Film at Private Locations

F

FilmPrivate

Hello Indietalk Community,

I am an independent filmmaker in Austin, Texas. I am about to launch an idea with a website developer concerning studios filming on private locations. We have come up with a business that could potentially dramatically improve efficiency within the studio and could be a great way for private locations to gain extra revenue outside of their market. I just wanted to get the community's initial thoughts on the project and if you think locations would use it. Thanks for the consideration!

Note: This idea is protected.

After weeks of research, probing professionals I shared an office with, and negotiating with a website developer, I pinpointed a specific idea for a business that could revolutionize the way production studios find private locations to film. Production studios pay approximately 300-2000 dollars a day to private locations to film. It is my belief that many privately owned businesses do not realize how much extra profit they could make annually if they opened up their doors to studios every so often. Thus, FilmPrivate.com will charge private locations a small monthly fee to advertise themselves to producers on the website. If enough locations within an area do so, then any production studio looking to film at a private location could simply log on to its free account on FilmPrivate and use an advanced search filter (city, type of location, price range, etc.) to find the perfect location. The location will post photos of themselves, a short description, contact information, and the rate it would charge to a production studio based on its own perceived value. If the studio decides on a location, it could complete the necessary transactions between the location and itself through the website with a minimal processing fee. Additionally, after the studio uses the location, it can post a review of the location. Therefore, other studios can not only know which locations are hospitable and fairly priced, but they can also see who the review was posted by and get quality information from its source.

Essentially, instead of studios looking for private locations, they can have the locations come to them. This could dramatically increase time efficiency within the office. It could also save studios hundreds of dollars they would pay to a location scout. Moreover, it attracts business for everyone: private locations are gaining extra revenue from something outside of their market, production studios are more efficiently creating films as well as getting acquainted with one another through reviews, and featured advertisements are entering the film sector. Imagine every major city having hundreds of posted private locations and thousands of producers with accounts looking to use private locations. Filming across the nation would be as easy as clicking your mouse.

Any and all criticism is welcome. What do you all think? Is this something you would use? It's already in the works!

Cheers!
 
TheArtist said:
Hello FP.

You can't protect an idea.

Absolutely nothing can't prevent me of doing it too. That's like Economic Competition 101.
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Hi TheArtist,

What I meant by that statement is that it's already being made and may be considered a creative work. More so than anything, it could simply be ill-advised to do the exact same thing. Sorry for the confusion, and thanks for the input!

Thanks for the welcomes IndieTalk. And mlesemann, that's an excellent suggestion. That would probably be worked out between the producer and the private location depending on what the script calls for. I appreciate the input.

Cheers!
 
FilmPrivate said:
it's already being made and may be considered a creative work. More so than anything, it could simply be ill-advised to do the exact same thing.
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I suggest you start notifying all the other companies that have been doing this for decades to knock it off pronto, then. :bag:

Welcome to IndieTalk :)
 
FilmPrivate said:
Zensteve, could you point me in the direction of these companies? Tried looking for them but could not. Thanks!
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Seriously?! Dang, google ain't that hard. Here's just one to get you started. http://www.filmlocationswanted.com/

There are dozens of similar services to be found on the web, and even more that don't even have a web-presence at all. Finding locations (and cars) for film is a long established field of business.

What's going to set your service apart?
 
I can’t tell you if this is being done in Houston, but there are
several dozen places here in California doing this - charging
small, private location owners a small fee to be placed on a
website where independent producer can look. Set up by city,
location price range, etc. I few years ago I made a film in
Florida and found three companies doing exactly the same
thing there. In 2011 I found a company providing this exact
same service in Arizona while searching for locations.

So maybe you’re business plan is unique to you specific location,
but it’s not an idea that can be protected. People have been
doing exactly the same thing for many years. Before the internet
I remember three companies who did this in the SoCal area.
They charged a small fee to include photos in a binder of
private location owners willing to rent out their properties for
a small fee to students and indie filmmakers. This was in the
mid 1980’s. And guess who their main clients were?
Location scouts.

It’s a great idea. I wish you well and if no one in you area is
doing it then you will be first. But your “idea” has been done
and done successfully for decades.
 
Thanks for the input directorik and Zensteve. I called it my idea since I did not know anything was out there like this. Now I know! Be on the lookout for FilmPrivate.com, we will be launching in a couple of months. We're very excited! I appreciate the enlightening :)
 
A big picture will hire a location scout (or team) because many bring 10+ years experience and they can afford to.

Budget indie productions can't afford to hire professional location scouts, and the amount they have available for location budgets is hugely less than the big studio productions.

