Hollywood, Michael Pintard and the Viability of Bahamian Art Part II
Part 2: So, you want to be in the movies…
What are we to make of the current passion for movie-making in the Bahamas? Is it possible to apply the logic of Hollywood to our local situation and create an honest-to-God indigenous film industry here? Films made by Bahamians for Bahamians?
This is an enormously appealing prospect and, truth be told, we have a long and intriguing historical association with Hollywood. To start off we have produced bona fide movie stars like Sidney Poitier, the academy award winning son-of-the-soil, and Calvin Lockhart. There has also been a long line of Hollywood films made here, from the 1916 silent film, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, to its 1954 remake, to several James Bond films and countless others.
But despite this esteemed history, I believe that hopes of a movie industry by Bahamians and for Bahamians is a pipe dream.1 I also hope that those involved in making local movies have some kind of well thought out financial back-up plan.
This belief comes from my interpretation of the Hollywood system. As I see it, a single film is only one piece of a much larger puzzle. You might make a good movie, but you can not ever hope to recreate the full system, that is unless you have Bill Gates kinds of dollars to spend and even then you probably couldn’t make it happen.
These days a low-budget Hollywood movie costs around 30 million dollars to produce, and this doesn’t even include marketing, which can run several million dollars more.2 The best an independent film-maker can hope for is to get their film picked up by a Hollywood studio and have them insert the film into their existing system.3
In case you didn’t read the last blog post, and you should, I compare the Hollywood system to an elaborate art-based factory that must churn out movies if only to keep its distribution network viable. This distribution system includes the cinemas, IMAX screens, the video store around the corner etc. Without new movies the distribution system will fail, and without the distribution network new movies can not succeed. We may complain profusely about the formulaic crap that we are regularly subjected to as entertainment, but consider it grist for the well-oiled mill that is Hollywood.
So, let’s take a minute and break down the business of film and see what it means for Bahamians.
The downside of Independence…
Now, as an independent Bahamian film-maker, you are, first of all, hamstrung by your budget. The cost of video / film / editing equipment may have dropped to reasonable levels in recent years but it is unlikely to ever drop to the point where it is cheap to make a movie. This is because film, as a medium, is extremely labor intensive. Unless a story is very limited, you are going to need to have the help of a lot of people to turn your dream into a reality. When making a movie there are sets to build, things to light, mise en scéne to worry about, sound and acoustics to take into consideration, and the small matter of feeding your film crew.4 This isn’t even thinking about post-production. And you had better make sure that your film doesn’t need fancy special effects either, cause well, that’s another can of worms entirely.
If you overcome these logistical, economic and art related problems with a clever concept and script you probably have another problem. You have just written a movie that no one wants to watch. Or, at least, one that not many people would want to watch. See, this is the other thing to think about when it comes to movies. To be economically viable, film has to be a mass medium, which also means that your movie has to please a mass audience; not just a few people in the audience some of the time, but the majority of the audience most of the time.
Because audiences have become accustomed to the slick level of visual production in Hollywood movies, where you lack will be instantly obvious. If you are making a low-budget film you can’t have any car chases, explosions, gun-fights or choreographed martial arts battles, so you probably can’t make a people pleasing action or sci-fi movie. In practice you are probably stuck with the genres of comedy and drama. Hollywood can make these types of films accessible by casting well known actors and comedians in the major roles, which is, of course, something that you, with your low budget can’t do.
At the end of the day you will probably have a quirky little dramedy with no-name actors set in some nondescript Bain Town locale; in other words the very definition of an art-house flick. They call them “art-house” movies simply because they generally have limited appeal beyond the few people who are interested in that sort of thing. These types of films play best in larger cities, where there is a large enough population to make some money off of limited screenings in small cinemas. Nassau is not that kind of a city.
I remember when RND cinemas in their final days experimented with playing art-house movies in Nassau. One day, I was in a particularly artsy mood, so I went to see the one art-house movie that they had showing at the time. I bought my ticket, got my popcorn, and sat alone in the screening space. After waiting for the movie to start for nearly ten minutes, I got up to check to see what was going on. The attendant looked at me puzzled, “you want to see that movie?” Yes, I said. “Let me go and turn it on.”
Waiting for Rain…
Recently a Bahamian got into the serious movie making business. With a budget of around one million dollars, Maria Govan made, guess what, a drama, called Rain.
