A lot of you have probably heard the term "overnight success". Many of us, early on in our own careers, will believe these tales of meteoric rise to the top and figure that if it doesn't happen fast enough, it wasn't meant to be. After all, once a movie is greenlit, it should arrive in the theaters within 2 or three years tops, right?
Except that a lot of this PR "puffing" that we read in all the fanzines and consumer-grade trade publications tend to omit a lot of the "less sexy" stuff. The years of toil and seemingly insurmountable odds it took for a film to finally reach your local multiplex. Hollywood & the press like to focus on box office returns, not "development hell", or as I call it "development purgatory".
You see, hell is a final condemnation place where all hope is gone and where there is no escape. It's where your project goes to burn in eternal torment. To me, "development hell" is the end of the road -- no return. But to most creatives, the term relates to having a project in limbo, with no forward progress. It might not be dead, but things aren't looking hopeful either. That's why I prefer to call it purgatory.
For those who may not know, purgatory isn't the end -- rather it's a "holding place" for your soul (or your project). In Catholic theology, prayers to the saints for the souls in purgatory can bring about intercession which could commute your sentence. While prayer itself might not be enough to move your project to the greenlight, it can definitely be helped by some intercession from "angels" or new found champions on your team.
If you actually do the research, you'll find that every big movie had a long and bumpy road. From George Lucas' first penciled draft of "The Star Wars" on a yellow legal pad to the May 1977 premiere of the original iconic movie that changed Hollywood forever, the years and years of struggle to write the script, find a studio to back it, get the budget it needed (and failing that, find a way to get Fox to fund the completion), etc, made the eventual blockbuster success that much sweeter. The same goes for so many other movies.
As an indie producer/filmmaker, how do you get your film out of development purgatory? Well, with the digital revolution in its second decade, the cost of shooting a feature film has dropped significantly. There are many freelance DPs who own their own high-end camera package now, and securing their services will give you access to a professional camera like the Red Epic, or Alexa. Plus, no longer do you need film stock -- today's camera "loader" spends their time changing the memory cards and battery packs, not loading film magazines.
Since the cost of making a film has dropped, the best solution is to shoot it already. In Hollywood, there is an assumption that in order to shoot a feature film, there are certain parameters that you need to follow without question. The problem with this is that it will block your progress. It's been said that ignorance is bliss-- this can be very true when it comes to making a movie. Sometimes the more you know, the more apt you are to "wait until you have everything in place" before you begin.
Instead, perhaps "learning on the job" will be the best way to get your filmmaker education, and complete your film. Most of the advice I've heard from indie filmmaking panels and Q&A sessions after screenings is to "just do it". So take that advice. Don't let the naysayers give you any mental obstacles to stand in your path. The cliche goes "where there's a will, there's a way". But it's so true. Figuring out how to make your dream a reality will probably be one of the most satisfying things that you'll ever do. So do it!
Monday, April 29, 2013
Thursday, February 14, 2013
The Wonderful Nightmare of Tax Credits
Anyone who's involved in filmmaking has obviously heard of state tax credits. Basically these are state government subsidies to film productions shooting in their locale. On paper, these incentives look awesome as they provide cash back to a production, and can be used as a financing tool to secure financing for your film budget.
For example, New Mexico has a tax credit of up to 25% for qualified in-state spending for film productions. So if you have a $1M budget, then that's $250K cash back from the state of NM...theoretically. The catch is qualified expenses. You need to make sure that you follow the guidelines and use proper accounting so that the state audit will accept all of the expenses and spending you've tagged as qualified.
This is where it's critical to have production accountants who understand these programs and how to tag your spending in the budget and cost report so that the expenses budgeted as being qualified will actually end up being qualified and not disallowed. Many of the large studios fail to properly do this, and so a portion of the budgeted credit ends up being disallowed.
For a big studio, it's a headache, but not the end of the world since they already have millions of $$$ in their coffers, and these tax credits end up being icing on the cake and a way to recoup some of the budget. But for an indie producer who is lured into this poppy field of "free government money", the results could be as disastrous as getting hooked on the opium that said poppies produce (ala that scene in Wizard of Oz -- you know the one!)
