How Much Can You Sell a Low Budget Indie For?

Lordmanji · May 5, 2009

I am currently editing my low budget feature and I am wondering how much films like this - under 100k - can sell for? Should I just sell it to one company to sell it to others or try selling it to others? And what is a good way to sell it? Festivals?

Thanks,

Completely Lost

sonnyboo · May 17, 2009

Lordmanji said:
I am currently editing my low budget feature and I am wondering how much films like this - under 100k - can sell for? Should I just sell it to one company to sell it to others or try selling it to others? And what is a good way to sell it? Festivals?

Thanks,

Completely Lost

Did you book any name stars? Even TV level stars? What genre is it? What format was it shot on? Have you accrued any press, regional or national?

Without explicitly marketable elements, like name talent, the estimates in this thread are very accurate.

Film Festivals and even awards do not carry the weight that they used to in terms of saleability, but ANYTHING that makes your movie stand out from the crowd (and it's the most crowded marketplace EVER for indie films) can help differentiate your film.

loop_guide · May 17, 2009

Lordmanji said:
thanks for all the answers, loop. i just checked out your imdb page. looking good. can you tell me what your experience was like working with the cg guys?

It was quite a unique way of working, I only knew one of them in San Francisco, the others where in the UK and Toronto. We never met and did the entire project over the web. I would send the hi-res files to an FTP site, they would be downloaded and the CG work on the shots would begin. I would view the shots as low res QT files sent via the web as the work progressed, the finals where then downloaded over the web and placed into the movie.

There is no need for offices or brick and mortar facilities any more, and there is no need to have the people doing CG work for you live close by. All of this is easily accessible to the indie filmmaker by placing an ad on Mandy.com there are lots of talented CG artists out there you can contract with.

R,

Lordmanji · May 17, 2009

loop_guide said:
It was quite a unique way of working, I only knew one of them in San Francisco, the others where in the UK and Toronto. We never met and did the entire project over the web. I would send the hi-res files to an FTP site, they would be downloaded and the CG work on the shots would begin. I would view the shots as low res QT files sent via the web as the work progressed, the finals where then downloaded over the web and placed into the movie.

There is no need for offices or brick and mortar facilities any more, and there is no need to have the people doing CG work for you live close by. All of this is easily accessible to the indie filmmaker by placing an ad on Mandy.com there are lots of talented CG artists out there you can contract with.

R,

very cool. :cool:

slacker · May 18, 2009

wow. this is certainly a thread of ups and downs. some heartbreaking and scary facts, and some real uplifting stories of success. i guess at the end of the day, in this marketplace, it depends what level of success you're happy with. to be making films and have them pay for themselves and a simple standard of living and not have to have a day job (besides making films). that would have to be as much as i could dream for.

M1chae1 · May 18, 2009

Back five years ago, a director I worked with sold one of his first films out-right for $30K to Pop Cinema. There's that 30 number again.

Lordmanji · May 18, 2009

M1chae1 said:
Back five years ago, a director I worked with sold one of his first films out-right for $30K to Pop Cinema. There's that 30 number again.

does that seem to be the average you mean for lowbudget indies? i read an interview with the director of the sundance film ballast (i think it even won the audience award) and he decided to self distribute after they only offered him 50k. that's insane! makes you wonder how the heck you make your money back.

ad2478 · May 18, 2009

slacker Yes.....a thread with ups and downs.

loop_guide · May 18, 2009

Lordmanji said:
does that seem to be the average you mean for lowbudget indies? i read an interview with the director of the sundance film ballast (i think it even won the audience award) and he decided to self distribute after they only offered him 50k. that's insane! makes you wonder how the heck you make your money back.

The key is to make your movie look like it cost a lot more money than it really did. i.e make a film for 100K that looks like it cost 1 million. This usually requires a lot of sweat equity in the project yourself.

Learning how to use state tax credits has now become more critical than ever for indie filmmakers. These programs used to be shunned by low budget filmmakers because they where too complex on the accounting side of things. Now they need to be embraced and used to protect your downside.

If you don't live a in a state with a film tax credit program consider moving your production to shoot in one.

If you're really stuck, do what Hollywood does, and shoot in Canada. There is a reason the Vancouver film scene is booming, while it's near death just about every place else.

R,

M1chae1 · May 18, 2009

loop_guide said:
The key is to make your movie look like it cost a lot more money than it really did. i.e make a film for 100K that looks like it cost 1 million. This usually requires a lot of sweat equity in the project yourself.

Bingo.

