Ask and Discuss |Shooting People

6 years, 4 months ago - John Lubran

That's the proverbial '$64,000 question' Richard. I imagine that a good many of the 40,000 people here have the same challenge. I can also imagine that the chain of process leading to some form of success enjoyed by producers are unique to them. The fact that so much of the trite and banal can have traction on the market place suggests that business acumen, in all its myriad forms, can go a long way.

Forgiing or even hacking a path through the tangled undergrowth that is publicly funded film institutions and similar is route taken by some. The most empowering route is likely to be the quality and nature of the production itself and the strategic and legal freedoms attached to it.

If anyone here is able to provide Richard with a 'template for success' I'm sure we'd all love to see it.

6 years, 4 months ago - Marlom Tander

It's already made?

How much was spent?

If it was a lot, and people want their money back, festivals (majors) are great but really you need to be talking to distributors and TV channels globally.

1-2-1 or at the markets (that's really down to your personal style and costs. I hate networking events but am happy to cold call a CEO if I think I'm helping him meet his business targets. Other people it's the other way round).

TV sales could be good.

As to your next film, investment people with money tend not to ask about awards, they ask about returns. That's why you need to move from art, to profit. "I made it for 500K, covered that with the TV rights in X,Y,Z and everything from now on is profit". TV people aren't bothered by profit - they like awards and when you talk to them it's about "can you deliver to schedule and quality for the budget we give you".

Good luck

6 years, 4 months ago - John Lubran

Further to Marlom's helpful and learned contribution; making a film without a business model or distribution plan in place is a bit like shooting first and then aiming before identifying a target. Putting the cart before the horse. Unless one has a plan in place that satisfies the essential needs and expectations of those involved or one has that truly rare a product of exceptional

6 years, 4 months ago - John Lubran

power, getting a deal that pays fot itself is most often an uphill struggle

6 years, 4 months ago - Richard Vizor

Thanks guys for your help, let me give you the gist about me. I have worked in film and tv for 30 + years, i first became involved in film producing 10 years ago and worked on the a 5 movie slate, prepro on one and development on the others. after trawling around Cannes, Berlinale and AFM to name a few, i parted company with the production company. I then qualified as a studio manager at Pinewood Studios. Recently i started working with a film production company based in New Zealand, as an Executive Producer/Producer on a film that was made last summer.
I am currently looking for festivals to submit the film to, having contacted 22 already.
We have been in the New Zealand IFF and will be in Moscow next month followed by Houston and others.
the movie was shot on an iphone7 with moondog lenses and the filmic pro app. It was written and directed by Stef Harris, this is his 6th film. It stars Mark Hadlow and Jed Brophy (Mortal Engines and The Hobbit). Some of the crew were from Peter Jacksons production company. I have joined the motley crew because i am an expert in marketing Micro budget movies.
The film was shot in 6 days with a budget of $12k NZ. please see the trailer below. All the mobile film festivals are going mad over it and we are getting alot of interest from journalists, bloggers and vloggers.

So my real question is:- Because i am based in London, how do i approach people like the BFI and say 'Hey im out here with a new movie' when the movie wasn't made in the UK. The next movie on the slate which is in prepro will be a copro with the UK and will shoot some of the film at Pinewood, fingers crossed. But i need to be noticed now.

https://youtu.be/DJV_vtIg-BM

6 years, 4 months ago - Richard Vizor

oh by the way i have a global sales and dist agent based in LA as well.

6 years, 4 months ago - John Lubran

In that case Richard you probably have as much idea as anyone. Does a film have to be British to have any support from BFI? Might depend on how much British input can be claimed; if you're British and the producer, that'd be a start. If you've had anything commensurate with what can be called a success, in terms of financial reward, broad acclaim or distribution of any significant scale with those those micro budget films, you'll be way ahead of the pack.

Maybe we should be seeking advice from you as to how to do it?

6 years, 4 months ago - Richard Vizor

Thanks for those kind words, this is why im so glad to be on shooting people because working as a community in film is so more refreshing than hiding in darkened corners afraid that someone is going to steal our idea.
The only reason we shot our film on a low budget is because we wanted to see if we could.

6 years, 4 months ago - Marlom Tander

Richard, love the trailer. I'd call the BFI etc and just ask them. "I've just made a movie in NZ, and my NEXT one is in prepro and will be a copro with the UK and will shoot some of the film at Pinewood. I'd like to talk to someone about how the BFI might help, what your remit is etc".

That should get you a coffee meeting because it's not about your completed NZ film, it's about your next UK one.

TBH your current marketing promo plan sounds pretty much solid. Loved the trailer.

6 years, 4 months ago - John Lubran

Impressive little film shot on a telephone Richard. It a reminder that the entrenched notions of what it takes to produce film with high production values may no longer be what they were. Bit like the emperor's new clothes. It's increasingly a 'reality bubble thing.

6 years, 4 months ago - Alève Mine

Richard if you shot with a phone and advertise how low the cost was, you may end up stuck making that low a cost movies forever. So careful about that.

6 years, 4 months ago - Marlom Tander

Good point from Aleve. If buyers know what it costs, that conditions what they will pay.

6 years, 4 months ago - Richard Vizor

Thanks Aleve, for the advice, but we are about to start our second movie on a $5M budget. Our first movie is actually the production companies 6th movie. We wanted to experiment and see just how low we could go and hopefully inspire young people in New Zealand and the world to get out there and make a movie.
And Malcolm just so you know we already have a sales and distribution Agent in LA that looks after all our movies. But great point.
This is my first time of working on a film made in another country. So i am really looking for advice about how i approach the UK to talk about this, and if the approach is different or the same as a normal production.

6 years, 4 months ago - Alève Mine

Marlom thanks. Richard in that it can case it can help drum up some reach and I now understand your approach. But that 5mio film had better look that much better than the mobile film!

6 years, 4 months ago - Alève Mine

(writing on phone typos happen more)

6 years, 4 months ago - Richard Anthony Dunford

Here's the BFI website link if you want to apply for UK development funding for the £5m film https://www.bfi.org.uk/supporting-uk-film/production-development-funding/development-funding
From the guidelines I get the impression they concentrate on new talent so if you've been in the industry for 30 years you'd probably want an emerging director, writer, producer etc to be the focus of your application.

6 years, 4 months ago - Richard Vizor

Aleve thats no problem i suffer from typos all the time. Are you on linkedin i'd love to connect. I think our 5M film will have a bit more than this on, but mind you we did get alot of help from Peter Jacksons production crew.

6 years, 4 months ago - Richard Vizor

Great thanks for the link Rich. Any of you guys want to hook up on linkedin that would be great

6 years, 4 months ago - Alève Mine

Sure: linkedin.com/in/alevemine

6 years, 3 months ago - Darren Brade

Hi Richard

Just reading this. Are you in Cannes next month (May)?

I'm not from the BFI, but I will be working (still photography) at the BFI UK Pavillion there. I do know they will have many of the key BFI advisors there that you can book 121 advisory sessions with (at the Pavilion reception desk).

Darren
https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrenbrade/