Filmmaking Webinars: A Review

FilmmakingWebinars.com asked me if I would review one of their webinars on my blog. After looking at their site, I was curious myself to see how their webinars ranked among the information available to filmmakers.

I noticed that most of their webinars focus primarily on the post production process so for those of you seeking information on post, their webinars may be useful to you.

Of the select few that focus on topics more related to producing, I chose to review their webinar "Getting Your Indie Film into Film Festivals." Filmmaker Sylvia Binsfeld presents the information in a running monologue with bullet points that appear on your computer screen to reiterate her points.

Overall, the webinar was very informative. It touched on all of the major points that filmmakers should consider when applying to and attending film festivals.

I found, however, that the information is definitely geared toward the new filmmaker. So if you are a more seasoned filmmaker who already knows the tricks of the trade when it comes to festivals then this webinar probably isn't for you. But if you are fresh off the boat and entering the festival process for the first time then this webinar may be a good way to learn the basics.

I can't vouch for the rest of their webinars but if you are a filmmaking process information junkie then you may find this site to be a nice addition to your "how to make a film" addiction.

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Thank You Producers Guild of America

I'm not in the Producers Guild of America yet but I want to thank them for their efforts to certify producer credits. All too often inexperienced people or those wanting the credit without doing the work want to lay claim to the full Producer credit. It's not fair and actually puts the picture at risk.

A producer credit tells the world this person has the know-how to make proper decisions on a project. If that isn't the case, he or she could be leading the project down a very dangerous path. It also implies that everyone with the credit contributed equally and when that isn't the case, it is extremely discouraging and unfair for the producer who did the most of the work. Why should a producer feel discouraged and be treated unfairly? It doesn't need to happen.

Here's a good article from the Hollywood Reporter, highlighting the PGA efforts: "The Producer Guild of America Moves to Certify Films' Producing Credits."

I think it's great that people with something to offer a film want to be part of a project but that doesn't automatically entitle them to a producer credit. I don't ask for a directing or writing credit for helping to develop the story and offer creative suggestions, nor do I ask for an acting credit because my relationship with the actor or manager resulted in the actor's commitment to the project.

Therefore, why should a director or writer secure a full producer credit for periodically supporting the producing process and why should an actor get a full producer credit because his or her involvement helped trigger the financing? There are a few other producing credits that could acknowledge these efforts.

I can guarantee that the producer will help the director and actor do his or her job better just as a director and actor can help make a producer's job easier. I don't see why the full producer credit should be an option as a "thank you" to anyone who helped the producing process. It should be deserved by equal efforts.

Personally, I love producing partners. I want the help. I want someone else to lean on. But I also want them to do as much as me if they are getting the same credit. Makes sense, right?

Producing is a 24/7, day-to-day responsibility that involves a million tasks. If a director or actor or investor is truly part of this 24/7 producing process then they should absolutely get a producing credit. If they aren't then they should be happy with their own credit and perhaps get a different kind of producer credit (like associate, co- or executive) and let the producer(s) get the recognition they truly deserve with the full producer credit.

Producing is a TON of work and having those efforts diluted by those not contributing to the same degree is just plain wrong. So thanks PGA!

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Happy New Year! A Look at a Busy Filmmaking 2010

Happy New Year! I can't believe it is already almost 2011 -- just a few hours left. Time has flown this year. Looking back I have to say it was a really good year. We had a great time making the documentary on George Lucas' Industrial Light & Magic as well as shooting our indie drama that we had been wanting to make for a decade, called The Diary of Preston Plummer.

We also released our film Not Since You on DVD, VOD and PPV this year and even watched it on Air Canada! We completed our other indie romantic comedy Take Me Home -- we are seeking sales agents for it right now.

We premiered our short Gay Baby at FilmOut San Diego (and won the audience award - yay!) and then showed at Frameline to a sold out crowd -- super fun. You can even watch it online today at www.tlagay.com. It's part of a shorts contest and we'd love your vote!

In addition, we are in talks to create a documentary with a wonderful organization that supports the LGBT community. I'll have more information on that project soon!

