Help Me Help You! Looking for film(s) to distribute! Success Guaranteed.

[2cents]

Moderator Note: This is the discussion portion of this thread... there is also a classifieds portion... please keep the discussion of this business strategy here and leave the classified post for inquiries about the distribution offer.

Hello all, this is my first post as you can all see. First and foremost I'd like to say that you guys have a great community here. To the admin, nice site!

I'll get straight to the point. First and foremost my bold claim in the title "Success Guaranteed". Reason being I'm currently looking for an indie filmmaker whom I can purchase a license from to sell your film as 4,000 units.

I'm looking for HD material only. Preferably a movie, but a great documentary could sway otherwise. The film would be put onto blu-ray and again our license from you would be to sell 4k units only.

-the title would have to be over 1 hr in length
-HD quality
-special features etc a plus
-Quality, quality... quality.

You can post youtube trailers in this thread or PM me them. If interested we can discuss further.

Do you have a film that is good/great and you just want to get it OUT THERE! Haven't had the finances of getting it pressed up NICELY? We're interested in checking it out! We have promotional tools already in place and the movie we choose will sell!

Perhaps this is THE opportunity for you. And as I'm not accustomed to the quality of films this community is representative of perhaps it could open the door for more ventures with more filmmakers as if the first is as successful as we plan then we'd be looking to continue to work with more filmmakers.

 

[2001 Productions]

The distributors that I have worked with NEVER talk numbers until they have seen a film.

That's exactly right. I've dealt with hundreds of them, and NEVER has a distributor said, "I haven't even seen a trailer for your film, but if I like it I'll pay you $X and make it available on X platforms." Not once.

I suspect that those who are giving the OP such a hard time have never actually dealt with a legitimate distributor.

 

[8salacious9]

That's exactly right. I've dealt with hundreds of them, and NEVER has a distributor said, "I haven't even seen a trailer for your film, but if I like it I'll pay you $X and make it available on X platforms." Not once.

I suspect that those who are giving the OP such a hard time have never actually dealt with a legitimate distributor.

Have you ever met a company who doesn't reveal their name or background unless your willing to work with them?

I suspect you haven't and that is the real issue as to why he's getting a hard time

 

[Sweetie]

You really do misinterpret things very badly. There is up-front money, to the filmmaker.

Maybe if I lay it out very simply you will understand ... tho I really dont care if you specifically understand as I dont want to be working with you and I'm sure the feeling is mutual.

Us: Us
FM: Filmmaker

Us: We like your film and want to move forward. We're willing to pay you X to allow us to sell up to 4k copies ... whether we sell 100, 1k, 2, 3, etc. Max 4k.
FM: Ok I like that deal, pay me
Us: Sends over contract and upon agreement of the license to sell 4k ; you get paid.
Us: Then we pay to get the film pressed up
Us: Then we sell to our community.

Everything we do is legit, filmmaker will see our invoice of 4k and will be involved throughout the entire process.

You know, I find myself taking a 180 turn on this. If there was a link to this information earlier, I think you would have avoided a lot of issues.

Everyone who runs a legitimate business would provide as much information as possible.
Why wouldn't you want your business promoted?

From a sales perspective, too much information often causes customer paralysis. Not enough makes you look rather unprofessional or dodgy, especially when there needs to be a large amount of trust. Where's a right balance? It depends on the customer and the company in question.

Have you ever met a company who doesn't reveal their name or background unless your willing to work with them?

I suspect you haven't and that is the real issue as to why he's getting a hard time

That is partially the problem I had with the first set of posts. I had the impression (though it seems mistaken) that they wanted to be a more traditional wide distributor of independent films. Further looking through this thread, it looks like you're looking for a license to produce and make your own limited amount of copies to sell on your own self owned web sites, without wholesaling to other retailers.

I have to say, we've given him a hard time and while I wasn't really impressed with his first transparency, but he's answered a lot of questions since. I think that any filmmaker who has a movie that fits their description (though I also think that the OP should say the type of films that sell best within their web sites) you'll probably get a typical deal in the $10-12k range for 4k copies.

 

[2001 Productions]

Have you ever met a company who doesn't reveal their name or background unless your willing to work with them?

I suspect you haven't and that is the real issue as to why he's getting a hard time

That's fair enough. But it doesn't justify the rude tone of some of the responses. IMHO.

 

[directorik]

I understand why Mr. Whitley is being given a hard time.

