HD For Indies

UPDATED - scroll down

I've mentioned this idea before, but indies, do be realistic - the odds of getting into Sundance are HARSH:

films submitted: 3624
films to be screened: 121
truly indie films likely to be picked up for significant theatrical distribution that didn't already have it going in: my guess, 1-3

It is PLENTY hard enough to make an indie film - a great many die on the table, so to speak, and never get finished. Of those that get finished and submitted to Sundance...this year, 3.33% of submitted films will be shown. Ouch. And of those that were actually indie-outta-left field, perhaps 3, maybe 4, will get picked up for meaningful distribution at best. Maybe just 1. So if we presume 2 truly indie films get picked up, that's 2 out of 3624, or 0.055%....or one in about 1800 (OK, 1812 to be exact).

Is your movie ready to beat out 1811 other films?

Really?

I'm ALL FOR people pursuing their dreams. I'm already thinking of the short I want to make when I get my own Red One (hey, who wants to help?). But be sanguine about the odds, the results, and especially the business case. If you want to make a movie, do it for the right reasons, and be ready to be happy about the time you spent and the money it cost, and be ready for it to not have tangible, financial results.

Especially at the box office.

Then think about cable, direct to DVD, and any other market that might pay you for your content.

Source:

"For the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, 121 feature-length films were selected including 87 world premieres, 14 North American premieres and 12 U.S. premieres representing 25 countries with 55 first-time filmmakers, including 32 in competition. These films were selected from 3,624 feature film submissions composed of 2,021 U.S. and 1,603 international feature-length films. These numbers represent an increase from last year when 1,852 U.S. and 1,435 international feature length films were considered."

-mike

FRIDAY UPDATE

There's some good stuff in the Comments on this one.

Many (fairly) took me to task for sounding all "Debbie Downer" in this post. Whilst cranky when I wrote it, the underlying driver wasn't "U R Hoserated." A much happier way to fix/spin/"I'd like to amend and revise my prior statements" it would be to be Zen about it - the making and finishing of the movie should be a BIG chunk of the reward.

Don't count on financial rewards to consider it a successful adventure was my point.

There, am I closer to half full now?

: )

Also, the odds ARE tough. But unlike rolling an 1812 sided dice and hoping it comes up with the one right number, the odds aren't as bad as they look...not all sides of that dice are the same size. There's a LOT of lame submissions out there (small dice sides). And the commenter that stated that the number of quality submissions is about the same? That makes sense to me - I could see quality submissions going up SOME, but not on track with/at the same rate as overall submissions (the good submissions are the bigger sides of that 1812 mega-dice).

The juju I'd suggest - plan, plan, plan like a Bad MF; have a GREAT script, Stay On Target, have a good technical plan in place so you don't have to worry about codecs on set for more than 3 seconds a day (that stuff should alllllll be resolved before you record your first frame!), etc.

The flip side is MOST movies are weak. Make one that rocks. Take Juno for instance - they just let'er rip, and it ROCKS for that reason. The storyline is pretty tame - teen pregnancy, decides to adopt, falls back in love with boyfriend - with that log line, my stomach aches from Movie Of The Week syndrome. But their attitude, and OMFG - the DIALOG - makes that movie SING. Lines like "Honest to blog!" and music with lyrics like "my mp3-dvd-rumble-pack guitar" made me LOVE THIS movie. Is all about the attitude. The cinematography? Lighting? Sound design? I dunno, I never really noticed them, so they quietly and professionally did their job right. But it is the script, and acting, and Ellen Page* in particular that made it a winner.

Making a movie that just plain fucking RAWKS? THAT takes Nerves of Steel, Balls of Brass (or metric female equivalent), and Heaps O' Determination.

: )

-mike

* As I said to Erica (girlfriend) recently, there are three young actress performances that have knocked me off my feet in my lifetime - Natalie Portman in The Professional, Kirsten Dunst in Interview with the Vampire, and Ellen Page in Hard Candy. That girl is going places.

Labels: festivals, film festivals, Sundance