How much would you pay?

clive

clive

So, I've been looking at Customflixs where people are trying to make their production budgets back by tagging on anywhere between $5 and $13 to the basic $9.99 cost price that customflix take per DVD.

This means that they are looking to charge between $15 and $21 for a usually no name indie movie.

So, by the way of informal market research I was wondering:

a) How much would you pay for a no name indie movie (let's assume that it's an OK film)?

b) Have you bought one recently? and if so, how much did you pay?

c) Has anyone here ever sold a movie on customflix?

d) Has anyone here ever bought a movie from customflix?

My replies:

a) Well, last indie movie I bought I paid $19 for, but I did that to support a friend and probably wouldn't have bought it for the film alone. It was a good film, but it wasn't a "must buy" film.

b) DVD's are more expensive over here (You can easily be charged $40 for a new title) But even so I think $15 would be about the limit of my risk on an movie by people I didn't know.

c) No

d) I looked at some of the trailers and didn't see anything worth $18


So, what does everyone else think

(I was going to do a poll, but I've just realised that it's done by staff only now, so I'd like to suggest a poll setting the range of anwers from "I wouldn't buy an unknown film, through the $10-$20 spread and over $21)
 
Clive,

The last indie I purchased was $15.00 (Prodigal Daughters, Blue Leo Films). I regularly buy indie films to support my friends and other talented folks. (For instance, can't wait till Macbeth 3000 is ready to purchase.) We spend a couple hundred a year on completely unknown films.

I have not bought or sold anything on customflix.

The last sales I made were at a micro film fest. I sold my two shorts at $5.00 each or both for $7.00. I had no fancy box or cover art- put them in cd cases, and sold out of one of the films (Killer Squirrel).

So, there you go, for what it's worth.
 
a) How much would you pay for a no name indie movie (let's assume that it's an OK film)?

$15-17

b) Have you bought one recently? and if so, how much did you pay?
Yes. $15

c) Has anyone here ever sold a movie on customflix?
No. (I think it's a viable option for indies, but you have to do your own promotion.)

d) Has anyone here ever bought a movie from customflix?
No.

I think indies have to keep prices down and market the hell out of their movies. Promote, promote, promote. And get a name actor or try stunt casting like Joey Buttafuco (I just love that name) if you can afford it. Or just make a darn good movie. It's possible if you plan and work very, very hard.

Scott
 
Clive, I use customflix. I charge $16.99 for a short. It's also on amazon.com (through customflix). They are owned by amazon.com, buy the way.
 
As scott said, it’s all about the promotion.

If doesn’t matter if the movie is any good, it only matters that people have heard if it.
a) How much would you pay for a no name indie movie (let's assume that it's an OK film)?
Click to expand...
How would I know it’s an ok film? Trailers are misleading and genre plays into a decision. For example: if I read this:

The story is a modern tragedy set in an isolated hamlet in rural Northumberland.

A violent, raging father driven by the fear that his daughter will abandon him;
a retired war photographer, driven by his guilt; between them, a young girl who just wants to escape.

Together, alone and miles from the nearest village, tragedy is inevitable.​

I wouldn’t be at all interested. Not my kind of movie.

But since I happen to “know” the producer/writer/director I’d buy it in a second no matter what the cost.
b) Have you bought one recently? and if so, how much did you pay?
Click to expand...
This is always a question I bring up when discussing the financing and marketing of true independent movies. And I’m ashamed to say I have never bought an independent movie made by someone I don’t know, starring actors I’ve never heard of.

I’ll do the occasional rental, but that’s it. So that’s no to “c” and “d”. Damnit! How do we get out movies out there?
 
$20, $15,Nope, Nope/But what about Marketing?

So, by the way of informal market research I was wondering:

a) How much would you pay for a no name indie movie (let's assume that it's an OK film)?

I would pay up to $20. Unless it's a blockbuster like "Horrors of War", then I might even pay more.

b) Have you bought one recently? and if so, how much did you pay?

I just bought one for $15 I believe plus $3 for S&H

c) Has anyone here ever sold a movie on customflix?

Nope

d) Has anyone here ever bought a movie from customflix?

Nope


<hr>

I have looked at CustomFlix, briefly, since I have been wanting to launch IndieFlics and since it would be a sort of competition. I think that for the price you pay to have them manage your film, that you'd be better off charging the $15.00 a piece and make them and distribute them yourself. There is an understanding that you need some capital to burn 1000 DVD's with color inprint on the DVD, DVD case, a book in the case, A front back insert for the DVD case, a box for shipping and the actual shipping cost. YES, but I think doing it yourself will provide more profit. Maybe 1000 is too many? Then do 100. It might cost you $5.00 each, but your profit is $1000. The more you make the more profit you get since per unit cost is cut down. So you buy another 100 of them and use the left over $500 to do some more marketing. Then you take that profit and buy 500 DVD's and so on... I mean it's all in the marketing.

I have a friend that produced a techno artist. They did 500 CD's and 100 double LP's (YES Vinyl!). Well the music is good, the product is awesome... BUT! He didn't even think about marketing them and there's about 80 LPs and 400CD's still sitting collecting 2 years of dust! Lesson learned!

Marketing is the main thing you need to work on. You make a movie, put up a website and don't tell anyone. Well if they don't know they're not going to even know about it.

Maybe I should write a marketing article?!!?
 
I think anything over $15 is pushing it...

a) How much would you pay for a no name indie movie (let's assume that it's an OK film)?

$10-$15 Depending on the trailer, the hype, the festival appearances, and if I know anyone involved.

b) Have you bought one recently? and if so, how much did you pay?

