November 23 at 1:45pm

The Twenty New Rules: What we all MUST TRY to do prior to shooting

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I am prepping a new film with the shortest amount of time I have ever had to prep a movie. It is also one of the more ambitious projects I have been involved in. There is so much to do I can’t afford to squander any time (luckily I have been prepping some blog posts in advance, so this doesn’t take time — it expands time!). The short prep is also unfortunate because now is a time that the producer has to do even more than ever before.

My To Do List may be more of a Wish List these days. Instead of doing everything I think I should be doing, I have to focus first on what absolutely needs to be done to get the film in the can.

Now is the time we should be doing things differently; yet given the opportunity to make the film I want, with the cast I want, even at a fraction of the budget that I want — how can I let that opportunity go by?
Having more options and better tools, doesn’t solve everything by any means.
These times are tough indeed. Everyone knows it is hard out there for an indie filmmaker, particularly for a truly free filmmaker. Most would acknowledge that it is harder now than it has ever been before. Few have revealed (or admitted) how the current situation will change their behavior. I think right now, with reality staring me in the face, I can only speak about what I wish I could do. There is still a big gulf between thought and expression. How does the present alter what we all wish to do on our films?
Personally speaking, I would say we need to evolve the definition of what it means to be ready to shoot a film. Granted, more can always be done on the creative level and that is certainly worthy of discussion, but here — on TrulyFreeFilm — we are discussing the apparatus, the infrastructure, the practices that can lead to a more diverse output, robust appreciation, business model, and sustainable practice of ambitious cinema. So, what would I do if I really had my shit together? I have been trying to answer this and share my thoughts along the way.
Today’s version:
  1. Recognize it is about audience aggregation: Collect 5000 fans prior to seeking financing. Act to gain 500 fans/month during prep, prod., post processes.
  2. Determine how you will engage & collect audiences all throughout the process. Consider some portion to be crowd-funded — not so much for the money but for the engagement it will create.
  3. Create enough additional content to keep your audience involved throughout the process and later to bridge them to your next work.
  4. Develop an audience outreach schedule clarifying what is done when — both before and after the first public screening.
  5. Curate work you admire. Spread the word on what you love. Not only will people understand you further, but who knows, maybe someone will return the good deed.
  6. Be prepared to “produce the distribution”. Meet with potential collaborators from marketing, promotion, distribution, social network, bookers, exhibitors, widget manufacturers, charitable partners, to whatever else you can imagine.
  7. Brainstorm transmedia/cross-platform content to be associated with the film.
  8. Study at least five similar films in terms of what their release strategy & audience engagement strategy was and how you can improve upon them.
  9. Build a website that utilizes e-commerce, audience engagement, & data retrieval. Have it ready no later than 1 month prior to first public screening.
  10. Determine & manufacture at least five additional products you will sell other than DVDs.
  11. Determine content for multiple versions of your DVD.
  12. Design several versions of your poster. Track how your image campaign evolves through the process.
  13. Do a paper cut of what two versions of your trailer might be. Track how this changes throughout the process.
  14. Determine a list of the top 100 people to promote your film (critics, bloggers, filmmakers,etc)
  15. Determine where & how to utilize a more participatory process in the creation, promotion, exhibition, & appreciation process. Does it make sense for your project to embrace this?
  16. How will this project be more than a movie? Is there a live component? An ARG? An ongoing element?
  17. How can you reward those who refer others to you? How do you incentivize involvement? What are you going to give back?
  18. What will you do next and how can you move your audience from this to that? How will younot have to reinvent the wheel next time?
  19. What are you doing differently than everyone else? How will people understand this? Discover this?
  20. How are you going to share what you’ve learned on this project with others?
As I’ve said, I know I am not doing all of these yet on my current production, but that leaves me something to strive for the one following. The goal is to keep getting better, after all. But man, I wish I could be doing more!
The desire to do more is so huge, but time and resources limit me, limit us. Sometimes it feels like an accomplishment to at least get the film financed. Still though, I can’t claim to be doing my job (producing) well if I am not doing all of these. I have to do better. I know it is even harder on smaller jobs. Still though, as much as our job descriptions keep expanding as our salary level decreases, this list is what we must accomplish. Or at least it is the list I think we need to accomplish right now.
I am going to shut up now and get to work. There’s too much to be done.

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  • Steve Moore
    Like it, spot on. My feeling is that 6 is the sticky point for people early on in the game. It has the biggest slice of the vicious circle pie chart. Distributors are impressed mostly by budget and investors are most impressed by distribution deals. Distribution has the largest single mediating function on revenue in my opinion. Of course the other things you can do, as Ted has covered, all contribute in lieu of form.

    Can anyone tell me whether the makers of 'Paranormal' negotiated their deal after making or if they already had it and just made it for cheap for a laugh?
  • nwrann
    Jon, What you say may be true but all 1,000 of those really great filmmakers started the process with the intention of showing their films to an audience. What this list does is "begin with the end in mind". It answers the question: "How do I make sure that my movie is seen?" Without an audience a film doesn't exist. Also, this list is intended for producers and I guarantee that everyone of those filmmakers had a producer that was concerned about recouping the investment and making a profit.

    Amy, I don't think Ted's intention is that the actions on this list need to be completed by ONE person. But these are the things that the producer is responsible for. #1) Collect 5,000 fans doesn't mean that Ted needs to find 5,000 fans (and I think it's unwritten but understood that these are "true fans" and not "followers" or "friends") himself but that 5,000 fans need to be gathered? How does he do that? Hire someone to create a fan club, get interns to spread the word, create a street team. Basically he can delegate that responsibility out. The same as he can and will delegate most of this list out.

