So, it's been a little since I managed to get on here and talk about Dana. The last month has been pretty busy, however a lot of it hasn't been film-related. But, throughout all the craziness and business, I have managed to take more steps to making this film a reality.
Late in May I went out and got tax advice about how to fund this film - it all entailed me starting a company, which I was supposed to do this month but instead will wait until the second week of July to be created. First of all, I didn't even know what kind of company to create - and when I talked with the accountant (tax advice), he was telling me about companies and corporations - something I didn't know there was a difference between. Of course, I now do know, and given the budget of this film, to create a corporation would be 10% of the budget, while a company would cost only 1%. There's advantages to having a corporation, but there's so much complications involving stocks and shares and voting power that it was nearly overwhelming, and certainly not necessary for this. So as it stands, I was initially going to create a sole-proprietor company....
...however, I was advised NOT to do that because of the unlimited liability clause, which basically states I'd be responsible for the losses of the company (for example, if someone was hurt on set and sued, it'd be coming out of my already bankrupt account). So instead I'm now creating a numbered company, which is nearly the exact same premise as a sole proprietorship company, but I'm legally separate from the company - so if someone sued, the company would go bankrupt, not me (although I am anyway). The next step was finding a way to get government grants for the labor on this project - since the government of Canada and Ontario have arts grants for the labour costs of a film production, which could total up to 35% of those costs, it'd be the difference between needing to fund-raise 3,500 dollars or having it handed to me. That part I'm not extremely worried about.
The second task was finding a way to get 3rd party "investors" to give money to a project that has a near 0% chance to make a profit. Since we were going to ask companies for money, finding a way to make their donations tax deductible was essential. After a lengthy conversation with the accountant, that issue has also been resolved. Instead of 'donating' the money, we're selling them 'advertising.' All that entails is their logo in the credits or carefully put into the film, and just like that, the company can justify their donation and receive that money back on their taxes. This ensures that the money they put in is actually net neutral for them, and that increases the likelihood that we'll receive corporate donations. Finding that out was a massive relief. Of course, the money still needs to be raised....
In the meantime, I've nearly fleshed out all of the budget numbers and all of the crew. All I need to acquire now is costume/wardrobe and a sound guy. And from the sounds of it, I've got a line on a sound guy. Wardrobe may be a little more difficult. I know someone, but I'm not sure if she'd be in for this, considering I've sort of lost contact with her over the last year. We'll see.
There's still much to do, but the busier the summer gets, the more I'll want to work on this film. And of course, I'm still working on Chapter two of Sam Maxton.
-Mark
Showing posts with label Dana. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dana. Show all posts
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Step 4
Step 1: Think of Movie
Step 2: Write Script
Step 3: Panic
Step 4: Find Producer
This Was May 13th.
So, Step 4 achieved it's goal last Wednesday, as I had a meeting for said producer (who's named Carys). The meeting went well, as we both seemed to be on the same page for how to approach trying to fund this. For what it's worth, the vibe I got from her was that this was her first 'big' project as well - with some past smaller success. We outlined the parts of the budget that were filled in, and it quickly became apparent that the anticipated shoot date of September 2009 was just not a possibility. I need time to fill out the budget and pick up more crew, and she needed to research marketing potential and break down the dates for the costs.
So the shoot date was shifted back to June 1st, 2010. That may seem like a long time off, but after only 5 days from this meeting it already seems like it'll come down to the wire. On the plus side, London has come through to a certain extent: there's a media industry mingle this coming Friday, and I've just got my new business cards that are ready to be handed out en masse for this event. With any luck, I'll pick up one more department contact (costume, anyone? or maybe locations scout). At the very least, I'll be able to soak in a ton more information from other industrialists that have the fortunate curse of working out of London. That'll be downtown at The ARTS Project. In the never-ending irony that is my life, the company I currently work for will be delivering the a/v equipment to it that day for that event. I really hope I get to deliver it, and then show up to it a few hours later - that kind of thing always gives me a private satisfaction (through hilarity).
So with the shoot date pushed back a year and 0 of 10K raised, and a budget half-completed (and that's just the rough), it really feels like I've only took the first few steps up the mountain. However, at least the steps are forward.
In other project updates, I've got a storyboard that is currently being developed, and I've considered submitting the script to a few script festivals around the Toronto area to see if I can gain notoriety or generate more interest. Since most of those cost some money to submit to, it could be taking from the hand that produces if the script doesn't get accepted. Not that I think it's bad - I've had another positive review on the script from another reader, and Carys called me a few days ago to offer her praise on the script as well.