And we are gearing up to make another micro-budget film in February. This time it's a really creepy horror film titled Grime. Should be very bloody and oozy -- a special effects artist's dream. We're making it with some great people with whom we love to make movies so it should be a great time.

Those were the highlights for us. It was a fun, challenging and creative year. We worked with some amazing talented people and I am really proud of our achievements this year. We keep making movies so we are happy. Here's to another great year in 2011. I have high hopes that things will be looking up for all of us. Cheers!

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The Problems with the DIY Trend for Filmmakers

The DIY, or Do It Yourself, trend allows filmmakers to feel like they have control over their film's destiny. I love the idea that I have the power over my film to ensure it has a future in the market. If I can't find a sales agent or distributor to take on my film, I can sell it or distribute it myself. Or if I want to save on agent or distributor fees, I can take on those roles and position myself to recoup more funds from each sale. These are great options to have.

However, in my opinion and personal experience, there are some definite downsides to this trend that every filmmaker should take into account. For me, I have found a hybrid approach of Doing It Together (DIT) works best.

1) DIY really isn't DIY. This is one of the major fallacies of the DIY trend. You really aren't doing it yourself. As a producer, it's incredibly stressful to think of taking on every duty involved with getting a film in front of an audience. The truth is, you can't and you shouldn't completely do it yourself or you may as well start digging your own and your film's early grave.

You should still be working with a team of people who expect to get a return on their efforts to make, market and sell your film. The idea of DIY is that you are not relying solely on professional sales agents, publicists, marketers and distributors - who can take high fees or all of your rights - to get your film in front of an audience. Or maybe the pros don't want to rep your film and you need a means of getting your film to your audience. Either way, the result should not be a DIY approach -- it should be DIT or Do It Together.

The downside to thinking that DIY is Do It Yourself is that some filmmakers are not building proper teams to get their films to an audience. Some are believing they really can do it themselves and without the efforts of a team, you will be overwhelmed and the performance of your film will suffer. And you will become less prolific as a filmmaker because you will only have time to focus on one film for years at a time.

Build your team. Delegate duties. Share the revenues that are certain to be greater from a team's efforts.

2) Lack of relationships. As we know, Hollywood is all about who you know. The same goes for buyers and retailers. Sales agents and distributors spend years, 24/7, cultivating relationships in order to sell their products. A filmmaker who has never dealt with the buyers and retailers will inevitably have a harder time getting his or her film considered and bought by as many buyers or retailers.

You may get lucky and find some buyers who will take a chance on your title. But can you honestly say you can sell theatrical, DVD, PPV, VOD, Pay TV, Free TV and foreign as well as someone who has spent years developing relationships in these areas? I can't, which is why I like working with sales agents and distributors, when I can and it makes sense for the film.

3) Only so much time in the day. Lack of relationships leads me to: there's only so much time in the day. As a creative producer, I want to make movies. I don't want to spend all of my time marketing and selling them. And if I do-it-myself on all of my films, I know I won't have time to make more movies. I will be spending the majority of my time getting to know buyers and retailers and building an audience when I should also be getting to know new writers and directors and investors.

It's fine to be well-rounded and know a ton of people, but it's also okay to spread out the duties. Don't be scared to bring on those who can be real assets to your film and share the profits with them. Your film will most likely perform better as a result.

4) Marketing is an art of its own. I will admit that I am not the best marketer in the world. I give it a good shot but when I look at the marketing area of my films, I know that it benefits greatly from the efforts of my distributors. They have many more avenues in place for getting the films noticed than I do myself. Those marketing efforts by the distributors yield sales, which can hopefully help to offset the distributors' cut and expenses.

On the films I handle myself, marketing is still a struggle but I try to improve in that arena every day. But again, the lack of time becomes a major pitfall so finding that team member, even on the titles you know will not be repped by pros, who can help with marketing is smart.

