ASK & DISCUSS INDEX

9 years, 6 months ago - Marlom Tander

And the key word, both fortunately and unfortunately, is SHORT.

The good news - it's a short, congratulations you've just become a producer. Save up some money, put a crew together and make it.

The bad news - it's a short and more shorts, so the more you make, the more you lose. Shorts have NO revenue.

What you need to decide is WHY you're going to make the short:-

a) Money. Nope.
b) Showcase of your skills/concept with a view to getting hired by big properly funded projects. Yep.
c) Patent it. Absolutely IF it's patentable (and if it is, shut up until you've done so!).

Cheers

9 years, 6 months ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin

You're right, just do it. The most immediate route from it not being done to being done is via doing it!

The process of getting started will make apparent whether it's still a brilliant idea (which attracts other people), or just a brain fart which you've got fixated on, but either way it'll make space for the next idea, and the next one, and now you're making movies :)

9 years, 6 months ago - Benjamin Field

Hi Ben,

I've a decent amount of experience of turning ideas into something interesting.

Please do drop me a line and I can hopefully offer you some advice on how to proceed.

Cheers

Ben

9 years, 6 months ago - AndBut Films

You've got an idea.

To proceed you need to get it into a tangible form.

First step, describe in writing what you imagine the short will be like. Even better, write a script for it: there are many resources available that will give you the format for a script. Also jot down your plan for how the platform could be developed to make other shorts.

Then: what other skills/people will you need to make the short? A co-writer? Camera people? SFX? Actors? An editor? Figure out what roles are required and recruit a team, as Marlom suggested. Then based on your research and discussions with potential team members you can figure out the budget range for that first short and what else you need to make it.

9 years, 6 months ago - Paul Campion

The first question is what do you want your involvement to be in it?

Do you want to just see it get made - you could put up some money and be an executive producer - if you have money people will always want to work with you, do you want to try writing it, do you want to produce it, or do you want to direct it?

Whatever your interest in doing it is, you're going to need other people to help you make it, and the first thing anyone will ask is what's the story and can I read the script.

Even if you're not a writer and don't want to be one, you need to get the full story written out as a treatment or synopsis. Then at least you've got a story that you own the rights too, and you can then try and find a writer who'll work with you to flesh it out into a proper film script.

Just having a one line idea isn't enough - you can't copyright an idea, you need a tangible story with at least a beginning, middle and end, some defined characters, locations etc.

9 years, 6 months ago - Dan Selakovich

Have you written it? Maybe that's your next step. Ideas aren't anything until they are in tangible form. It also seems you have access to a proper mixing stage. That IS HUGE!

9 years, 6 months ago - Alève Mine

As Marlom say, protect your idea with a patent where relevant - and copyright the implementation options - before unveiling it to others in any way. Then implement, fast. Speed is also a protection.

If it's something technical with sound, I'd love to see the result, let us know!

9 years, 6 months ago - Alève Mine

Erratum: sayS

9 years, 6 months ago - Peter Spencer

Unfortunately you cannot patent or copyright an idea, you can only copyright a particualr execution of that idea. Everytime I go to a party and people hear what I do there's always someone with an idea that will be 'worth millions' if I just do all the work.... Someone recently emailed me about an idea - her life story, and her opening lines was "Want to make a million pounds overnight and win an Oscar?" All I had to do was a: write a book about her (she even sent me a choice of two titles for the book but the title HAD to be one of the two titles) and b: write the script, sell the script, find a producer and a director and then the film had to find distribution..... this is lunacy. You have an idea? You have nothing I am sorry to say.

9 years, 6 months ago - Peter Spencer

Until you at least have something written I meant to finish on.Good luck anyway.

9 years, 6 months ago - Chris Bogle

Nice one Ben, you're at the start of an in incredible road! :)

I'm about to shoot my second and would say the following:

Just get it written. You could spend an age finding a writer so I would recommend getting a first draft down - don't worry about it being good yet - just splurge. Then find a good script editor to take you through the rewrites. There are a lot of goof development producers and script editors out there looking for good projects, who will do shorts for credits.

Only then start thinking about producing it. My biggest take away from the last 12 months is that if you have a a good script up front you can get the most incredibly talented people to help you realise it.

Good luck mate.

9 years, 6 months ago - Kays Alatrakchi

As Peter said, an idea is not that important...it's all in the execution. As a matter of fact, the sooner you stop being secretive with your idea, the sooner you will begin to gain the benefit of other people's opinions and advice.

Having said that, I'm an accomplished composer who in the past 6 years has been making a transition to writing and directing. It's possible, and the younger you are, the smoother that transition will happen. As it's been said already, you need a screenplay, and a game plan to realize what you thought up. Without a screenplay, you really don't have much (at least at this stage), so try to get that going as soon as you can. Afterwards, get as much feedback from your friends in the biz as possible, it will help make your screenplay better.

I think shorts are actually a good idea, they are a low-risk proof of concept that can show in a concrete way what your vision is. The fact that they are also within the possibility of financing through crowdfunding is also a compelling reason to get them made.

My basic piece of advice is talk to as many people as possible, read as much as possible, and make sure that each and every day you are taking a step toward the realization of your idea.