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Film Schooling – Insider Insights On Indy Filmmaking: Selling Your Film And Wrapping Up (The Finale!)

Published Fri, 24 Oct 2014 18:30:13 -0500

By Chris Hood

(This is final entry in an ongoing series to help educate aspiring filmmakers on the process of making their first film. Previous articles in this serie can be found at BleedingCool.com and MovieIndustry.com)

Parts: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27

As this series winds to a close, I hope the information and insights I've shared end up being of use to the filmmakers I'm hoping to help. Sadly, it seems it is the human condition for people to ask for advice which they hungrily accept when it's in line with their own way of thinking and dismiss it summarily when it's in opposition.

I get calls regularly from people who want advice on different aspects of making a film. It's usually filmmakers making (or trying to put together) their first film. Sometimes, it's a producer or director looking to get a second or third film off the ground and are trying to gather more information as their earlier project(s) were a financial disappointment. The advice I share is almost always what they don't want to hear.

The fact is, it is exceptionally hard to make money on a $100k, $200k or even $300k film. It's just too difficult to to make it look and feel like a million dollar film and that's pretty much what you need. In lieu of that, you need an angle; some kind of hook that sets your film apart. Don't tell me it's a great script. That doesn't mean shit. That's not the kind of "hook" that sells a low budget film. If you can get a name actor that otherwise couldn't be had on your budget (or buyers perceive couldn't be had on your budget), that's a hook. If you can tap in to what's hip and popular at the moment, that can be a hook, though the zeitgeist might shift between the time you start your project and finally finish it three years later. If you can do something visually that others can't on the same budget, that's a hook…and a good one. There are guys out there who know FX or have friends that help them and they make $200k films that would cost over $1 million in real dollars if they had to hire out those FX. Many of these guys are making good money. A good film heavy with FX will sell well both domestically and in foreign territories and you have to make those foreign sales if you expect to turn a profit.

The market has severely shifted. It used to be that 60% or more of a films revenues would come from domestic outlets. That number is now down to 40% or less. You are not making a film for a U.S. or North American audience, you're making it for a world audience. The primary factor for this market shift is the death of DVD. Just five years ago you could get back $200k on a film simply by getting it into Blockbuster – and they bought a lot of titles. The only big, viable DVD outlet now if Redbox and there is almost no chance you'll get your little film in there. Sales agents will tell you how they can place your film with Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Target, etc., but what they usually mean is that they can place your film with WalMart.com, BestBuy.com and Target.com. And those are not remotely the same. DVDs in Wal-Mart still do well and you can see very good money off of that, but that's another terribly difficult nut to crack. Your film might end up on a hundred or a thousand sites for sale, but it's going to get lost amongst the thousands of other titles and the sales will be negligible.

Is all this a bit depressing and deterring? Yes it is, and that's a good thing. There is far too much delusion and denial in this business. If more first-time filmmakers took off the rose-colored glasses and educated themselves about what they were getting in to, there would be far less failure and disappointment. But as I expressed above – "They can't handle the truth!" I hope you're the exception to that rule.

In these articles, I've tried to focus on facts (based on my experience) over opinions as much as possible. With that in mind, I'll take this final opportunity to reiterate the most important elements when putting your film together. These are rules I implore you to follow or failure is virtually guaranteed.

Have a businessperson in charge. Filmmaking is a business. Just because a chef can prepare a delicious meal doesn't mean he can run a restaurant.

And make sure your businessperon understands THIS business. This is a completely different thing than having someone who understands filmmaking. The business of a film and the making of a film are completely different concepts…and almost no one is good at both.

Don't try to be a big shot. If you're a good filmmaker, or even a bad filmmaker who is smart enough to make profitable films, the rewards will come. An inability to check your ego at the door makes the likelihood of your success considerably less.

A good name is better than a good script. Of course, there's no reason you shouldn't shoot for both, but the reality is, a bad project can still make money with a marketable name. A great film with no recognizable talent is a sure-fire loser.

Choose your genre well. Do not make a documentary, a drama or a comedy. Just don't. Remember, a bad sci-fi movie will sell better than a great drama.

Your 1^st A.D., D.P. and Sound Mixer are key. Don't skimp on these positions and don't plug your friends in to these roles hoping they will rise to the occasion. These are the top three people who will make or break your film. They need to be skilled, professional and reliable.

Choose two. You can have it good, fast and cheap, but only two of them. You will be constantly making compromises throughout this process and it will often come down to this particular set of limitations. Don't fight it. Just make the best decision you can and press on.

It's all your fault. Even when it's not. Ultimately, everything rests on your shoulders. And as the producer, it's your job to keep the peace. Not only will you need to own your mistakes, you'll need to own those of your cast and crew as well. This is what great leaders do. No matter what bad luck or acts of god may cause your film to fail, it's on you. And if you fail on this one, there almost certainly won't be another.

So these are just a few of the key points I try to relay to aspiring filmmakers. There are dozens (if not hundreds) more, so I do hope if you're new to this series and are seriously considering making a movie that you go back and read everything I've shared. Even if you don't agree with all of it, there are many facts, suggestions and warnings that you'll be able to take away.

I would wish you luck in your filmmaking endeavors, but luck ain't got a damn thing to do with it.

–Christopher Robin Hood

Chris Hood is a writer, producer and director of such films as "Counterpunch" starring Danny Trejo (a Lionsgate release) and "Dirty Dealing 3D" with Michael Madsen and C. Thomas Howell. He and Jon Schultz own Robin Hood Films, a Las Vegas-based distribution company representing English language films around the world and Chris operates a film blog at MovieIndustry.com. He's also dead sexy. (Mr. Hood denies any involvement in the creation of this mini-bio.)

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