What would you do with a million dollars? Let me set this one up for you; a good friend of yours comes into a huge amount of money (Powerball, rich relative, whatever) and gives you $1,000,000.00 with the only condition being that you must spend all of it on your filmmaking/creative endeavors. You may not pay bills, buy a new car or get a house. The money MUST be spent furthering your creative ambitions, what would you do with it?
One Million Dollars?
- Thread starter Lucky Hardwood
- Start date
Make a feature.
Build an audio post facility.
Anything particular?
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Taking things too far
I would upgrade all my video equipment to a red or arri package.
I'd buy the best indoor and outdoor lights on a budget of 100,000
I would upgrade all sound equipment spending around 250,000
I would build a supercomputer with 5 screens to handle all the footage. 6-7000
I would hire 3 interns (editor, sound man, assistant) 400 a month something like that
I would spend 100,000 for promotion
Another 100,000 on actors
The rest on accessories posters etc
Taking things too far
Ja. =)
Try to get an IT user collaboration film going and made and distributed and shown --the whole nine yards.
Producer: Scoopicman
Screenplay Duties: Co-written by Nickclapper and FantasySciFi
Directing Duties: Directorik
Second Unit Director: Ernest Worthing
1st AD: Lucky Hardwood
2nd AD: MilesCreations
Line Producer: Guerrilla Angel
Production Coordinator: DreadyLocks
Casting Director: Trueindie
Director of Photography: Jax Rox
Focus Puller: ChimpPhobiaFilms
Camera Operator: Kholi
Steadicam Operator: Brunerww
Key Grip: ItDonnedOnMe
Actually, this is kind of fun.
Gaffer: Gorillaonabike
Sound Designer: A collaboration between Alcove Audio and Audio Post Expert
Composer: JoshL
Production Designer: Wheatgrinder
Set Designer: Zensteve
Set Decorator: Mlesemann
Film Editor: Cracker Funk
Legal Counsel: Blade Jones
Publicity: Rayw.
Fly on the Wall: Me. Or, I suppose if its my money, then I'd be Executive Producer?
And all the rest.
Basically, trying to fill all of these positions with active I.T.ers.
Sure don't mean to leave anyone out; I want to kiss everyone's ass. Please don't take it as a snub. It's not. Just not up to going through the entire roster of active ITers and trying to mention everyone, though I'd like to. Who has that kind of spare time? Gee whiz.
In fact, forgive me if I keep tinkering with this as things occur to me.
Or, it would be cool if anyone else made suggestions or changes...
And*.
=)
*This is not a contract.
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One million is enough to make a pretty good, mainstream horror movie. So that's what I'd do. I'd hire a producer, cast a few c-list stars and make a movie. Hopefully then I could sell it, both making a profit and making a name for myself, thus getting myself hired to write/direct the next part in some popular horror franchise (perhaps Friday the 13th).
Job's a good 'un.
Job's a good 'un.
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I would still continue to make a few shorts, but be able to hire professional crew, pay professional talent, rent professional gear as well as pay for the exact locations I wanted. I'd use the experiences with the various people to determine my dream team, and after a few shorts start to look at some of the feature ideas we've got, as well as perhaps shopping around for a new script.
Something SciFi, or maybe horror. Or maybe both!
CraigL
Something SciFi, or maybe horror. Or maybe both!
CraigL
Hopefully that's an after-tax number!
- Form a LLC production company, start a project "bank", increase the "ideas to pursue" accounts in each film project in the bank.
- Lump sum or monthly installments, I'd invest the incoming capital funds into hi-yield bond funds, like
http://quotes.morningstar.com/fund/FAGIX/f?t=FAGIX
or http://quotes.morningstar.com/fund/...ticles&utm_campaign=SYN&referid=A3489&t=PDIIX - Loans against the capital gains of the bond funds should easily provide for daily operating expenses of the LLC.
- As CEO I'm entitled to a sensible paycheck which will provide absence-replacement support for my family.
- Intern for a year or more at a couple of small/medium indie studios actively producing commercially successful films
Half the time in the planning/production/post arena.
Half the time involved in the marketing and promotion aspects. - Develop practical professional contacts.
- "Hire" my own marketing undergraduate intern(s) to blog about my intern experience on both the LLC prod co website and personal site to cultivate a following. Professional and credit experience for the interns.
- Form a for profit LLC script coverage company, staffed by lit undergraduate interns. Professional and credit experience for the interns. Cataloging story structure and content for legally protected transformation is paramount. http://www.indietalk.com/showthread.php?p=285317#post285317
- Begin and host a for profit semi-annual screenplay contest with both entry fees and meaningful prizes & awards - more work for my social media and marketing interns. Cataloging submission story structure and content for legally protected transformation is paramount. http://www.indietalk.com/showthread.php?
