So, for the first time ever since joining indietalk I'm pimping the site for my new project.

Here's the logline for it:

Over the next eighteen months I will write and produce a commercially successful movie with a production budget of $1000.

Not only that I'm doing the entire process in public -- explaining the techniques I'm using and the decisions I make as I go along.

Whether it's a roaring success or I fall flat on my ass -- it's all unfolding here at $1000 Spielberg (http://www.1000dollarspielberg.com)

Tune in and watch the carnage! -- If you like watching three day cat-fights about "high concept screen writing" (http://www.1000dollarspielberg.com/2006/11/17/high-concept-is-evil-the-debate/) this is the site for you!

I think this is great and I think you will probably be successful. Not too hard to recoup a $1k budget. I just hope Spielberg doesn't sue you ;) Best of luck :)

And if he does, think of the publicity! :cool:

Best of luck and I'll certainly be there watching your progress. :)

A thought just cross my mind... I certainly hope you don't get into any legal problems by registering a URL that has the name 'Spielberg' in it. :hmm:

Let me know how I can help if you need anything :)

Spielberg goes after his domains. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=UDRP+spielberg

You're talking about Stanley Speilberg. Right, clive.

Poke

His law suit was about use of a variation on Dreamworks, which is understandable because his company has a regeistered tradename.

I'd be surprised if he came after me -- he doesn't strike me as a petty man -- and unless he's planning to get into micro-budget film making I don't represent competition or any kind of commercial threat.

Of course, if I start getting a higher google rating than him, that might change! LOL

Let me know how I can help if you need anything

The information you've given me already has really helped.

Perhaps you should entertain a different domain name?

1000DollarFilm.com isn't taken.

unless he's planning to get into micro-budget film making
While he may not be getting into it, he's supporting it:
http://www.thelot.com/

I'm so surprised to see the large number of Hollywood names that have migrated to the indie world. Every time I turn on IFC or the Sundance channel, I see a new actor/filmmaker who was a big Hollywood name now living (and enjoying) their new freedom in the indie world.

I really like the domain name, it encapsulates my entire philosophy of high quality, commercial, low budget film making.

Until someone comes after me -- it's staying.

I'd be surprised if he came after me -- he doesn't strike me as a petty man -- and unless he's planning to get into micro-budget film making I don't represent competition or any kind of commercial threat.

It often isn't about the person. Spielberg might not be a petty man, but the lawyers charged with protecting a percieved value might be. However, if they came after you in a very public way it will drive more people to your site.

It often isn't about the person. Spielberg might not be a petty man, but the lawyers charged with protecting a percieved value might be. However, if they came after you in a very public way it will drive more people to your site.

That's what I figured.

Plus, everyone expects the worst of people -- maybe he'll have his attention brought to the project and instead of setting his lawyers onto me, he'll see the merit in what I'm doing and give me his public blessing.

Who knows! :lol:

This is a strange industry.

I'm fascinated by this goal and will be watching. There are certain unavoidable expenses that would drive a budget over that $1,000 mark. I'm assuming the $1,000 restriction is to your out of pocket expense. Am I right? I mean, you can't afford to feed a cast and crew of even 10 for 6 days on $1,000 unless other people spend the money.

If someone donates the tapes that doesn't count against the $1,000? If you use a location for free and the owner pays for the electricity used that doesn't count against the $1,000? So as long as you get someone else to provide (spend the money) certain services and items this seems like it can be done.

But I can't imagine how you could make a feature film for a total or $1,000 even if everyone donates their time. I look forward to reading about your journey.

It is an intriguing concept, but am more interested in the 'accounting' aspect of it. You can go through $1000 quickly at a location. There's meals, actor payment, gasoline... Who's electricity are you plugging into, or did you rent a generator?

These are just a fraction of the questions I hope you tackle on the site.

Yes, before I even started this, I sat down and worked out 95% of how I'm going to achieve this.

If I get this right I'm allowing 2 x $40 of that budget for big fat Cuban cigars for me and the DOP at the wrap.

That's my incentive to get this right.

And I'll be unlocking bits and pieces of how we're going to make the budget work as we go along -- because some of it will need to be set in motion as we're developing the script.

I'm really excited about this project -- I used to rock climb -- climbs are graded by the extremity of the route you're climbing -- I get the same buzz off this project -- I like the extremity of the challenge.

Looks exciting clive.

I'm fascinated by this goal and will be watching. There are certain unavoidable expenses that would drive a budget over that $1,000 mark. I'm assuming the $1,000 restriction is to your out of pocket expense. Am I right? I mean, you can't afford to feed a cast and crew of even 10 for 6 days on $1,000 unless other people spend the money.

