So, I’m taking the bull by the horns and officially participating in April’s ScriptFrenzy. 100 pages in 30 days on http://www.scriptfrenzy.org, with a full time job and a family… phew!
That’s four pages per calendar day. Keep up to date with my progress here: http://www.scriptfrenzy.org/eng/user/627535
I’ll also be writing about this on my Indiewood blog as regularly as possible.
I’m going to have some late nights in April!
I have launched Sentinel Entertainment’s new interactive R&D website. Sentinel is my production company since 2003, starting out in video production, 3D animation, website design and development, but now totally dedicated to the development of a few short films with a slate of features on the back shelf.
Check it out, new features will be added over the coming months. There will also be three tiers of membership
Free – access to public content is free with everone who signs up.
Premium – for a minimum $10 USD or more contribution to one of my films you will have premium access to priviledged content including scripts, storyboards, casting information, location recce and photo galleries, live beghind the scenes updates and more.
Partner – for a $250 USD contribution you become a partner, a team member, listed under the Sentinel Entertainment R&D team with your own profile and bio page. This gets you full no-holds barred access to the entire development, pre-prod and production process of all the film projects on the go. You get to download, read and comment on scripts, vote on casting decisions, and have your say in every single aspect of the production. You are credited as an associate producer on all Sentinel films.
Get started for free, check it out! – http://www.sentinel-entertainment.co.za
The only live campaign on Indiegogo at this time is for the short film “The Investigator” – http://www.indiegogo.com/TheInvestigator
Go big, or go small? It seems there is no middle ground when it comes to independent film at the moment. It’s disappearing like the middle classes. After reading Tom Malloy’s “Bankroll” and thinking back to all the producers business handbooks I have read, I was ready to package an investor friendly business model around a killer script and approach investors to raise $10 million promising healthy ROI and low risk.
What a joke! Let’s just say my mind has changed…. I think.
It seems to me that commercial film production and distribution has split into two camps with a vast desert wasteland separating them. There are the Hollywood studios spending hundreds of millions on “tentpole” blockbusters – Avatar is a perfect example. This is the home of the current 3D circus.
Then there are the micro-budget wishful dreamers, a fortunate few of which actually find an audience for their low to no budget productions. This is where I find myself, along with a sea of others, swimming in a crowded pool of… well, lets just say it’s not very nice.
Where is the middle ground?
It seems that a few years ago it was possible to imagine raising a few million dollars for a good script, some known actors willing to work on an art piece, and if the stars were aligned a studio might just cut you a deal. If your finance was structured around a generous government tax rebate and other incentives, it was possible to offer investors a return that was almost guaranteed, regardless of the film’s financial performance.
No longer.
The tax rebates remain, especially strong in Michigan, still, but the few million dollar budgets, and even the most conservative studio distro deals that made them possible are gone.
Paramount’s “Insurge” micro budget division is cute at best, but destined to total failure in my opinion. The low end of feature film development is a swamp, and I want to get out of it as quickly as possible.
The ticket out of the swamp is the successful production of quality low / no budget content and ultra focused marketing and self promotion. You have got to sell yourself, there are no two ways around it. If nobody knows you exist, you do not exist. Be confident, be focused, persevere no matter what, have a plan, strategize and constantly re-work your plan based on the ever changing currents of the market, utilize technology, make noise, be heard and be seen!
In conclusion, I see no option other than to go small in order to go big, but go small with style, strategically with the bigger picture in mind, do it well and you will stand out from the crowd. This is my current theory, I’m busy putting it to the test.
You know I’ve always been harping on about how one mustn’t be afraid to trash a script and start again.
I’m now in this situation with The Investigator. I believe in the story, at least in what I am trying to say with it, and what it’s about, but speaking to Daniel Morcos, writer, producer and editor of Student Academy Award nominated short Wamkilikile, it has too many fatal flaws to simply be “fixed”.
But, I really want to get into pre-prod with it, and I’ve started raising funds.
However, I’m back to the drawing board thrashing out the most crucial core element of the entire project… Story. I often wish my name was Robert McKee, as if that would solve everything.
So, I’m starting with character, I need to define who John, my protagonist is, and who Kevin, his best friend, employer and antagonist is. These characters need to be fully developed and rounded, defining what has made them who they are long before this story begins.
I also need to take a real look at conflict within the story, both external and internal.
Most of you have not read drafts 1 – 5 and so I won’t go into too much detail here. This is mostly just an update that fundamental story questions are being asked and will be answered. A rewrite from scratch will take place.
The fundraising campaign on Indiegogo is here – http://bit.ly/c0oSv9
Here’s the VIP contributor perks
$10 or more = Contributor
You’ll get access to awesome privileged updates on Sentinel Entertainment’s R & D website.
$25 or more = Silver Contributor
A contribution at this level gets you a special edition DVD, only for contributors which includes behind the scenes resources outlining exactly how this film has been made, financed and distributed. You’ll get access to updates on Sentinel Entertainment’s R&D website.
$100 or more = Gold Contributor
A contribution at this level gets you a special edition Blu Ray disc, only for contributors which includes behind the scenes resources outlining exactly how this film has been made, financed and distributed. You also get premium access to Sentinel Entertainment’s R&D lab website.
