A couple of thoughts.

First - this writer who told you that there is money to be made must have some facts to back up his claim. I'd ask him first. Then it'd be cool if you came back an told us all what your writer friend said. Maybe there is a resource for all of us.

Second - Have you ever bought a short film to watch on your cell phone? Have you ever THOUGHT of buying a short film to watch on your cell phone? I know some big studios are selling trailers and promo shorts for their big budget, big name features - but are you (a maker of short films) willing to pay to watch a film made by someone you don't know, starring people you've never heard of?

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The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)

quote:

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Originally posted by certified instigator

A couple of thoughts.

First - this writer who told you that there is money to be made must have some facts to back up his claim. I'd ask him first. Then it'd be cool if you came back an told us all what your writer friend said. Maybe there is a resource for all of us.

Second - Have you ever bought a short film to watch on your cell phone? Have you ever THOUGHT of buying a short film to watch on your cell phone? I know some big studios are selling trailers and promo shorts for their big budget, big name features - but are you (a maker of short films) willing to pay to watch a film made by someone you don't know, starring people you've never heard of?

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I live simple and cheap. It was all I could do to switch to a cell phone, but I do not subscribe to the mobile web features, music, etc. Just simple cheap plan no web no music no themes certainly no films over my cell phone. I do have a 60 inch TV because I love movies, and I find it hilarious that people want to watch TV or movies on a little one or two inch screen.

Linux, the choice of a GNU generation.
http://subzerolinux.org

With VCAST and all the other cell phone Tv services coming out, I think there would be the beginning of a market here, and yes, I do think that people would watch a short, since they won't watch a full feature on a cell, but while bored they may decide to watch something short. Look at youtube, people watch all sorts of comedy shorts on there that are fully scripted and uploaded by film students and the like. I can see people doing it if they are given the option.

"We all have the potential to be great. It is our inability to do so that makes us miserable." C.S.Lewis

I agree that people will watch. Will people pay? Will YOU pay to watch short films. Have you ever paid to watch short films in the past?

I'm incredibly cheap, and like beowulf, don't even have a cell with any capabilities. I don't even pay to buy dvds unless they're on sale. So I'm not the best person to answer that. But I believe they would if it's competitively priced. Or, their could be the option of a membership style charge. People already pay to have tv on their phones, why not movies?

"We all have the potential to be great. It is our inability to do so that makes us miserable." C.S.Lewis

I think you and Beowulf are the exactly right people to ask. You are filmmakers, you make short films, you would like to make money on your work, yet you won't pay to watch the work of others. For what ever your reason, you won't pay to watch short films. If you won't, who will?

People pay to watch TV on their phones and iPods because they are used to watching TV. They follow the story, they love the characters and many of their friends also watch so it becomes a social thing. People who pay to watch TV like this don't watch short films. Almost no one does. YOU don't and you're a maker of short films.

It's one thing to want to tap a growing market. And us filmmakers are always hopeful that people will pay to watch our films so we can continue to make more. But so far no one reading this thread has ever paid money to buy a short film made by someone they don't know and starring people they've never heard of.

If we don't, who will?

quote:

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Originally posted by certified instigator

I think you and Beowulf are the exactly right people to ask. You are filmmakers, you make short films, you would like to make money on your work, yet you won't pay to watch the work of others. For what ever your reason, you won't pay to watch short films. If you won't, who will?

People pay to watch TV on their phones and iPods because they are used to watching TV. They follow the story, they love the characters and many of their friends also watch so it becomes a social thing. People who pay to watch TV like this don't watch short films. Almost no one does. YOU don't and you're a maker of short films.

It's one thing to want to tap a growing market. And us filmmakers are always hopeful that people will pay to watch our films so we can continue to make more. But so far no one reading this thread has ever paid money to buy a short film made by someone they don't know and starring people they've never heard of.

If we don't, who will?

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Personally I could care less if there is money in short films on cell phones, etc., in fact I hope that does NOT happen--it just led to problems recently when I wanted to acquire a short film from an australian writer; I was willing to pay a little, but she wanted to get into contracts on residuals and such from royalties from cell phone companies (which I had not even considered as a possibility), be a producer without doing anything (literally; she wanted the title of Producer just to make the film more credible with women's film festivals, etc). It was just too complex, I had to walk from that offer to make a short film from her script. I just want to make short films for the experience, to prepare for making a feature film in a few years. If money gets involved with short films that is going to complicate it for everybody, since actors, writers, etc. will all think there is big money to be made and will want complicated contracts for future profits.

Independent Filmmaking.
Seeking to tell Hero's Journeys
http://borealpictures.com

I give up. I wrote this incredibly complex, long argument for people being able to make money on the cell-phone market, hit post, and it never showed up. So I think C.I. sabotaged my efforts by not allowing the forum to accept my posts, therefore allowing him to win. But I will triumph! And then make a movie about my triumphs and make millions!

"We all have the potential to be great. It is our inability to do so that makes us miserable." C.S.Lewis

As Joseph Joubert wrote: The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress. But I'd love to lose this one! If you can show me where people are actually buying short films made by filmmakers like us then that means I can make money on my short films. The minute I start making money selling my short films I'll be happy to lose this argument.

I'm much too lazy to rewrite my post, but to sum it up I basically said, people don't pay for TV either, or youtube, the advertising does. So if a distributor bought short films, then made them viewable as a bonus or such as long as you have certain features (i.e. internet access, wireless tv), then they could attract more viewers who might be interested in this additional feature, and make millions more, possibly allowing a small amount of that to trickle down to us, the filmmaker.

I agree that people, including myself, feel it is too much of an expense too pay for a short movie. Because it's a direct expense. But if it was paid for along with or as a bonus to another feature, then people might very well welcome it, without feeling like they're paying as much, though they are. If you make it an indirect expense, people don't feel the pain in their wallets as much.

"We all have the potential to be great. It is our inability to do so that makes us miserable." C.S.Lewis