TFE THE FILM ENTREPRENEUR: A Newsletter for Independent Filmmakers and Investors LOUISE LEVISON, EDITOR AND PUBLISHER VOL. 21, NO. 2 FEBRUARY 2014 INDIES RULE! The strength of independent films in the marketplace and at the box office was reaffirmed at the Oscars with the Best Picture award to 12 Years a Slave, the eighth independent film to win that award in the last nine years. The other Best Picture winners are Crash (2006), The Departed (2007), No Country for Old Men (2008), Slumdog Millionaire (2009), The Hurt Locker (2010), The King’s Speech (2011), and The Artist (2012). Overall, six indie feature films took home ten awards: 12 Years a Slave – 3; 20 Feet from Stardom – 1; Blue Jasmine – 1; Dallas Buyers Club – 3; Her – 1 and The Great Beauty – 1. As of February 28th, the six features had earned a combined total of $140 million at the North American box office since their 2013 release. While that is only just over half of Gravity’s more than $270 million, these films demonstrate that story and quality are the most important factors in a successful film. Further, the indies’ budgets range from $1.0 million for 20 Feet from Stardom and $5.0 million for Dallas Buyers Club to $23.0 million for Her, compared to Gravity’s $100 million. All of this is good general information to put in your business plan to impress investors about the viability of independent films in the marketplace. Does it mean that anyone reading this should necessarily find a biographical story, like 12 Years a Slave or Dallas Buyers Club, to make or aspire to win an Oscar? Not really. There is nothing wrong with wanting to win an Oscar and be incredibly successful. The first goal should be to make a film that you care about and can relate to. Making a film is being part of a small business which takes a long time to get off the ground and a longer time to make successful; Dallas Buyers Club took 20 years to make, dating back to when Ron Woodroof was still alive, and Solomon Northup’s memoir 12 Years a Slave was first published in 1853 (although, obviously, the screenplay did not follow for quite some time after that). If you don’t like what you are doing, this enterprise has a poor chance of ending well. ―Rachel [Winter] and I held on for dear life together and we willed it into existence…and when every door closed, we somehow threw our bodies against it and we pried it open.‖ . . .Robbie Brenner, Producer, Dallas Buyer’s Club. ◙ ☞1 ☜ © Copyright 2014 Business Strategies (http://www.moviemoney.com) No reproductions without permission. SPIRIT AWARDS For the first time in its 29-year history, all four acting honors at the Spirit Awards (produced by Film Independent in Los Angeles) went to the same four actors as the Oscars. Taking place the night before the Oscars, these awards always have been seen as a predictor of the bigger show. AND THE WINNERS ARE . . . AWARD Best Feature FILM 12 Years a Slave Best Director Best Screenplay Best Female Lead Best Male Lead Best Supporting Female Best Supporting Male Best First Feature Best First Screenplay Best Documentary Best Cinematography Best Editing Best International Film John Cassavetes Award (Best Feature made for under $500,000) Robert Altman Award (also includes casting director and ensemble cast) Awards with $25,000 unrestricted grant Piaget Emerging Producers 12 Years a Slave 12 Years a Slave Blue Jasmine Dallas Buyers Club 12 Years a Slave Dallas Buyers Club Fruitvale Station Nebraska 20 Feet from Stardom 12 Years a Slave Short Term 12 Blue Is the Warmest Color This Is Martin Bonner Someone To Watch Stella Artois Truer than Fiction Newlyweeds Let the Fire Burn WINNERS Dede Gardner, Anthony Katagas, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen, Arnon Milchan, Brad Pitt, Bill Pohlad Steve McQueen John Ridley Cate Blanchett Matthew McConaughey Lupita Nyong’o Jared Leto Ryan Coogler, director Bob Nelson Morgan Neville, producer