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Hello. I'm writing a business plan for a series of what could be considered "ultra-low budget films" that I want to produce for about $200,000 to $300,000 each. To attract some investors, I want to put together a forecast for these movies' potential revenue. To do that, I'm supposed to compare...

I've started researching fiscal sponsors for a feature length narrative fiction film I'm making. For those of you who have already been down this path: which fiscal sponsors would you recommend? Also, what characteristics should I look for in a fiscal sponsor? And what signs should I take as a...

I'm thinking of registering for this online course on business plans and financing for independent films. Film Finance & Business Plan Accelerator, from Film Specific http://www.filmfinanceaccelerator.com/#intro But I'm only thinking about it. $300 is a fair sum of money even if it is the...

I've been doing a bit of research on feature film distribution and what deliverables potential distributors look for. I've come across the phrase "DME separated" and haven't yet found an explanation for what DME means. Could someone here enlighten me? While I'm on the subject of distribution...

I'm writing a budget for the next films I plan to make. I was wondering if there is some source online or even in print that details the current union rates for members of the crew. It would serve as a reference to halp me put together realistic numbers for the budget.

There's a startup web series I came to know of via one of my contacts that I've worked with before. It has filmed a few short episodes already and has its creative talent resolved already (director, writer, cast). But it needs much help with its production (administrative) side. In addition...

I'm slated to direct my next film, which is in preproduction with about a month to go before the first day of shooting. The cast selection is almost complete and I'm quite pleased with the screenplay I wrote. We've been finding private homeowners who are willing to rent out their homes (usually...

I'm producing and directing a micro budget dramatic short film in New York and am in need of a house to use as the story's location. I'm especially looking for a place with that is varied enough to conceivably serve as a couple different locations in the story. I inquired with a location scout...

Our short film production, which is shooting this weekend, is in need of insurance that covers... -Liability -Third Party Property Damage -Equipment (rentals & owned) -Worker's Compensation And, as an ultra-low-budget film we need it very inexpensively. The dates of coverage are Thursday...

I'm producing a short, narrative film. I would like to know where I can find some sample contracts meant for particular members of the crew, in particular the Director of Photography and Sound Designer. I do own a book by Kelly Charles Crabb called The Movie Business, which can help. But where...

I'm producing a short film with a very, very small, shoestring budget of $2,500. It looks as if we're not going to go far over that amount. However, I really want to buy an insurance policy (not budgeted for) that at least covers liability and preferably also includes property and rental...

I'm wondering where are the best places where I can find a professional to create a reel for an actor that I know. Perhaps I should place an ad at Mandy.com? Please advise.

I'm planning to take out liability insurance during the production of my next short film. It's an ultra-low-budget short. What are some of the reputable companies that would provide liability insurance during production. Obviously, they should have inexpensive policies but adequate coverage...

I've been submitting my short film — made with DSLR cameras and still in its HD digital format — to a number of festivals. All of the festivals I've submitted to will accept the film on Blu-ray or DVD for exhibition. However, I've come across one festival that would require the film to be...

My editor and I have been doing some color timing changes to our short film, shot on high-def digital video. Generally speaking, it involves desaturating the image a bit and increasing the blue a bit to give the overall look a colder look than it would otherwise has. However, as we did so we...

For my next film, there will be one day on which we shoot inside a hotel suite (living room and bedroom). I've contacted a number of hotels and explained that we're an independent production that needs to shoot inside a hotel room and asked if the hotel would have any objections. But, in most...

Has anyone yet tried the Adobe Creative Cloud? It looks intriguing to me. It appears that, with an account, a user can download all the CS6 applications for a relatively low per-month cost. I don't know if there's a catch, but it sees like a good deal. Adobe Creative Cloud...

An acquaintance of mine gave me DVDs of raw video and audio footage from a film he was involved with with the hope that I would be able to make an reedit the film. My issue is that the footage is comprised mainly of files with an .MXF format, which I'd never even heard of before. (I found some...

I have access to an old version of Final Cut Studio; the discs are dated 2005. Does anyone know whether it will work on my current iMac computer, which runs Mac OS X v. 10.7.3? I understand there's a newer version of Final Cut, but was told that many features found on previous editions used by...

I just started using the trial version of Adobe Premiere CS5.5 on my iMac, which runs at least Mac OS X Lion 10.7.2 (possibly later). The computer has a 3.4 GHz Intel Core i7 processor; 16 GB of 1333 MHz DDR3 RAM, a 251 GB Solid State Drive and a 1 TB SATA Hard Drive. Soon after I started...