First off, most of the state tax incentives require you to use local hire crew and even for some of the cast. Depending on where you shoot, star actors paid through a loanout may or may not qualify. And since a name actor is going to be a huge chunk of an indie budget, that's a big portion that won't qualify.
Regarding crew, if you're shooting on HD, chances are your film crew will be a fraction of the number of crew on a big budget Hollywood production. The DP you hire will often bring his own camera crew and sometimes hook you up with gaffers, grips etc. -- people they've worked with before. There's a synergy with a crew that are veterans on many shoots. Having to rely on a local crew may or may not end up costing you more in the long run.
My recommendation is to not rush foolishly into this world of tax credits. If you're shooting a feature film, consider the possibility that it actually might be cheaper to lay off the plane tickets and hotel rooms and shoot your movie in Los Angeles. Unless of course you live in Santa Fe, obviously!
If you need to use tax credits to provide gap financing to cover funding that you're unable to raise, then you're going to want to engage a company that will float you the cash for the credit. Again, you want to do your research. Plus, in my opinion, tax credits only make sense if you have name attachments to your project that inflates the budget into the $3M + range. If you're working on a shoestring budget, you're probably better off looking towards crowdfunding for your film. And that's a totally different topic altogether.
Happy Filmmaking!
For example, New Mexico has a tax credit of up to 25% for qualified in-state spending for film productions. So if you have a $1M budget, then that's $250K cash back from the state of NM...theoretically. The catch is qualified expenses. You need to make sure that you follow the guidelines and use proper accounting so that the state audit will accept all of the expenses and spending you've tagged as qualified.
This is where it's critical to have production accountants who understand these programs and how to tag your spending in the budget and cost report so that the expenses budgeted as being qualified will actually end up being qualified and not disallowed. Many of the large studios fail to properly do this, and so a portion of the budgeted credit ends up being disallowed.
For a big studio, it's a headache, but not the end of the world since they already have millions of $$$ in their coffers, and these tax credits end up being icing on the cake and a way to recoup some of the budget. But for an indie producer who is lured into this poppy field of "free government money", the results could be as disastrous as getting hooked on the opium that said poppies produce (ala that scene in Wizard of Oz -- you know the one!)
First off, most of the state tax incentives require you to use local hire crew and even for some of the cast. Depending on where you shoot, star actors paid through a loanout may or may not qualify. And since a name actor is going to be a huge chunk of an indie budget, that's a big portion that won't qualify.
Regarding crew, if you're shooting on HD, chances are your film crew will be a fraction of the number of crew on a big budget Hollywood production. The DP you hire will often bring his own camera crew and sometimes hook you up with gaffers, grips etc. -- people they've worked with before. There's a synergy with a crew that are veterans on many shoots. Having to rely on a local crew may or may not end up costing you more in the long run.
My recommendation is to not rush foolishly into this world of tax credits. If you're shooting a feature film, consider the possibility that it actually might be cheaper to lay off the plane tickets and hotel rooms and shoot your movie in Los Angeles. Unless of course you live in Santa Fe, obviously!
If you need to use tax credits to provide gap financing to cover funding that you're unable to raise, then you're going to want to engage a company that will float you the cash for the credit. Again, you want to do your research. Plus, in my opinion, tax credits only make sense if you have name attachments to your project that inflates the budget into the $3M + range. If you're working on a shoestring budget, you're probably better off looking towards crowdfunding for your film. And that's a totally different topic altogether.
Happy Filmmaking!
Thursday, January 31, 2013
The Periodic Table of the "Elements"
No, this isn't a science related post -- unless you consider attaching elements to your screenplay a science. In a way, that might be true, but for me, it's just a pun to introduce one of my favorite "new" resources.
If you've never heard of IMDBpro, then you're either not in show business, or if you are in show business, then you've time traveled from the 1990s, back in the days of black & white headshots, VHS demo reels, and messenger envelopes.
As a filmmaker, IMDBpro lets you have access to information about name actors, directors, producers, and who their agents and representatives are. It lets you see what production companies and distributors are behind your favorite films. When you're looking to raise money for your project, a lot of times a financing company wants to see the package -- who's starring and who's directing?
