archived-videos Check out our new Proof of Concept trailer for The Unknown!

K

knuckles

Hi everyone! This is the new proof of concept trailer we made for our Indiegogo campaign:

http://vimeo.com/32951703

The trailer was shot primarily with the 5D mkII using several lenses but mostly a Zeiss ZE 50mm f/1.4, edited in Final Cut Pro, exported into After Effects using Automatic Duck and was color graded using a combination of Colorista II and Looks, with a nice couple of shots using Twitch.

Any feedback, questions or thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

The link to the campaign can be found below, and even if you can't help support a fellow indie filmmaker, if you even remotely like the trailer please share the Indidgogo link so we can spread the word. Thank you!

http://www.indiegogo.com/The-Unknown
 
Upvote 0
@ rockerrockstar Thanks :) I also prefer the numbers versus spelling them out. It's really a countdown, so spelling it out wouldn't be as impactful (imo). The down ending I was referring to is in films like Se7en or Saw, when it's not necessary to have everyone die, but it definitely ends on a down note.

@Gonzo_Entertainment I am a bit nutty lol, but not completely detached from reality. I did my homework, and I have more than a few tricks up my sleeve yet to get the funding we need. I'm not a moron, I realize the odds of actually getting the $300k via crowdfunding are slim, but I don't need $300k to get my financing. Just $30-50k, which I will get. Aside from what you see on the indiegogo site, we're also holding a fundraiser in the town where I live, and people here are not only very generous, but love that we have pledged to give 25% of our net profits from the film to the schools. Once that happens on the 22nd, I will be lowering the goal on the indiegogo page appropriately to reflect what we've raised. I also have been contacted by 3 different investors since launching the campaign, which in the indie film business is great! Plus the campaign isn't even halfway done yet. I am ever the optimist, and there have been TONS of indie films with budgets far bigger than mine that have gotten their funding :)

@finderskeepers Thanks!
 
trueindie said:
Did you know these investors personally before the launch of the campaign, or did they get in touch with you once they saw your campaign?

thanks
aveek
Click to expand...

Nope, never met them before in my life. Two of them are people who have invested seriously into other films, and one is a real estate investor looking to get into film investing.
 
knuckles said:
Nope, never met them before in my life. Two of them are people who have invested seriously into other films, and one is a real estate investor looking to get into film investing.
Click to expand...

Awesome!! So how did they find out about your film and your campaign?? It would be mighty educational for a lot of us if you would kindly elaborate.

Thanks again,
Aveek
 
trueindie said:
Awesome!! So how did they find out about your film and your campaign?? It would be mighty educational for a lot of us if you would kindly elaborate.

Thanks again,
Aveek
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's pretty sweet :yes:

Well, one of them saw the link on a forum like this one and just watched it and then sent me a private message through indiegogo. Another one (the real estate investor) was referred to the campaign page by a friend who thought it was something that might interest him. The third one is actually someone in L.A. who was sent the link to the trailer and a copy of the script by our production designer, who works out there most of the year. She read the script, then watched the trailer and called me at like midnight lol. She's really excited, and is probably the one who will end up funding the project, although she's talking a much bigger budget in the very low 7-figure's, which is more than a little intimidating to be honest. Never had to deal with such a budget before, and I really don't know what I would do with all the extra cash. $300k is what I need, and I've always been really good at making the most with minimal cash, so that just seems like a waste. She doesn't want any re-casting though, if it happens, which is good because I am very happy with my cast. No matter what happens though I'm really excited about this one, and it's a great feeling getting people who can make things happen interested!

More than happy to answer any questions so feel free to ask! :)
 
knuckles said:
Yeah, it's pretty sweet :yes:

Well, one of them saw the link on a forum like this one and just watched it and then sent me a private message through indiegogo. Another one (the real estate investor) was referred to the campaign page by a friend who thought it was something that might interest him. The third one is actually someone in L.A. who was sent the link to the trailer and a copy of the script by our production designer, who works out there most of the year. She read the script, then watched the trailer and called me at like midnight lol. She's really excited, and is probably the one who will end up funding the project, although she's talking a much bigger budget in the very low 7-figure's, which is more than a little intimidating to be honest. Never had to deal with such a budget before, and I really don't know what I would do with all the extra cash. $300k is what I need, and I've always been really good at making the most with minimal cash, so that just seems like a waste. She doesn't want any re-casting though, if it happens, which is good because I am very happy with my cast. No matter what happens though I'm really excited about this one, and it's a great feeling getting people who can make things happen interested!

More than happy to answer any questions so feel free to ask! :)
Click to expand...