So Step 4 is completed. Now for Step 5: Gather Crew and Costs.
...And I haven't even considered casting yet.
-Mark
Step 2: Write Script
Step 3: Panic
Step 4: Find Producer
This Was May 13th.
So, Step 4 achieved it's goal last Wednesday, as I had a meeting for said producer (who's named Carys). The meeting went well, as we both seemed to be on the same page for how to approach trying to fund this. For what it's worth, the vibe I got from her was that this was her first 'big' project as well - with some past smaller success. We outlined the parts of the budget that were filled in, and it quickly became apparent that the anticipated shoot date of September 2009 was just not a possibility. I need time to fill out the budget and pick up more crew, and she needed to research marketing potential and break down the dates for the costs.
So the shoot date was shifted back to June 1st, 2010. That may seem like a long time off, but after only 5 days from this meeting it already seems like it'll come down to the wire. On the plus side, London has come through to a certain extent: there's a media industry mingle this coming Friday, and I've just got my new business cards that are ready to be handed out en masse for this event. With any luck, I'll pick up one more department contact (costume, anyone? or maybe locations scout). At the very least, I'll be able to soak in a ton more information from other industrialists that have the fortunate curse of working out of London. That'll be downtown at The ARTS Project. In the never-ending irony that is my life, the company I currently work for will be delivering the a/v equipment to it that day for that event. I really hope I get to deliver it, and then show up to it a few hours later - that kind of thing always gives me a private satisfaction (through hilarity).
So with the shoot date pushed back a year and 0 of 10K raised, and a budget half-completed (and that's just the rough), it really feels like I've only took the first few steps up the mountain. However, at least the steps are forward.
In other project updates, I've got a storyboard that is currently being developed, and I've considered submitting the script to a few script festivals around the Toronto area to see if I can gain notoriety or generate more interest. Since most of those cost some money to submit to, it could be taking from the hand that produces if the script doesn't get accepted. Not that I think it's bad - I've had another positive review on the script from another reader, and Carys called me a few days ago to offer her praise on the script as well.
So Step 4 is completed. Now for Step 5: Gather Crew and Costs.
...And I haven't even considered casting yet.
-Mark
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
The real beginning of chaos
It's strange how getting denied can ultimately be a good thing.
"Dana" has been coming along slowly - or at least, slower than I've wanted. With a completed script and a D.P. safely in hand, the next step was to find a producer. Of course, there was a series of steps I had to take in order to successfully pull that one off... the first being understanding what the hell I was getting myself into.
I'm by no means ashamed of my student films - while Wake Up wasn't spectacular, it was indeed my first foray into 'real' attempts at filmmaking, or at least as real as a student film can be. While I did some other piddily projects on my own in between, and a few pieces of contract work for Elgin County Museum and Museum London, and a 30-second ad for an AIDS for Africa lecture, in large part my own creative work did not continue until last year's One Way Out. However, student films and small independent work does not give any insight into how the actual, professional film industry operates. At wow, has that ever been a humbling, and 'holy shit there's a lot of information' experience.
And here's where the information began:
Dana initially began as a short with an estimated budget of $5,000 CDN. There's a definite desire to do this short as a professional piece, which entails setting up a 'limited company' and filing corporate tax returns - two things I both generally expected, although I didn't know how to go about accomplishing this. However, after a meeting with the DOP (Director of Photography), it became clear that the budget would have to be doubled to 10K. So that's where it now stands.
However, in order to raise 10K, I need investors. Well, before I can even get investors, I need a producer. And before a producer, I need to get a budget. And to get a budget, I needed to know how to set up a professional film budget.
Now, if there's one thing I DID know about the industry, it was that doing any paperwork outside of the status quota means that you'll get ignored - and thus, the cycle of no money, no chance would go on indefinitely. So, in order to learn how to set this up, I happened upon a 'Building a Business Plan' course that was being offered by Raindance Canada and the Toronto Writer's Centre. This three-hour workshop turned into an absolute onslaught of information (all relevant and useful) that had me writing as fast as I could the entire time. However, included in the course was a handout of a budget sheet, as well as a crash course in how profit sharing works - more handy for a feature film, but nonetheless it will be useful for Dana.
That was April 23rd.
I returned back to London with the intention of putting out an open ad on crew-and-casting site Mandy.com for a producer or co-producer. This ad was rejected outright - evidently Mandy doesn't accept those kinds of ads - I had issues with this, particularly considering I wasn't just some jackass looking for free help, the ad stated that the position was paid. So, for about a week, I was pretty sure I was screwed - regardless, I was back to square one - fund this myself.
