Indie film financing and movie distribution reminds of what it would feel just like dancing nude on stage (much respect for exotic dancers at Larry Flynt’s Hustler Club!). You show as much as pitch your movie project and need certainly to have the ability to dance to a movie investor’s music. It’s their stage and not yours as an indie filmmaker seeking film funding. They want you to create a sellable movie which attracts movie distributors therefore the production could make money.
Most investors I’ve met with aren’t enthusiastic about putting hard money into indie art house films because those are tough sells to movie distributors and overseas film buyers aren’t usually enthusiastic about seeing them. The dialogue and scenes of certain art house type films don’t translate well to foreign buyers and movie viewers. Action, horror and skin does not require subtitles for individuals to follow along with the story is what I’ve been told by distributors. Talking head movies could make no sense to viewers that don’t understand subtle lines spoken in a foreign language.
Independent film financing continues to change as indie movie distribution gets more financially shaky. The place it’s hitting indie movie producers hardest is right at the foundation – film financing. Film investors today aren’t feeling stoked up about putting money into movies that do not have bankable name actors. This isn’t like so-called indie movies which have A-list actors or are produced for countless dollars. Those type of indie film passion projects you can make once you’ve made it in the entertainment business at the studio level.
Indie film investors and movie distributors won’t expect you with an A-list actor, however they do want producers to own actors (B-list or C-list or D-list) with some name recognition or celebrity. The initial question film investors and movie distributors ask is who the cast is. This is where most indie movie producers are blown out from the water because they’ve an as yet not known cast of actors. Plus there’s a glut of indie movies being made because technology has made it less expensive to make movies.
The bright side is that entertaining indie movies are being made which may not otherwise ever have seen light of day before. The downside is meaningful movie distribution (getting paid) for indie produced films continues to shrink as indie films being made rises (supply and demand 101). I talked to 1 movie distributor that provides releasing independent films and they explained they receive new film submissions daily.
These were honest saying they get very sellable movies and ones that are less than appealing, but with so many movies on the market they no more offer a lot of producers advance money against film royalties or pay a lump cash “buy-out” to secure distribution rights. Their business viewpoint is most indie filmmakers are only happy seeing their movie released. The word they used was “glorified showreel” for an indie filmmaker to produce they could make a feature film. So, they acquire many of their movie releases without paying an advance or supplying a “buy-out” agreement.
Not creating a benefit from a video doesn’t make financial sense for film investors that expect you’ll see money made. When people put up money to produce a movie they need a return on their investment. Otherwise it’s no more a video investment. It becomes a movie donation of money they’re giving out with no expectations. I’ve been on the “dog and pony show” circuit meeting with potential film investors and learning invaluable lessons.
I’m in the habit now of speaking with indie movie distributors before writing a screenplay to see what kinds of films can sell and what actors or celebrity names mounted on a potential project appeal to them. This isn’t like chasing trends, but it gives producers a sharper picture of the sales climate for indie films. Sometimes distributors gives me a quick set of actors or celebrities to consider that fit an unbiased movie budget. Movie sales outside the U.S. are the place where a bulk of the amount of money is perfect for indie filmmakers.
Movie distributors and film sales agents can let you know what actors and celebrity talent is translating to movie sales overseas at the indie level. These won’t be A-list names, but having someone with some sort of name is a superb selling point to help your movie standout from others. Brief cameos of known actors or celebrities used to be an effective way to help keep talent cost down and add a bankable name to your cast.
That’s changed lately from my conversations with distribution companies. Movie distributors now expect any name talent attached to really have a meaningful part in the movie instead of a couple of minutes in a cameo role. Cameo scenes can still work if you have a visual hook that grabs the attention of viewers in a few way. But having name talent say a few lines with no special hook won’t fly anymore.
Another way to make an indie film in need of funding more appealing to investors is to attach talent that has been around a video or TV show of note. ดูหนัง 8k Their name as an actor mightn’t be that well-known yet, but rising stars which have appeared in a well known movie or TV show can provide your movie broader appeal. In the event that you cast them in a supporting role keep working days on the set down seriously to a minimum to truly save your budget. Try to write their scenes so they can be shot in 1 or 2 days.
When you’re pitching to serious film investors they will want to get reveal movie budget and distribution plan how you want on making money from the film’s release. The Catch-22 that takes place a whole lot is that most movie distributors that cater to releasing indie films won’t commit to any deal until they’ve screened the movie.
There is not built-in distribution as with studio budget films. Film investors that aren’t traditionally part of the entertainment business can get put off when a producer does not have a distribution deal already in place. They don’t understand the Catch-22 of indie filmmaking and distribution. This is the place where a movie producer really needs a solid pitch that explains the financial dynamics of indie film distribution.
Most film investors will give an indie movie producer’s financing pitch that mentions self-distribution in it. From a video investor’s business perspective it takes entirely too much time for an indie movie to generate money going the self-distribution route. It’s like the old school method of selling your movie out from the trunk of your car at places, nevertheless now it’s done online using digital distribution and direct sales via a blog. That’s a long grind that most investors won’t be interested in hanging around for. Moving one unit of a video at any given time is too slow of trickle for investors.
A possible way across the Catch-22 is to touch base to movie distributors when you are pitching to film investors. With a company budget number and possible cast attached you can gauge to see if you have any meaningful distribution interest in the movie. It’s always possible a distributor will show you that they would offer an advance or “buy-out” deal. They generally won’t give you a hard number, but even a ballpark figure of what they could offer can let you know if your budget makes financial sense to approach movie investors with.
I am aware one savvy indie movie producer that produces 4-6 movies annually on very reasonable budgets and knows they’re already creating a benefit from the advance money alone. The film royalty payments really are a bonus. The producer keeps budgets extremely affordable and streamlined at every phase of production. When you have a background with a distribution company do you know what you can expect you’ll be paid. Then you can certainly offer film investors a percent on their money invested to the production that produces sense.
Social networking with other indie filmmakers allows you to hear what’s happening with movie distribution from other people’s actual life experiences. A very good thing I’ve been hearing about is there are film investors that won’t put up money to make movie that will be self-distributed, but they’ll roll the dice on an element that will specific film festivals. Not the art house film festivals. The ones that are very genre specific like for horror or action films. Like Screamfest Horror Film Festival or Action on Film (AOF). Film buyers attend these events and meaningful distribution deals are made.
Independent film financing and movie distribution are areas of the entertainment business all filmmakers will have to deal with and learn from each experience. I was in the hot seat today pitching to a movie investor. I’ve streamlined the budget around I could without making the plot lose steam.
The jam I’m in as a maker is there are hard costs that can not be avoided offering plenty of gun play including two rigging shots where baddies get shot and are blown backwards off their feet. Badass action films need experienced and seasoned film crews to pull-off hardcore action shots off clean and safe. The cast I do want to hire has the right appeal and name recognition because of this indie action movie to rock viewers. There is nothing that may get lost in the translation in this film for foreign film buyers and movie viewers.
What I do believe got lost in the translation with the potential film investor today is if I keep taking out below-the-line crew to truly save money I’m planning to have to do rewrites to the screenplay to obtain action scenes. They are selling points that will hurt sales if they’re written out. But it’s my job as an indie filmmaker to balance a budget that attracts film investors. We’ll see how this goes. This is indie filmmaker Sid Kali typing fade out.