Horror, the horror

I have spent the better part of the last three days immersing myself in the production, fan-dom, and distribution worlds of horror-thrillers. Man, am I tired of the mayhem.

I'm meeting with my client tomorrow to review what I've researched and discuss next steps. In a nutshell, he wants to get investors and get his scripts produced. I applaud that. I'm just consumed with how he might/should go about it. ???

On one hand, I can see very clearly how to tackle the goal as a DIY endeavor. Raise the money for the production budget AND for the distribution/marketing efforts. Build audience awareness before you shoot. Build a web/digital presence. Build your niche audience's anticipation for your film. Producer Ted Hope (I so admire him and wish he would adopt me as his "baby producer") has been speaking and writing lately of filmmakers' needs to claim the promises of digital access to their audiences/markets. Peter Broderick, another long-time indie advisor/rep/legal eagle, has also written about the changing independent film marketplace. I'm with them, totally.

On the other hand, that approach calls for COMMITMENT. And, I don't know, yet, if my client fully grasps just how long and likely, arduous that commitment may be. We're talking years. Years to prepare (raise funds, lay groundwork) for the eventual "launch," the production, the post-production, the actual launch and marketing efforts, the babysitting and continued execution of the distribution, and all the fun back-end stuff of having a movie out in the marketplace.

Plus, the world is in a global economic smack down. Industry folks attending this year's American Film Market in Santa Monica are talking about it being one of the hardest, slowest markets in the last 25 years.

He needs a producer.

I wish I loved the genre, myself. But, nope.

The other approach is to identify and pursue production companies/financiers who might be game to acquire his script(s) outright. I've researched those, too.

I have a feeling he's going to prefer the former over the latter.

Which I admire and again, applaud.

I'll keep you posted.