FEATURE: Survival - The Feature, based on our Timefest Entry...

majikfraug said:
Slowly but surely :) Hollywood is a weird beast. I never thought I'd find myself rewriting a screenplay so that it fits in :kali: "proper" three act structure, but when that's the only language the investors speak...
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Investors are NOT interested in the artificial and creative part.

Investors are ONLY interested in getting money from there investment. They're only interested in "how can I get my return back with 500% profit".
 
dre83 said:
If you think you need 50.000... go for 100.000

Don't forget "forgetable" things like ADR (actors time...studio rent.... technician rent), Foley (Foley artist, Foley recorder). Sound designer, sound editor, sound editor assitant, sound mixer, composer, sound effect editor,.....
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The budget will be in the low 7 digits. No worries there ;)
 
dre83 said:
Investors are NOT interested in the artificial and creative part.

Investors are ONLY interested in getting money from there investment. They're only interested in "how can I get my return back with 500% profit".
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Exactly. That's why the screenplay has to have certain "bankable" elements. If it's not in three act structure it's not considered bankable, at least for a first time filmmaker. At least in our situation :)
 
majikfraug said:
Exactly. That's why the screenplay has to have certain "bankable" elements. If it's not in three act structure it's not considered bankable, at least for a first time filmmaker. At least in our situation :)
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What the hell do investors know about "3 act structure".... Like "the beginning", the presentation of the protagonist and antagonist ?

The "side players" who are used to build up the character of the main characters ?

The influence of time ? (something has to be done before... or a bomb wil explode at that time...)

The middle ? The time where suspense goes up and down ? The "side story" of the main story to have some "breathing parts for the audionce...

And the end which is mostly about 2 or 3 minutes..

I realy wonder...What do investors know about that ?
 
dre83 said:
So you're able to buy me a airplane ticket to come over to be one of the on set soundguys ? :-p

If I do it as a "self based company thing"... it can :-HeadPhones(D:-Laugh(DBG)-1
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I'd love to hire a crew consisting of nothing but DVXusers. That would rock!
 
dre83 said:
What the hell do investors know about "3 act structure".... Like "the beginning", the presentation of the protagonist and antagonist ?

The "side players" who are used to build up the character of the main characters ?

The influence of time ? (something has to be done before... or a bomb wil explode at that time...)

The middle ? The time where suspense goes up and down ? The "side story" of the main story to have some "breathing parts for the audionce...

And the end which is mostly about 2 or 3 minutes..

I realy wonder...What do investors know about that ?
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Absolutely nothing, but their risk mitigation attorneys do.
 
So the team will be going over the rewrite and discussing its merits and shortcomings over the weekend. Hopefully more of the former than the latter...
Monday we shall speak with the producers and see where the project lies: ready for the line producer or ready for another rewrite...
 
Anybody else get addicted to bands when you're writing?

Anyman was written to the sounds of VNV Nation (yes it's sci-fi)
Vaquero to the White Stripes
Survival (especially the latest rewrite) was Tegan & Sara

And now I can't stop listening to them...
 
majikfraug said:
So the team will be going over the rewrite and discussing its merits and shortcomings over the weekend. Hopefully more of the former than the latter...
Monday we shall speak with the producers and see where the project lies: ready for the line producer or ready for another rewrite...
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Ah! Limbo! Aka, the REWRITES. Do you project being in that stage for a while? It happens, that's for sure. Regardless of who's telling you to rewrite, whether some people think those people don't know what they're talking about or not, it's good that you're willing to do them and consider the input.

Hopefully, of course, not just because of money but to take a 'decent' first step out, you know?

You mentioned seven digits for the budget. I can see why you'd have twenty-five (25) pages of notes, questions, suggestions and more: to spend money is to spend more money protecting the first amount that you've spent. Haha.

Geoff taught me that one, I believe in it.

It's like when these small no-named indie features are acquired and the company that does so pumps another one-and-a-half million dollars into post work to sweeten the deal. Well, they have to spend it to protect it.

If it's worth its salt, it'll make that back and some.

