Producing : How can I make profit with VOD? by Faruku Sayyadi

There are many blanks to fill in here. For example, #2 really isn't relative. Numerous variables from talent in front and behind the camera can have an impact. Ultimately it comes down to the appeal of the package and what someone is willing to pay.

Thanks James

1. Make a film people want to see. Simple, right? I don't believe your second question is answerable. If you spend $1,000 and only four people pay $10 to watch you movie you have "over-invested". If you spend $100,000 and 50,000 people pay $10 to watch your movie you have not over-invested. Just a different way to say what James already said. The only thing a producer can do is make the movie they NEED to make. Every movie is a gamble. Who really know what will drive people to pay to see it? Let me ask you, Faruku; what make YOU pay to watch a movie on demand? what do YOU look for? How many movies a month do you pay to watch?

Like what you posted there, D. Especially when you speak about making the film you need to make. I often hear writers, directors and producers talk about doing what's hot now. A fatal mistake. Chasing the market is a losing strategy. Chazelle didn't make LA LA LAND because musicals were hot. He made it because it was a passion project. One he dreamed up even before WHIPLASH. So...sound advice...make the film you need to make.

We filmmakers all want people to pay to watch our movie. But how often do WE pay to watch a movie on VOD? A movie made by filmmakers just like us; low budget, no "name" actors. An expansion on Faruku's first question: how can WE help make someone else's film succeed on VOD?

There is nothing like "over-invest". Make a movie with zero dollars or a zillion, it doesn't count. Just put out a good movie. What you should really think about is the marketing. Paranormal Activity was with a little budget but it got out there because the content was too difficult to deny.

actually, Paranormal Activity was finished by professionals. Movie was right time, right place, the beginning of the Internet. My buddy worked on the campaign for Dreamworks. Everyone got bonuse$$$-- except the Director (that's another story)

If $15-20M is what the film earned, I will agree. Paramount bought the movie for $350k. Well, it wasnt known how much is the actual budget when produced as independent. Maybe due to its editing by Paramount; alternate end scenes were created, upping the budget. I saw it somewhere, I can't really place--- the real independent budget is 15k. The filmed raked over $85M at the box office.

Faruku, I am a writer producer who is investigating the same opportunity in VOD. I met someone recently who made a family movie with a dog for $90,000 and sold it to Redbox for $160,000. If you can keep your costs way down and shoot a picture with a marketable presence, I believe, hopefully, that you can make a profit. So maybe your next movie is made for $150,000 and so on and so forth. What we've all wondering - and this is an industry-wide issue - is that there is no chart or tangible paradigm on what films are worth in the digital universe right now. Remember those wonderful Variety and Hollywood Reporter box-office charts - well they don't exist in digital, and that's a problem. Nobody knows what anybody else is making for a VOD sale.

Whether you make money or not depends on a lot of factors. ART, TITLE, SYNOPSIS A nice title, good cover art, and a compelling synopsis can get people to stream your film. If your title starts with an A or B, keeping it close to the top of the alphabet, and consequently, close to the top of the list, it will get more views. MAKE A MOVIE PEOPLE WANT TO TELL THEIR FRIENDS ABOUT Making a good film will help because people will tell their friends about it. The package may sell the first one, but the content must sell the rest. THE DEAL The distribution deal is of concern. Make sure you're actually going to make some money on the deal, and you're not going to get cheated out of your earnings. Distributors have a nasty habit of cooking the books so you don't make money. PROMOTION If you don't tell people you made a film, no one will know you made a film. Find out what your distributor is going to do about promotion, and what you can do to augment that promotion. You may not be allowed to do more than share on social networks or do interviews, but whatever you can do, do it. Radio interviews are nice because you can call them in from anywhere. That means you can promote on radio in several states or countries without leaving your home. I have one friend who made a sci fi film for $25k and made $300k. I have another friend who makes films for about $500k, and does direct to video. His films are available in K-Mart and other outlets. He makes decent money doing that. He also gets some decent name actors in his films. Not the top A-listers, but some well known names. RB is correct, make your passion. Whatever script screams "MAKE ME!" That's the one you need to make. To up your odds of getting a good distribution deal, take your passion script to a distributor that distributes films of that type, and talk to them about it. Or ask them what they want first, and then write your passion script. You may write what they want, take it back to them, and have them say, well, we like this but... and then give you constructive criticism. Don't stop. Take their words as advice, go home and modify the script. You may do this a dozen times, but when you're done, you'll have a script that the distributor likes. Now, go and tell that story the best way you know how. One thing I've learned over the years - everything matters. When making a film, audio, lighting, writing, acting, camera angles, lenses, camera movement, make-up, sets, props, wardrobe, set dressing, direction... everything matters. When you get it all right, it's a wonderful thing. Pay attention to the details, and make something you would gladly pay to see, even if it were made by a stranger.

Hey guys, this is amazing. I really appreciate what you are contributing with. Thank you D James, D Marcus, RB, C Pius, D Max, S. J. Rubin and J. Becker. You made me understand lots of things here. Sincerely, I went to animation school in order to know how to bring strange ideas into picture. Then I had stories of almost exactly matrix reloaded and inception ideas. I felt bad when I watched the reloaded and I together with my wife couldn't watch the Inception until December and she still can't watch it because we wrote the script together. I produced and Directed few movies. Two are yet to release. But I don't like the traditional distribution in our country. We loose every time. I realized that I always put more effort on vfx and sfx because my Ideas cannot be actualized without them. So, some aspects are not given due attention by me. Now, I am to make everything right. About the distributors, which is the easiest way to meet the theatrical and vod distributors? Moreover, don't you think of stealing someone ideas by sending a script to a distributor? What can i to avoid that? Because I know and my can come up with a big ideas that audience out there will love. Please, bear with me and shade more light on these. Thanks

We had a brilliant post by Anna Quinata in screenwriting regarding what level of your work should be online, one month ago. I posted too, also in screenwriting about something similar, like even we upload our work online as they are properly copyrighted, should we put out everything we have got all in the name of getting noticed? I received an advice in the comments about ideas which was striking. Getting inspired with an idea of a story doesn't make you the only one with that idea. Yeah, I have written a lot of works that I got to see by established names. This is reality. My work wasnt stolen in any way. I don't even have them on the internet. On your avoiding any form of theft, have you heard of LOC or WGA?

@pius what LOC and WGA?

I mean what about LOC and WGA?

Non-Writers Guild of America writers can still register their screenplays with the WGA. Just go to their website. How do you protect your ideas? It is a good question, but I believe because it is so hard to get a movie made that theft is not as a common as you think. That said, you should try and submit your scripts to companies through a lawyer or an agent if you have one. Always keep a record of your pitch letters and emails so that you have a paper trail. You can copyright a script through the U.S. Copyright Office. Just google acquiring U.S. Copyright and it will lead you to the form you must fill out.

@Rubin this will really help. Thank you all