First off, a million dollars is a lot of money in the Bahamas, but it’s catering money for most Hollywood films. I can’t imagine anyone raising more here.5 But it is important to remember that this is what what the movie cost to produce, how much money was left over for marketing?
The more important question to my mind though, is: how much money did the film make back? Did it break even? Or is it losing money?
I have heard no figures on this and I won’t bother to speculate. What I am trying to do is to show you one simple thing: Movies are not practical things to make in this country. A million dollars is a lot of money and you can not hope to earn that money back in the Bahamas. EVER. Once finished, your only hope is that your film is picked up by a Hollywood studio and the competition for Hollywood’s attention is fierce and relentless.
In recent years film festivals have come into the picture to help out. Festivals give independent film-makers another chance to get noticed by Hollywood studio types, who, in the best case scenario, will buy your film’s distribution rights. If they do, you would have won against some very long odds. Go out and buy yourself some wine.
However, if the film festival circuit doesn’t work, and no one picks up your film, you have to try to hustle it around and maybe sell DVD’s out of your car trunk. And because you are still competing with Hollywood, which is continually churning out new product, it won’t be long before your film looks old and stale in comparison. Remember that as difficult as it is to get in to a major film festival, it is still no guarantee for inclusion into the Hollywood system. The only sure thing it gives you are some nice olive leaves to put on your movie poster.
In short, a film maker in the Bahamas can only possibly make money off of their work abroad.
Supposing you did try…
Ok, so lets say you are going to try to make that million dollars6 back in the Bahamas. You would probably start by trying to get a screening in Galleria cinemas for the simple reason that they have a monopoly. If they don’t want to show it, you are already doomed. (UPDATE: Or you can distribute the film yourself with local screenings at various venues.) Remember that because of budget constraints, you aren’t peddling a people-pleasing movie, but rather, more of an art-house type of film. So you have zero leverage.7
Just for arguments sake, lets say that Galleria gives you a few days with several show-times a day. How are you going to get the word out to fill that screening room four to five times per day? Do you have a trailer? Have you paid to get that trailer played before other movies at Galleria?
You must also remember that because our cable system is filled with American stations, Bahamians are also subjected to relentless Hollywood advertising. It is very difficult to compete with Hollywood when it comes to advertising.
Movies also tend to make most of their money upfront. Of course, there are the exceptional cult films that have ridiculously long theatrical runs, but they are the exception, not the rule. The rule is that the first week is the week with the highest gross, as all those who wanted to see the movie from the advertising come out, and then there are declines, generally about 40-50% every week thereafter. In other words, if Galleria gave you one week, they probably won’t give you two.
Then after your ridiculously short theatrical run in Galleria, you have to spend even more money to get your film put on DVD. Now film makers in the Bahamas also have to remember that there is already a fully-functional boot-legging system in place. All it takes is one DVD guy without a conscience to erase your home video revenue.8
Your last potential revenue stream would be ZNS and Cable 12. When they air your movie, they will pay you some kind of royalty. I have heard from sources that ZNS may pay you $500 per showing, or they may just as well ask you to show it for free.
Any way you slice it, you are making, at best, a supplementary income off of your movie.
The Pintard System…
With a population of 300,000, I’m afraid to say that making movies in the Bahamas for Bahamians is not commercially viable. Your best bet is to make movies in the Bahamas for foreigners and as we have seen this is extremely risky and not what I would call a sound business plan. Of course, you could do it for the love of it, but then, you probably won’t be able to do it for very long. Film is too expensive a thing to keep going as a hobby.***
Even if you never used a dime of your own money to make your movie, the returns on your investments of time and energy are not going to be significant enough, in my opinion, to keep the ball rolling.***
This brings us back to “the Pintard System.” The first principle of which is that if you want to make money off of art in the Bahamas, (and what artist doesn’t have to make money at some point?) you have to be aware of your market. This simply means that you have to make something that at least has the potential to make money in this country. Movies are not that thing.
There are two art related things that can, and do, make money in the Bahamas: Paintings and Plays. That is about it. Anything else is sketchy and unproven and will take you into uncharted and shark infested waters.
***UPDATE: I stand corrected. Film making can indeed survive in the Bahamas as a hobby. If your plan is to make it a business however, and you want to live off of your movies, then please consider the above cautions. That is all.