If someone donates the tapes that doesn't count against the $1,000? If you use a location for free and the owner pays for the electricity used that doesn't count against the $1,000? So as long as you get someone else to provide (spend the money) certain services and items this seems like it can be done.

But I can't imagine how you could make a feature film for a total or $1,000 even if everyone donates their time. I look forward to reading about your journey.

Yes, the $1000 budget only covers the "out of pocket" expenses -- this will mean gathering creative donations of resources.

However, I will NOT be cheating by offering deferments.

And you are right, it is going to be a challenge.

Sounds very interesting. I'm going to check in now and again to see your progress. Good Luck!

Come to think of it, I remember reading website like this many years ago (referring to a next-to-zero budget) but they kept referring to getting a 'five finger discount' on much of their equipment and media. That turned me off and made me embarrassed to consider myself an 'independent filmmaker.'

I'm confident that we won't see any type of creative accounting like that on Clive's website. :)

Very interesting clive. Good luck with it, I'm pulling for you too.

My personal opinion (and I do mean personal cause me and Stevie are like this [crossing my fingers and looking pretty sexy doing it]) -- he if ever it is brought to his attention, he will see the value of it. This is the man who made "Duel" with the exact same philosophy -- small budget, extremely HIGH CONCEPT, superbly told story, and Denis Weaver.

You do plan to have Dennis Weaver in your movie...right?

Poke

PS Death can't stop Dennis Weaver!

PS Death can't stop Dennis Weaver!Mentioning Dennis Weaver officially stops all the Chuck Norris jokes. :P

Come to think of it, I remember reading website like this many years ago (referring to a next-to-zero budget) but they kept referring to getting a 'five finger discount' on much of their equipment and media. That turned me off and made me embarrassed to consider myself an 'independent filmmaker.'

There won't be any stealing of anything or anything illegal.

You do plan to have Dennis Weaver in your movie...right?

Damn it Poke! That was supposed to be a secret.

Sorry I exposed your Weaver.

Poke

Hey, you are so forgiven!

Hi Guys

Just a quick update on the $1000 Spielberg site -- I've just set up a free download page, so people can get our "Character Development Spreadsheet" and the ebook (epamphlet more like) which explains how to use it.

It's a tool I developed for screenwriting and we're finding it incredibly useful -- it runs on Microsoft Excel, so of you don't have Excel, I suggest you just download the ebook and create your own spreadsheet in whatever software suits your needs.

By the way, a lot of the stuff in there I learned from Filmy and some other screenwriters' postings about character development! Just so you don't get the idea that I'm smart enough to figure this stuff out for myself. All I've done is put it in a format that works for me.

thanks clive!

Got 'em. I kept getting a 403 last night, but it's running smoothly now.

Poke

Got 'em. I kept getting a 403 last night, but it's running smoothly now.

LOL -- Sorry about that one, I'm getting a super fast education in ftp and sometimes my ignorance gets the better of me! (Todays lesson appears to be CHMOD's and how to have fun with them!)

I'm hosting the files off site for the moment -- mainly because I'm still too dumb to figure out why I can't get my onsite downloads to work (the 403 error being a classic example of tinkering with things you don't understand just before going to bed for the night! LOL)

We're going to pull together more resources as we go on and I'd very interested in how people get on with the spreadsheet -- I'm now working with two other screenwriters in the UK and we all love the damn thing.

It's an idea I'd been kicking around for about two years now, but when I first looked at it I didn't have a great enough depth of knowledge to do it justice. I'm not a genius now, I've just found better people to steal from LOL!)

Wow Clive, best of luck on this. My last short (7:05 mins.) cost about $820.00. :) I think it can be done, and if there's someone who will give his all, it is you. :)

Thanks :blush:

The funny thing is, I think it's easier to find free resources for a feature and I personally think they're easier to write.

But I've always been pretty bad at writing shorts -- not my strength, that's for sure.

If you hit up Cinema Naive people for whom the fascination with the process hasn't worn off yet, you can get almost anything for them being able to say they took part in making a feature film.

Go get 'em, Clive! :yes:

Break a leg, Clive!

Er, we've decided to spontaneously and for no good reason to change the name of the website and its domain!

;)

So from now on we'll be at www.1000dollarfilm.com (http://www.1000dollarfilm.com)

hahaha- somebody got a call from a lawyer, did they?

hahaha- somebody got a call from a lawyer, did they?

