Product Placement

Loud Orange Cat

Loud Orange Cat

Pro Member
indiePRO
Product Placement is to common in film nowadays, we've become somewhat immune to it (See: Total Recall).

My question about PP is this:

Is it possible to fund a small indie film's entire budget with PP cash? Is it legal (I know, I should ask a lawyer, but there goes the entire budget)?

Do you think it can be done?
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
Hmmm. Not too sure about making much money on a short, so approaching them on that angle might be tough. However, should we get some attention at a film festival or two, do you think that might be worth something? I'm also wondering what your thoughts are about YouTube and similar sites - proving that you've got hits there - does that count for anything? Just wondering....

Have you made any $$ on your shorts, LOC? They sure are cute :yes:
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Media Hero said:
Hmmm. Not too sure about making much money on a short
Click to expand...
Actually, I'm looking for a way to fund my feature film.

Media Hero said:
I'm also wondering what your thoughts are about YouTube and similar sites - proving that you've got hits there - does that count for anything? Just wondering....
Click to expand...
Personally, I'm opposed to showing my stuff on YouTube or video.google.com. I personally have a major problem with the "we own you" licence restrictions.

Media Hero said:
Have you made any $$ on your shorts, LOC? They sure are cute
Click to expand...
No, I never made a penny, I never meant to make any money off them as they were my 'crack samples.' I've always hated that analogy, but hey, the first hit of crack is free and that's how they snag you. I wanted to give them away for nothing but brand recognition.

I get dozens of emails a day (most of them from the Netherlands nowadays) saying how much they love my crappy films. I just want to get my feature (300+ page vampire script) shot.

Thanks for the complement, too! :D
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Loud Orange Cat said:
Actually, I'm looking for a way to fund my feature film.

Personally, I'm opposed to showing my stuff on YouTube or video.google.com. I personally have a major problem with the "we own you" licence restrictions.

No, I never made a penny, I never meant to make any money off them as they were my 'crack samples.' I've always hated that analogy, but hey, the first hit of crack is free and that's how they snag you. I wanted to give them away for nothing but brand recognition.

I get dozens of emails a day (most of them from the Netherlands nowadays) saying how much they love my crappy films. I just want to get my feature (300+ page vampire script) shot.

Thanks for the complement, too! :D
Click to expand...

300+ pages? Whew. All for ONE movie?

filmy
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
FilmJumper said:
300+ pages? Whew. All for ONE movie?
Click to expand...
Yes, it's ONE story. Technically, I can break it up into two films, but I don't want to do that.

Remember Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket? That was two separate films with a reoccurring cast. Same with mine. Although there's no Vietnam, there is a grand spectacle of war in the second half. I've tried to whittle it down, but I could only remove two or three pages.

I'm torn by this project. I'd like to shoot the entire thing, and perhaps release both halves separately ala Kill Bill. My problem with that is that viewers 'just won't get it' if I do it that way. The halves are so different, I think it'll confuse everyone and no one will appreciate the entire work.

I hope that made sense.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
...the first hit of crack is free and that's how they snag you.
Click to expand...
Damn! I paid for my first hit.

LOC, have you ever spoken to Leif Yonker? (creator of Darkness). He's an interesting, and very approachable fella, and he has worked in the movie business for years, having gotten his start with the "cult classic" Darkness, which he recently re-released on DVD. I got to know him when he was in Wilmington, NC, working on his DVD release. He is now back in Witchita, Kansas.

In any case, he's done a little bit of everything, from writing to international distribution deals. He makes most of his money writing scripts. He had humble beginnings, and he's a very trustworthy character. (Don't let all the squirting blood fool you!) You might be able to get some feedback and/or helpful advice from Leif. You should be able to find him, if you're so inclined, at www.13thdream.com (his company web-site).
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I just spoke with Leif by telephone. I told him that I had pointed you in his direction, and he said it was cool. I told him you'd introduce yourself as "Mrs. Estherhouse" (Caddyshack II)... no, just kidding, I told him Bob/Robert Yannetta of Loud Orange Cat. He said 300 pages was 5 hours ... is it true? I don't think I could sit through 5 hours without a break. You'd better put in an intermission.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
300 divided by 60 equals 5. This is my hell.

No one will sit through a 5 hour vampire movie, but cutting anything else out of it will deprive the viewer of necessary background to truly appreciate the film.

After registering it with the WGA to cover my ass, I was thinking about shopping it around to the SciFi channel and a few others that may want to look at it as a miniseries.

It's still not officially 'done' after all these years, but it's now in the final 'polishing' stage.

This script has taken up a large majority of my life and I'm damn proud of it. The very few select who have seen it reply only with a tear.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0 Downvote
I have Night Watch on DVD. There's the sequel Day Watch that I haven't seen in the U.S. yet. The third film is Dusk Watch. I can't wait for the entire series.

One thing that I neglected to say in my previous post is that my script is really (Flame on, horror fans) a love story. The vampirism included in the story is not thrown in just for giggles, it's a integral part of the story. But all in all, it's a big, squishy love story.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Going back to the PP issue, I was trying to get funding for a romantic comedy set in a Carribean Island, and local casino guys there told us that if we put a scene taking place in their casino, they would give us cash . Now, I was tempted. But partly fearing that those guys were not too clean with the money, I said "no". I was not sure on how to integrate a casino also.... . It was a tough decision.

Anyway, we are still looking for investors for the development of the movie. ...
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
There's two types of filmmakers:

  1. Those who are willing to cave in to the investors.
  2. Those who will never compromise their artistic integrity.
It depends how much money you're talking about.

LindbergMTL, did the casino demand in writing that anything filmed in their building be included in the final cut? Or did they just ask you to film there with no strings attached? If they asked for the latter, you could have taken the cash, filmed a bit indoors and left it on the cutting room floor... :lol:
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
3. Those who plan "crumple zones" into their project to protect their artistic integrity from their investors...and who clearly define in the contract the role of the investors.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Loud Orange Cat said:
There's two types of filmmakers:

  1. Those who are willing to cave in to the investors.
  2. Those who will never compromise their artistic integrity.
It depends how much money you're talking about.
Click to expand...
Let me add the third type: Those that understand filmmaking is a business and learn to work within the constraints dictated by the available money and the market.

I understand that some moviemakers see this as caving in. Maybe it is. So maybe there ARE only two. But when I started making my living making movies I soon learned that I couldn't always maintain complete artistic integrity and still get paid. I found that I could never compromise and lose a job - or work with the investors, compromise and get paid doing what I love. And hard as it is to believe, sometimes compromising can be done while maintaining artistic integrity. Not every filmmaker who never compromises their artistic integrity is right - we are prone to making mistakes, too.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I realize that 'artistic integrity' comes at a very large price. After all, the money is coming from people/business/power much higher up the ladder than we are, we still all want to get paid.

I can count on two hands the number of directors that held the studios in their hands at at least one time in their lives (Orson Welles, Stanley Kubrick... We know who they are). But you're right, we want to get paid.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top