First starting with “Success Guaranteed”. That immediately raises red flags
for anyone who understands the business. And than make sit look like he
is trolling for new filmmakers who do not understand there is no such thing
as guaranteed success.

Then there is his comment, “there's a thin line between a troll, sales agent,
or a legitimate deal.” There isn’t a thin line there - it’s a very clear line. And
that raises a red flag to me.

And finally “We own/operate a movie community website. It has flourished
well over the years.” yet he will not mention these websites. A community
web site will only get better with more people. It seems odd to me that Mr.
Whitly will only post this website in private.

I see this as more of a “marketing” issue than anything else. Others have
responded and have told us this is legit - I believe them. Making guarantees
and not posting very well respected websites comes off as less than professional.
However, Mr. Whitley's responses have been clear and helpful. I sent a PM
and will report what happens.

 

[WeightOnWheels]

I've sent a PM as well. I'll let you guys know.

 

[knightly]

Have you ever met a company who doesn't reveal their name or background unless your willing to work with them?

I've met companies who won't divulge anything at all including their names without meeting with lawyers to sign NDA agreements... yes. I'm not taken aback at all by this person's want for secrecy at this stage.

I've started companies that let the cat out of the bag too early and got beat to the punch, losing all that time money and effort.

 

[MileCreations]

I've met companies who won't divulge anything at all including their names without meeting with lawyers to sign NDA agreements... yes. I'm not taken aback at all by this person's want for secrecy at this stage.

What's the point of that though? Because then I, the 'innocent' film maker looking for information could be just handing information over to someone shady. My view of a business is that they offer their business transparency, at least to a level where we can identify and then make the effort to find out ourselves if something is legit.

I can sorta see how this can work when the are lawyers involved BUT how do you make initial contact? It has to start somewhere? And in most cases I think it should start with the business.

Having said all this I'm not yet at a stage of looking for distribution so I know little about this, but when I do decide to have distribution I want to find a company who provides information that at the very least will allow me to find out more on my own accord. I dislike having to email or PM somebody just to find out very basic information.

 

[knightly]

I'll state for the record that they've provided this forum enough information for anyone to do precisely the same searches they've pointed me to in the PM. Just takes a little google time and some UNIX/Network admin experience.

When moving into a new arena of business, there are always entrepreneurs who will look for new business models, then move on them cheaply and quickly before the quality folks have a chance to get there fast. They end up polluting the waters for the folks trying to do it right (not saying anything about this particular venture, just business realities that I've experienced -- which suck and tend to make one a little paranoid about what one shares before going completely public).

Posting publicly is not the same as sharing privately (which has been offered). A public posting can be brute searched on google by the shadier folks with a little bit of google experience. Privacy is as important as transparency, one just has to be selective about where they are transparent in their endeavors. So PM, ask there where it's not googlable... or just do your due diligence and poke around the information they've provided and hit google with it.

quotes around search terms will make a phrase search (cole mcdonald will search for any cole OR any mcdonald, not necessarily just me... whereas "cole mcdonald" will search for me specifically) + and - will include and exclude information, for instance "cole mcdonald" +bluray

Then http://whois.net/ will allow you to take the websites you've found and check to see if they match the information you've got from your googling. Given just a little bit more time, I could probably get a google street view pic of the business and find a nearby traffic cam or web cam to keep track of the folks' coming and going. This was part of my day to day reality at one point. Knowing how our company could be attacked and how I could be tracked was tantamount to my protecting most of your identities.

6 years paranoid can wear on a person a bit It also makes one hyper-sensitive to how technology really fits into one's world. Google is the best tool for identity thieves... better than that is folks being open and free with their information online. If you have a nascent business to protect, I think it's of the utmost import to be careful about the information that is released publicly.

 

[mad_hatter]

I don't have a lot to add here. I don't see any problem with what 2cents has said, or what they are offering. I think they've provided more than enough information for any interested party to move forwards. I personally think they did so in their initial post...

I'm just curious as to what all those who are complaining think they have to lose by posting a link to their trailer on YouTube?

I will say that "Success Guaranteed" is a little misleading... what level of success? However, the OP never promised a huge pay-day and busy career in Holywood. They are saying they will pay for the rights to your film. Therefore, it's a success! You've made money off your movie. Most people don't.

If I had a feature, I'd post the trailer.

