Film Entrepreneur New to Forum Looking to Do Big Things

[PaulW]

Which is exactly why there might be value in an online platform like this. Baltimore/D.C is a large area with a lot of filmmakers so it's challenging to meet the right people to help you make your stories. But the funny thing is, the right people may just be a few miles away from you. You just never realized it because maybe you didn't join the same film and writing groups that I joined like Charm City Filmmakers or worked on the same projects with the people I know.

What's even funnier is the fact that I personally know tons of very talented filmmakers who are eager to jump on a good story and are willing to do it for a reduced price or free if the story is good enough and it's not crazy complicated. A lot of these people work commercial gigs that are boring to them, which is why they go off on the weekends and make films. But these filmmakers never took the time to learn how to write so their stories need writers and they need stories to work on because, at the end of the day, most filmmakers want to get money and recognition for their creative work, which means they need content.

Obviously, money plays a big role, but not as big as you might think especially for shorts that are really really good. If you can give a filmmaker a short that's easy enough to shoot and guaranteed to place well in festivals and possibly go viral then you have all the filmmakers and resources you need to get yourself and others in the position you want to be. The only problem? You need the connections.

Indietalk is a great place to find stories and learn about writing. So is Reddit and a lot of other places. It's even better to join mastermind groups like the Charm City Filmmakers because ultimately you want to build meaningful connections. So why not have an app that can facilitate these connections?

Sure money is still a problem, particularly if you're trying to scale up, but that's why we're working on a solution that may be promising. I don't know, but at least it's worth a shot.

Good luck!

What I don't understand is your theoretical description of a model doesn't seem to fit the practical reality of how we're raising finance. I could be completely wrong, though, because you haven't laid it out so I'm unsure because what I'm getting is just reading between the lines. Maybe if I give you an example.

For example, at the moment in the UK, we're looking at raising finance for a short. If the short rocks, the source will likely give us enough for a feature. We're at advanced stages, the source has already given us a little money for a small, prior project which worked well and I'd say we have a 50 / 50 chance for the short. If the short works, I'd say we have an incredibly good chance of feature money. Timescale is probably by 1st August.

If we get to a feature, we will have a ready-made audience, an incredible chance of cinematic distribution and an outside possibility of an 'A' list, name actor and an OK possibility of a 'B' list actor known throughout the world. For the A-list actor, I'd say a 2% chance at best and for the 'B' list actor who can sell tickets, probably a 20% chance. Getting a known, local 'UK' actor who wouldn't be much of a ticket seller (but might sell a few, locally) would be easy in a minor role.

The elements that don't fit are:

1. Investment money always comes with strings. No-one in the universe says 'here's a load of money, do whatever you want.'
2. An A-list or B-list actor would also come with strings.
3. My 'feel' (which could be completely wrong) are that you're creating an alternative distribution platform. This simply doesn't work with our investor or any investor I know. The investors will want a return and limiting ourselves to a single platform doesn't make sense.
4. If we were limiting ourselves to a single platform, we'd need the platform to pay for our movie upfront.
5. Piracy: As soon as movies are out, if they are good, their ticket-selling or 'viewing' potential seems to be relatively short-lived because of piracy. How are you planning to deal with this?

So good luck but can you tell me, simply, how this would fit with our model of fundraising? And our model is definitely atypical!

Best

Paul

 

[sfoster]

I've found that it's quite EASY to help someone think outside the box...

Tell me more about this if you dont mind.
My belief is that you cannot take a stick and beat someone clever.
Nor can you take a boring man and turn them into a hysterical comedian.

You can teach someone craft and hone their talent and creativity but without that natural talent... how can you gift creativity?

 

[Unknown Screenwriter]

I've had MANY brainstorming sessions over the years with both wannabe and professional screenwriters. We've taken their concept and simply PUSHED it with WHAT IF questions. Something these people never did on their own. I have my own personal system because I pretty much work in a vacuum. I use a digital recorder to record what I have about my concepts... I keep doing that as I get new ideas about it. Once I feel like I have a decent amount of content? I download all those as MP3 files to my laptop and listen AGAIN but this time? I take notes.

As I take notes and after I take notes... I push every note with WHAT IF questions and my RULE OF THUMB is that there are NO STUPID WHAT IF QUESTIONS. They do not even have to relate to the concept.

For example... I could take one of my concepts and because I recently read about your Witches vs. Alien Robot concept? And ask WHAT IF my Protagonist was a witch? How would that change things? What if my Protagonist was a welder... How would that change things? What if my Protagonist was a stay at home Mom?

