying, the key to performing well at toronto or sundance starts well before the festival. it starts even before you submit to the festival. the obvious advice: stop making bad movies no one wants to see.

ChipG said:
To the point where they are willing to come on the board and buy these other films everyone wants to make here or has?
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we'll see. head of acquisitions at Magnolia was recommended my short film "IFHY" by a champion of my work. They loved it, then saw my trailer on facebook for my feature. I'm sending it to them next week when the 5.1 mix is done.
 
they mistake passion and ambition for compelling storytelling. (oops. didn't mean to rhyme that).

some people have the means, some have the ability. those that have both are rare.
 
Tell MC I said hey, it was yesterday (1995) we were drunk in front of his old broadcast dot com building in dallas, JH (his close friend came back to KC to stay with me for Thanksgiving & D Lucas says he's a pussy :), see ya in Aspen)

MC is not going to roll the dice in a big way, if your wanting $30k or some small number he might give it out of sympathy.
 
MC doesn't call the shots on acquisitions at Magnolia. TQ does. that being said, $30K is about the average advance filmmakers are being offered. Which I can make on my own AND retain the rights to my work. so I'd politely turn down a low ball offer and walk.
 
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