KNOWLEDGE IS MOVIE POWER: 10 Honest Film Facts Learned over 30 Years (You’ll Love #s 5, 7A & 7B)
by Dov S-S Simens on December 18, 2015
Harvey Weinstein is the “King of Independents” and if he wanted to teach like myself, Dov Simens, here’s what he’d say… maybe?
First and most important is that Hollywood is the greatest Bull Sh*t industry in the world and “Don’t try to Bull Sh*t a Professional Bull Sh*tter”… Hollywood is a “Professional Bull Sh*t” Industry.
(Where Roger Corman was the “King if Bs”…
10 CommentsWant to make a successful independent film?
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MOVIE SELF DISTRIBUTION: 13 On-Demand Platforms (Subscription #4 & Aggregator #16 are my faves)
by Dov S-S Simens on December 15, 2015
MOVIE SELF DISTRIBUTION (DIY: Do-It-Yourself…with a Platform & an Aggregator)
The Hollywood saying is “Producers get F*cked. Distributors do the F*cking”… and the key to profits lies in being at the top of the money-chain and controlling content… and today, with Video On-Demand viability, it is easy to control content and be in second position (normal Theatrical Distribution has the creator, after exhibitor/distributor/expenses/fees in fifth position) to directly receive revenue shares (splits) to make profits.
15 CommentsATTN MOMS! CHILD ACTORS MAKE $400-$10,000/Day & DISNEY IS LOOKING (Learn how)
by Dov S-S Simens on December 9, 2015
CHILD ACTORS & YOUR CHILD (1st Job)
Yes, your child is unique and $400/day to $10,000/week is not unusual and they do not need to be in the Actors union called SAG for everyone wants a “fresh face”. Be it a boy or girl, ethnic, cute, chubby, cherubic, autistic… and especially if twins (double pay…cool).
Hollywood studios and their respective casting directors love twins.
Why?
Simple.
9 CommentsATTN: ACTORS (2 Hot Tips, 15 Casting Directors & 2,000 Parts This Week)
by Dov S-S Simens on November 27, 2015
CASTING DIRECTORS: 2,000 ACTING JOBS
Hello actors. Hello first-timers. Hello wannabees. You say you’re an actor and you’re looking for one of the 2,000 acting jobs cast in Hollywood each week and an agent.
There is nothing wrong with that…
In the interim, until you get a Talent Agent, that subscribes to Breakdown Services and ActNow (websites that post the 2,000 acting gigs), to represent you,
6 CommentsFILM FINANCING via PRE-SELLS ($300 Million Available… What Cannes & AFM Cost.)
by Dov S-S Simens on November 24, 2015
CANNES, SUNDANCE & TORONTO: FILM MARKETS and FILM FESTIVALS
There are Film Festivals and there are Film Markets.
Festivals & Markets have absolutely nothing in common.
Film Festivals are about “Fluff & Awards”, with an undiscussed hope that you, with your film, will get either (A) Discovered or (B) a Distributor.
Film Markets are blatantly about Business-Business-Business…. Money, Pre-Selling, Financing, Profiting & More Money.
30-35 years ago I don’t think you could name more than 10 Film Festivals in the entire world….
13 CommentsINDY FILMMAKING SUCCESS (Part 3): THE “SHOT-FOR” $20K-$30K FEATURE (It’s In-The-Can)
by Dov S-S Simens on November 18, 2015
THE $20,000-$30,000 FEATURE FILM
Prior posts were about the “1,000-$10,000″ Real-Time Feature and the $30,000-$50,000” 1-Week Feature. Now, let’s analyze the $20,000-$30,000 Shot-For Feature.
$20,000-$30,000 was the budget for “Clerks”, “El Mariachi”, “Paranormal Activity” as, upon theatrical distribution, it was marketed as a Shot-For Feature Film… With, “Shot-For” being the key phrase.
Why?
Because “Shot-For” is the heard after someone states a movie’s micro-budget of “$20,000 to $30,000”
1 CommentINDY FILMMAKING SUCCESS (Part 2): THE MICRO-BUDGET $30K-$50K FEATURE (The 1-Week Movie)
by Dov S-S Simens on November 16, 2015
YOUR 1st MOVIE (Part 2): The $30,000-$50,000 FEATURE FILM.
Last week’s post I outlined step-by-step how to make a movie “shot for $1,000-$10,000” which is usually a non-scripted project (improve actors), shot in real-time (90-minutes), with 2 iPhones or HDSLR cameras over 1-weekend.
Of the 186 comments and e-mails received there were 4 (2 USC, 1 NYU & 1 AFI grad), slightly condescending, that said “no way” and proceeded to tell me, according to their professors,
4 CommentsINDY FILMMAKING SUCCESS (Part 1): THE NO-BUDGET $1K-$10K FEATURE (Got $1,000? Make-A-Movie Not-A-Short.)
by Dov S-S Simens on November 13, 2015
YOUR 1st MOVIE (Part 1): The $1,000-$10,000 Feature Film
Thanks to digital technology (4K cameras for $500) and the internet (marketing, distributing P2P, streaming, on-demand & micro-charging) the making of feature films, on budgets of $1K-$10K, selling them for $0.25 to $1.95, and profiting (I repeat “and profiting”) is now quite realistic.
Remember, I said “quite realistic” but not “guaranteed” but, an added bonus, if you produce a feature film for under $10,000,
11 CommentsMOVIE MONEY (Part 8): 6 PACKAGING AGENTS & THE $30-$50 MILLION DEAL (I’m repped by #6)
by Dov S-S Simens on November 2, 2015
AGENTS: TALENT, WRITER, DIRECTOR, PRODUCER, CREW or PACKAGE?
Yes, “You should have an agent to represent you” but also you might want an agent that can not only represent you but also “package you” or “package your script” into a project that a studio or network has told them “they are looking for”.
These agents are called “Packaging Agents” and work in “Packaging Agencies”. And it is these “Packaging Agencies”, along with the power law firms,
6 CommentsMOVIE MONEY (Part 7): BUDGET FOR INDY MONEY (This method is so simple )
by Dov S-S Simens on October 30, 2015
THE INDEPENDENT BUDGET vs THE STUDIO BUDGET
WARNING! Want to succeed as a Filmmaker? Then do not budget the for a Studio feature film when planning to make an Independent feature film.
Huh? The Studio Method or the Independent Method? Yes, there are 2 ways to approach the preparation of a Budget for a feature film and they are extremely different.
If you are planning Independent Financing to fund your project do not prepare a Studio Budget.
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