In other words... Every piece of content gets PUSHED with as many WHAT IF questions as possible and then those answers get pushed with even more WHAT IF questions. Those answers get pushed as well... Rinse and repeat. I'll give it an hour or two but that's only ONE session. If we feel like we need more? We do more until we've fleshed out something we feel is something we've not seen before.

Most writers I've met? Never EVER push it to the extreme I push them. Most writers I've met? Have real problems when it comes to pushing their already conceived concept beyond what they already have. When you do this? I believe it helps stunt creativity and it's been my own experience that most writers I've met and worked with? Have no idea how to brainstorm so that everything in their concept is pushed to the extreme.

You can easily teach these brainstorming methods to others... Not all of it will stick but once someone REALIZES that you hold NOTHING BACK and that there is no BAD WHAT IF QUESTION? They allow themselves to begin thinking out of the box. Maybe not as extreme as someone like me who's been doing it for a couple of decades but much better than they were doing it (if they were doing it at all) previously.

In fact... I've seen this technique work so well that many of these writers I've worked with call me up EXCITED that they brainstormed something that they know they could have never come up with before because now they know there are NO RULES. There are NO LIMITS.

You can always dial something back down if you go overboard... But going overboard can make you come up with things we've never seen or heard of before.

 

[sfoster]

Most writers I've met? Never EVER push it to the extreme I push them. Most writers I've met? Have real problems when it comes to pushing their already conceived concept beyond what they already have. When you do this? I believe it helps stunt creativity and it's been my own experience that most writers I've met and worked with? Have no idea how to brainstorm so that everything in their concept is pushed to the extreme.

You can easily teach these brainstorming methods to others... Not all of it will stick but once someone REALIZES that you hold NOTHING BACK and that there is no BAD WHAT IF QUESTION? They allow themselves to begin thinking out of the box. Maybe not as extreme as someone like me who's been doing it for a couple of decades but much better than they were doing it (if they were doing it at all) previously.

In fact... I've seen this technique work so well that many of these writers I've worked with call me up EXCITED that they brainstormed something that they know they could have never come up with before because now they know there are NO RULES. There are no limits.

You can always dial something back down if you go overboard... But going overboard can make you come up with things we've never seen or heard of before.

interesting interesting.

random question generation and everything you've seen recently and your favorite movies. just anything you can think of.
okay ill give it a try.

 

[Unknown Screenwriter]

ANYTHING can become a question. That's one of the reasons I read the news for a couple of hours a day. I don't need to write any of it down because I have a very good memory. Basically, I expose myself to as much information as possible. I read anything and everything I can get my hands on. I've found that for me personally? This allows me to create WHAT IF questions that really push the content to the edge.

 

[Subijoy Acharjee]

Hello. My name is Matt and my brother and I have been writing and making films for over 7 years around the Baltimore/D.C region. We recently decided to take the plunge and pivot into creating a new business model for the film industry using Web 3.0 technology that's rolling out.

It's an ambitious goal, but we feel that the central model in the film industry is antiquated and severely limiting to creators and consumers alike. It's true that the current model is very effective in making films, but there's a major cost to this. More leveraging power ends up falling into the hands of a few, which gives creative people less control over their work or the kind of work they want to do. And, it makes them more dependent on others who may not always have their best interests at hand.

The central model is a safer way to make films and get a return on people's investment, but with safety comes limitations in the kinds of stories that are made. It also limits the opportunities for new creatives to rise and it hinders existing creatives from attaining a deeper sense of fulfillment in their work. That’s why we often see the same movies with the same talent over and over again and it’s also why a lot of creative people who made a name for themselves end up going independent.

A lot of us accept these limitations because we feel there’s no other recourse. Filmmakers need stories, talent, money, and resources and the major studios have them. So, we fight to “break into” the industry and accept the price of doing business this way. But, what if there was another way to make films; a new way that allowed people to invest in movies or shows for a return; a way where any filmmaker with a great idea was able to connect to the right professionals and raise funding for their film; a way where people could find jobs on the projects that mattered to them most, not in some far off place, but right at home? What if professionals stopped “breaking” into the industry altogether and instead decided to form their own?

That's what we're looking to solve. We want to build a film eco-system that decentralizes the entire film industry so that instead of having big studios or agencies we have independent professionals coalescing and collaborating on the projects that not only matter to them most, but also maximizes their chances of advancing themselves. Again, it's ambitious but a goal we feel is worth fighting for because to be frank...we just can't stand another reboot. We want our stories back and we want our creative professionals to be free to work on the things they want instead of existing IP that's given to them like a contractor given a project.

Anyway, that's who I am. Feel free to PM or message me on here. Love to discuss these things!

Your words are inspiring.