Short film vs. Feature?

gonzo_entertainment said:
5 pages a day is also a brutal schedule to keep up for 20 days. For a 15 page short over a weekend it's tough, but grinding like that for a month would be REALLY tough. I have a 6 page day in the pilot I'm shooting this weekend. We're hoping it's only a 14 hour day.
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99.9% of the time, that's true. But it does depend on the nature of your film. For example -- I shot a 70-page feature film in just 3 days. That was only possible because it was a VERY unique story and script that was designed to be shot fast.
 
Always exceptions for sure.
I dream at night of the budget to shoot like 2 pages a day, it must be awesome to be able to really take your time like that.
 
Belief Pictures said:
Hey,

So I've started this new company. Should I do a short film first or a feature?

Chris
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Well, as everyone has stated: Shorts are better for situations like this based on purely technical and budgetary reasons.

But maybe it should be looked at from a different perspective: I believe that the content should be the element demanding the length. If you have a great screenplay with content that deems it a feature, then shoot it as a feature. Too many features can easily be told in 1/8 of the time. So it really depends on what you have written already. If you're trying to decide on a short or feature before you write anything, then you're going about it the wrong way. But if you have a well written feature ready, then shoot it (if budget allows) - the same goes for a short.
 
In my experience, you're going to need a lot more than resources to do a feature film. Also, if you're taking on all those roles...you better be on some stress medication as well.

First of all, there are thousands of features being made now...chances of making a profitable film are very slim. If you're going to set out to build a company, your film has to set a benchmark for quality and production value. If it's going to be a second rate feature film, you might want to try your hand at shorts before you get into the intricacies of directing a feature film. The issue with features is that every scene must tell a story and push the film along in some way...so technically you will be filming a 60 scene film...so 60 short films in one..while constantly trying to direct your DOP and get the performance out of your actors whilst remaining sane.

Then comes post. The rough cut is fun, but then syncing audio/video is a b**ch. Once again, if your footage and editing is not up to standard, you will struggle for a sale...even with VOD.

If you're good, then you still have to pay for a lot of deliverables if you're lucky enough to get picked up. a 5.1 mix can cost anywhere up to 50-100k (a true 5.1 mix anyway...you can get away with a faux 5.1). You will need everying in order to sell the film properly including legally binding contracts including deferrals (if people are working for free) or profit sharing contracts, all audio and video elements the sales agent will ask for (which are numerous), press kits, screeners...the list goes on.

So if you're looking to make money from a film, you will not finish a film and have people come up and give you money for it. You also have to be able to sell the film. What does your film offer? A name cast? A storyline that has never been heard of before? A whole lot of action, blood, car crashes and awesome gore? Nudity? (all these things were asked of me at AFM).

Making a film is not an easy task, and making a profitable film is even harder. Our film sold to the US and a host of other countries with our sales agent and we have yet to recoup any costs. I'm definately not bitter about it, but I have learned a lot about the process and marketing of films, and I know that if you're serious...you have not thought of everything yet. It's a good year or two of your life with the same film, same footage, same music and same people...so make sure you love the idea and want to see it succeed more than anything. Indie feature films are tough going. We can't just throw money at problems and have them go away...so if you're still keen for a feature, buckle up and give it your best...but make sure it's sell-able and you have aspects of the film that people will want to buy.
 
I think you should shoot a 15 minute short film, and try to make it look as best as possible.
That will show you the resources you have available to you, how well you can count on your crew, and how complicated it will be to manage a group of people.
If you have a day job, you will also see how only shooting weekends, and nights, plays into all of your plans on shooting.
Once you have the short under your belt, you will have a better idea of what it will be like to do a feature.

When I first started out, I thought I would shoot only features.
My thinking was that if I were going to invest my energy and time, it might as well be fore something that has potential of making a return.
I wrote a great original script, that has won awards.
I did the casting call, and got great talent. When my lead moved to L.A. that put things on hold.