Casting Directors use this book called the UImer's Scale. It's about $200, so it ain't cheap. It's really only good for finding out which stars are "bankable". And since it's a printed book, you have to wait for it to be updated, so your information might not be current. It used to be very useful, but in this day and age of light speed changes in the industry, it's like relying on the yellow pages instead of Google.
With a little practice, you can get good at reading IMDBpro. The important thing to remember is that nowadays, for you to achieve financing, you need to have actors and directors attached who have INTERNATIONAL appeal. Most of the sources of independent film financing come from foreign sources. So just because "so-and-so" is a big Hollywood star, that might not mean squat when it comes to foreign financing. You'd be surprised how many A-listers can't secure financing. As a producer, if you're going to spend big money to have a name actor attached to your film, if their name can't secure the funds for the budget, you're just throwing it all away.
The trick is finding the real bankable actors/directors/etc. who will give your project the funding so that you can shoot it. Actors are looking for great material, and they're willing to work for less salary if the role is kick-ass (especially if it could be award-worthy). The old studio paradigm of the 1980s best reflected in the movie "The Player" is quickly becoming extinct.
It's an exciting time -- the Internet has not only turned our world into a global social network, but the economy is truly experiencing globalization beyond what my old Economics college professors predicted. Yes, things are slow and the economy is stagnant. But politically speaking, we need to start thinking in terms of a global market. Isolationism and xenophobia will kill the emerging opportunities. By embracing the changes and opportunities in this industry, we will be able to come out ahead in the long run and still retain America's lead in the entertainment business.
If you've never heard of IMDBpro, then you're either not in show business, or if you are in show business, then you've time traveled from the 1990s, back in the days of black & white headshots, VHS demo reels, and messenger envelopes.
As a filmmaker, IMDBpro lets you have access to information about name actors, directors, producers, and who their agents and representatives are. It lets you see what production companies and distributors are behind your favorite films. When you're looking to raise money for your project, a lot of times a financing company wants to see the package -- who's starring and who's directing?
Casting Directors use this book called the UImer's Scale. It's about $200, so it ain't cheap. It's really only good for finding out which stars are "bankable". And since it's a printed book, you have to wait for it to be updated, so your information might not be current. It used to be very useful, but in this day and age of light speed changes in the industry, it's like relying on the yellow pages instead of Google.
With a little practice, you can get good at reading IMDBpro. The important thing to remember is that nowadays, for you to achieve financing, you need to have actors and directors attached who have INTERNATIONAL appeal. Most of the sources of independent film financing come from foreign sources. So just because "so-and-so" is a big Hollywood star, that might not mean squat when it comes to foreign financing. You'd be surprised how many A-listers can't secure financing. As a producer, if you're going to spend big money to have a name actor attached to your film, if their name can't secure the funds for the budget, you're just throwing it all away.
The trick is finding the real bankable actors/directors/etc. who will give your project the funding so that you can shoot it. Actors are looking for great material, and they're willing to work for less salary if the role is kick-ass (especially if it could be award-worthy). The old studio paradigm of the 1980s best reflected in the movie "The Player" is quickly becoming extinct.
It's an exciting time -- the Internet has not only turned our world into a global social network, but the economy is truly experiencing globalization beyond what my old Economics college professors predicted. Yes, things are slow and the economy is stagnant. But politically speaking, we need to start thinking in terms of a global market. Isolationism and xenophobia will kill the emerging opportunities. By embracing the changes and opportunities in this industry, we will be able to come out ahead in the long run and still retain America's lead in the entertainment business.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Zero-Budget Pre-Visualization
I've always heard that you can't have too much pre-production when putting together a feature film project. Careful and detailed planning can mean the difference between coming in under budget and on schedule, or running out of money and not being able to finish your film.
Besides doing a preliminary schedule and budget, one tool that can help you plan your film shoot is storyboarding. Trouble is, unless you're a really quick and excellent sketch artist, storyboarding a feature can be a daunting task. While I knew how to draw, my previous experiments with storyboarding weren't very fruitful. And hiring a storyboard artist can be cost prohibitive. While you could find someone to work for free, I find that people working on a volunteer basis will frequently move on to a paying gig. That's completely understandable. After all, we all have bills to pay.