Yes, but only because I knew the filmmaker. $10

c) Has anyone here ever sold a movie on customflix?
d) Has anyone here ever bought a movie from customflix?

Not me.
 
Customflix...

clive said:
So, I've been looking at Customflixs where people are trying to make their production budgets back by tagging on anywhere between $5 and $13 to the basic $9.99 cost price that customflix take per DVD.

This means that they are looking to charge between $15 and $21 for a usually no name indie movie.

So, by the way of informal market research I was wondering:

a) How much would you pay for a no name indie movie (let's assume that it's an OK film)?

b) Have you bought one recently? and if so, how much did you pay?

c) Has anyone here ever sold a movie on customflix?

d) Has anyone here ever bought a movie from customflix?

My replies:

a) Well, last indie movie I bought I paid $19 for, but I did that to support a friend and probably wouldn't have bought it for the film alone. It was a good film, but it wasn't a "must buy" film.

b) DVD's are more expensive over here (You can easily be charged $40 for a new title) But even so I think $15 would be about the limit of my risk on an movie by people I didn't know.

c) No

d) I looked at some of the trailers and didn't see anything worth $18


So, what does everyone else think

(I was going to do a poll, but I've just realised that it's done by staff only now, so I'd like to suggest a poll setting the range of anwers from "I wouldn't buy an unknown film, through the $10-$20 spread and over $21)
Click to expand...
a) I would pay up to $20 for an unknown indie film just for the possibility of finding a GEM. I have yet to accomplish that... Shorts on the other hand are a different story... Unless there are a lot of extras, I wouldn't want to pay over $10 plus shipping...

b) I buy them all the time...

c) I have not.

d) I have purchased 4 films from CustomFlix...

filmy
 
The story is a modern tragedy set in an isolated hamlet in rural Northumberland.

A violent, raging father driven by the fear that his daughter will abandon him;
a retired war photographer, driven by his guilt; between them, a young girl who just wants to escape.

Together, alone and miles from the nearest village, tragedy is inevitable.
Click to expand...

The sad truth is that I wouldn't buy it either :no:

I think that that is a key lesson. And one expensively learned. The tragic irony is that if you read the business plan that I wrote for my production company four years ago, I outlined exaclty why making a high budget/no name/non-high concept film would be a very, very bad move for our company and then I let myself be persuaded to do exacltly that.

Anyhow, I think I'm hijacking my own thread here.
 
Here's the catch 22 situation? how would you know the film is OK? even the trailer itself can be deceiving?

For a dvd set that contains a lot of stuff and it's an indie film, I'll pay $14 or less

And yes, a lot of promotion needed, a friend we know here in Cleveland got about 4000 DVD replicated and he hasn't yet to do much marketing for almost a year, they are still sitting in his basement... I suggested him some marketing/promotional ideas, hopefully he's gotten them working...
 
Lilith said:
(For instance, can't wait till Macbeth 3000 is ready to purchase.)
Click to expand...

Me too! hehehe... I'll be talking to my fellow producers to see if we can get a "indie-filmaker discount" happening. It just makes sense to share the work with other filmmakers, because out of anyone, they will be able to appreciate the film for what it is. Watching MB3K for me, is more about seeing through the movie and the story, and seeing the story that happened behind the scenes. In fact, I won't spill too many beans, but I'm essentially basing my next screenplay on that concept.


I think for me, the purchase price always depends on the product. We'll be selling MB3K for $20 a pop, simply because we'll have a two-disc set, one disc with the 2hr movie and commentary, the other with over 30mins of behind-the-scenes interviews and footage, plus bloopers/outtakes, and the short film "Skitch", plus secret easter eggs.

If I were looking at something like that, $20 would be my limit. I bought "Broken" when it was $20, simply because they advertised all the extras really well.

a) How much would you pay for a no name indie movie (let's assume that it's an OK film)?

$10-$20, depending on what the movie offers me. I'd be more inclined to purchase comedies, and action movies for higher price ranges. Unless a horror can measure up to Haute Tensione, I'm usually bored.

b) Have you bought one recently? and if so, how much did you pay?

The last indie film I bought was Broken, for $20. Looking back, I probably should have paid $10-$15, but the special features were well plugged.

c) Has anyone here ever sold a movie on customflix?

No. Not as of yet.

d) Has anyone here ever bought a movie from customflix?

No. I do plan on purchasing ..To Skin a Cat when I get myself into a reasonable amount of debt. I browsed the titles once, but nothing else really perked my interest. I think it's up to the filmmaker to make thier product seem enticing, and to advertise.
 
I wouldnt buy a chair that someone made in their garage just to support them if that chair wasnt quality. but then again, if My kids were making films for school and needed people to purchase them to support them for other film making, i'de consider it. Of course, I'de probably just donate.

Single layer DVDs are about 2 bucks with jewel case.

It take about 2 minutes per every 1 minute of render time unless you have a state of the art burner.

I think paying 9 bucks for unit cost is a bit much but 5 or 6 dollars would be understandable. Perhaps you guy should look for another company to burn your DVDs.

Just for the record, I can go to Walmart (I hate walmart) and pay as little as 9 or 10 bucks for movies. the new releases are usually 12-15. So it kind of makes me think that Im paying top price for an indie film that I would for a full length High Budget film.

Its all how you look at it, Do you support the person who is selling a home made film or do you just consider it more expensive since its not a mass produced product.

But dont blame anyone for making a crappy movie and feeling bad that you spent 15 bucks on some crap DVD when you can have the same thing happen to you when you purchase a full length feature from say Paramount or Sony.
 
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