I'm very excited for the new year that is ahead of us. 2009 has been all about business and getting everything lined up for when that wonderful thing call money drops. We've perfected our business plan, our stradegy, and definitely our budget, we revised, then revised again, then once again revised. We're as ready as we can be, at least until we get feedback, then the changes will begin again.
With all this time spent on the business side the creative side has been waiting quietly. So, every chance I get I like to sit down and read through the script. It's a way to remind myself what all this effort is for, this new education in business. I can see how people can get lost in the details and numbers of it all, looking forward to the future, asking all these question that really has nothing to do with the creative storytelling of filmmaking, like what kind of return can this film have? Which revenue stream is it best suited for? Who is our audience and how do we find them? And suddenly they find themselves overwhelmed and ready to chuck it all. I haven't gotten that far down the rabbit hole, but I can see how easy it could happen...at least to a writer / producer or writer / director / producer. Having to split your time between writing, visulizing the story and stradegizing how to make money back, that definitely makes a girl's head spin. I know it's helped me to take these little excursions back into the world that I love, to spend time with those characters that I know so well, those wonderful characters that I can't wait to introduce to you all, it's kept me focused, and reminds me why I'm so passionate about this project. And so I move forward, keep learning, keep searching and keep pushing.
So 2009 was the year of learning and 2010, what will come is unknown, it could be...the year the money drops, the year of standing on set, the year of dark editting suites... or and this is the way I like to think it'll be the year of one step at a time.
I'll keep you post.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Friday, December 04, 2009
When you need help ask for it...
...but don't just blindly hand things over, you have to take the time and learn as much as you can. Finding people who can help you along the way is very important. We've been working the last several monthes on our budget with the help of this great lady, Megan. She's awesome and she's taught me alot about budgetting and thinking in budgetting terms.
But the process has been long and arduous, we started out doing a budget with all the bells and wistles - well maybe not all of the bells but in the low budget world we definitely had alot. It was great...but as time has moved forward and I really put myself to task on our distribution strategy, it came to lite what's going on in the marketplace now. For Indie's it's pretty tough. The budget we had was wonderful but the harsh reality was recoupment was very unlikely at that level. We had to cut it down.
So, Megan did it, came back with a much lower budget and now I've sat with it many a night working, rearranging, rethinking and I believe we are there. Of course, I've probably missed something, but I can dream it's all good, right? Now, it's time for me to hand it back to Megan and the other producers and see what they think of my handy work. I'll let you know how I did...but just for luck, could you cross your fingers for me.
So, what I'm trying to say is if you are desparate to make your film but you don't know anything about producing or business, I highly recommend before raising any money, go get yourself educated, find people who have done it before, ask questions, ask for help, learn about what's happening in the world of independent film and where your film can find a home. Because this isn't about making just one movie, I hope. I hope that like me, you're just getting started and with that you've got many many more movies in you...if that's the case make this one count. Don't you think?
But the process has been long and arduous, we started out doing a budget with all the bells and wistles - well maybe not all of the bells but in the low budget world we definitely had alot. It was great...but as time has moved forward and I really put myself to task on our distribution strategy, it came to lite what's going on in the marketplace now. For Indie's it's pretty tough. The budget we had was wonderful but the harsh reality was recoupment was very unlikely at that level. We had to cut it down.
So, Megan did it, came back with a much lower budget and now I've sat with it many a night working, rearranging, rethinking and I believe we are there. Of course, I've probably missed something, but I can dream it's all good, right? Now, it's time for me to hand it back to Megan and the other producers and see what they think of my handy work. I'll let you know how I did...but just for luck, could you cross your fingers for me.
So, what I'm trying to say is if you are desparate to make your film but you don't know anything about producing or business, I highly recommend before raising any money, go get yourself educated, find people who have done it before, ask questions, ask for help, learn about what's happening in the world of independent film and where your film can find a home. Because this isn't about making just one movie, I hope. I hope that like me, you're just getting started and with that you've got many many more movies in you...if that's the case make this one count. Don't you think?
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