*****
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT —>The point® is this:
- A lot of people are making movies in the Bahamas. If you are one of them, please stop and think seriously about your business plan before you lose all of your money and have to sell BTC phone cards for a living.
- The first principle of the Pintard System is to Know your market.
- Paintings and Plays are the products that have the best chance of making you money in the Bahamian art market.
Stay tuned for part 3 coming your way next Wednesday when I examine one of the two ways to make money off of art in the Bahamas, and reveal another principle from the Pintard System.
- UPDATE: Up to this point, I have done a poor job of defining what I mean by “viability,” for now let’s just say it is something that can make you enough money so that you can keep doing what you love and live reasonably well. i.e. not sleep outside in a cardboard box. I am not talking about doing the thing you love as a hobby. In the next post I will elaborate on “viability” in more detail. [↩]
- In 2007, the average Hollywood movie cost $106.6 million to make. [↩]
- I am, of course, talking here about narrative feature films and not about documentaries. While documentaries generally cost less to produce they also have diminished earning potential… unless your name is Michael Moore. [↩]
- They may be working for free, but you need some thing to keep them going during those 10+ hour shoots. [↩]
- That Govan raised this money from local investors, is perhaps more significant a feat than the Pintard system itself. [↩]
- Or whatever your budget ends up being. [↩]
- Other than patriotism, which may not get you all that far. [↩]
- And the reason that they are DVD guys in the first place is in part because they don’t have a conscience. I think this point also holds true for anyone thinking of replicating the direct-to-video distribution system here. [↩]
August 19th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
Thank you for Part 2 “The Sequel”. I can’t wait for Part 3 of “The Trilogy”, to see if Paintings and Plays will live, without prostitution, since Film apparently dies in Part 2.
Ward, your analysis is brilliant I find your position seems to prophesy doom for those who wish to model our industry on Hollywood. I tend to agree with you, but the challenge for art industries suggests that there are new discoveries and a bona-fide search for a new (Bahamian) world of creativity on the horizon.
You yourself, and many others of your generation already demonstrate tremendous command of the new global technologies that allow you to participate in the world markets celebrating your unique local character. This Blog is evidence. My generation, if we are honest, would have to admit that what you and your “set” are doing is t’ings we would have thought was impossible.
To my way of thinking the Hollywood model is over. Bollywood, and Nollywood are proving their new models can produce more revenue than Hollywood. We do not have hundreds of millions of people like them but our “Gollywood” might also have a future. WE just have to dream and take action.
August 20th, 2009 at 12:33 am
Boss man! Thanks for your thoughts, although this is probably going to be a bit longer than a trilogy…
I am very interested in this word, ‘prostitution,’ and what it means for the Bahamian artist. It is a heavy, heavy word and is such a burden for those who carry it. We need to talk about this prostitution thing and air it out, see what’s under it. I even think it might make a cameo appearance in part 3
Now, I agree that there are many ways that technology can open a door to make a Gollywood possible. Interestingly though, with all of the new technology driving equipment prices down, the cost of movie-making seems to increase…
Anyway, there is probably something that I am missing, and I hope that someone can straighten me out bout this thing, but I speaking from where I sitting now. Down the road, something will change, but we will come to that then.
This series may be depressing in a certain way, but I think it can also be liberating in another way. Knowing what is there in front of you is the first step to moving around it… Like you say, dreaming is only half the equation.
August 20th, 2009 at 9:41 pm
[...] by Nicolette Bethel on August 20, 2009 Hollywood, Michael Pintard and the Viability of Bahamian Art Part II [...]
August 21st, 2009 at 4:52 pm
Started a response to this post, with whose main premise I disagree fairly profoundly, as a comment, but will use it for a blog post soon.
Your analysis of the Hollywood film industry is fine as far as it goes but it’s out of date. Most local film industries are indie and artsy, not Hollywood (Bollywood’s the major exception), and they provide respectable amounts employment and income for their sectors. The digital revolution has expanded the development of such sectors pretty radically. The old Hollywood mass-market lockdown model is only one of several ones that generate revenue all on their own.
Before you diss Rain and its earnings/distribution you might want to talk to Maria. Every time it’s run here it’s done so to packed houses. Don’t underestimate the draw of the local/indigenous – and Maria hasn’t even taken it outside Nassau yet.
N.