Sean Bobbitt Nat Sanders Abdellatif Kechiche Chad Hartigan, writer/director Mud Jeff Nichols, director Francine Maisler, casting director Ain’t Them Bodies Saints Toby Halbrooks and James M. Johnston Shaka King Jason Osder ◙ ☞2 ☜ © Copyright 2014 Business Strategies (http://www.moviemoney.com) No reproductions without permission. BERLIN AWARDS Asia was the big winner at the 64th Berlin Film Festival, taking home four Bears. Black Coal, Thin Ice is the fourth Chinese film to win the Golden Bear in the Berlinale’s history. For independent filmmakers, the Berlinale is a combination of festival and AFM-style market. U.S. indies once again met at the ―American Independents in Berlin‖ initiative, which is produced by the Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) and the Sundance Institute. Since the festival is sandwiched between Sundance and Cannes, it has both films that were picked up at the former looking for international sales and higher-budget films that distributors would like to sell before the greater competition in numbers at Cannes. There were 400 films in Berlin’s various sections, 4,000 journalists attended and 300,000 tickets were sold to the public. AND THE WINNERS ARE... AWARD COMPETITION Golden Bear Silver Bear Grand Jury Silver Bear Alfred Bauer Silver Bear: Best Director Silver Bear: Best Actress Silver Bear: Best Actor Silver Bear: Best Script Silver Bear: Outstanding Artistic Contribution Cinematography Golden Bear: Best Short Film Silver Bear Jury: Short Film Ecumenical Jury Special Mention PANORAMA Best First Feature Audience Award: fiction 2nd Place 3rd Place Audience Award: documentary 2nd Place 3rd Place Ecumenical Jury Special Mention FILM FILMMAKER Black Coal, Thin Ice The Grand Budapest Hotel Aimer, Boire Et Chanter Boyhood The Little House Black Coal, Thin Ice Stations of the Cross Blind Massage Diao Yinan Wes Anderson Alain Resnais Richard Linklater Haru Kuroki Liao Fan Dietrich & Anna Brüggemann Zeng Jian As Long As Shotguns Remain Laborat Stations of the Cross ’71 Güeros Difret Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho (The Way He Looks) Patardzlebi (Brides) Der Kreis (The Circle) Finding Vivian Maier My Mother, A War and Me Calvary Triptych Caroline Poggi, Jonathan Vinel Guillaume Cailleau Dietrich Brüggemann Yann Demange Alonso Ruizpalacios Zeresenay Berhane Mehari Daniel Ribeiro Tinatin Kajrishvili Stefan Haupt John Maloof, Charlie Siskel Tamara Trampe & Johann Feindt John Michael McDonagh Robert Lepage, Pedro Pires ☞3 ☜ © Copyright 2014 Business Strategies (http://www.moviemoney.com) No reproductions without permission. GENERATION KPLUS (CHILDREN’S JURY) Crystal Bear: Best Film Special Mention Crystal Bear: Best Short Film Special Mention INTERNATIONAL JURY Grand Prix Special Mention Best Short Film Special Mention GENERATION 14PLUS (YOUTH JURY) Crystal Bear: Best Film Special Mention Crystal Bear: Best Short Film Special Mention INTERNATIONAL JURY Grand Prix Special Mention Special Prize: Best Short Film Special Mention Killa Hitono Nozomino Yorokobiyo Sprout Sepatu Baru Avinash Arun Masakazu Sugita Ga-eun Yoon Aditya Ahmad Ciencias Naturales Killa Moy Lichniy Los’ el Matias Lucchesi Avinash Arun Leonid Shmelkov Roland Ferge 52 Tuesdays ärtico Mike Emo (The Musical) Sophie Hyde Gabri Velázquez Petros Silvestros Neil Triffett Violet Einstein and Einstein Vetrarmorgun Søn Bas Devos Cao Baoping Sakaris Stórá Kristoffer Kiørboe ◙ COMINGS AND GOINGS Lionsgate decided not to renew its first-look deal with Tyler Perry’s 34 Street Films. Perry will close the office and consolidate its operations at his Atlanta studio. Due to their agreement, the filmmaker still will distribute The Single Moms Club through Lionsgate and any future Madea movies that may be in development at this time. Perry’s goal with the new production company formed in 2008 was to offer projects by other filmmakers under his brand and