 

[GuerrillaAngel]

"Guaranteed"

Likely among the top 3 words used by hucksters around the world!

 

[Anxu]

Honesty

Please note: I dont know if the OP's company is legit or honest and I am not saying it is not.

* If I was going to grant a licence, what if the company sells 100,000 but claim they only sold 500 copies? This licence effectively gives a company a means to openly advertise and sell without getting sued for piracy. I would be concerned. *

Perhaps a better way would be if a company was to automatically send out an email to the film producer with every transaction made, giving date and time, first 2 parts of ip address (ie 187.72.x.xx) and city shipped to (not enough details to identify a customer) but enough details to be able to check that the company is actually giving you a correct number in how many they have sold and to allow you to have a mystery shopper buy something to confirm that they report the transaction and by doing a few random checks you are able to confirm you are not being cheated. *

Having said the above, I repeat that I dont know if the OPs company is honest or dodgy. However I do suggest they implant my above idea!

 

[MileCreations]

I guess in the past I've always dealt with people on either Facebook, YouTube or Twitter where often you can tell what type of person they are and their legitimency often from just their fan base, then usually there are further levels to deal with, like links to websites and studf, so I've never been in a situation where I've had to actually interact with them myself to find out any information, so I apologize if I came out as overly suspicious.

I am aware or Whois and often look it up to see how long a business has been in operation

As I said, I'm not at a level of distribution for myself yet, at least not a level where I'm willing to contact first.

 

[knightly]

From the amount of traffic on their forum, this site looks positively empty. Very busy site indeed.

 

[AudioPostExpert]

To be honest I'm shocked at some of the responses to this thread. Almost without exception the filmmakers on IT plead poverty and discuss how difficult it is to get any ROI from filmmaking and as soon as someone comes on here potentially offering some ROI he is soundly flamed?! If you had the slightest interested in actually earning money from your filmmaking his inbox would have been overloaded with requests and trailers.

Is there a chance 2Cents is a scam artist or a troll, sure ... welcome to the world of business, any business, let alone the film business. If that's what you're scared of, make films just for a hobby and keep or seek employment from a business owner who will take the risk for you. But then don'[t bleat about how difficult it is to get any ROI.

By all means flame 2Cents to hell, once it's proved he/she is scamming but until then, you're not just looking a potential gift horse in the mouth, you're actively smashing it's teeth in!!

G

 

[knightly]

Almost without exception the filmmakers on IT plead poverty and discuss how difficult it is to get any ROI from filmmaking and as soon as someone comes on here potentially offering some ROI he is soundly flamed?!

It's the same as hating Hollywood when most of us would JUMP at the chance to work there.

 

[Kholi]

I'm not sure we need to be so hostile every time someone comes here trying to promote their business. If you're not interested in a distributor who doesn't offer upfront cash then that's fine, but that doesn't make it a scam or BS.

Personally, if my movie were finished then I would be willing to talk to a distributor who might be able to make me a little money but, equally importantly, can get my film seen. The upfront cash wouldn't be a dealbreaker for me or for a lot of other people on this forum. This business model seems perfectly sensible for indie filmmakers.

And wherever there are indie filmmakers, there are indie distributors and we ought to be offering them the same help, advice and support as we would to someone producing their first feature.

I'm as skeptical as anyone else, on the internet and in real life. But come on, that doesn't give anyone permission to be an ass.

I suspect OP and his/her company is only looking for features and I'm still making (awesome *wink nudge*) shorts. But if I had a feature I'd certainly want to test the waters and get more information.

Jesus, people. Just because you don't want to cross a bridge, doesn't mean you have to burn it.

Totally agree, Dready.

I don't see how the OP is doing any harm here. The backlash has been unwarranted. All I have to do is show them my trailer, and that gets me more info? How is that a bad thing?

2 Cents, thanks for giving me an excuse to post my trailer, and please PM me if my film piques your interest.

www.antihero-movie.com

That's exactly right. I've dealt with hundreds of them, and NEVER has a distributor said, "I haven't even seen a trailer for your film, but if I like it I'll pay you $X and make it available on X platforms." Not once.

I suspect that those who are giving the OP such a hard time have never actually dealt with a legitimate distributor.

To be honest I'm shocked at some of the responses to this thread. Almost without exception the filmmakers on IT plead poverty and discuss how difficult it is to get any ROI from filmmaking and as soon as someone comes on here potentially offering some ROI he is soundly flamed?! If you had the slightest interested in actually earning money from your filmmaking his inbox would have been overloaded with requests and trailers.