If your film cost 8K to make...make it look like it cost 50K. If it cost 50K, make it look like it cost 100K. Sweat Equity...absolutely. We live off this concept--a phrase that's been used more than once on set.

Jemshaid · Jun 4, 2009

what if a film maker goes his for self distribution??? marketing plays a big part here, it is not enough too have the film listed on amazon or film baby, A film maker needs to time and money set for the marketing side before he moves on the next film.

If the distributor don't pay anything up front, we can wait couple of years to see small cheque.
so is there a point in making a DV or HDV lowbudget movie, when everyone out there is trying to make one? (as you know film making is lots of time and effort and if there is no output then?)

It may sound like, I am giving up but I am NOT...but the above points needs to be seriously considered before taking any action.

Tell me if I am wrong?

jemshaid
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2766919/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKb4WcAbcyo

M1chae1 · Jun 4, 2009

That's awesome loop. Congrats. Well, maybe your free-be to everyone is your 30K downloads...give 'em one for free, and then do your next films in such a way that it doesn't happen.

I'd love to see these films...

Tonec1 · Oct 24, 2012

Great Post

Great post

I am currently Producing a British Gangster Thriller.
I have managed to Cast some well known names. 1 which is currently key cast in Ridley Scott's new Mini Series being shown in the US on Fox and the other Cast are current on British TV. This is my first Feature. The Script is cutting edge and it looks visually amazing.
We shot on £6000 as I have managed to put everyone on a backend deal and all locations which look $1 dollars I got as favours Clubs ect.
Just wondered if you could give advice on my next steps, as really found your post informative.

Thanks in advance.

T

loop_guide said:
I recently went through the experience of selling my first low budget indie DIY thriller/sci-fi movie. I was lucky, I made a great deal for the world rights and actually got a solid advance, now the movie "Dark Reprieve", is available pretty much every where in the USA. Amazon, NetFlix, Hollywood Video, Blockbuster, Target, Best Buy, Barnes and Noble, FYE, iTunes, etc etc. In fact my movie has far better distribution in the USA than many other Canadian films costing 10s of millions!

I also made a great sale to Canadian pay TV that covered a substantial chunk of my budget. Since I made the sale myself 100% of the money went to me, that was great and a smart move.

I can tell you it was a tough tough slog, but it worked out very well in the end for me. I should also tell you that I shot on 35mm which made a huge difference when it came to competing against the mountain of DV shot films out there. Before you think 35mm is cost prohibitive, it wasn't for me. I acted as my own DOP and camera operator, plus I used all re-cans (1000' loads), and used a BL3 vs a swanky new 35mm system and only two lenses, a 24mm and an 85mm.

Dark Reprieve also opened the doors to other features for me, this week I have two features in pre-sales at Cannes with two different studios. And this time I am not self financing either one of them Certainly it's a proud moment when you see the posters going out with your name in the directors spot. There is a lot of production work to come, but I enjoy it.

So my point is that even if your first DIY movie isn't a huge hit, it can really open doors to bigger projects. I would not be where I am with the other films had I not made Dark Reprieve.

Also, one huge huge thing affecting the prices of low budget indies these days is on-line piracy. I got a baptism by fire when my movie came out and it showed up on dozens of file sharing sites over night. I have found some sites where Dark Reprieve has been downloaded over 30,000 times!!

As a result of this the market has been totally killed for many DTV movies that lack a name talent in a lead role. Many foreign buyers at AFM for instance pass on 90% of the DTV product they see now because they know that as soon as they release it in their home territory it will be bootlegged, loaded onto the web, and they will lose a fortune in sales. It is a very serious problem and it has driven the prices for indie DTV movies right into the cellar. Any would be filmmaker needs to be aware of this.

The best path forward these days is to make a movie "good enough" for cable TV. They still need product and if the bootleggers steal the movie after it hits the air it's not a problem for you, you will still get paid as per the contract.

But most indie movies are in the DTV category and your checks will be based on the sales your movie makes in the DVD market. And these sales are going to be very small thanks to all the thieves out there breaking the law and stealing movies via the web.

Annabelle · Sep 12, 2013

Self-distribution, the way of the future.

M1chae1 said:
Indie films are moving the way of self-distribution and internet viewing/sales. It's the way of the future.

I SO agree, traditional distribution methods are a way of the past, even if an indie is really successful in festivals it's super hard to get a distribution deal that is fair for the filmmakers. Self distribution online is the way to go, and if you can find a platform that's fair to the filmmakers and gives them the control on where they sell their film and how much for, it's gotta be a winning solution.