5) DIY takes money. Do It Yourself does not mean it's free. Putting on screenings, doing a small theatrical, placing ads, and all of the time you spend promoting takes money. Even if you aren't cutting checks for these duties, it's costing you money in the time that you could be earning funds elsewhere. So don't look at DIY as the cheap alternative. It may cost less in cash but there is a definite cost in time as well.

You may be thinking, look at all the money I'm saving going DIY, when in reality the professional sales agent and distributor could potentially make you more money due to their relationships and the fact that you aren't spending every waking moment pushing your film yourself. Something to keep in mind as you evaluate whether to go DIY with a title.

So what's the solution to the above problems? Go hybrid and DIT.

Evaluate each of your films on a case by case basis. One may be perfectly suitable to go the traditional route as you have the big name actors and the marketing bucks to go pro. And you know from the sales projections that going pro should still yield results for your investors. One word of caution: going pro does not give you a license to give up. You need to work with the pros and help them get the word out. Work as a team with them. They welcome it if you are not a pest about it.

And negotiate the ability to sell the DVD on your own site too. That way, you can yield sales over which you have complete power as the distributor and other retailers are selling too! Hybrid all the way!

On the other hand, you may have the little film with no-name actors for which the professional sales arena doesn't make sense. Either you can't find a sales agent to take it on because they don't feel they can sell it or you know your title will appeal to a niche audience that is readily accessible to you. In that case, a DIT approach can work with you building a team who can help you with a grassroots effort to promote the film. And perhaps you can sell it yourself to some buyers too!

There are so many tools to get your film in front of an audience. Try them and see what works for you and your film. But again, work as a team, not on your own. If you must work on your own, take it day by day and know you are doing your best.

DIY is a powerful tool that should be carefully considered for each film. It offers a sense of control to filmmakers but it should not be considered a complete replacement of the traditional routes of distribution. Every film is unique and can definitely benefit from a team approach, whether the team is a group of pros who have been doing it for years or a group of smart individuals ready to take on and spread out the immense duties that go with making, marketing and selling your film.

To conclude, I do think reputable sales agents and distributors are getting a bad rap. I work with some really great people who deserve their cut of the sales and pay us on time. It's true though that some titles or even some sales agents do not perform as expected and it can be hard to see all of your hard earned cash go primarily to the sales agents. No one ever wants to see that happen. It's a sad reality that has lead the indie world to this DIY approach. The key is to not forsake the traditional routes entirely. Instead, build a team that you respect and you feel confident are doing their jobs to represent your title well -- pro or not.

I must give a shout out to David Garber, our producer rep on Not Since You. Without his efforts, I know we would not have sold in as many territories. Thank you David! You are an integral part of our team.

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The Power of the Social Network for Filmmakers

Social networking works! Just the other day, I asked my friends, colleagues, and readers to put our film Not Since You in their Netflix queue. Our social network heard our call and they acted by putting the film in their queue. And guess what? Netflix placed a DVD order within days. Now that's power!

So indie filmmakers, let's learn to use this power to help bring independent film back from the brink. I personally want to thank everyone for putting our film in their queue. Taking those few precious moments to log into your account and request the film does make a difference!

I know it can feel like a burden to have one more thing to do in your busy day. I often personally feel like I am so overwhelmed that even logging into Netflix is too much to ask. But if we are going to save independent film, we do need to log in and support one another and help out when we can. And I am so grateful to those who helped. I promise to do the same for you. We're in this together!

So thank you and on to more marketing efforts!

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Not Since You and Netflix!

So our film Not Since You releases on DVD this week! We are hearing from our DVD distributor that we are really close to the threshold at which Netflix starts buying copies of the DVD. If everyone could help us by putting the DVD of Not Since You in their Netflix queue, we would be so grateful!!!

Thanks everyone! Here's to making movies!!! Cheers!

I am happy to return the favor anytime. Just let me know when I need to put a film in my Netflix queue and I'm there!

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Our ILM Documentary Premiering November 12 - 14!

Here's a trailer to the ILM documentary that I co-produced. We're super excited that it is premiering on Starz Encore this weekend! I hope you can all check it out!

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