A good video on how you should look at your audience.
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I came across this while looking for a document. It is Ted Hope’s 99 Recommended Steps For Making Good Movies. I copied and saved it when it came out so I would always have it. Ted Hope has been he most influential person when it comes to filmmaking. I never went to film school, so I decided to teach myself. I taught myself how to drive a car and swim, why not film?
I found Ted’s Blog when I first started and have followed it ever since. Filmmaking and media is changing so fast it is about impossible to see where it will end up. If it ends up anywhere, but instead an ever evolving. He has many great guest writers that give great insight into to today’s film landscape and culture. If you are reading his blog you are falling behind.
This is how I do it, generally speaking.
Or rather, this is how I try to do it. There really is no template; I have to adjust the plan for each project. And it doesn’t always work. Sometimes I fail (at least to some degree).
And yes, I have left out the details. After all, that is where the art, experience, & innovation is. And of course as this is a collaborative endeavor, there is always — and thankfully — that “other” factor.
1. Maintain wonder & love for the world & most/some of the people.
2. Recognize the barriers & be empowered by my desire for change.
3. Find an inspiring idea & the correct collaborator for it.
4. Maintain love & respect for the film industry.
5. Develop script.
6. Fall in love with project.
7. Get non-financier, non-buyer industry types to give feedback on script.
8. Maintain wonder & love for the process.
9. Further develop script.
10. Maintain respect for collaborator(s).
11. Identify audience & market for project.
12. Enhance my enthusiasm for potential of the results of audience engagement with ambitious cinema.
13. Develop additional materials to properly contextualize project, like image books (aka look books), reference material, blog posts, etc.
14. Try to locate audience and key influencers for the project.
15. Develop transmedia extensions (I know I should do this earlier).
16. Encourage Filmmaker to engage with True Fans (i.e. build community).
17. Strategize production process.
18. Ballpark budget.
19. Evaluate potential cast for project.
20. Consider possible shooting locations.
21. Introduce Writer/Director to US Talent Agencies if necessary.
22. Have Director meet wide range of actors.
23. Strategize financing.
24. Strategize casting process.
25. Develop financing plan.
26. Execute casting process strategy.
27. Attach lead actor.
28. Attach another actor (or two).
29. Revise financing plan as necessary.
30. Revise script as necessary.
31. Estimate possible profit & losses.
32. Revise financing plan as necessary.
33. Approach sales agents.
34. Get foreign sales estimates & foreign sales deal terms.
35. Revise financing plan.
36. Budget, ideally in multiple variations.
37. Approach private equity.
38. Revise financing plan.
39. Revise script as necessary.
40. Get verbal commitments from private equity.
41. Determine most appropriate & then secure sales agent.
42. Continue to source additional financing.
43. Revise financing plan.
44. Revise script as necessary.
45. Develop initial outreach, engagement, awareness strategy.
46. Consider and possibly secure a presale or three.
47. Revise financing plan.
48. Revise script as necessary.
49. Revise Budget.
50. Consider and possibly secure gap & mezzanine financing if necessary.
51. Finalize financing structure & partners
52. Consider & secure key crew collaborators.
53. Scout primary location.
54. Revise script as necessary.
55. Revise Budget.
56. Secure tax credit/rebate.
57. Lock all financing.
58. Lock talent deals.
59. Lock Location.
60. Revise script as necessary.
61. Revise & Lock Budget.
62. Revise initial outreach, engagement, & awareness strategies.
63. Prep.
64. Revise script as necessary.
65. Initiate initial outreach, engagement, & awareness strategies.
66. Shoot.
67. Celebrate completion of shoot.
68. Wrap production.
69. Ponder the big picture.
70. Edit.
71. Revise outreach, engagement, & awareness strategies.
72. Initiate revised outreach, engagement, & awareness strategies.
73. Build awareness.
74. Ponder the big picture.
75. Complete “Movie”.
76. Wrap post.
77. Further revise outreach, engagement, & awareness strategies.
78. Take to festivals.
79. Win awards.
80. Celebrate.
81. Further revise & implement outreach, engagement, & awareness strategies.
82. Sell & license “movie”.
83. Celebrate some more.
84. Deliver “movie” to licensors.
85. Further revise & implement outreach, engagement, & awareness strategies.
86. Market some more.
87. Screen, screen, screen.
88. Publicize.
89. Market some more.
90. Distribute.
91. Harvest, aggregate, & analyze, data.
92. Ponder the big picture.
93. Share the knowledge with the community.
94. Win more awards.
95. Collect profits.
96. Share the wealth the partners.
97. Ponder the big picture.
98. Plan the next one.
99. Do it all over again, but do it a little bit differently.
That is right, tomorrow is the Grey Room Crowdfunding Kickoff Party. We will begin our Indiegogo campaign and you are invited.