August 23rd, 2009 at 6:18 am
Make a whole new way of telling stories that only a small place like ours can sustain. Make it so “precious” that the limited supply that we might offer is in constant demand. That is our challenge. Nobody can beat a Bahamian storyin’!
August 23rd, 2009 at 2:16 pm
@ Nico,
I have left a lengthy comment on your post http://nicobethel.net/blogworld/2009/08/21/wards-take-on-the-local-film-industry/ regarding your criticisms of this post.
And I am not dissing Rain. I am using it as an example. I don’t think this qualifies as dissing.
@Everyone
Please visit Nico’s post via the link above.
@Jackson
Yes, this is definitely the challenge. Hey, I would love to be proved wrong on this, and maybe I am too strident in the post in dismissing the possibilities, but going heavy into movies represents a foray into those uncharted and shark infested waters that I talk about. Film makers should be cognizant of the risks involved. This is my only intention.
August 23rd, 2009 at 7:51 pm
[...] More here: Ward's Life :: wardmin.org [...]
August 24th, 2009 at 8:21 am
Answered your answer. Still disagree (largely because whatever you say we now have as much of a film industry as we have a theatre “industry”, and so the question to my mind must now be “why?”, rather than the discussion being about its lack of viability).
Fair enough about using Rain as an example. I think it’s the wrong example; it’s a departure from the norm, just as Hollywood is a departure from the global norm.
On the other hand, I entirely agree that filmmakers should know what risks they will take, and if you are arguing that the “viability” of an industry must be measured in the number of people it employs and sustains full-time, well then. I would take issue with that idea, though, as even the Bahamian tourism industry developed differently. Full-time employment for Bahamians in tourism is a relatively recent thing in our history, going back to the 1960s and 1970s. Indigenous models of employment and work are far more likely to be seasonal and part-time than specialized and full-time.
But enough of that! Great post. Take care!
August 24th, 2009 at 10:03 am
@ Nico,
I think you are taking exception to the last two paragraphs. And you are indeed correct: Film exists. I have added an update. However we seem agree that the model necessary to keep film going is something akin to hobby / labor of love.
But this model is not what these posts are about.
August 25th, 2009 at 1:24 am
Mr. Minnis,
Having been directed to your blog today by a vibrant and inspiring artistic Bahamian friend, I have read with interest your first two installments on the “Hollywood” film system and the viability of Bahamian art. I have also read with interest the replies. If I may (not so briefly) comment, I would be grateful.
I am respectfully of the view that many of your underlying assumptions are incorrect both in relation to the business of filmmaking and the opportunities for artistic filmmaking in The Bahamas. Let me try and summarize my view of some of the myths:
- any suggestion that the average “Hollywood” movie costs $100 million may be what one finds if you Google that query, but it is a completely misleading number. If you think that it takes $100 million to make a great film, you’re simply wrong. Go back to the last Academy Awards (not always the best test of great films, but good for the purposes of this discussion). The nominated films for best picture were Benjamin Button (effects-intensive at $150 million), Frost Nixon ($35 million), Milk ($15 million), The Reader ($32 million), Slumdog Millionaire ($15 million). So only one of five nominated films broke $100 million and four of five cost less than $36 million. One must also remember that “Hollywood” accounting is not “real” accounting (the stories are legendary about movies like Forrest Gump still not having made a “profit”). I challenge you to think of your favorite films and go to IMDB.com and search out their budgets. I think you’ll be surprised. The importance of these numbers is that by implying that one needs a huge budget to make a great movie, you are dissuading young, aspiring filmmakers from even trying.
- You don’t need to duplicate “Hollywood” to have a healthy film industry in The Bahamas. Indeed, I suggest that even wanting to do so doesn’t make sense because “Hollywood” is having tough times – the model is waning. In fact, Hollywood isn’t where most films are being made. Look to “Bollywood”, London, New York, Vancouver, Prague, etc. as places with a vibrant industry. “Hollywood” productions have been increasingly enticed away from Hollywood by film incentives offered by regional governments. That is why the support of productions by the Bahamian Government by offering film incentives is so important to the health of the industry in The Bahamas. Without a Bahamas film incentive program, the productions attracted to The Bahamas will only be a fraction of what they should be given the excellent work being done by Mr. Craig Woods and his staff.