Would you believe me if I said we decided we didn't want anyone else to get credit for OUR work? :lol:

I'd believe you, Clive. Mostly, because I think you have shown yourself to have integrity, and I don't see why you'd be motivated to lie. Thanks for the update. I'm excited about your progress.

I figured, after I saw that promo for Spielberg's contest. :)

Update

Ironically, the change of site has had almost no effect on the number of visitors and the second we took the posts off the old site, the old site's hits went through the floor.

For obvious reasons I've been monitoring google keyword analysis on the old site and the word "spielberg" doesn't account for ANY of our traffic. It never has.

The move is going to hurt us with google for a few months, but I think there's a very clear message here -- our audience is interested in us, the project and the articles and not any perceived benefit people may believe we got from having a particular word in our url or banner.

The truth is, I think we may have inadvertently been done a huge favour -- it seems like the "$1000" concept is bigger than any name we attached to it. Even though the only thing we ever did was use that name to mean "high quality, commercial film maker."

Now that's genuinely funny, when you think about it.

What I really can't get over is how many people are completely behind what we're doing -- we're getting the most incredible offers of support.

I can say in honesty this is the most exciting film project I've ever been involved in.

What I really can't get over is how many people are completely behind what we're doing -- we're getting the most incredible offers of support.
It would seem that would invalidate the experiment, somewhat. If you can make a movie for $1000 because it's a novel idea and everyone wants to provide free help. Once the novelty wears off, it may not be as easy to stay within the budget! Just an observation ... not a criticism.

It would seem that would invalidate the experiment, somewhat. If you can make a movie for $1000 because it's a novel idea and everyone wants to provide free help. Once the novelty wears off, it may not be as easy to stay within the budget! Just an observation ... not a criticism.

Good point, but the truth is we're getting the support on the strength of the screenplay concept -- which has always been our basic premise. We're not getting offers from complete strangers, everyone who has offered help has been pitched the logline of the movie and how we're making it. Although we are getting a very positive reception to the budget, mainly what drives people to offer support is the kind of movie we're making.

We see the $1000 movie as a one off project to demonstrate our ability to create a great movie on limited capital -- and we've always argued it's people and resources that make movies and not money. We've always been completely up front about the fact that we'd be aiming to pull together nearly $500,000 worth of professional resources to create this movie -- it's the fact that this is possible when you only have $1000 in capital which is our story.

Although we also know that there are film makers out there who are funding their entire features on budgets just like ours, without pulling any support from the professional community.

We think it's entirely possible for other people to duplicate what we're doing -- but after we've shown we what kind of return we make on a picture, we'd fund a second movie based on traditional film investment. Only at that point we'll have demonstrable figures based on past achievements -- rather than the guesswork that most film makers present as their business plan.

I think the only way we'd invaildate the experiment at this point is if we either went over budget or if we ditched the budget completely because we'd been offered serious funding -- as we've got the project being pitched to a major UK name over the next few weeks, we may find ourselves under pressure to accept a real budget from indsutry investors -- something we're not keen to get into -- but that we'd have to seriously consider if the offer came in.

I hope that helps -- and by the way, I didn't take it as a criticism -- we're just blown away that anyone is interested.

Don't even consider it! Politely decline, but tell them you'd like them to keep track of the process and contact you when you're done. Once you throw money into the machine, the gears get gummy. You've been gaining so much momentum lately, without the burden of a big budget. If you bring money in, they expect the money in return, and the more they spend, the more they own the movie. The greatest thing about your thousand dollar movie, is that you can just up and do it, and you own it in the end. Do it, even just to see if you can do it.

And I want to see it done, as a resource to learn from! You're making commercial art that also helps the community by raising the bar and lowering the cost. That's a triple threat.

I think as penned, this is an important excercise, consider offers of hands, knowlege and equipment, but not money. The $1000 dollar premise is compelling. Anything above that breaks the spell. It's a challenge, I'm excited to see you succeed.

The "Independant" (read: not funded by big studios) scene is complianed about by the "Indie" scene as being unapproachable financially, I'd love to see the two worlds collide!

Totally with you on that Spatula -- when the money people come knocking we've got fourteen other spec concepts they can invest in -- we really need to do this film our way.

You're right about the momentum at the moment -- it's kind of awesome watching this project take off.

There is also another good reason for holding to the budget -- James and I are at our most creative and resourceful under these circumstances -- I don't think we'd have the same focus with a larger budget -- we've really had to think about what kind of project would excite people enough to bring them on board even when there was no possibility of payment -- that in itself is a strength.