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Indie film financing and movie distribution reminds of what it’d feel like dancing nude on stage (much respect for exotic dancers at Larry Flynt’s Hustler Club!). You show as much as pitch your movie project and have to have the ability to dance to a video investor’s music. It’s their stage and not yours being an indie filmmaker seeking film funding. They want you to produce a sellable movie which interests movie distributors and so the production will make money.

Most investors I’ve met with are not interested in putting hard money into indie art house films because those are tough sells to movie distributors and overseas film buyers aren’t usually interested in seeing them. The dialogue and scenes of certain art house type films don’t translate well to foreign buyers and movie viewers. Action, horror and skin does not require subtitles for individuals to check out the story is what I’ve been told by distributors. Talking head movies will make no sense to viewers that don’t understand subtle lines spoken in a foreign language.

Independent film financing continues to alter as indie movie distribution gets more financially shaky. The place it’s hitting indie movie producers hardest is right at the source – film financing. Film investors right now aren’t feeling stoked up about putting money into movies that not have bankable name actors. This is simply not like so-called indie movies which have A-list actors or are produced for millions of dollars. Those kind of indie film passion projects you may make once you’ve caused it to be in the entertainment business at the studio level.

Indie film investors and movie distributors won’t expect you to have an A-list actor, but they do want producers to own actors (B-list or C-list or D-list) with some name recognition or celebrity. The initial question film investors and movie distributors ask is who the cast is. That is where most indie movie producers are blown out from the water because they’ve an as yet not known cast of actors. Plus there is a glut of indie movies being made because technology has caused it to be more affordable to make movies.

The bright side is that entertaining indie movies are increasingly being made which may not otherwise ever have experienced light of day before. The downside is meaningful movie distribution (getting paid) for indie produced films continues to shrink as indie films being made rises (supply and demand 101). I talked to at least one movie distributor that caters to releasing independent films and they said they receive new film submissions daily.

They were honest saying they get very sellable movies and ones which can be less than appealing, but with so many movies on the market they no further offer most producers advance money against film royalties or pay a lump cash “buy-out” to secure distribution rights. Their business viewpoint is most indie filmmakers are simply happy seeing their movie released. The word they used was “glorified showreel” for an indie filmmaker to show they could create a feature film. So, they acquire many of the movie releases without paying an advance or supplying a “buy-out” agreement.

Not making a profit from a movie does not make financial sense for film investors that be prepared to see money made. When people put up money to produce a movie they want a get back on their investment. Otherwise it’s no further a movie investment. It becomes a video donation of money they’re giving away with no expectations. I’ve been on the “dog and pony show” circuit ending up in potential film investors and learning invaluable lessons.

I’m in the habit now of speaking with indie movie distributors before writing a screenplay to see what forms of films are available and what actors or celebrity names attached to a possible project interest them. This is simply not like chasing trends, but it provides producers a sharper picture of the sales climate for indie films. Sometimes distributors can give me a brief set of actors or celebrities to take into account that suit an unbiased movie budget. Movie sales outside the U.S. are the place where a majority of the amount of money is good for indie filmmakers.

Movie distributors and film sales agents can inform you what actors and celebrity talent is translating to movie sales overseas at the indie level. These won’t be A-list names, but having someone with some kind of name is a superb selling point to simply help your movie standout from others. Brief cameos of known actors or celebrities used to be an effective way to keep talent cost down and put in a bankable name to your cast.

That’s changed lately from my conversations with distribution companies. Movie distributors now expect any name talent attached to really have a meaningful part in the movie rather than a few minutes in a cameo role. Cameo scenes can still work when there is an aesthetic hook that grabs the interest of viewers in a few way. But having name talent say a few lines with no special hook won’t fly anymore.

Another way to make an indie film needing funding more appealing to investors is to add talent that has been in a movie or TV show of note. ดูหนัง HD Their name being an actor might not be that well-known yet, but rising stars which have appeared in a popular movie or TV show can give your movie broader appeal. If you cast them in a supporting role keep working days on the set right down to a minimum to truly save your budget. Try to write their scenes so they can be shot in one or two days.

When you’re pitching to serious film investors they will want to be given an in depth movie budget and distribution plan how you intend on making money from the film’s release. The Catch-22 that takes place a whole lot is that a lot of movie distributors that focus on releasing indie films won’t commit to any deal until they’ve screened the movie.

There’s not built-in distribution like with studio budget films. Film investors that are not traditionally part of the entertainment business will get put off when a producer does not have a distribution deal already in place. They don’t understand the Catch-22 of indie filmmaking and distribution. That is the place where a movie producer really needs to have a solid pitch that explains the financial dynamics of indie film distribution.

Most film investors will give an indie movie producer’s financing pitch that mentions self-distribution in it. From a movie investor’s business perspective it takes entirely too long for an indie movie to generate money going the self-distribution route. It’s like the old school means of selling your movie out from the trunk of your car at places, nevertheless now it’s done online using digital distribution and direct sales using a blog. That’s an extended grind that a lot of investors won’t be interested in waiting around for. Moving one unit of a movie at the same time is too slow of trickle for investors.

A possible way across the Catch-22 would be to reach out to movie distributors when you are pitching to film investors. With a company budget number and possible cast attached you are able to gauge to see when there is any meaningful distribution curiosity about the movie. It’s always possible a supplier will tell you that they would offer an advance or “buy-out” deal. They generally won’t give you a hard number, but a ballpark figure of what they could offer can tell you if your financial allowance makes financial sense to approach movie investors with.

I know one savvy indie movie producer that makes 4-6 movies annually on very reasonable budgets and knows they’re already making a profit from the advance money alone. The film royalty payments really are a bonus. The producer keeps budgets extremely affordable and streamlined at every phase of production. Once you have a history with a distribution company you know what you are able to be prepared to be paid. Then you can offer film investors a percent on their money invested to the production that makes sense.

Social networking with other indie filmmakers enables you to hear what’s happening with movie distribution from other people’s real life experiences. An awesome thing I’ve been hearing about is that there are film investors that won’t put up money to make movie that will probably be self-distributed, but they’ll roll the dice on an element that will probably specific film festivals. Not the art house film festivals. The ones that are extremely genre specific like for horror or action films. Like Screamfest Horror Film Festival or Action on Film (AOF). Film buyers attend these events and meaningful distribution deals are made.

Independent film financing and movie distribution are regions of the entertainment business all filmmakers will need to cope with and learn from each experience. I was in the hot seat today pitching to a video investor. I’ve streamlined the budget around I can without making the plot lose steam.

The jam I’m in as a producer is you will find hard costs that can not be avoided including lots of gun play including two rigging shots where baddies get shot and are blown backwards off their feet. Badass action films need experienced and seasoned film crews to pull-off hardcore action shots off clean and safe. The cast I wish to hire has the right appeal and name recognition with this indie action movie to rock viewers. There’s nothing that could get lost in the translation in this film for foreign film buyers and movie viewers.

What I think got lost in the translation with the potential film investor today is if I keep taking out below-the-line crew to truly save money I’m likely to have to do rewrites to the screenplay to get action scenes. They are selling points that may hurt sales if they’re written out. But it’s my job being an indie filmmaker to balance a budget that interests film investors. We’ll observe how this goes. That is indie filmmaker Sid Kali typing fade out.