- Technology – not always our friend, but in the film industry it’s been our best friend. HD cameras can shoot at extraordinary resolutions today – at a fraction of what it cost just ten years ago. For less than $10,000 today, you can fully outfit yourself with an HD camera, lights, sound equipment, computer, non-linear editing suite – and go out and film your documentary, or short, or music video and burn it to dvd or Blu-ray. Maybe not for wide theatrical release (remember, The Blair Witch Project was akin to winning the lottery and is rarely repeated) but that work flow is enough for many purposes that can result in an income (weddings, corporate videos, music videos, etc.). A further shift will occur when more theatres acquire professional quality digital projectors so that 16mm or 35mm transfers will not be necessary in order for independent filmmakers to show their films on the big screen.
- With respect, many statements you make are simply wrong. You say:
“If you are making a low-budget film you can’t have any car chases, explosions, gun-fights or choreographed martial arts battles …” Sorry – that’s just plain wrong (Rodrigues’ El Mariachi – clearly an action flick – was shot for $7,000!). In fact those very elements can be some of the cheapest to make!
“A million dollars is a lot of money and you can not hope to earn that money back in the Bahamas. EVER. Once finished, your only hope is that your film is picked up by a Hollywood studio and the competition for Hollywood’s attention is fierce and relentless.” The base assumptions are wrong – one would never rationally restrict distribution to The Bahamas (kind of like building large, beautiful hotels but not letting any foreigners stay in them!). If you wanted to have a “Bahamas-only” release, then make that $3,000 art film and do a four-wall distribution – and stand a pretty good chance of making your money back over time. Film in The Bahamas, but if you want your money back, then make it a universally appealing feature and the world is your market – even if you don’t get a huge production deal from a major.
“…making movies in the Bahamas for Bahamians is not commercially viable. Your best bet is to make movies in the Bahamas for foreigners and as we have seen this is extremely risky and not what I would call a sound business plan”. I respectfully say that you are grossly underestimating the talents of Bahamians. I won’t review concepts of mythic story structure, but suffice to say that the western world shares many common thematic elements in storytelling. Do Bahamians not go to see the “Hollywood blockbusters”? They do and they enjoy them just as much (or as little) as audiences in El Paso or London or Toronto (even non-Western audiences such as those found in Hong Kong) because there are shared, common perceptions of film and storytelling. So why would you imply that composing these themes is a “one-way street”? “Foreigners” will be just as capable of enjoying a story well told by a Bahamian as Bahamians are at enjoying one written by a woman sitting at her computer in Pasadena. So, if a Bahamian writes a good story that can be appreciated by Bahamians, the odds are that “foreigners” will find similar joy – and thus the foreign market will exist to look to to try and recover the investment.
- For true artists, filmmaking has never been as exciting as it is today – because of distribution options. You can make a film and show it in HD on the largest screens with 5.1 surround sound and it looks (and sounds) pretty darn good. The internet is a huge distribution tool and continues to evolve. If you are an artist (as opposed to simply wanting to “be cool” and make a six-figure annual income from filmmaking) then the outlet for your talent has never been better.
- The last myth is one which I agree with you about. Too many filmmakers run out and make a film – but have no distribution and no distribution plan. If you want to make a “garage film” for your own joy, then you are a true artist and good for you. If, however, you want to make a film for business reasons (i.e. you want to make money at it), then going to camera without a clear plan for distribution is a waste of money, time and talent. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to make the film, but you need a plan if you hope to make your (or, more importantly, your investors’) money back. Want to make your money back? Get a great script (and Bahamians have a rich storytelling tradition), cobble together $1 million, get a known, Hollywood C-list actor (i.e. a recognizable, marketable name) and then shoot fast and simply with an experienced director – and have a distributor on deck.
Bahamians. An extraordinary people. Vibrant, cultural, artistic, thoughtfully intelligent. The examples are too numerous to mention, but several have posted to your blog here. I watched Ms. Govan’s Rain at last year’s BIFF with intense interest. It’s a fine film. Bahamians have great stories to tell – in their paintings, in their poems – and in their independent films. And they don’t need $100 million or even $1 million to tell those stories. But the storeis need to be told and Bahamians need to be encouraged to tell them. As an artist, wouldn’t you rather make (or watch) a great film that is seen by (and touches the hearts of) just 100 people rather than making Transformers 3? The real “trick” is not spending more than one can afford to lose – which is precisely why almost all “Hollywood” films are made with other people’s money (that’s one part of the Hollywood system that Bahamians should stick with).