- Begin and host an annual niche genre regional film festival with both entry fees and meaningful prizes & awards - more work for my social media and marketing interns. Professional and credit experience for the interns. (NOTE: Consider a touring niche film festival. Hmm... ) Cataloging submission story structure and content for legally protected transformation is paramount. http://www.indietalk.com/showthread.php?
- Start a LLC lo/no budget indie film review co. staffed with film studies undergraduates. Professional and credit experience for the interns. Cataloging submission story structure and content for legally protected transformation is paramount. http://www.indietalk.com/showthread.php?
- Cross promote between the prod co, prod co & personal blog, script coverage company, semi-annual screenplay contest, (touring) niche film festivals, and lo/no budget indie film review co.
- Act as venture capitalist in promoting nube writer/directors in developing their projects.
- Purchase screenplay rights to stories with potential but no writer/director followthrough. (Pennies on the dollar value!)
- Purchase distribution rights for films that the writer/director/producers can't market and distribute on their own. (Pennies on the dollar value!)
- Start a LLC distribution co. to bundle and package genre films like Echo Bridge Home Entertainment does. http://www.echobridgeentertainment.com/browse_by_genre.php
- Exploit professional contacts.
- Use the seed capital as collateral in OPM financing towards each viable project once overseas distribution can be secured.
- Lease prod co. facilities space, equipment, and staff to filmmakers, beginning music recording artists, and commercial professionals.
- Bring in investors and limited partnerships.
- Provide ground-up filmmaking consultation services.
- Develop for profit online lo/no budget filmmaking courses.
- Start a touring screenplay development course.
- Start a touring lo/no budget writer/director filmmaking course.
- Invest money, involvement, and interest in the filmmaking projects of others.
- Invest money, involvement, and interest in my local community.
- Basically, build my own vertically integrated prod co, marketing, and distribution venues.
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Make a film with IndieTalkers and new gear.
I liked Richy's list. But I'd be director
Show it around, get picked up by a major studio.
Make some connections, and get funding for a bigger project.
Make another film.
Show it around, and get picked up for theatrical release.
Box office flop in the US, but makes tons of money in other countries.
Make another film.
FLOP.
Make another film (last chance)
Money. Lots of it.
Buy a house in LA, have a coffee with Scorsese and Spielberg
I liked Richy's list. But I'd be director
Show it around, get picked up by a major studio.
Make some connections, and get funding for a bigger project.
Make another film.
Show it around, and get picked up for theatrical release.
Box office flop in the US, but makes tons of money in other countries.
Make another film.
FLOP.
Make another film (last chance)
Money. Lots of it.
Buy a house in LA, have a coffee with Scorsese and Spielberg
Funny, I'm in a lottery pool at my office (the soul crushing day job that barely funds my film hobby), and I was just thinking about this topic on my drive in to work before even seeing this post.
My thought was to hire professionals to make a feature film, but I'd have to write it first. I'm sure if I had that kind of money to guarantee it would get done I could probably find help writing it.
My thought was to hire professionals to make a feature film, but I'd have to write it first. I'm sure if I had that kind of money to guarantee it would get done I could probably find help writing it.
richy, that's a good list, and I'm flattered to be on it! Also, I'm quite sure that you should be much more than just an "executive" producer in this project.
If I had a million? Hmm, I think I'd make FOUR feature films! In this price range, ROI has been shown to be much greater if you can stay under a couple hundred thousand.
If I had a million? Hmm, I think I'd make FOUR feature films! In this price range, ROI has been shown to be much greater if you can stay under a couple hundred thousand.
I'd get the million dollars in one dollar bills. Head down to the beach, make a giant pile, dump some gasoline on it, and have the world's most expensive bonfire.
I'd then post the video of it on youtube, which would be sure to go viral and get millions and millions of views. And then - profit! That's how viral videos work, right?
I'd then post the video of it on youtube, which would be sure to go viral and get millions and millions of views. And then - profit! That's how viral videos work, right?
I would escrow it and use that to secure a named, bankable, talent to anchor one of my movies. I would use that letter of intent to secure funding and presales. If my script is as good as people tell me, that should be enough to launch my career.
I'd probably use a quarter of it on my first feature-length Indie film script, and then afterwards use the next lot on my second script, which is to be a sci-fi of sorts. I just have not been able to properly attempt these yet due to lack of such money. I'm in love with the concepts and first-draft scripting so far though, if I do say so myself.
Hey, I could even hire an Indie screenwriter to properly rewrite the next few drafts!
Hey, I could even hire an Indie screenwriter to properly rewrite the next few drafts!