Back To Business

It’s been a quieter week on Movie Beach as things slowed down over the Thanksgiving holiday, so we put our feet up just a little. However we did see some encouraging progress on one of the projects we mentioned last time. Although we had been talking about the vagaries of movie financing and the reliability or otherwise of some investment partners we come across, we’re optimistic folks who generally hope for the best. So it was nice to receive a bank confirmation last thing on Friday showing that our friends’ production had indeed received its promised funding. Interestingly this time they raised $2.5 million instead of $2 million, just a little number dance that happens all the time in movie financing, but we’re now hoping to be able to help them raise the final gap for their movie if the playing field stays level for long enough.

Getting back to business this week we’re going to be at the film financing seminar in Hollywood put on by the guys at the IIFF, they always have a good attendance and lively discussion. It’ll be good to meet some friends and pick up on what’s new in the business, for one thing it seems that everyone in the indie sector these days is looking to put together a slate of micro-budgeted films. The technology’s certainly there to get movies made quickly and cheaply and we’ve seen plenty of articles lately about newer and cleverer marketing strategies to get your movie noticed even from before the first frame is shot. It’s all good and film-makers these days need to be aware of all aspects of their craft. It’s ironic that the sales process has come around to be one of the first things to be considered, but if it helps you to become a better business-person out of the process then that’s surely a benefit. However the simple challenges always remain, making quality movies that people will want to see, and finding the money to meet even those micro-budgets. In our opinion quality content will guide you, so get the script right and that should help focus the sales process. Whether you’re selling brushes door-to-door or pitching movies the same truth applies: if you’re selling something good, people will buy it.

Just one final follow-up from our last posting, the long-lost investor we mentioned finally called our producer friend to reaffirm his commitment with business to follow shortly. It’s an encouraging sign and he did seem genuine but we’re not betting the farm on it yet. However, watch this space and we’ll bring you the latest as this one unfolds.

The Out Of Obscurity team.