...nearly everything anyway...
Right, im new to these forums...me and my friend, we are big Monty Python fans and our aim is to make the modern day version of Monty Python. We have atleast 30 sketches wrote up and planned, we are getting a camera...all that is easy, but here is the real problem...bare in mind im only 15 currently, live in england and have never made a film before (but we wont settle for anything less than brilliant):
lets say we actually pull this off, and its really great and stuff. a true masterpiece..and we decide to release it to the public. how do we do this, do we find a publisher and thats it? or will the publishers only publish if we have certain qualifications such as directing skills, acting skills ...etc.
basicly i'd like some fairly simple advice on how we get this film on the shelves (or even in the cinemas!) right from the moment its all complete and is on a DVD disc in our hands.
thanks in advance
I can't answer for the UK but here in the States getting a movie into the theaters is nearly impossible. I recently read a statistic that there are about 550 movies released theatrically each year and about 20,000 movies made.
So, let's say you actually make a movie. There are three main ways to get it distributed (we don't call it published here in the States - here a book is published a movie is distributed).
You hire a sales agent (also called a sales rep or producers rep) and they look for interested distributors. Some charge up front fees, most work on commission.
You enter festivals and hope to get in and get noticed. There are really only six to eight festivals that can help you get noticed by distributors, but this doesn't stop filmmakers from hoping that there are distributors and reps at all festivals.
You send copies of your finished movie to distributors.
What they are looking for goes beyond certain qualifications such as directing skills, acting skills ...etc. They are in the business to make money. If they believe your movie can make money, they will buy the distribution rights from you and get it out there.
Currently the market for Monty Python type skits made by 15 year old first time filmmakers isn't very big. However, that doesn't mean you can't find a market for it.
My very simple advice is to make the movie first. If you believe it's something that many people will pay to see, then it will be time to hit the festivals and hope others feel the same way.
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The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)
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The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)
thanks a lot, great help?:D? ...i doubt its that much different over here in britain...and the whole thing sounds a lot easier than i imagined. again, thanks for your help and you time?;)?
One thing that does seem easier here in Britain is getting new TV series produced: from what I've read it's almost impossible for someone who hasn't worked in TV for years to get a new series from their own ideas into production in America, whereas in the UK that seems to happen more often. Obviously you'd still need to convince them that you can deliver the required quality level on time, but if you could put together a good demo, who knows?