$250 or more = Platinum Contributor
A contribution at this level gets you a special edition Blu Ray disc, only for contributors which includes behind the scenes resources outlining exactly how this film has been made, financed and distributed. You also get partner access to Sentinel Entertainment’s R&D lab website giving you access to all scripts, resources and production materials, for all Sentinel films. You will have the ability to vote, comment and engage our productions directly on all levels.
You know what’s interesting to me lately is the huge groundswell in the number of rediculously talented DIY VFX artists. It’s really reached a critical mass now that has placed it firmly on the radar of the commercial VFX and animation industry, content producers, and software companies alike. I think there are a number of reasons for this. Good animation and VFX work is expensive, but these days, with the open access to great tools and ease of use, I think the expense is largely markup by VFX and animation companies.
Just as filmmakers are taking almost every aspect of thier film production into thier own hands, and have access to the tools to do so, VFX is now following suit.
One such case is a friend of mine, Chris Dos Santos, with his film “Angel of the Skies”. With no budget for a commercial VFX company to get involved and a large percentage of his film requiring CG work, he’s done it himself at a tiny fraction of the VFX budget such a film would, should normally command.
I discovered the following press release which indicates that the big boys are aware and more than willing to take advantage of engaging emerging DIY artists at home through a clever social networking campaign.
SONY ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT DEBUTS DC UNIVERSE™ ONLINE MASS ANIMATION PRELIMINARY PREVIEW TRAILER AT GAME DEVELOPERS CONFERENCE
WHAT: The fan submissions are in and the voters have spoken! Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) today announced that the preliminary preview trailer for the DC Universe™ Online (DCUO) Mass Animation Contest will debut for its worldwide premier during the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco on March 12, 2010 at 1:00pm PST at the Autodesk booth #912. The video will feature an early rough segment of an upcoming CGI trailer and in-game character animation created by fans of the DCUO Facebook® fan page.
ABOUT THE CONTEST: Participants were provided with a special edition of Autodesk Maya 3D modeling, animation, rendering and visual effects software, storyboards, designs and fully-rigged 3D models accessed through the Mass Animation application on the DCUO Facebook fan page. Participating animators then uploaded their contest submissions back through the application for viewing, voting and sharing with their friends. Each week, voters and a panel of judges determined what shots qualify as the“best” and those were eligible for voter prizes. Submissions were received from over 28 countries and half of the winners were selected from outside of the United States.
Qualified contest winners will receive cash or other prizes for their submissions. The final trailer will be debuted to the gaming community in the Sony Online Entertainment booth during the 2010 E3 Expo.
MORE INFO: For more info on the DCUO Mass Animation Contest visit http://www.facebook.com/DCUniverseOnline
ABOUT : About SOE
Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) is a recognized worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online games which have entertained millions of players around the globe. SOE creates and delivers compelling entertainment for the personal computer, online, game console and wireless markets. Known for its blockbuster franchise EverQuest®, its successful online trading card game Legends of Norrath®, as well as the recent kids’ phenomenon Free Realms™, SOE continues to raise the bar for online gaming and players worldwide. Headquartered in San Diego, with additional studios in Austin, Seattle, Denver, Tucson, and Taiwan, SOE has a slate of engaging, high-quality games currently in development across new genres for all platforms and audiences.
SOE, the SOE logo, EverQuest and PlanetSide are registered trademarks and Free Realms and Legends of Norrath are trademarks of Sony Online Entertainment LLC.
All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners.
About Mass Animation
Founded in August 2008 by former Sony Pictures Vice Chairman Yair Landau, Mass Animation began with the creation of a virtual studio on Facebook and an open invitation to artists around the world to collaborate in the making of entertainment content thru an innovative new Facebook application. With over 58,000 participants from 101 countries, the company’s first project, Live Music, attracted artists from Kazakhstan to Colombia to collaborate in this completely unique production. When artists arrived at Mass Animation’s virtual studio, they were given the essential tools and animation software necessary to participate, including individual storyboards and 3D models bundled for download along with guidelines on animation and the Autodesk Maya software necessary to actually animate. Thru the social networking features of the application, animated shots could then be viewed, voted on and shared with friends. Mass Animation is currently developing the next generation of stories and applications for worldwide collaborative creativity. To learn more, go to www.massanimation.com
About Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, a division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, is a premier worldwide publisher, developer, licensor and distributor of entertainment content for the interactive space across all current and future platforms, including console, handheld and PC-based gaming for both internal and third party game titles.
About DC Comics
DC Comics, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, is the largest English-language publisher of comics in the world and home to such iconic characters as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the Sandman. These DC Super Heroes and others have starred in comic books, movies, television series (both animated and live-action) and cyberspace, thrilling audiences of all ages for generations. DC Comics’ Web site is located at www.dccomics.com.
About Autodesk
Autodesk, Inc. is a world leader in 2D and 3D design, engineering and entertainment software for the manufacturing, building and construction, and media and entertainment markets. Since its introduction of AutoCAD software in 1982, Autodesk continues to develop the broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art software to help customers experience their ideas digitally before they are built. Fortune 100 companies„o as well as the last 14 Academy Award winners for Best Visual Effects„o use Autodesk software tools to design, visualize and simulate their ideas to save time and money, enhance quality and foster innovation for competitive advantage. For additional information about Autodesk, visit www.autodesk.com.
Autodesk, AutoCAD and Maya are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. Academy Award is a registered trademark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