That's why my filmmaking style is to try and do as much prep work as possible myself. So I'm always searching for the best tools that can help me in pre-visualization and pre-production.
There are a couple of software programs out there designed for pre-vis. Storyboard Quick, and Frame Forge are two of the better known programs. Each has their strength and weaknesses. But I've always felt that if you can't find something that works for free, you haven't looked hard enough.
Enter Trimble (formerly Google) Sketch-Up. Totally free to download, this 3-D drawing program can be your best tool for pre-visualizing your sets and even camera angles. The learning curve is pretty quick, thanks for a lot of YouTube tutorials that can get you up and running in no time. Check them out at http://sketchup.google.com
Here's an example of an overhead view of the Military Sciences Development Corporation from my script "Cyber Fighter". This set contains all of the offices in the complex and was inspired from my days temping at Raytheon back in the late 1990s.
My method is to choose the camera angle in Sketchup, export the shot as a PNG, then pose and render my actors in DAZ. I then use Photoshop to composite the actors in the shot. This sets my storyboards apart from just your basic sketch style as I can render in full color.
Now you might be asking, "Hey! How can you waste all that time making boards like that if you don't even have the locations set? There's no way you'll find a location that matches your Sketchup file." That might be true, but I find that the time spent choosing the camera angles and blocking my actors in the previs stage gives me a roadmap that I can take to the set when we shoot. It also provides a picture of my vision for the film, which can help you raise financing and pitch your project more effectively.
Once you create storyboards for your entire film, you can combine them in an animatic that can give a sense of the film's timing and flow. This will also expose any script problems such as bridge scenes that might be needed to connect major sequences. Or, it may confirm that your script is ready to shoot.
When storyboarding a feature, I find it helpful to do it in sequence, but to render the easier scenes first in order to get those completed sooner. In a way, it's like actually shooting the movie. Right now I am in the process of boarding the entire script of "Cyber Fighter". My workflow allows me to render about the same amount of shots in a couple hours that I would be able to actually shoot in a day.
You've got to pace yourself, because all this computer work can get fatiguing. I feel that if you can complete your storyboards in about the same time as your proposed shooting schedule, then you're on track.
These boards will help you show your vision to potential producers, directors, financiers, and even potential actors. Storyboards that are more dynamic can help communicate your concept better than just a simple pitch.
So anyway, check out those free resources, and Happy Filmmaking!
Besides doing a preliminary schedule and budget, one tool that can help you plan your film shoot is storyboarding. Trouble is, unless you're a really quick and excellent sketch artist, storyboarding a feature can be a daunting task. While I knew how to draw, my previous experiments with storyboarding weren't very fruitful. And hiring a storyboard artist can be cost prohibitive. While you could find someone to work for free, I find that people working on a volunteer basis will frequently move on to a paying gig. That's completely understandable. After all, we all have bills to pay.
That's why my filmmaking style is to try and do as much prep work as possible myself. So I'm always searching for the best tools that can help me in pre-visualization and pre-production.
There are a couple of software programs out there designed for pre-vis. Storyboard Quick, and Frame Forge are two of the better known programs. Each has their strength and weaknesses. But I've always felt that if you can't find something that works for free, you haven't looked hard enough.
Enter Trimble (formerly Google) Sketch-Up. Totally free to download, this 3-D drawing program can be your best tool for pre-visualizing your sets and even camera angles. The learning curve is pretty quick, thanks for a lot of YouTube tutorials that can get you up and running in no time. Check them out at http://sketchup.google.com
Here's an example of an overhead view of the Military Sciences Development Corporation from my script "Cyber Fighter". This set contains all of the offices in the complex and was inspired from my days temping at Raytheon back in the late 1990s.
The furniture items were actually found at the Sketchup Warehouse. Other sketchup users can choose to share the models that they build so that anyone can use them in their own designs. This time saving feature allowed me to build this entire set in a few hours.
So you have your sets, but you need actors for the shots, right? Well, there's more good news. Daz 3D Studio has released their latest version 4 for FREE, but only for a limited time. Go to http://daz3d.com -- they're also offering their 3d scenery program Bryce, and Hexagon, a 3d design program where you can design your own props, objects, etc. There's a steeper learning curve with these products, but definitely worth the investment of your time.
