Dumb Question of the Year

Well that's a really tough question to answer as there are just so many variables involved. I think the best one could hope for is to have a DV feature distributed much like the recent film "Open Water." How much the actual filmmakers made off of that beats me but I suspect it isn't all that much (could very well be wrong. Anyone know a concrete answer?).

Chances are slim at best. There are indeed hundreds of thousands of "films" that are seeking distribution. Granted, there is a very distinct bell curve to the level of quality that these attain.

Sorry I can't be more helpful

If the film is good, people will want to see it. It might take you years of making films, getting rejected at festivals, etc., but eventually you will build a name for yourself and people will start becoming interested in seeing your work.

If you're a successful Indie filmmaker who has made a couple features that people enjoyed, chances are someone will eventually give you distribution. It takes time and patience, but it can be done.

Of course, I'm still at the "get a camera" stage, so that's all conjecture based on what I figure must be the way of things... but I'm sure someone with more experiance could validify some of that...

I hope.

This isn't a dumb question at all. In fact, they are the most important questions any film maker can ask them-self,

If I make this film, what are my chances of distribution and how much money am I likely to make?

Unfortunately it's almost impossible to give a short answer to that question, because the answer is dependent on so many factors.

The truth is, that most, almost all independent film makers fail to make a profit on their first feature film. This usually because they make their first feature film without having a clear idea of how they will sell it once it is done and what those market places require.

Although this isn't completely true, the trend seems to be that in the UK film makers spend far too much money $2-6 million on their first feature film, shooting on 35-mm and only then discovering that their arthouse film is only worth $500,000 in the marketplace and in the US the trend seems to be to spend too little, shooting on Mini DV or DV Cam and then discovering that distributors are inundated with Mini DV features of extremely poor quality and really aren't interested in paying anything at all.

If you really want to make money on your first feature I would suggest that you need to find a producer with a track record of making money on low budget pictures, they will know about the market place and will be able to guide the project into the right production formula, in order to achieve both distribution and sales.