So we agree that filmmakers should go into filmmaking with their eyes open. But perhaps the one thing I am more optimistic about is the ability of Bahamians to make great films telling their own stories that will find a large enough audience to stand a chance of making their money back.
Thank you for initiating this wonderful discussion.
With respect,
August 25th, 2009 at 11:13 am
@B.L.Child
Thanks for this wonderful critique. Very much appreciated. I will add corrections as foot-notes in the text sometime in the coming week.
I will just nit pick a little bit with one of your (very valid) points: The note about the average film being $100m was only a note of comparison. In the body of the text I speak of the (comparatively) low budget figure of 30 million. And that is quite in line with the numbers you cite. So, no, I don’t believe that a great movie needs to cost $100m.
So thanks once again and hope you come back again soon. (now I have to finish part 3! Lord what a time!) I definitely have been educated through this post and have learned a lot thanks to comments like this. Thanks.
August 27th, 2009 at 6:33 pm
Mr. Missis,
I take your point with thanks on the $100 million issue.
At the risk of nit-picking, you also state that a “low-budget” Hollywood movie costs about $30 million. There are many, many major studio (Paramount, Warner Premiere, etc.) films that are being made in the $5 -15 million range (and yes, some are direct to video, but they make films in that range because they make a profit). I would argue that those are “low budget” – and there are many more of those being made than the larger features. And independent films are usually made for much, much less.
But I fear I am losing my point in the details. My entire point is this. Young, aspiring filmmakers ought not be discouraged from making a movie because the cost of making a movie is prohibitive – because it’s not. If something is perceived as impossible, it will never be attempted. And from an artistic point of view, that would be a disaster.
My preferred approach would be to come up with a truly great idea for a film, and then do everything you can to get it made. If the idea is incredible and you have a track record at a studio, then it’s easier (but remember, it took some time for even Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson to raise the money to make “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” – at a $5 million budget, by the way). But if you have no studio track record, then you may have to rewrite the more expensive sequences to make them affordable, enlist the aid of friends and relatives to act as cast and crew, and shoot it using a borrowed HD camera. But if you make it (even with volunteers and cheap equipment), then it exists! If it costs you $100 for food for your volunteers, but you manage to earn only $200 from DVD sales out of the back of your trunk, not only is that a 100% return on investment, but you will also have learned an extraordinary amount about art and filmmaking (and, dare I say, life)!
If we discourage young artists by suggesting insurmountable obstacles to embarking upon their craft, where will we be in ten years? Or twenty? On the other hand, where would we be if we inspired every aspiring artist to just try – even if it meant not having $100 million or $30 million or even $1 million the first time out? I promise you that out of all those “no-budget” films they made, there would be at least one gem.
So in my perfect little world, our focus should shift from “why we can’t” to “how we can”.
Best regards and thank you again for this discussion.
August 27th, 2009 at 6:35 pm
… and I note with horror that I misspelled your name in my above comment.
My apologies.
August 29th, 2009 at 4:02 pm
@ B.L.Child,
no problem on the name. It was the best laugh I had that day.
And to nit pick on your nit pick of my nit pick… I think we agree that 30 million is low budget territory for Hollywood. So 5-15 is even lower budget and 1 million is even lower still. etc etc. If there is some other naming category that these budgets fit into please educate me.
I see your point on the “how we can”. In the booklet/guide that I talk about making at some point in the near future, this would be the focus of the film section…
August 30th, 2009 at 2:03 pm
Glad my error gave you a smile.
With regard to budget classification, let me reach over to my library and quote the classifications of film budgets from Dov Simens (a successful filmmaking author/lecturer well known in the field):
Major studios view “low budget” as being in the $5 – 10 million range.
Independent distributors view low budget as being in the $3 – 5 million range.
Small distributors view low budget as being in the $1 – 3 million range.
Foreign sales agents and video distributors view low budget as $500,000 – $700,000.
Simens’ classifications for new filmmakers are: $5,000 – $75,000 (digi-video feature); $75,000 – $150,000 (small 16mm feature); $150,000 – $250,000 (larger 16mm feature or small 35mm feature); $250,000 – $500,000 (35mm feature).
Simens advocates the ability of young filmmakers to just get out there and make their film (albeit with eyes open – but with a clear view towards distribution and recovering the initial investment).
And yes – I very much look forward to your booklet/guide with the all-important “how we can” approach discussed!
All the best,