Once you're up and running, you'll be able to generate storyboards like this:
So you have your sets, but you need actors for the shots, right? Well, there's more good news. Daz 3D Studio has released their latest version 4 for FREE, but only for a limited time. Go to http://daz3d.com -- they're also offering their 3d scenery program Bryce, and Hexagon, a 3d design program where you can design your own props, objects, etc. There's a steeper learning curve with these products, but definitely worth the investment of your time.
Once you're up and running, you'll be able to generate storyboards like this:
My method is to choose the camera angle in Sketchup, export the shot as a PNG, then pose and render my actors in DAZ. I then use Photoshop to composite the actors in the shot. This sets my storyboards apart from just your basic sketch style as I can render in full color.
Now you might be asking, "Hey! How can you waste all that time making boards like that if you don't even have the locations set? There's no way you'll find a location that matches your Sketchup file." That might be true, but I find that the time spent choosing the camera angles and blocking my actors in the previs stage gives me a roadmap that I can take to the set when we shoot. It also provides a picture of my vision for the film, which can help you raise financing and pitch your project more effectively.
Once you create storyboards for your entire film, you can combine them in an animatic that can give a sense of the film's timing and flow. This will also expose any script problems such as bridge scenes that might be needed to connect major sequences. Or, it may confirm that your script is ready to shoot.
When storyboarding a feature, I find it helpful to do it in sequence, but to render the easier scenes first in order to get those completed sooner. In a way, it's like actually shooting the movie. Right now I am in the process of boarding the entire script of "Cyber Fighter". My workflow allows me to render about the same amount of shots in a couple hours that I would be able to actually shoot in a day.
You've got to pace yourself, because all this computer work can get fatiguing. I feel that if you can complete your storyboards in about the same time as your proposed shooting schedule, then you're on track.
These boards will help you show your vision to potential producers, directors, financiers, and even potential actors. Storyboards that are more dynamic can help communicate your concept better than just a simple pitch.
So anyway, check out those free resources, and Happy Filmmaking!
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
My First Post! or How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love Social Media
As a creative multi-hyphenate living and working in Hollywood CA for quite some time now, I've been lucky enough to have witnessed the greatest revolution since the advent of talking pictures--mainly, the Digital Revolution.
As I'm usually wearing my actor "hat", I've seen the whole acting biz change over the past couple of decades, from black & while headshots, Dramalogue submissions, mass mailings, VHS demo reels and voice overs on cassettes, to ActorsAccess.com, LA Casting, Cmail, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and YouTube.
I've been told that blogging and social media is a great way to connect with your audience, and that the future of entertainment is that those of us in "the biz" will be interacting more and more with our "fans". I find this to be very cool.
I've been doing this Social Media quickstep for a few years now, and sometimes it can get overwhelming. So my goal with this blog is going to be primarily talking about my filmmaking. Right now, I'm developing a feature film, and the process has been quite an adventure. Perhaps some of these stories from the trenches may give you some ideas on your own endeavors.
The tricky part about blogging is keeping the commitment. Much like the Morning Pages exercise in "The Artist's Way" (which I highly recommend), you have to work it to make it work. So I hope to be able to provide some useful info in the coming weeks, months, (and hopefully) years. We shall see.
As I'm usually wearing my actor "hat", I've seen the whole acting biz change over the past couple of decades, from black & while headshots, Dramalogue submissions, mass mailings, VHS demo reels and voice overs on cassettes, to ActorsAccess.com, LA Casting, Cmail, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and YouTube.
I've been told that blogging and social media is a great way to connect with your audience, and that the future of entertainment is that those of us in "the biz" will be interacting more and more with our "fans". I find this to be very cool.
I've been doing this Social Media quickstep for a few years now, and sometimes it can get overwhelming. So my goal with this blog is going to be primarily talking about my filmmaking. Right now, I'm developing a feature film, and the process has been quite an adventure. Perhaps some of these stories from the trenches may give you some ideas on your own endeavors.
The tricky part about blogging is keeping the commitment. Much like the Morning Pages exercise in "The Artist's Way" (which I highly recommend), you have to work it to make it work. So I hope to be able to provide some useful info in the coming weeks, months, (and hopefully) years. We shall see.
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