Hello there everyone!
In these ever-changing times, I'm curious if the Proof of Concept Short Film model is still viable.
Just prior to the shutdown, my production company and I produced a 20 minute dramatic short intended as a proof of concept for the feature script we have lying in wait. The original plan was to produce a high-quality short, go the festival route, and use the opportunities there to open up networking channels as we sought funding for the feature. As a US based production company, festivals are looking less and less likely to be a viable route for us, at least for the foreseeable future. We have strategically submitted to a few, but are looking at alternatives.
Anyone have any recent experience or advice on what to do with this short now that we have it fully produced?
I'd be happy to publicly share the trailer, logline and synopsis to anyone interested, and the film is available privately for those who might want to take a look.
Joey Maxwell I have some questions. You characterize this as a proof of concept short. How long is it and why did you produce it? Is your intent to get the attention of audience so that you might make another short? Or is it to get the attention of feature film producers, few of whom pay attention to festivals? To my mind, a proof of concept short is a sizzle or other production aimed at investors, sometimes a very particular few. A short aimed at festivals is a different audience and a different purpose.
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Thanks for the thoughtful questions!
The run-time is 21.5 minutes. We produced the film to showcase the basic story idea, as well as our capabilities as a production company. Our ultimate goal is to get the attention of sales agents, distributors, and investors in order to secure funding and distribution for the feature. Being in Central, FL in the middle of the pandemic, there are not a lot of networking opportunities, so we are looking for different ways to make those connections.
We have also considered abandoning the festival route and releasing the film publicly with the hops of building an audience. Long-term, we are looking to transition out of shorts and commercial work and into features.
Where can we view the short?
Have you looked into submitting for Oscars 2020 live action short? Check their website for submission Rules
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Hi Dan. We have submitted to a few of the Academy Qualifiers and will have answers from all of them by the end of the year.
If you’d like to see the film, I’d be more than happy to share the link with you via email.
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For anyone interested, here is the trailer....
https://youtu.be/h7dUnlyLCUQ
Joey Maxwell Looks interesting to me.
Hi Joey, we are a Singapore based company and starting to build up our sales agency arm right now. Normally the market for shorts is relatively small - if there is any at all. But if you have a solid film, with solid actors, maybe there is something we can do. If you are keen to talk more about us helping you with your distribution efforts, drop me a message or email at jerry@wave-films.com