try to broaden his audience. The two films produced by the company prior to this year were For Colored Girls by Perry and Peeples by Tina Gordon Chism. Twelve other films made by Perry and distributed by Lionsgate from 2008 to 2013 were produced in Atlanta. Knitting Factory Entertainment has launched a filmed entertainment division focusing on feature films and documentaries, as well as music-themed television projects. The first production, made in collaboration with Jigsaw Productions, is Director Alex Gibney's Finding Fela, about the pioneering Nigerian Afrobeat singer Fela Kuti. It premiered at this year’s Sundance, where KFE shot footage for a related television show. The company’s plan is to produce one to two films a year, primarily but not exclusively music-related. For over 25 years, the company had been involved in music, artist management and record labels as well as some restaurant venues. ☞4 ☜ © Copyright 2014 Business Strategies (http://www.moviemoney.com) No reproductions without permission. GoDigital and Variance have merged and formed Amplify, an all-rights distributor, which will release seven to 10 films a year across all platforms in bespoke patterns that best suit the title. GoDigital CEO Logan Mulvey will serve as Amplify CEO while Variance Films President Dylan Marchetti will be Executive Vice President of Theatrical Distribution and Marketing. ―Dylan and his team at Variance are among the best in the business as theatrical distributors and marketers, and I am truly looking forward to seeing their talents applied to a wider array of films at Amplify,‖ said Mulvey. Variance and GoDigital will continue to exist as individual brands under Amplify, with Variance partnering directly with filmmakers and GoDigital remaining a major player in the digital distribution space. Will Ferrell and business partners Chris Henchy and Adam McCay have formed Gloria Sanchez Productions to develop and produce women-centered film and television projects. The company is a division of their Gary Sanchez Productions (Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, Bridesmaids, Bachelorette) and will be run by their longtime production executive Jessica Elbaum. The new company will work with established and emerging female voices to develop content. ―When Jessica came to us with this idea, we thought it was fantastic,‖ Ferrell and McKay said in a statement. ―She has worked with some of the great female voices in comedy and has proven herself as a gifted producer who has a keen eye for material.‖ Elbaum is an Emmy- and Tony-nominated producer who has worked at Gary Sanchez since its inception. As you may remember, Gary Sanchez Productions is named after a fictitious Paraguayan entrepreneur and financier. In their statement, therefore, Ferrell and McKay added: ―We called Gary, and he loved the idea as well, and asked that we name it after his favorite stepgranddaughter, Gloria Sanchez.‖ Nigel Sinclair and Guy East, Co-Founders of Exclusive Media and Co-Chairmen since 2008, reportedly are negotiating their exits from the company. Financial backer Dasym Investment Strategies, a research-driven investment company in the Netherlands, plans to continue to support the production, financing and sales outfit. ―Collaborative and fruitful discussions between Exclusive Media’s management and Dasym Investment Strategies are ongoing,‖ a company statement said. ―Dasym will continue its support for the company. Together we have taken steps to right size our operations. We anticipate making a formal announcement regarding the go forward plan for the company within the next few weeks.