Filmmaking Stuff Filmmaking Stuff provides resources for independent filmmakers. The website includes articles on how to take a story idea from script to screen, including articles on scriptwriting, producing, finance, shooting, editing, directing, marketing, distribution and how to build an audience. Filmmaking Stuff also has articles detailing how to make money making movies – including interviews with Hollywood Producers, Directors, writers and other filmmaking professionals.

If you were one of the readers of Filmmaking Stuff who got to meet me at Sundance, you know that the Sundance Film Festival was a blast. Snow. Cold. Wet feet – And a gazillion filmmakers all trudging through the elements to just be part of the action. And my action these days is Movie Distribution and crowdfunding.

Specifically, I enjoy showing filmmakers how to leverage the internet to source an audience – so that you can get movies seen and selling.

Inline with this passion, I was invited to participate on a crowdfunding and distribution panel with some folks.

John Rustin (BnY), Jerad Anderson (Watchbox Media, Inc.), Jason Brubaker (Filmmaking Stuff), Danae Ringelmann (IndieGoGo), Moderated by John Corser

This panel was interesting. I was impressed by Danae Ringelmann (of IndieGoGo) and some of the tips she shared on successful crowdfunding. Such as: Start early. Know why you want to make your movie. Have some idea of how to reach your target audience.

After that the conversation moved over to distribution and sourcing an audience… During this time, I shared a few of my usual tips on how to market and sell your movie. And this led us to the topic of streaming platforms. I was totally excited about Jerad Anderson of Watchbox and what he shared about his new streaming platform for filmmakers.

Later in the talk, Adam Chapnick from distribber walked into the room. Distribber allows you to get your movie seen and selling on all the popular video on demand marketplaces without the creative accounting usually found in traditional distribution deals. (Disclosure – Distribber pays me to promote. So do your own diligence.) With that said, check out distribber.

And finally… If you missed Sudance but you want to get the good stuff, check out www.HowToSellYourMovie.com

Posted under DISTRIBUTION

I’m back from Sundance. This was one of those trips that you don’t plan. But when you get a call from someone in Utah asking if you would like to participate in a panel on crowd funding and modern movie distribution (at Sundance) you have to go!

So picture this. My bags are packed, I’m loading my car – and then I get a call from the airline. My flight has been canceled! UGH. Thanks United Airlines…

Never one to let obstacles get in my way, I pretended I didn’t know my flight was canceled and I drove the airport. I parked my car in one of the many airport parking lots, boarded the shuttle and proceeded to the United terminal.

Turns out whenever you have fog in San Francisco, (and San Francisco is your connecting flight to Utah) it becomes very difficult for airplanes to land. It also turns out that whenever San Francisco is shut down, you will have an airport with more than fifty displaced passengers presently looking for alternate flights.

At this point, you realize there is nothing special about you. And even though you may think of a gazillion reasons why you should get more of a privilege over the forty-nine other passengers in line (like wanting to attend some cool Sundance parties), you also realize that nobody cares. It is at this point when you fantasize about things you can say to get some leverage. For example, I thought about telling the ticket agent I was friends with the CEO of United Airlines – I didn’t actually tell her this. But you get my point…

While waiting for your chance to chat with ticket judge, the only real asset you have is kindness and the unyielding hope that the ticketing agent is in a good mood. When I got to the agent, she seemed to be OK with me… But she also told me that all alternate United flights were booked. So she suggested that I stay in LA for the night and come back the following day.

Had I agreed, I would have missed the Filmmaking panel at Sundance. Heck, I would have missed Sundance.

If this happens to you, I suggest you act as though you don’t hear the word no. Because sometimes persistence pays off and the universe really does provide. Ask the following question: “Are you sure you can’t do anything?” Then SHUT UP! Don’t say another word. Let the pressure of the silence build tension… Until…

“Well, we could try to get you on another Airline. What if we put you on a Delta flight to Salt Lake City?”

Bingo! Thank you United for the rare customer service!

After a two minute flight from LA to San Diego (not kidding. It really was like two minutes) and a short lay over and two White Russians – I hopped on my final flight and arrived in Utah – instantly blasted with a cold air I haven’t felt since my days living in New York City.

I’m pretty sure the airport was filled with a gazillion other filmmaker types wandering around. Maybe it was my imagination. But in some strange way, I felt at home. This feeling was further amplified when an attractive young woman smiled at me and asked if my name was Jason. I thought she was hitting on me. Turns out…

“Yes. Do I know you?”
“No. But I read your newsletter.”

And as I would soon learn, she wasn’t the only one at Sundance who reads these words. Which is surreal. I mean who are you people? Really?