Good luck! Hopefully your current road works out, but if or when push comes to shove, at least you'll have a marketable script to shoot on a shoestring budget (aka spec) versus what you started out with, nae?
 
Kholi said:
Ah! Limbo! Aka, the REWRITES. Do you project being in that stage for a while? It happens, that's for sure. Regardless of who's telling you to rewrite, whether some people think those people don't know what they're talking about or not, it's good that you're willing to do them and consider the input.

Hopefully, of course, not just because of money but to take a 'decent' first step out, you know?

You mentioned seven digits for the budget. I can see why you'd have twenty-five (25) pages of notes, questions, suggestions and more: to spend money is to spend more money protecting the first amount that you've spent. Haha.

Geoff taught me that one, I believe in it.

It's like when these small no-named indie features are acquired and the company that does so pumps another one-and-a-half million dollars into post work to sweeten the deal. Well, they have to spend it to protect it.

If it's worth its salt, it'll make that back and some.

Good luck! Hopefully your current road works out, but if or when push comes to shove, at least you'll have a marketable script to shoot on a shoestring budget (aka spec) versus what you started out with, nae?
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They are supposed to go over it this weekend, and we'll speak more on Monday. I think we answered all of the questions they presented in their notes, so it just remains to see if we answered them "correctly" :) If not, I can't see more than minor changes being made, and for that they will probably hire on ghost writers.

The goal is still to start pre-production in (probably late) September.

They had some really good suggestions and a few that were like, "Um, did you bother to read the script?". All in all though, I think the script is much better for the rewrite. Or at least more marketable and no worse. I like to say it's a little more "Aliens" then "Alien" now, but at least it's not "Aliens vs. Predator" :)

So far there hasn't really been any question of "if" they want to produce it, just "how soon?" and "what will the final budget be?". So we're all very very thankful for that.
 
majikfraug said:
They are supposed to go over it this weekend, and we'll speak more on Monday. I think we answered all of the questions they presented in their notes, so it just remains to see if we answered them "correctly" :) If not, I can't see more than minor changes being made, and for that they will probably hire on ghost writers.
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Totally get ya. You mentioned the "Hollywood" monster. That monster definitely changes its mind by the hour, haha. You've probably had a chance to talk to some represented and produced writers, and more than likely they've told you the twenty-draft horror stories they have to share.

Often, by twenty, you've circled back to the first! oi!!!! How annoying is THAT?

The goal is still to start pre-production in (probably late) September.
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Sweet. What's the goal for principal?

They had some really good suggestions and a few that were like, "Um, did you bother to read the script?". All in all though, I think the script is much better for the rewrite. Or at least more marketable and no worse. I like to say it's a little more "Aliens" then "Alien" now, but at least it's not "Aliens vs. Predator" :)
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Haha. Exactly! Sometimes, they have OTHER people read it for them. In fact, just about every exec probably has an assistant that reads for them. And, the assistant relays the info, the info gets lost in translation and, well, there you have it.

"Um, did you bother to read the script?"

So far there hasn't really been any question of "if" they want to produce it, just "how soon?" and "what will the final budget be?". So we're all very very thankful for that.
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The Hollywood Dance, aka The Budget Shuffle. You know those projects that get optioned out and you hear about them, they don't come to light for another five years?

Apparently the weather's even worse, studios have turned into distributors and distributors have turned into sales agents. Seven figures, though, is more than likely plausible with the right people and the right material.

Are you guys acquiring A or B list talent with the money? I haven't read the thread, admittedly. Not because I haven't seen anything interesting, just gotten a little burned out on reading through the well-deserved good lucks, awesome dudes, so sweets and other smaller updates.

Dunno where to look for real info now-a-days!
 
Kholi said:
Are you guys acquiring A or B list talent with the money?
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That's where most of the budget will go. So yeah A and B actors for most of the rolls. We really want an unknown for the lead and they've been pretty receptive to that, but that was before the rewrite and a lot has changed in the script, so we'll see...
 
This sounds awesome! I just read through your whole thread..sounds like all the right things happened for ya! I hope you get to start prepro soon! Nothing is more important
 
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