Reverse Engineer Your Success as a Filmmaker
From the HD Pro Guide Magazine archive: this article first appeared in HD Pro Guide Magazine, Vol. 2, No. 4 (2014). By David Kaminski.
by David Kaminski Few people have an axiom about the value of strategizing about what you will do after your film is made. We all know the rule of thumb that an hour of planning in pre-production is worth ten hours of production, and that an hour of planning for production is worth ten hours of post-production. We need to start reminding ourselves that same exponential relationship applies to planning about how to create revenue and proper distribution. We are no longer just the makers of the films, we need to succeed in getting people to invest financially in projects, to support them through festivals and awards, to help get the material into independent and mainstream media outlets, create money for the investors, and help finance our next projects.
- What is the maximum (and minimum) value
of the material you are creating?
- What is the maximum (and minimum) of
money, time, and energy you are willing to devote to this product, this idea, or this series you are creating?
- What is your transmedia approach?
- What is the maximum audience you could
draw?
- Who are your funders for the start-up of the
film?
- Who will finance your festivals, awards,
lawyers, and distribution deals?
- How will making this film
help you develop connections for the next project?
- How are all of your projects
part of a larger strategy to build your value as a filmmaker and as a business partner to others?
- How will your audience for
your final product create a revenue stream for you and for your financial partners?
- Will you be able to create
profit from all of your films, no matter how small?
If you sit down with your team and try to answer some of these hard questions first, then you will be surprised that some of the issues you have with starting the film can be solved by looking at the distribution first. Avoiding any copyright issues from the start – from music to branding, is also useful. Even for your writing: if your series or characters get picked up nationally, it is important to make sure the names of your characters are distinct and do not infringe on the copyright of others. When I was consulting for a person planning a children’s animation, I asked what color of crayon the characters matched, in part because worksheets for elementary school children were part of an educational program for the show. Although a simple question, it points to the fact that you should look outside your film and into the surrounding world for answers.
These elements can be part of the creative process. Knowing such facts is part of considering a marketing and transmedia campaign and can affect the decisions you make before you start your film.
The more you look at the full cycle of your films from creation through distribution and profit, the more money and more success you will have to allow you to follow your dreams.
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