Anyway, I really wish I could have stayed at Sundance for like all week. But the short notice prevented me from really planning a proper trip. So let’s focus on making a successful Sundance plan for next year.  And in this regard, in your next filmmaking article, I’m going to share the top 10 tips you need to know about a successful trip to Sundance film Festival.

In the meantime, if you feel like introducing yourself – please feel free to drop a comment below…

Posted under DISTRIBUTION

Filmmakers seeking money for movies have been jumping onto the various crowdfunding platforms to seek sponsorship monies. And if you’ve been following the trends, you know that crowfunding is becoming an increasingly viable way for filmmakers to raise money from sponsors.

And even with the buzz surrounding crowdfunding, whenever I put on a filmmaking workshop, I am always surprised by the amount of filmmakers who never heard of the concept.

If you’re a filmmaker seeking money, I’d like to provide you with several filmmaker friendly crowdfunding resources.

1. www.IndieGoGo.com
2. www.KickStarter.com
3. www.CrowdFundingMovies.com (my sponsor.)

While many of these sites have been catering to filmmakers since inception, I recently partnered with MicroGiving which touts the fact that they do not have a lot of filmmakers jamming up the space – but they do have many sponsors looking for projects. To find out more about this, visit the website www.CrowdfundingMovies.com

Posted under FILM FINANCING

As a filmmaker, one of the challenges you face is how to finance a film. When I was starting out, things were much different. Back then, if you wanted to finance a movie, you had to cross your fingers and wait for someone to grant you permission…

The problem is, many people in Hollywood are still waiting for someone else to give them permission. Permission to make a movie. Permission to be successful. Permission to live the best life possible. UGH!

Here is a little secret. If you’re looking to raise money for your movie, set up a crowdfunding campaign. This allows you to test your concept from day one. And if successful, crowdfunding also allows you to find the people who may be most interested in your movie. In addition to providing you with funding, some of these folks will help you spread word of mouth.

Earlier this week, I got a call from Micro Giving asking if I thought filmmakers would be interested in their crowdfunding platform. After checking out the site, I signed up to be their affiliate (so yes, I get paid to promote). But with that said, the reason why I think it’s worth checking out for filmmakers is… Competition.

The site has a ton of sponsors, but it does not yet have too many other filmmakers competing for the sponsorship monies. In fact, at the time of writing, there are very few film projects on the site. (And I know you could do better.)

Anyway, if you want to check out the site for a possible crowdfunding campaign – YOU CAN SET UP A FILMMAKING CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGN  HERE

Posted under FILM FINANCING

Image via Wikipedia

A few weeks back I gave a talk and was surprised that many filmmakers in attendance had never heard of crowdfunding.

If you are one of those filmmakers, crowdfunding provides you with the ability to reach out to your social networks and solicit your contacts for financial sponsorship.

In this “many to one” funding model, in exchange for donations, you provide various incentives. $5 dollars might get your sponsor a DVD. $500 dollars might get your sponsor an all expenses paid trip to the premier.

The other reason why I like crowdfunding is, it allows you to test a concept and source an audience from day one. In this regard, if your movie has a really sharp hook, you have the possibility of building buzz before you make your movie.

I have provided the following resources to help speed up your crowdfunding research:

Popular Crowdfunding Sites

www.indiegogo.com – Indie GoGo allows filmmakers to raise money and take whatever they get. Indie GoGo also owns a movie distribution arm called distribber.

www.kickstarter.com – This an all or nothing deal. Filmmakers either hit their goal, or they get nothing.

Distribution Tools

Assuming you are successful in your funding campaign, you will want to start thinking about your distribution strategy. To help with this, check out the following, popular distribution solutions:

www.distribber.com (my affiliate) – Owned by Indie GoGo, with a one-time upfront fee, this company allows filmmakers to access the popular VOD marketplaces, in a non-exclusive deal. In other-words, with this company you can avoid locking yourself into some sort of crappy distribution deal. And since the company is owned by Indie GoGo, many filmmakers utilize crowdfunding to cover their distribber distribution costs. Pretty smart, right?

www.DynamoPlayer.com – in ways akin to YouTube, this company allows filmmakers to upload their movies and then embed anywhere on the net. The video is then linked to PayPal or Amazon payments, which enables filmmakers to easily receive payment. The challenge with Dynamo is sourcing an audience. Unless you have significant web traffic, making money can be a challenge.

Also, read this article from the Wall Street Journal – The SEC is considering lifting regulations on private offerings. In the very near future, filmmakers may be able to sell shares of ownership through crowdfunding. It’s still a long way away, but worth thinking about.

Hope these filmmaking resources help. While you’re here, sign up for my newsletter >>

Posted under FILM FINANCING

Earlier this week, Sheri Candler was spreading word of mouth about a test screening of Gary King’s indie film musical:  How Do You Write A Joe Schermann Song. So I did something I haven’t done for awhile – I got out from behind my computer screen to meet and mingle with some new filmmakers face-to-face.