I have since worked on others shorts, and features, and found out how difficult it would be to do a feature.
I think only 1% of the population could do one without a budget, as from what I have seen, no budget makes it hard to keep people interested.
If you did pursue it, you have to do it in as short of time as possible to maintain the interest.

You will at least have to pay for food, to retain that talent and crew.
You will at least have to pay for gas. Gas is expensive these days, and that will be the first reason why someone changes their mind about showing up.
Cover those, and you might be able to pull it off, but it won't be easy.

Do the short film, to see how difficult it is to do with the resources you have.
 
craigbowman said:
Well since feature projects generally have a business plan attached and it doesn't sound like you've bothered to even create one for your company, it kind of narrows things down.
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Not to sound mean, but Craig is correct. And I'm not trying to use the OP as an example, but this board is full of folks starting a business that haven't really thought things through before hand... "Hey I'm a filmmaker creating works of art". That's well and good, but you have to make an honest decision. Are you a hobbyist filmmaker, or are you running a business? The business of filmmaking is about making money, turning a profit, earning a living, by making films.

All the Best!

Dave
 
I think everyone on here has pretty much hit the nail on the head. Doing a feature is great, and generally speaking, thats why most of us decided to become filmmakers...to make features. But just like with anything else in life and in business, there is a time and a place for them. In business, timing is everything. If your business is new, coming right out of the gate and trying to tackle a huge project on someone else's dime possesses much greater risk than the probability of reward. The reality is, especially with new companies, that a good majority of feature film projects never even get completed, let alone sold or distributed. The numbers are so high, actually, that most serious film investors require production companies to purchase a "Completion Bond" before they will even consider backing a film.
All of that being said, I dont think anyone on here means to sound discouraging. We all want everyone to succeed.
But again, the previous posters have made some very valid points. As a company, generating revenue should be your foremost concern. Everyone has to pay the bills. Even in the most ideal and perfect of scenarios, if you go the feature film route, you have over a year+ tied into the production and post production of a film before its even in the can...from there it can be years before it ever turns a profit that finds its way into your pockets. After all, the people who put up the money and took the risk get their money back first. So if a feature is your first priority, plan on a very long time before money starts coming your way.
My suggestion, just purely speaking from a financial standpoint, would be as follows...
Spend some time digging up some commercial work, find some music video projects, maybe some corporate or industrial video production, and dedicate your work week to taking on paid contract work. Not only will this generate revenue for your company, but it will also give you a chance to work with your crew, figure out all the kinks, and build a workflow that turns your company into a well oiled machine.
The bonus of doing things this way, is that...If you set aside a percentage of every dollar that you earn doing contract work, you will start to build a little savings, that you can use to fund short film projects to shoot on the weekends. Now not only are you building a solid portfolio of contract work (which proves your companies abilities to produce projects on time and on budget), but you are also building a great reel of short films to show investors your capabilities as a narrative filmmaker.
For all intents and purposes, this is what I did when I first opened my company. Now, we do several commercial projects a week, do tons of music videos, and get contract work of all kinds. I have established a solid reputation in the region, and now...If I want to do a passion project, I can finance it myself with no worries. Plus, I have a great reel built that I have showed to investors to finance my bigger film projects.
Also...a fringe benefit...When you do a lot of commercial work, you build great relationships with businesses in your area. Those relationships come in handy when filming your short films or features. You'll have contacts for cool locations, equipment you may need, food for cast and crew, props, etc... Doesnt sound like much, but you have no idea how helpful that is when shooting your film projects.

IMO, take your time...structure a plan...find some paying work, do shorts in your spare time, and build a great reel. Because the harsh truth is...if you rush into producing a feature on some one else's dime, and things dont work out, you may as well forget about ever making another one for a long time to come, because no one will want to finance someone who has already failed a making a feature. That is a risk few will be willing to take.

As always, the best of luck to you...I hope everything works out for you and your company!
 
I've decided to do a feature since I've already done one before. A short just spells COMPROMISE. I don't want that. Thanks for all who contributed.
 
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