‖ Among the company’s past films are Rush, The Woman in Black, The Ides of March, End of Watch, Parkland and Can a Song Save Your Life?. ◙ PARE LORENTZ DOCUMENTARY FUND The fund will provide annual production grants totaling $95,000 to be used in the creation of original, independent documentary films that illuminate pressing issues in the United States. Grants will be made to up to 6 projects that tell a compelling story and focus on one of Pare Lorentz’s central concerns — the appropriate use of the natural environment, justice for all or the illumination of pressing social problems. The application deadline is March 31, 2014. The full online application, guidelines and eligibility requirements are at: http://www.documentary.org/parelorentz/apply. ◙ ☞5 ☜ © Copyright 2014 Business Strategies (http://www.moviemoney.com) No reproductions without permission. NUMBERS! NUMBERS! NUMBERS! LOW-BUDGET INDEPENDENT FILMS ($8.5M and under) FILM DISTRIBUTOR REVENUE COST thous. $ thous. $ 20 Feet from Stardom* Radius-TWC 4,874 1,000 Austenland Sony Pictures Classics 2,155 7,500 Before Midnight Sony Pictures Classics 8,115 3,000 Believe Open Road 6,206 5,000 Dallas Buyers Club* Focus Features 24,891 5,000 Don Jon Relativity Media 24,477 5,000 Fruitvale Station The Weinstein Co. 16,101 800 Gatekeepers, The Sony Pictures Classics 2,416 1,500 Haunted House, A Open Road 40,042 2,500 I’m In Love with a Church Girl High Top Releasing 2,380 3,000 Insidious: Chapter 2 FilmDistrict 83,586 5,000 Instructions Not Included Lionsgate 44,467 5,000 Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain Lionsgate/Summit 32,241 2,500 Only God Forgives Radius-TWC 779 4,800 Spectacular Now, The A24 6,855 2,500 Spring Breakers A24 14,124 5,000 That Awkward Moment* Focus Features 24,523 8,000 Way, Way Back, The Fox Searchlight 21,502 4,600 You’re Next Lionsgate 18,494 1,000 *Still in North American distribution as of February 28, 2014. Revenues are from boxoffice.com and boxofficemojo.com. Negative costs (production prior to prints and ads) are approximate, based either on industry estimates, published interviews with filmmakers or personal conversations with filmmakers. ☞6 ☜ © Copyright 2014 Business Strategies (http://www.moviemoney.com) No reproductions without permission. MORE NUMBERS! NUMBERS! NUMBERS! HIGH-BUDGET INDEPENDENT FILMS (Over $8.5M ) FILM DISTRIBUTOR REV. thous. $ COST 12 Years a Slave* Fox Searchlight 49,360 thous. $ 22,000 3 Days to Kill* Relativity Media 17,251 28,000 All Is Lost* Roadside Attractions 6,264 9,000 American Hustle* Sony Pictures 145,288 40,000 August: Osage County* The Weinstein Co. 36,827 20,000 Blue Jasmine* Sony Pictures Classic 33,303 15,000 Delivery Man* Buena Vista 30,566 26,000 Free Birds* Relativity Media 55,656 55,000 Her* Warner Bros. 24,173 23,000 Hunger Games, The: Catching Fire* Lionsgate 423,719 130,000 Inside Llewyn Davis* CBS Films 13,119 11,000 Labor Day* Paramount 13,685 18,000 Lee Daniel’s The Butler The Weinstein Co. 116,632 30,000 Legend of Hercules, The* Lionsgate/Summit 18,676 70,000 Lone Survivor* Universal 122,315 48,000 Nebraska* Paramount 16,728 12,000 Non-Stop* Universal 10,000 50,000 Nut Job, the * Open Road 60,131 42,000 Philomena* The Weinstein Co. 33,405 12,000 Son of God* 20th Century Fox 9,400 22,000 Walking With Dinosaurs* 20th Century Fox 35,66 65,000 113,349 100,000 Wolf of Wall Street, The* Paramount Note: Same references as Low-budget table. ☞7 ☜ © Copyright 2014 Business Strategies (http://www.moviemoney.com) No reproductions without permission. LARGE FORMAT FILMS FILM DISTRIBUTION REV. COST thous. $ thous. $ Air Racers 3D 3D Entertainment 1,310 5,000 Aliens of the Deep BV LSF 8,969 5,000 Apollo 13: The Imax Experience IMAX 1,737 n/a Born To Be Wild 3D* Warner Bros./IMAX 23,163 n/a Bugs! SK Films, Inc. 18,114 9,000 Deep Sea 3D* Warner Bros. 46,020 1,000 Galapagos: The Enchanted Voyage* IMAX 18,215 7,000 Ghosts of the Abyss Buena Vista 17,041 13,000 Haunted Castle nWave 13,652 n/a Hubble 3D* Warner Bros. 42,406 n/a Journey to the South Pacific* IMAX/MacGillivray 356 n/a Magnificent Desolation IMAX 34,109 3,000 NASCAR 3D Warner Bros./IMAX 21,337 10,000 Ocean Wonderland 3D 3D Entertainment 11,035 