We are having out party at The Hub. 719 N Franklin St, Tampa, Fl, which is the greatest bar, like a real bar, in the world. Be aware that there drinks are very strong so do not slam them. Anyways, We are having this party to A. Bring attention to our Crowdfunding campaign B. To just give people a reason to have a good time and to bring closer our community and C. To bring attention to ourselves and build our audience and build our Brand.
We will have have the cast and crew of Grey Room: Linda Roser, John O’Keef, Leon Salem Kathrine Michelle. Lydia Edwards, Jeannine Fiallo, Brandon Hyde, Tony Tartaglia, Lakiasha Olds, William Wright. They are great people who work very hard and are talented . We will be showing our out Pitch video and trailer.
Please come out. This is our first event and we will more. I like getting together and hanging out with good people like you.
I have been asked by Preston Walden to be the Vice President of his production company Domain Pictures. It is an incorporated company here in Tampa, Fl and as many of you know, Preston and I have been working on Grey Room which I am producing. We have a number of solid projects, which I will share in my next post, and are working on a strategy on how we want to proceed with these various projects. There is a logical order by which we move on various projects. That will be another post as well.
As you know we live in a different world now. We are too aware that either you change or die off. We live in a transmedia world where we tell our stories on many different mediums on many different platforms. Preston and myself understand this and are proceeding according with our projects.
We are really excitied about the future. We have a lot of projects. Good projects. and we keep coming into one all the time. We have been blessed with talented upcoming writers and directors. This year alone will make 3 to 4 shorts and a documentary. Great times ahead. Now lets get to work.
This week has been the week of meetings. Note to yourself, do them with people you enjoy being around. Makes it fun.
So I have a ton of work and am trying to figure out where and how to start. I have a ton of research to do on a subject for a film I am producing. I am teaching myself how to write a business plan so that I can write one for my production company as well as one for a film I am producing. I need to start searching for talent and a director for that film I need to write a business plan for; and as soon as I have said business plan, talent and director I then need to go in search of the almighty investor.
Along with that, I have to do preproduction for a doc I am producing as well as do some social media for Grey Room. Do not forget we will begin Crowdfunding for it in February. I also have to come up with an article I need to write for the FMPTA news letter The Slate. Any suggestions? God knows I could use some. Also, if you want me to write about something please feel free to make suggestions. It would benefit me because I would have to go and research the topic.
Also, with that I am running for Vice President For the Florida Motion Picture & Television Association Tampa Bay Chapter. FMPTA. If you are a member please vote for me. I will be writing as to why you should vote for me.
This is where I need to learn how to plan and organize my tasks. I am starting to learn about strategic planning, something that I think you should learn if you are to be successful at filmmaking. There are proven tools that work and should be applied to your filmmaking skills.
Hey guys. Sorry for not blogging for so long. I apologize for that. Avoidance seems to effect me from time to time.
Ok so, here is what is going on. We shot the trailer, for the second time, and have it edited, scored and ready to go. I am debating to show it here now or what until the crowd funding campaign. We had a great time shooting it and I am pleased how well everyone gets along. It makes life so much easier when the troops are having fun and enjoying each others company.
Some great news about our 1st AD Semone Founillier. She was excepted into AFI”s Conservatory program for writing in California for her Masters. She is there now and will be flying back to Tampa to 1st AD Grey Room. If you remember, she is writing the film on rape for me. I have read what she has so far and it is amazing. So we are extremely proud of her.
I am happy to announce our new Script Supervisor Mike Rembis. He brings to our team a lot of experience and is taking care of our shooting schedule. Which takes a big load off my shoulders. We have a great plan set up and it will allow us to shoot very efficiently. We have a lot to cover in this film so we need to have a clear strategy to shoot it. According to Mike we can shoot this in 35 hours. I think that is a great and doable goal.
So now I am concentrating on Pre production and am beginning to research contracts. Yes we are doing contracts for a couple of reasons. One to protect all parties but also to get some experience in dealing with them. I never have had to so this is a great opportunity for me. I have one with Jason Cote. We signed it at the Grey Room Party.