In Vancouver, a location scout has set up a website that has multiple galleries of available filming locations. It's 'free' to use initially. You email the locations, negotiate your price - once the price is agreed you need to pay the location scout a single fee (I think it's $50). The site's designed for low budget productions. The big productions hire him or his team personally.

Only a fraction of the sites he knows are on the 'free' database.
 
your idea

We are new here as well and this is a great idea but hey why limit it to just businesses. we are experiencing trouble finding a home to film our first short in and a site that had people willing to open their homes would be amazingly helpful. kudo's on a great idea! goodluck!:welcome:
 
Zensteve:

We are currently making the site exceptionally easy to use and affordable, which can certainly give us an advantage. We plan for the simplicity of the design to market itself. We also want to cater to indie studios who don't have as big of budgets, as IndiePaul cleverly pointed out. This can be considered as our niche. We are also starting out in the Austin area, and I don't know of one that caters to this city specifically. If there is, it is not known or used that often.

Directorik:

I simply spoke to a friend about it and he said that if it is "created" or being created, then it is protected, even if it isn't registered. I apologize if I was misinformed! I know IP laws in Europe but am unfortunately unknowledgeable in U.S. IP.

MachNero Films:

Thanks for the advice! We'll certainly take it into consideration. It must be especially difficult to find residences willing to open their doors. We'll try to figure out a way to cater to that unmet demand, if there is any. The input is certainly appreciated.
 
FilmPrivate said:
Zensteve:

We are currently making the site exceptionally easy to use and affordable, which can certainly give us an advantage. We plan for the simplicity of the design to market itself. We also want to cater to indie studios who don't have as big of budgets, as IndiePaul cleverly pointed out. This can be considered as our niche. We are also starting out in the Austin area, and I don't know of one that caters to this city specifically. If there is, it is not known or used that often.

Directorik:

I simply spoke to a friend about it and he said that if it is "created" or being created, then it is protected, even if it isn't registered. I apologize if I was misinformed! I know IP laws in Europe but am unfortunately unknowledgeable in U.S. IP.

MachNero Films:

Thanks for the advice! We'll certainly take it into consideration. It must be especially difficult to find residences willing to open their doors. We'll try to figure out a way to cater to that unmet demand, if there is any. The input is certainly appreciated.
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im afraid your idea is done already by many others, you will have to be extremely competitive with your prices, having seen you wrote that you havent found anyone with your idea leads me to believe that you haven't done proper market research..

with a quick google search i can come up with over 10 websites offering what you are, all at very good prices to be fair.

theres nothing that you have that i can see being protected, you havent created anything as such that can be patented copyrighted or trademarked, apart from your name...

just be very careful about your prices remember the big boys may have offered companies big commission price..
 
FilmPrivate, if you check out LA411.com (loc. srvs. & equip.) you'll find dozens of companies doing similar things to what you have planned. If you scout those websites you might get some ideas of what they're doing and what YOU can do differently.
 
I would suggest you do not charge a monthly fee to be on the site until your location has been used once. at least for the first year or two

this way you can end up with a lot more potential selections, that's going to be important for a startup website. driving that initial traffic, populating your databases. this is what is going to make you valuable to producers and keep your business cycle going.

if there really is money to be made from this like you say, then once clients do that first film gig, they'll more than likely reinvest it back into you with monthly payments afterward
 
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As sfoster says, you probably need to run it free for a while to get your user base up to a critical mass. Especially as you're aiming at the low budget market and from what you've said, you yourself are not an experienced location scout (which would lend instant credibility - "Hobbit location scout launches Indie-film location finder").

You're basically building a (business-oriented) social network from scratch. You need to try and make sure your locations have earned some money before you start charging them otherwise if they even sign up in the first place they may let their listings lapse - make the first 12 months free or something (you need to budget for the fact most social networks take at least 2-5 years to become cash-flow positive).

That also feeds into whether your business model is based on charging the locations a listing fee, the film makers a user fee, or both. You could take a leaf from dating websites - browse for free but the "Contact" button is blocked unless you're paid up.

In terms of protection, as others have said, not only are you not first to market but you can't "protect" that sort of concept, only the implementation. For instance, no one has rights over the concept of a social network, but Facebook's lawyers will be sending you snarky letters pretty quick if you rip off the "Like" button for your site. So work out what makes you unique, and also make sure you're not treading on the toes of the existing sites that people have listed when it comes to implementation. You need a clear unique selling point, which as you say is targeting the indie market.
 
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