    My question is how do you get 5,000 fans before you even have financing for the project? Cast a star?
  • ShortCinema
    Wow. What wonderful timing. I am in the script development stage of an ultra low budget feature that will be in the can by the of next year. I attended Jon Riess' talks at the IFC week before last and bought his book while there, I purchased Scott Kirsner's book when it first came out, I attended DIYDays in Boston last year, have RSS feeds to WBP, this and other pertinent blogs.

    With all the groundwork I have been doing for the past couple of years THIS list it the best culmination of all that information I have seen. Maybe I am too much of a list person but here is something that I can use to measure my progress. THANK YOU.
  • jon jost
    I sincerely doubt that Godard Tarkovsky Rocha Marker Gehr Hutton Antonioni Dorsky Parajadnov and a list of 1000 other really great filmmakers ever gave 10 seconds of thought to the above. This is not about filmmaking, it is about marketing. This is 100% bought and sold into the Great Market Economy mentality, and there isn't a milligram of "truly free" about it at all. This is like Jeff Koons in the "arts."

    jon jost
    www.cinemaelectronica.wordpres...
    www.jon-jost.com
  • Tashtastic
    Thank you! This is an incredibly useful list of things to think about. I am just at the start of launching myself and my project 'Tashalaska' into the world of 'outreach' have already discovered that it is a scary and exausting process. Nice to know there are others out there who are in the same turbulent boat.

    Anyone else have any thoughts on how to approach this without just feeling like you might be irritating the same people over and over again?
  • Amy Greenlaw
    We love that you are forward thinking regarding "evolving the definition of what it means to be ready to shoot a film"!
    Recognizing the importance of audience aggregation for a film is the key to success for the indie filmmaker. You also seem to realize that doing so is a time consuming endeavor, as well as seeing that having the right plan and experts to carry it through are a necessity. Trying to do all the things you list is nearly impossible for one person to do, and would further argue is not the producers best use of their time for the film. Instead, the producer would be better served by hiring experienced strategists who share your vision to plan and execute.

    Regarding collecting 5000 fans prior to financing; we agree that the more fans, the more opportunity for reaching a larger audience and upping the demand for the film. It is also imperative that each of those 5k fans be genuine: a "super fan". Each fan needs to be engaged and invested in your film in order to create true demand. Just having 5k random followers on any social network will not ensure a successful campaign. Getting this level of engagement is hard to do alone!

    The producer would do well to secure financing first to augment a marketing budget to carry out all of the tasks that you describe, then use the marketing efforts to increase the investment level throughout the process.

    Amy Greenlaw (@girlgamy) and Leslie Poston (@geechee_girl)
    Filmpop.TV / @filmpop
  • Ted Hope
    Dear Anonymous,
    An ARG is an Alternative Reality Game.
  • Lorie Marsh
    On my blog, I recently wrote about how our philosophy for our movie's website is "It's not just a movie; it's a show." I'm not producing only a movie; I'm producing a Web-based show/channel for my movie, and complementary merchandise to come. Having said that, I do feel like I'm painting an enormous canvas with a very small paint brush -- our "live" launch is pushed back again to January... But, I do keep painting! Just carry your brush and keep painting, too.
  • Michael R. Barnard
    The reality of the 'new world' you describe is so profound that it is even affecting the moribund studios: Disney's distrib chief just got axed because the studio realizes nobody can survive by solely focusing on delivery to theaters alone. You are right on target to describe the need to identify and exploit myriad distributions. Another aspect so large it even moves studios: "Domestic B.O." is becoming irrelevant. We must always be focused on Worldwide markets, no matter how fragmented the reception to indie films and their themes might be. Sony Pictures has the best grasp on this. My project "A FATHER AND SON" has little appeal to much of the world, according to 'they say...' but I need to work worldwide anyway. 'They said' that BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN wouldn't work in *this* country, and were wrong. Good thing the filmmakers worked it anyway!
  • Kai
    Uggh! I love the power the new way of filmmaking gives us as indie filmmakers, but damn it's exhausting. I'm just trying to get word out about a new web series I created and the same rules apply. I feel like I need a system just to keep up with myself. This post helped put it all in perspective for me. Still, my biggest worry...am I ever going to have a personal life again???
  • Anonymous
    Ted, this is a good summary.

    What is ARG?
  • @finndependent
    Ted your post echoes the point made by Jon Reiss (Thinking Outside the Box Office) that a new crew position is needed, a person devoted to the distribution and marketing of the movie from inception. The good news is that distribution is being democratized, taken out of the boys club giving every moviemaker the chance to connect to their audience without gatekeepers. The tough news (not bad news) is that moviemakers are responsible for growing their own audience. With finite time and seemingly infinite resources in today's ever-changing media landscape, the issue is knowing what is an effective use on one's time and on which resource. So the only way we can get a hold of this juggernaut is to experiment with new tools, workflows and strategies then share that information with others. Ted let us know what you did and didn't do on the list, because that will help us all get the new workload done.
  • paul rachman
    Basically almost everything the studios do with enormous staffs around the globe. Now one guy with a laptop. Power to the people! (yikes)
  • mikehedge
    so how can be people get on board? great list of ideas!
  • Reva Goldberg
    Thanks for this excellent post, Ted. I'm going to pass it along to our fellows and grantees at every opportunity.
  • pangofilms
    It's nice to hear a producer who's willing to follow and push a film after it's been delivered. Too many still think that distribution isn't their job, it doesn't bring any money in (in fact, costs money) and, once a film doesn't get major distribution it might tarnish their reputation.
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