To Self-Distribute or try the Traditional way?

Mood: Doubting the System

A couple days ago friend mentioned how relaxed I must be now. Now that we're in the final weeks of post production,  my mind is free to worry about the other half of filmmaking... The audience. Who are they? How to get to them? Do I start screening or do I enter festivals and wait?

This time around I have different goals. I'm not waiting for a distributor to tell us the film is good. This film is great. I want the festivals to promote the film and build an audience. Maybe win some prize money :)
From what I have been reading and watching online, most people make very little from distributors. I think that if I keep promotion costs down, we can screen and distribute this thing ourselves.

In the past we put ourselves in a hole to rent a space to show the film. This film was shot in a location that can host private screenings to our most loyal fans. Who wouldn't want to watch a horror movie in the location that the film was shot in. Besides that, people  have passed away in the location and it may actually be haunted (don't tell my cast). Also wouldn't it be better to go to festivals and have a way for the people we meet to actually buy the film? "Yeah you can buy it here".

I have to see what the festivals that we want require but I'm so leaning towards online distribution of DVDs and file downloads. What do you think? If you  have a thought I'd love to hear it.

Shift gears and slow it down.

Mood: Mentally Spongy

Every step so  far has left me with more work and many more questions.  Today's step has brought clarity of thought.
I bring the latest copy of the movie over to Melvin's. We start going over the music and Melvin gets quiet. Now if you know anything about him you know he is never quiet. He asks me why I am thinking of so many different musical themes. We realize from coming out of editing and doing special FX I see the film as many segments. That doesn't work for the score. The music has to bring to images together as one. Not further fracture the film. So at this point I say "Take everything I said and throw it out. That is if you even took it in". We laugh, smoke a cigar and then he tells me the plan he had before I even showed up. Well the soundtrack is on it's way and this film will be done before the spring has sprung!

Two hours with someone who knows what their doing saves months of problems. I love having a Melvin!

Sometimes you are all you have...

Mood: Shocked

So, months ago we lost our CGI artist. I then contacted every school and message board I could find that had anything to do with compositing or CGI. Most people responded as if I was crazy. "That's way too much work". A bit of a let down to say the least. I knew I was asking a lot but I also know what I am offering. This film will be scored by a film legend! Who doesn't want to be involved with that. Evidently everyone.

Weeks went by and I was contacted by a woman named Sayma. Then a kid named Geoff. At one point we had four people who expressed interest in doing the CGI. I met with everyone. They were great. Email chains were started. I was excited.

A few days went by and communication broke down. Emails were no longer coming back. Calls didn't help either. I started to look up videos that featured effects that I would like in the movie. After playing around a bit I was about to create the first ghost look.

Soon after, varying them became easy and I was attempting more difficult effects. Eventually...one by one, the effects list became shorter. From 37 scenes needed to 30 and so on. Tonight I write on the cusp of our final effect! I will be combining old school practicals, Lucas type screening with new school technology to finish the visual lock of this film!!!

A 3 month shoot, 5 months of post and about two more of sound, music and score to go. This film may be ready by spring! Wouldn't that be a hoot. Finish in the spring and wait till October to screen it. 

Well they are always the festivals. 

Help us get in will ya. 

http://www.cypherproductions.com/GhostHuntedthemovie.html

View Ghost Hunted Film Festivals 2011-12 in a larger map

Life has a way...

MOOD: Hopeful

So, ready for post production and BOOM! We lose our CGI guy. Damn CGI. Well as we search for another artist...Wall Street becomes occupied. I'm watching this on the news and realize that what is being reported can not possibly be what is happening. So since I can't finish my movie yet. I started an new one lol. Don't know what we are doing yet but here are some clips

Building and audience for and unfinished movie is a leap of faith...watch out below

Mood: Open

So the Kickstarter campaign lead to this http://www.cypherproductions.com/GhostHuntedthemovie.html
If you can please donate to the film. It would be so helpful for us to take this great film to audiences. Film festivals are expensive but after making a movie it's unreachable for us. It's hard to explain to myself how we will get people to care about this movie before they see it. Some how we will though. Don't know how or who they will be but they are there.
It takes a village to raise a child and what is a film if not a growing child that you hope will reach it's potential?

Falling short never felt so good.

Mood: inspired 

Over the last thirty days the film "ghost hunted " has been entered in the kickstarter fundraising program. We set a goal of twelve thousand dollars to pay actors and crew and finish post production. We also included enough to enter all the horror festivals we would need to generate an interest from distributors.
As the final hour, then minutes ticked by the realization that we were only six percent funded was eclipsed by the people who actually donated their hard earned money to help our dreams come to reality. Then I realized that they wanted to share in our dreams not just support them.  That was a moment I didn't realize would come from filmmaking. Audience and art makers I got. Audience who become friends I got. Never thought an audience would really help produce a film or fund it's promotion. A realization that we have a core audience of people who cared deeply about our success was worth so much more than the money.

This core can relay why they care about this film. This core can promote because they want to. They are vested. How truly blessed to realize that now. This time round I am launching a private fundraiser on our website that we  control. no time limit. No percentage lost. This time we are going to focus on the festivals. Plot them out on a map, with their entry fees and invite the audiences from those areas to help us win. This is the Cypher way and I didn't even know it.  Well I forgot it.


In the past we would produce live events that funded Cypher projects. Now we are creating projects and asking an audience to help us fund its future. Amazing that people found it in their hearts to do so. 


Thank you all.

"I don't like it..I love it"

Mood: humbled

So I wake up this morning knowing that I have stalled Melvin too long. I could no longer not let him see "Ghost Hunted". Get to the station ten minutes early but my train didn't come. Then non service trains came.  Then I was on a train lol. 20 Minutes late. But not to worry...the train will move 5 miles an hour
Before I am underground my phone rings and I see the picture of an older black man smoking a cigar.
After I whisper my ETA I start staring at the clock. Now I'm sure he will hate the movie lol.
Long and short...he loves it! This man made me feel so good about what we did. I think he's becoming part of the cypher =)

Just wild. 

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