3,000 Roar: Lions of the Kalahari Destination Cinema 2,166 n/a Roving Mars Buena Vista 10,408 1,000 Sea Monsters 3D: A Prehistoric Adventure Sea Rex: Journey to a Prehistoric National Geographic 23,746 n/a 6,097 n/a World Space Station 3D* IMAX 90,008 1,000 Thrill Ride Sony Classics 18,795 9,000 To the Arctic 3D* Warner Bros. 13,795 n/a T-Rex: Back to the Cretaceous IMAX 53,323 14,500 U2 3D National Geographic 10,362 13,000 Under the Sea 3D* Warner Bros. 33,736 n/a Wildest Dream: Conquest of Everest National Geographic 898 n/a Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill Shadow 3,058 n/a Wild Safari 3D nWave 16,621 4,500 6,751 n/a 3D Entertainment Young Black Stallion Buena Vista Note: Same references as Low-budget table. ◙ ☞8 ☜ © Copyright 2014 Business Strategies (http://www.moviemoney.com) No reproductions without permission. NEED MONEY FOR A MOVIE? DON’T GO IN EMPTY-HANDED. HAVE A BUSINESS PLAN. The benefit of using a reliable business plan to raise financing for a film is that it allows the investors and the filmmaker to gauge the potential success of a film. A polished business plan with projections based on the worldwide results of other films and with clear explanations about the industry, markets and production personnel attached to the film is far more effective than an incomplete document that leaves prospective investors wanting more information. Contact Louise Levison at [email protected] to find out how you can put her 27 years of experience as a Film Business Consultant to work creating a business plan for your film. President of Business Strategies, Levison is a highly respected financial consultant in the entertainment industry, specializing in creation of film business plans. Her clients have raised money for low-budget films including The Blair Witch Project, the most profitable independent film in history, and for companies raising as much as $300 million. She is the author of Filmmakers & Financing: Business Plans for Independents, currently in its revised and expanded seventh edition (Focal Press, 2013). The sixth edition of the book continues to be available in Mandarin from www.hindabook.com in Beijing, China. Levison also is editor of the online newsletter The Film Entrepreneur: A Newsletter for the Independent Filmmaker and Investor. Among other clients’ projects are The Prophet (an animated film based on Kahlil Gibran’s book), Unlimited (Nathan Frankowski), Redemption (Clayton Miller), Moving Midway, Redemption Road, Haunted (2012), The First of May, The Open Road, Aluna, Yak: The Giant King, Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman, My Father and the Man in Black and Michael Winslow Live. Among her corporate clients are Danny Glover’s Louverture Films (2008 nominee for Best Documentary Academy Award Trouble the Water). The Pamplin Film Company (Hoover), Hurricane Film Partners, LLC and Tokuma International Ltd (Shall We Dance, Princess Mononoke). Levison is an Instructor in the Extension Program at UCLA. She also has been a Visiting Professor at the Taipei (Taiwan) National University of the Arts, Chapman University (Orange County, CA) and the University of Montana (Missoula). She has presented seminars and/or been on panels at festivals and markets around the world. (Additional information is available at http://www.moviemoney.com). THE FILM ENTREPRENEUR is published by Business Strategies Louise Levison, Editor Faryl Saliman Reingold, Assistant Editor Office: 4454 Ventura Canyon Ave., Suite 305 Sherman Oaks, CA 91423 Phone: (818) 990-7774 E-mail: [email protected]; http://www.moviemoney.com Have your scripts professionally read and analyzed by TFE’s Assistant Editor Faryl Saliman Reingold. For more information, e-mail her at [email protected] ☞9 ☜ © Copyright 2014 Business Strategies (http://www.moviemoney.com) No reproductions without permission.
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