Awesome. Congratulations on finishing your first feature film. That's always a big achievement.
It sounds like the kind of thing that might work on the festival circuit.
Maybe Sci-fi London or some other places like that?
I agree with everyone else here that I wouldn't bother making a DCP unless you need one for some reason (for instance you make a sale or are accepted into a festival that wants a DCP). Even then you might want to look into Open DCP.
Freya
Edited by Freya Black, 06 January 2016 - 10:29 AM.
People are so close-minded here it's unbelieveable. Chances might be low, but if it's actually good, you have to start hustling.
First would be to get a trailer made and show it to the right people, but also on Vimeo/YT to get some general feedback. Maybe it sucks, you won't know before others have seen it.
We're going to make a trailer soon, so stay tuned.
I know it seems silly putting in three years of your life on a film financed by yourself and a friend using people who can't act.
But, you only live once. We did everything without compromise. Rightly or wrongly. At least I did it. Was like film school.
Plus point, it looks mint as you like. We hired Cooke S4's using My Arri-3.
Wanted to approach it Peter Jackson, Bad Taste style. Toil over something for years. And now we have something pretty demented and quite possibly un-sellable.
But, maybe not.
DCP is costing 500 quid. Not that much money, in the scheme of things. I don't want to do a private screening for family,friends, cast at the Prince Charles playing a MOV file off my laptop of some piece of poop 1080p export from FCPX..
I agree with most of that. If you view it as an investment in yourself, then it's not so bad.
I took this route in 2007 and just delivered my fourth feature film, if I didn't make the first one, there would not be a fourth one.
Phil is correct in that many of these films never sell, but geez who knows?
I have a friend who made a film here in Ontario, Canada, with a budget of maybe $40, 000.00, and all no name non-union actors, first time actors in fact. The movie was accepted into Cannes, and he got a ton of press out of it. It's been in a lot of other festivals as well, so we'll see...maybe he can go onto another project and maybe not?
I took this route in 2007 and just delivered my fourth feature film, if I didn't make the first one, there would not be a fourth one.
Exactly. If you don't give it a go, you'll never know. There is an audience for virtually every subject matter out there. It's just a question of how many seats it'll take up.
The film market at Cannes has quite an incredibly diverse range of films - mostly B-movies intended for DVD/TV sales. They do good business! I would seriously consider going.
Wanted to approach it Peter Jackson, Bad Taste style. Toil over something for years. And now we have something pretty demented and quite possibly un-sellable.
But, maybe not.
Well selling it isn't the only avenue for getting things out there but good luck with it whatever happens.
Hardly - people sell all sorts of films at Cannes to all sorts of markets.
Possibly, for some value of "people" which means "experienced salespeople with very nice shoes, who already have long-term relationships with all the companies involved who have already tacitly agreed to buy the film during drinkies around the pool at Jemima and Tristram's engagement party in Barbados."
I'm not sure what will happen if you just walk in the door completely cold. No wait, I do know exactly what will happen.
I'm not sure what will happen if you just walk in the door completely cold. No wait, I do know exactly what will happen.
Phil is quite correct on this point, the sellers at Cannes and AFM have paid a lot of money to have booths there. And they have paid a lot for flights, and accommodations. The do not want indie filmmakers coming in and trying to sell them a film, when they are there to sell films.
One could walk around without a booth and approach buyers, as the sellers don't have an exclusive on them. This will lead to dirty looks, and possible hostility from those that have paid to be there.
You can certainly sign a deal with a sales agent, this is another 5-6 hour discussion with regard to what will happen next.
You can also pay to screen your film at the Cannes Film Market, and invite buyers.
I have been through this process with so many indie filmmakers now I have lost count. I always tell them to spend big money on the key art because that more than anything will get attention. The response is always the same, we're not spending $5000.00 on key art, my cousin will do if for free. What they end up with is a laughable piece of art that turns buyers off, instead of having the opposite effect. It's amazing what great art can do for a bad movie. I proved this with Dark Reprieve, I got my US distribution deal and an advance really based on the art that I had made and paid for out of my own pocket. I went to a top designer in LA who does only movie art, and paid him what I needed to.