Wow!! That's just a great friggin story. I think you just paved a new way....
Good luck to you and your investor on this film. I mean it. You did a great job with the trailer. I'm pretty sure you'll do a good job with the money.
Best,
Aveek
 
I’ll tell you what strikes me:

knuckles said:
As for the "pie in the sky" dreams of raising $300k, well lol, that they may be, but I want to make a great film, not an "okay" indie film.
Click to expand...
Seems to indicate that the more money spend the better the film.
You can make an "okay" indie film with $3,000 - you can make a
great film with $300,000.

knuckles said:
Never had to deal with such a budget before, and I really don't know what I would do with all the extra cash. $300k is what I need, and I've always been really good at making the most with minimal cash, so that just seems like a waste.
Click to expand...
But you can't think of what to do with seven figures?

I'll tell you what you do with the extra cash.

Pay your cast and crew better. An 18 day shoot with a crew of 15
paying around $15 per hour is around $50,000. Add 6 days to the
shoot and pay $20 per hour. Add 5 crew members to make the
shoot go smoother - ease the work load of a small crew. Rent a few
pieces of equipment you couldn't afford at 300k. Pay your actors
10% more than your current budget. Up your post audio budget
by 10%. Hire a "name" actor for marketing purposes. Hell, pay
yourself a little more money for all your time, talent and experience.
You're worth it.

None of that is a waste. As you know, you can make a movie for
$3,000 - you can make a better one for $300,000 - none of that
money wasted. Low seven figures wont be wasted if you use it well.
You seriously think you could not use another 6 or 12 days of shooting?
Or another 3 to 5 weeks of post? If you add to both will you and the
crew be sitting around doing nothing?
 
@ trueindie and wheatgrinder, thank you!

@directorik, all absolutely good and valid points. I'm so used to working on extreme shoestring budgets that a 7 figure budget seems insane lol. Truth be told, at $300k I'm not even getting paid anything, only cast and the rest of the crew. I opted to just get paid on the back end to help free up more cash for the production. And you're absolutely right, in our business one can always use more days/time. Thanks!
 
I shoot 3 to 4 generally, but have shot as many as 6 or 7.
1 to 2 pages a day seems to me to be the level where you can really drill down into the details. Where "OK, take the 45 minutes to totally re-light for the closeup" or "I know we've been shooting the scene for an hour, but I still don't have the performance I want. Let's take 15 then come back and try it again" become real options.

As opposed to "That's good enough, we HAVE to move on!". The phrase I use a lot and wish I didn't have to.
 
Gonzo_Entertainment said:
I shoot 3 to 4 generally, but have shot as many as 6 or 7.
1 to 2 pages a day seems to me to be the level where you can really drill down into the details. Where "OK, take the 45 minutes to totally re-light for the closeup" or "I know we've been shooting the scene for an hour, but I still don't have the performance I want. Let's take 15 then come back and try it again" become real options.

As opposed to "That's good enough, we HAVE to move on!". The phrase I use a lot and wish I didn't have to.
Click to expand...

Amen to that brother!
 
Okay so we can't change our goal once it's set, BUT I have been in talks with one of the investors who is extremely interested in the project and she said if we can get just 10% of our goal, $30k, we will get our financing for the rest!! Super stoked about this! Please donate now and help us reach that $30k mark!! This is totally doable with everyone's help!

Thank you!!

www.indiegogo.com/The-Unknown
 
Sweet!

If you could get that in writing, regardless how the crowd funding goes you could most likely get a bank loan for that $30k. Prep a business plan and include your trailer.

That's good news for real though!
 
PaulGriffith said:
Sweet!

If you could get that in writing, regardless how the crowd funding goes you could most likely get a bank loan for that $30k. Prep a business plan and include your trailer.

That's good news for real though!
Click to expand...

Thanks!

I do have it in writing, but she was also very specific that it has to be gained through our campaign. Basically, if we can get $30k, it shows her that either 1 person has enough faith in the project to invest $30k, or 30,000 people have enough desire to see it that they were willing to donate a $1 up front. To her, either way that shows a "significant interest in the film." So if we can hit that mark, she feels confident she can at least make her investment back. We actually would have to get 39,286 people to see the film in theaters for her to break even, but she's confident with the $30k goal :)
 
Okay so I'm editing the interview videos with myself, the producers and two of our actors. How long do you guys think these should be? I ask because, even edited down significantly they are all around 10 minutes, with mine closer to 20. We definitely cover a lot and these will absolutely be on the DVD extras lol.

Thoughts?
 
This looks really great. Extremely well done for the budget...for any budget.

Would love to know if you guys have all principle roles cast yet. Great project, good luck. I'll spread the word.
 
M1chae1 said:
This looks really great. Extremely well done for the budget...for any budget.

Would love to know if you guys have all principle roles cast yet. Great project, good luck. I'll spread the word.
Click to expand...

Thanks! At this point all principle roles have been cast, however there are a handful of featured extra roles still uncast, including a fairly prominent one at the end of the film. Feel free to email me your headshot and resume at:

brent@steephillfilms.com

I'll be happy to get back to you!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top