Zen Films

Film Posters and Other Film Marketing Materials

I've finally found time to start getting all the artwork prepared for the MindFlesh marketing materials. I thought it might be useful (for me too) to list the items and some helpful links.

Ok, here's my list:

• postcard - this is the first thing I make and have printed. Double-sided colour. The front side is basically just the poster, the second side another cool picture plus additional information like contact details and review quotes. I get these printed in small runs because I often find myself wanting to change a few details over time - for example, adding new review quotes, a better logline, new contact details maybe? I include a couple with every screener I mail out plus they're easy to carry as handout for people I meet or leave behind in public places :) I've always had these printed at VistaPrint and not been disappointed.
• flyer - this I make for the film markets which means it's aimed at distributors. This is a US letter or UK A4 sized sheet with poster on the front and on the back similar details to the postcard but the increased size allows for more stills and a synopsis. For the London Voodoo flyer I also added a list of DVD extras. It's also worthwhile leaving space at the bottom right-hand corner to add a printed label detailing local contact details or screening times (which is likely to vary by market). I've also had this printed at VistaPrint in the past but there are lots of other sites including businesses in the local area. This is a popular size format so there's lots of competition. Again, I tend to get a small print run, maybe 250 sheets, something like that.
• poster - this is the full 27" x 39" movie poster. They're expensive to print and there are fewer places online to get them made - especially if you only want less than 5. For MindFlesh I'm going to get just one made and then take it around with me in a plastic draftsman's tube. The only place I could find online was this place, UPrinting. I'll let you know how they perform :)
• mini-posters - these are single-sided colour; UK A3 size (about 12" x 17"). We had several versions printed for London Voodoo and used them to advertise the film at festivals and as give-aways at horror conventions. I suspect that we might do the same for MindFlesh but I'll defer the decision for now.

I know that a lot of filmmakers make T-Shirts and badges (pins) - usually to give away at screenings - and we did the same in the past but I'm not convinced they actually put bums on seats. The same goes for all the other gimmicks too in my humble opinion - key chains, mugs etc. etc. Some look neat and show a lot of originality but looking at the "bang for your buck" you can't beat the simple postcard.

Nature Morte released at end of month

I'm delighted to see that Carole Derrien's first feature, Nature Morte, will be out on DVD at the end of Feb. This is the first chance international audiences will get to see Carole in action ahead of MindFlesh.

I hope you'll all support independent film and click here to buy the DVD!

Film Financing for Indie Films

It's the start of the year, MindFlesh is complete and ready for sale & festival screenings and the mind turns naturally to raising finance for ventures new...

On Thursday I attended my first meeting of the Institute for International Film Financing. I didn't expect the room to be filled with dot.com philanthropists ready to had out cash in brown paper bags and I wasn't disappointed ;) It would have been nice though. What I did get were some interesting talks and handouts about how hard it is to raise finance, make a film and get it distributed. Yeah... right.. thanks :( Seriously though, it's worth checking out and as a paid-up member for the following year I'll certainly be at the next event, travel plans permitting.

Financing indie films: My view is that for all the sales reports, script reports and A-list cast you can attach to a project it's ultimately going to come down to the question "do I trust this person with my money?" And if someone with money hasn't met you personally it's likely to be "no".

In my time in the world of telecom consultancy I did a lot of work on market analysis and market entry strategy but the spreadsheets, the competitor analysis, the comparisons and the reasoned arguments could only take you so far. At the end of the day, what was always required to get the green light.. was a leap of faith. It's a gut instinct that comes down to "do I trust this person?".

I know for sure that we've invested in a couple of films, not including our own, and our final discussions focused on "are the filmmakers serious about this" and "are they likely to deliver?" I know that people who have invested in our films are people we know and who have wanted to support us. Sure they want a return but there are easier ways to make money... a whole lot less glamorous (so that's in our favor) but less risky than investing in a single indie film.

Of course, the larger production companies and film financiers help to minimize the risk by spreading investments across a slate of films - hoping that among the slate is one film that will repay all the rest and make the desired profit. They can't tell you which film it'll be - otherwise they'd only finance that one - but statistically they ought to come out on top.

So where does that leave the indie filmmaker seeking money? Your best shot is still among people you know. There are a few Internet sites aimed at connecting money and filmmakers but with just a glance at the projects on offer and the money raised so far it's easy to see the model hasn't taken off. Two sites that spring  to mind are www.indiegogo.com - launched at Sundance this year I believe - and the (I think UK-based?) site http://www.indiemaverick.net/ which launched around Fall '07. 

Leaving aside a lack of named cast (because some projects are documentaries) I think there are three key factors that might explain the current failure of these film fund sites:

1. projects are too small. Asking for too little money diminishes the glamor (and pride) of investing for let's say "wealthy" people who might speculatively invest and not care about whether they get their money back or not. They might also wonder if with so little money the projects can actually be delivered?
2. no personal connection. How many people know who these filmmakers are? Sure, some may have a track record but there is no charisma factor at work to help that leap of faith.
3. viewer apathy. In spite of all the noise and hype about user-created content most people just want to be entertained. And most just want to buy what's on the shelves in the local store.

Rather than finish this post downbeat, I'll leave with a link to a guffy but quite entertaining podcast of  enthusiastic producer Don Schmeichel taking to talkshow radio host Spike Spillberg (I wonder if that's his real name?). Click here