As the lights dimmed and Gary’s movie flickered across the screen, I was reminded of the year I lived in New York City. This was a time when I couch surfed between a sofa and an inflatable air mattress, all the while dreaming that I would someday make movies. Admittedly, maybe these memories were flooding back as a result of Gary’s movie. I mean, the story is based in Manhattan.

During the screening, and afterwards, I realized I have been missing something I haven’t felt for years.

I have forgotten the joy that comes from participating in activities with other folks from the indie filmmaking community. And I also realized that my world of indie filmmaking (once defined and limited by the following filmmaking mantra): save up all summer and buy an Arri BL, scrape together enough money to pay for film and processing, make the movie and PRAY for a distribution deal that makes sense – I’m pleased to say that era of filmmaking is over.

As a result of lower priced production equipment, coupled with new, non-discriminatory distribution, YOU can make, market and sell your movie this year and you don’t need to ask permission. Filmmakers like Gary King epitomize this movement – asking questions like “How do you write a Joe Schermann Song“ starring awesome actress Christina Rose (nice work Christina!)

Past that, there is something else. While the studios are excited about UltraViolet and a new attempt to control their piece of the world wide web, our thriving indie community could care less. Instead of worrying about traditional distribution, modern movie makers are more concerned with their YouTube following – and the size of their growing audience.

As a filmmaker, you are part of movie making history. And you probably don’t know it. But like all artistic and social movements that have come before, you are riding this wave. The question is, will you take advantage of this opportunity – or will you find yet another reason why you can’t make your movie this year?

ALSO:

At the screening, I met close to a dozen people who claimed to have heard of me or knew me from this website. Please give me some time to adjust socially – It’s not every day that people approach me and quote my ideas back to me… But I want you to know I am honored and grateful for your readership.

This is usually the part in the article where I ask you to sign up for my newsletter.

Posted under FILMMAKING

If you’ve been reading Filmmaking Stuff for any length of time, you’ve probably noticed I talk a lot about “sourcing an audience.” And after having a discussion on the topic with one of my clients, it occurred to me that most filmmakers have no idea what I’m talking about.

So let me break it down.

In the old days, making, marketing and selling your movies required that you knew someone in Hollywood and had a gazillion dollars. It also meant that you waited around forever for some traditional distributor to validate your existence and hopefully pick up your movie (with something other than a crappy deal.)

But that was then. These days, you don’t need to know anybody in Hollywood. You don’t need a gazillion dollars. And (thankfully) you no longer need some traditional movie distributor to give you permission to make, market and sell your movie. And while these changes make this an awesome time to make movies, the new challenge is finding people willing to pay money to watch your movie.

So how do you a source an audience? I’ll give you one word: Crowdfunding.

What is crowdfunding? According to Wikipedia, “crowdfunding describes the collective cooperation, attention and trust by people who network and pool their money and other resources together, usually via the Internet, to support efforts initiated by other people or organizations.” In short, this means filmmakers finally have a new way to raise money.

Filmmakers can set up profiles at various crowdfunding websites and then easily promote their movie project via their social networks and ask for money. In exchange for money, filmmakers offer tiered incentives to prospective sponsors. For example, in exchange for ten bucks, you might offer a promotional t-shirt and and a DVD. For five-hundred bucks, you might offer a flight to the premiere.

Crowdfunding in this context is not the same as seeking equity investors. Which makes this a very uncomplicated way to find sponsors and raise money. But outside of this obvious use, the little known secret of crowdfunding is this – Let’s say you’re a filmmaker with an idea for a movie. And let’s suggest that you aren’t sure how many people would be interested in your movie… So you set up a crowdfunding campaign.

If successful, your crowdfunding campaign will allow you to raise money – but as an important ancillary benefit, your campaign will also allow you test your movie concept with a built in, responsive focus group. Assuming you reach your funding goal, you will not only generate your initial buzz – but you will also source the early adopters for your movie… And these early adopters will grow into a group of fans who will help you spread word of mouth about your movie.

Depending on the scope and scale of your movie, once you have successfully completed a crowdfunding campaign, you may choose to leverage this success to seek out traditional investors. But instead of having an untested movie idea, you have a little POC. What’s POC? Proof of concept. (I credit writer Craig Spector for teaching me about the importance of POC.)

Crowdfunding helps you prove your concept. In the unfortunate event your campaign is not successful, this knowledge will help you go back to the basics and refine your concept before you take the next steps in you movie making process.

Here are 3 crowdfunding sites that are worth investigating:

1. www.IndieGoGo.com
2. www.KickStarter.com
3. www.Invested.in

Happy filmmaking.

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Posted under FILM FINANCING