say you came up with an undeniably good idea that would make hundreds of thousands of dollars for an online web series. You obviously cant make it by yourself so you would go to your friend from film school who is a film maker trying to become a director and tell him your idea and that you want him to help you make it. You would also need more people, but how much percentage of all the profits would you want for your idea and movie that you make?
How much money would you take in your own movie/idea?
- Thread starter RealJasonBourne
- Start date
Well... is it a web series or a movie? I'm no expert, I'm sure someone here is, but I'd start by determining a percentage of total income from monetizing the videos. (or however you plan for this to actually make money) Obviously I'd get anything in a written contract, ie, "I get 20 percent of profit from each episode" or something. Obviously you'd have to draft it out, even get a lawyer involved possibly if you wanted it to be intense....
As for your percentage.. I suppose it depends on how much work you'll be doing. If it's just your idea, and someone else is filming it, casting it, writing it, editing it, directing it, etc.... I wouldn't take more than 30 percent...... I don't know, I'd honestly try to weigh your value to the project.
As for your percentage.. I suppose it depends on how much work you'll be doing. If it's just your idea, and someone else is filming it, casting it, writing it, editing it, directing it, etc.... I wouldn't take more than 30 percent...... I don't know, I'd honestly try to weigh your value to the project.
your idea aint that great. 
In fact "no idea" is that great, only when the idea is executed does it become great. Your great idea in the hands of an idiot, like me for example, will be, well, idiotic!
Now, take your idea, put it into a script, a WELL EXECUTED script mind you, and if it has any merit you should be able to sell it to someone. Chances are nobody will buy it. So, does that mean you idea was crap to begin with??? absolutely NOT! It only means nobody wanted to buy your script. They very well may RIP OFF your idea, but if your future hinges on only have one great idea, your doomed, and should find something else to do!
In other words, undeniably good ideas are a dime a dozen, I can find 100 good ideas reading a daily newspaper, what I cant find is WELL EXECUTED ideas, those are the stuff of legend and sometime I will be involved with one.. so far though.. execution has been.. meh..
In fact "no idea" is that great, only when the idea is executed does it become great. Your great idea in the hands of an idiot, like me for example, will be, well, idiotic! Now, take your idea, put it into a script, a WELL EXECUTED script mind you, and if it has any merit you should be able to sell it to someone. Chances are nobody will buy it. So, does that mean you idea was crap to begin with??? absolutely NOT! It only means nobody wanted to buy your script. They very well may RIP OFF your idea, but if your future hinges on only have one great idea, your doomed, and should find something else to do!
In other words, undeniably good ideas are a dime a dozen, I can find 100 good ideas reading a daily newspaper, what I cant find is WELL EXECUTED ideas, those are the stuff of legend and sometime I will be involved with one.. so far though.. execution has been.. meh..
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I agree with wheat on this one.
If you can get a dollar for it, and all the power to you. Every mans trash is anothers treasure. The opposite is true. I know someone who every second week is looking for a producer to make this or that. They're almost always "Oh, so it's like [Diehard but on a boat]".
And unlike Beatles fan said, there are way more people than that to make even web series that are serious. There are financiers, investors and producers, you have sound people. Everyone wants their share. If you insist on too much of a share, your idea won't have enough room for the creative people who give it true value.... unless you just pay them then you own the whole thing.
If you can get a dollar for it, and all the power to you. Every mans trash is anothers treasure. The opposite is true. I know someone who every second week is looking for a producer to make this or that. They're almost always "Oh, so it's like [Diehard but on a boat]".
And unlike Beatles fan said, there are way more people than that to make even web series that are serious. There are financiers, investors and producers, you have sound people. Everyone wants their share. If you insist on too much of a share, your idea won't have enough room for the creative people who give it true value.... unless you just pay them then you own the whole thing.
Yep, wheat is right on.
You can't copyright an idea, BTW, so unless you write the script yourself your friend could very well make the film and pay you nada, and you would have no legal recourse.
You can't copyright an idea, BTW, so unless you write the script yourself your friend could very well make the film and pay you nada, and you would have no legal recourse.
True. You don't need a legitimate reason to sue anybody for anything in this country. Be interesting to see how that case pans out. Could set a scary precedent -- it's already tough enough to score a pitch meeting...
I read the complaint, and boy, I see a lot of "implied and understood" in other words, none of the "agreement not to rip me off" was in writing! DOH! Someone is kicking them selves in the butt right now.. contractually they don't have a case or else SyFy would already have settled, which is provably why they are requesting a JURY trial. Jury's do all kinds of wild things, like give money to David vs Goliath situations.
To get back on topic...
You have to look at the best case.... you have come up with an idea that could make $100,000.... if you only get 1% for your idea its still $1,000 for thinking of something.
people always say you have to spend money to make money - if your creating a huge crew to make something amazing for you and paying them in a percentage of profits.... be happy with what ever is left in the pot.... if your doing a lot of the work and all of the 'leg work' give yourself 50%
You have to look at the best case.... you have come up with an idea that could make $100,000.... if you only get 1% for your idea its still $1,000 for thinking of something.
people always say you have to spend money to make money - if your creating a huge crew to make something amazing for you and paying them in a percentage of profits.... be happy with what ever is left in the pot.... if your doing a lot of the work and all of the 'leg work' give yourself 50%