The Circle of Life!

It's been over a month since my last blog and I have much catching up to do. I guess I've got a lot of homework to do as well. It appears as if a group of filmmakers made a movie for fifteen thousand dollars and have almost reached the $100 million mark in domestic sales. I had the same budget for a film festival and lost five grand! How does that happen?

I'm well aware of lightening striking, lottery tickets, even "being in the right place at the right time" and other film miracles but how? In this economy are people going to the movies to see a supernatural film made for $15K? I need answers and I hope one of you out there has one or two. When lightening struck years ago with BLAIR WITCH, I understood. They had a gimmick...the Internet. A marketing tool that wasn't developed and they used to their advantage. The Haxen team from Orlando worked hard to create the story and work the audience at Sundance. They also opened many a door for other independent film makers as they demonstrated that horror still sells worldwide. Sequels aside, BLAIR WITCH should be an inspiration to young film makers everywhere to go and make your film. I've been doing so for years but was inspired by NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. That was George Romero's classic made for thousands that returned millions back in 1968.

Every few years there's a film made that a studio takes a chance on for what it is--Entertainment. I guess the idea is to make movies as a hobby until one is bought, you make millions and then go on to make a living at it. In the 80's things were different. VHS was just rounding into form and Mom and Pop video stores were springing up everywhere. ALL studios and distributors (large and small) would fight for new product. You couldn't make a film that didn't get distribution and a decent advance. Careers were started, scream Queens were crowned and the movie industry boomed. We prospered until BLOCKBUSTER put mom and pop out of business and their relationships with the "major" studios put the Indy film maker scampering to foreign territories to earn a living. Now online distribution (NetFlix) has done the same to Blockbuster. Stores all over the country are liquidating and being boarded up. Talk about Karma! But is Internet distribution really worth a film investor's money? How can we look our investors in the eye and ask for $500K and even attempt to explain how the money will be returned via a business plan?

It's time for me and other independent veteran filmmakers to figure it out and get working. Just when I thought "if I can't make movies, I can always go and work at Blockbuster!" Horror still sells. Obviously people still go to the movies to watch it. Apparently, the studios are wrong and horror doesn't need to be star driven. The films just need to have an original idea and scare the bejesus out of us. Can't talk any more today, I've got to get writing a new comedy. Perhaps I can add a killer ending!

......And Cut!