TGIF! It's been a crazy first week back from being on the road, but also a good one. For example, I picked up a copy of Moviemaker Magazine to see Film Specific was voted on one the Top 50 Filmmaking websites! Hooray! I feel quite honored, especially since we're only a little over a year old as a company. So pick up a copy of Moviemaker if you can...you'll also see a feature article I wrote in there on WEB 2.0 For Filmmakers.

So down to business....

I get so many emails week after week from filmmakers who want to make a $2-$3 million movie and have absolutely nothing to justify that budget. In fact, when I really look at their package, what they have is a $500K film dressed in a $2 million budget. (a wolf in sheep's clothing?)

Now you've heard Alexis Garcia of Endeavor say it point blank in the Audio Seminar we did with him, and I'll second it -- you need to start small, very small, before you graduate to making a film that's over $1 million.

You need to build a TRACK RECORD for yourself, or be working with a Producer with a real track record. And most of all, you need to leverage that track record to get the A-list names that justify a big budget.

One of the biggest mistakes I see filmmakers make is calculating ticket sales (ok so if 1000 people go and see my film and pay $10) and then say to me "well I just need to sell this many tickets to recoup a $2 million budget". WRONG! You have to remember that you can't just stick your movie in theaters and collect ticket sales. First you need a Distributor to put it in theaters for you, and then take their cut. Then you need to hope you fill enough seats to make it past one day in the theater. And you also have to remember that if you were picked up for ALL RIGHTS in the first place, you probably won't be seeing any of those ticket revenues due to 'creative accounting'. And did you consider marketing expenses yet?

So let's get real!

This week I want to share with you a talk I did at the Finance Your Film seminar a couple of months ago on INCREASING THE VALUE OF YOUR FILM. It talks about the 'building blocks' you need to make a film that can justify certain budgets. I also give examples of some REAL numbers.

http://www.filmspecific.com/members/665.cfm

And as a companion piece to that, there's a little chart on DISTRIBUTOR BUYING HABITS where I go through different budget levels, and what elements in place you need for each budget level to sustain that budget. It's pretty cool:

http://www.filmspecific.com/members/666.cfm

Now for the love of Pete...pay attention to this stuff before you go trying to raise money for a $2 million movie!

Oh, and as one last little treat, I uploaded a video for all to see -- it's a brief segment from my workshop with Chris Jones in London where I give a little 'Cannes Low-Down" and discuss a few of my main take-aways. Enjoy!

http://www.filmspecific.com/public/667.cfm

Alright you guys - have a great Friday and weekend! I'm still deciding...Indiana Jones or Sex And The City?

To your success, Stacey*