Oh Speaking of Jason, He just arrived to his new home town, LA. Yes he has moved to Hollywood to take his career as an editor to a professional level. Not saying you can’t do that here in Florida, but you can’t do that here in Florida. It’s Florida.
Oh Lord Jesus, I apologize for being away for so darn long. A lot has happened since I last wrote. I went to my first festival that I was in and I directed a music video for the cancer charity Relay for Life.
I had a project that I started to work on then it died on the vine however, I do plan on resurrect it in the future. The feature film is being written as I write this and I am really excited, so I will let you know more as it progresses.
Oh, we were going to do a short film for the NBC Film Festival but then decided to not green light it for we would have only given us 30 days to raise funds, plan it, shoot it, edit it and do all the that is entailed in post.
So what is going on now? Well I have stepped back from film making so to speak. No I am not getting out of film making on the contrary. I am stepping back to start my production company and dive into a lot of reading and research about film making and the business of film making . I will write more on starting up the production company very soon and get your feedback.
Oh Yeah one more thing, the filmmaker speaker series is up and running. Filmmakers Speak started with Russell Hess and our next speaker is Rich Nation. More to come on that.
OK Love you all.
timme
As you know I am producing a feature film on sexual violence. My partner and the writer Semone Fournillier will be begin writing in April and end in June. She is using this script for her Masters class at UCLA, so by the time she is finished with the class we will have a very polished script.
Soon we will be having a production meeting with veteran Casting Director and film consultant Bobbi Hill. She is brings 30 years of experience to the table. In addition, Marilyn Bray who is our film and content consultant will be there. I will keep you filled in on when and how the meeting went.
Also, if you are a survivor of sexual violence we would like to hear from you. We want to keep this film as real as it can be. We don’t want to sugar coat sexual violence as it often has been. You can contact me at timschroyer@gmail.com
Why am I telling you all this. Well for one I am telling you my journey into film. Thus the name. Also, I am trying to build an audience and garner interest for our film. Risky? Maybe but I think it will pay off in the long run
FYI, I am looking for a PMD. Producer of Marketing and Distribution. I have 3 films that need a PMD. If you are interested please contact me.
It brings me great joy to announce that the Tampa Bay Filmmakers speaking Series has a lock down date, time and speaker, as well as a name for it, “Filmmakers Speak”
It is being presented by The Florida Motion Picture and Television Association, FMPTA Tampa Bay Chapter, and I will be your host. It will be on Saturday, March 24th at 10 am at Keiser University, 5225 Memorial Hwy Tampa Fl 33634 This event is free and open to the public and will be live streamed.
We are honored to have as our first speaker Russell Hess.
Here is what Russell will be covering.
Some very important questions answered:
1. Packaging, what is it, is it important and why?
2. I’ve written one or more scripts, now what should I do?
3. Why can’t I raise money for my project?
4. Why you should NEVER lower your budget in an attempt to obtain production capital!
5. Can I arrange for a pre-distribution deal?
6. Is it possible to get movie stars in my film or documentary?
7. How will I know if my film can even qualify for a distribution deal?
(and when should I know this?)
8. What is the best kind of distribution deal to get and how soon can I get it?
9.Why do my films never get off the ground, completed, sold distributed
or make any money? (the answer is more simple than you think)
10. How can I have a better chance at getting into a film festival?
11. Which festivals are the best for my film?
12. Which distributors are the best for my film?
13. How can I create a “product” that will have distributors coming to ME?
Russell Hess has been in entertainment for over 25 years. From actor to producer and from sales agent to distributor, Hess has been responsible for independent film releases world-wide. The indie doc, “inGREEDients” helmed by Russell Hess saw a global release in over 70 countries and in 3 languages. Hess and his partners have developed a proprietary IPTV player similar to Netflix and Hulu. The platform will be for independent content only (for now). The big companies are already making the shift from DVD/BluRay and Hess’ company, Commodity Films, LLC is already moving in this direction.
Hess has connections with major and medium-sized companies and partners in various parts of the world for the releasing of any kind of title. Commodity Films operates an “all-digital” process from screening to release. The inventor of the IPTV player arranged a deal with Facebook so the titles can be viewed (and monetized) on the largest social network on the planet.
Qualifications
Executive Produced/Produced/Co-Produced nine successful feature films
• Co-Produced two Documentary films
• Designed and developed world-wide distribution models for documentary films
• Develops independent feature films from concept to release
• Forms strategic partnerships to create financially viable projects
• Creative visionary, show business consultant, innovator and inventor
My journey into film 