I have begun to write a scipt in english which mostly focuses on russian people. However, the russian actors which i am looking at could do a good job with english script, its not a problem. However, now a new oppurtunity opened up, my friend has come out witha major label in russia and has his own studio to make music. He has no problem for me to have his music in my movie.
THE DILEMMA- should i re-write wat i have of my script and just finish it in russianso it will go together nicely?
Am i limited to fesitivals if my film is not american, or in a different language?
My guess is you'll do better with an American movie in Russia than a Russian movie in America... Russians are probably used to subtitles, Americans aren't.
From a marketing point of view, non-English language films are generally much harder to sell and also gross less at the box-office. There are of course notable exceptions (i.e. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and Amelie), but for most films it's a tough sell.
If you want to maximise international sales potential, then make the film in English. However, if you are looking to hit a certain audience (i.e. Russian speakers) then obviously you should go for that.
If you've got a bit of time on your hands and multi-lingual actors, you might even consider shooting two versions of each scene - one in English and one in Russian. That way you've got both bases covered.
Ben C.
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filmmaking.net
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Please note the opinions expressed here are those of the author only and do not constitute legal advice. The author cannot accept and liability whatsoever for inaccurate or outdated information contained within.
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Benjamin Craig
Editor-in-Chief, filmmaking.net