Is there a chance 2Cents is a scam artist or a troll, sure ... welcome to the world of business, any business, let alone the film business. If that's what you're scared of, make films just for a hobby and keep or seek employment from a business owner who will take the risk for you. But then don'[t bleat about how difficult it is to get any ROI.

By all means flame 2Cents to hell, once it's proved he/she is scamming but until then, you're not just looking a potential gift horse in the mouth, you're actively smashing it's teeth in!!

G

Redeeming posts of this thread... just wanted to quote them for anyone skipping to the end.

Seriously...

 

[GuerrillaAngel]

Redeeming posts of this thread... just wanted to quote them for anyone skipping to the end.

Seriously...

One of my day jobs involves debunking BS. Seriously, my BS detector is pegged with this guy.

Indeed, a lot of what is posted in here only serves to benefit others -- bringing false hope to the filmmaker. Including the advertising: "Create the Next Big Movie! Learn how with your film degree" www.fullsail.edu.bs
Baloney! It's not gonna happen for vast majority of the suckers ponying up big bucks for this.

While I don't fault the forum owners for trying to make a buck, members here ought to realize that your route to success in the film business involves carrying a baloney detector.

While one may think there is nothing to lose, but sooner or later you're gonna be signing a piece of paper given to you by this guy and you'll wish that you throughly vetted things before you got to that point.

 

[mus]

To be honest I'm shocked at some of the responses to this thread. Almost without exception the filmmakers on IT plead poverty and discuss how difficult it is to get any ROI from filmmaking and as soon as someone comes on here potentially offering some ROI he is soundly flamed?! If you had the slightest interested in actually earning money from your filmmaking his inbox would have been overloaded with requests and trailers.

Is there a chance 2Cents is a scam artist or a troll, sure ... welcome to the world of business, any business, let alone the film business. If that's what you're scared of, make films just for a hobby and keep or seek employment from a business owner who will take the risk for you. But then don'[t bleat about how difficult it is to get any ROI.

By all means flame 2Cents to hell, once it's proved he/she is scamming but until then, you're not just looking a potential gift horse in the mouth, you're actively smashing it's teeth in!!

G

Uh, dude. People asked for proof and he not only provided none, but he literally said "that's none of your business."


The people questioning his authenticity obviously don't mind not doing business with someone who refuses to give us something as important as his website link.


Salacious's first post in this thread sums it up perfectly.

 

[AudioPostExpert]

1. Uh, dude. People asked for proof and he not only provided none, but he literally said "that's none of your business."
2. The people questioning his authenticity obviously don't mind not doing business with someone who refuses to give us something as important as his website link.

1. He said that it's "none of your business" as regards to how much money they are putting into the project. You would get the same reply from pretty much any distributor or broadcaster. I certainly would not broadcast the cost price of my services and I know of very few businesses (of any type) which would want that information made public. The details of what s/he's willing to pay for a licence, the details of the licence itself, sales figures, demographics ect., have already either been posted or are up for discussion (privately).

2. S/He has not refused to give his/her website link and in fact has done so. S/He has just refused to post the website link publicly for which there could be several valid reasons and again, in his/her position I might well do the same.

Salacious's first post in this thread sums it up perfectly.

The only thing Salacious' first post in this thread sums up perfectly to me is how NOT to get into the film business!!!

Contrary to Salacious' post, in the first instance it is the vendor of products who has to gain the trust of the potential customer, NOT the other way around. This is a simple and basic tenet of business. I am not suggesting that a filmmaker blindly sign a licence deal without being sure of who they are signing a deal with or without being sure of the exact details of that deal. But, in the first instance it is the filmmaker with the product to sell and insulting and swearing at a potential customer demonstrates gross ignorance of doing business in the film industry or indeed in any industry!!!

Without any evidence to the contrary, 2Cents represents a potential customer to at least some IT members. There are tens of thousands of people with film products to sell and relatively few buyers, it's without doubt a buyer's market. If I were 2Cents I would never come back to indietalk again.

It's entirely possible that 2Cents is legitimate and that due to a few ignorant people some other indietalk members' prospects of ROI have been harmed or ruined. If I were an indietalk moderator, truly interested in helping the indie filmmaking community, I would be writing a few stern PMs to some of the posters in this thread.

G