That was April 28.
Well, that predicament pushed the intended shoot date of September 1st back to "Summer 2010." How the hell was I going to raise 10K? While there was grants I could apply to (and will), that still left me having to raise what looked like a minimum of $5000. I was floating ideas around, some of which hold more merit than others (bank robbery WAS an option for awhile...) and may be used anyway.
One of the biggest steps holding anyone looking to put together a film in London, Ontario is the fact that it's slim pickings for crew and connections, since London's arts scene is more geared towards painting and studio work rather than film. This is caused in part by the fact that Toronto is just two hours away, and most people gravitate towards that city when trying to get into the industry.
In the meantime, I returned to my toil of three jobs. On short notice, I took a shift (one of the jobs I has puts me in different places in the city all the time) and ended up running into a girl I went to University with. Much like me, she was toiling away, trying to break into the industry, working at an irrelevant job. But after a quick conversation, it turned out to be a great chance meeting - because she's produced other arts work (such as fashion shows) and has had success approaching private investors. I gave her a quick overview of what I was doing and how I wanted to approach it, and we exchanged info.
That was May 2nd.
So as of today, I've been researching more funding sources, trying to find more crew, and I've got a meeting coming up with her next week.
Funny how things go in this business. We'll see how the meeting goes. Lots to do before then...
"Dana" has been coming along slowly - or at least, slower than I've wanted. With a completed script and a D.P. safely in hand, the next step was to find a producer. Of course, there was a series of steps I had to take in order to successfully pull that one off... the first being understanding what the hell I was getting myself into.
I'm by no means ashamed of my student films - while Wake Up wasn't spectacular, it was indeed my first foray into 'real' attempts at filmmaking, or at least as real as a student film can be. While I did some other piddily projects on my own in between, and a few pieces of contract work for Elgin County Museum and Museum London, and a 30-second ad for an AIDS for Africa lecture, in large part my own creative work did not continue until last year's One Way Out. However, student films and small independent work does not give any insight into how the actual, professional film industry operates. At wow, has that ever been a humbling, and 'holy shit there's a lot of information' experience.
And here's where the information began:
Dana initially began as a short with an estimated budget of $5,000 CDN. There's a definite desire to do this short as a professional piece, which entails setting up a 'limited company' and filing corporate tax returns - two things I both generally expected, although I didn't know how to go about accomplishing this. However, after a meeting with the DOP (Director of Photography), it became clear that the budget would have to be doubled to 10K. So that's where it now stands.
However, in order to raise 10K, I need investors. Well, before I can even get investors, I need a producer. And before a producer, I need to get a budget. And to get a budget, I needed to know how to set up a professional film budget.
Now, if there's one thing I DID know about the industry, it was that doing any paperwork outside of the status quota means that you'll get ignored - and thus, the cycle of no money, no chance would go on indefinitely. So, in order to learn how to set this up, I happened upon a 'Building a Business Plan' course that was being offered by Raindance Canada and the Toronto Writer's Centre. This three-hour workshop turned into an absolute onslaught of information (all relevant and useful) that had me writing as fast as I could the entire time. However, included in the course was a handout of a budget sheet, as well as a crash course in how profit sharing works - more handy for a feature film, but nonetheless it will be useful for Dana.
That was April 23rd.
I returned back to London with the intention of putting out an open ad on crew-and-casting site Mandy.com for a producer or co-producer. This ad was rejected outright - evidently Mandy doesn't accept those kinds of ads - I had issues with this, particularly considering I wasn't just some jackass looking for free help, the ad stated that the position was paid. So, for about a week, I was pretty sure I was screwed - regardless, I was back to square one - fund this myself.
That was April 28.
Well, that predicament pushed the intended shoot date of September 1st back to "Summer 2010." How the hell was I going to raise 10K? While there was grants I could apply to (and will), that still left me having to raise what looked like a minimum of $5000. I was floating ideas around, some of which hold more merit than others (bank robbery WAS an option for awhile...) and may be used anyway.
One of the biggest steps holding anyone looking to put together a film in London, Ontario is the fact that it's slim pickings for crew and connections, since London's arts scene is more geared towards painting and studio work rather than film. This is caused in part by the fact that Toronto is just two hours away, and most people gravitate towards that city when trying to get into the industry.
In the meantime, I returned to my toil of three jobs. On short notice, I took a shift (one of the jobs I has puts me in different places in the city all the time) and ended up running into a girl I went to University with. Much like me, she was toiling away, trying to break into the industry, working at an irrelevant job. But after a quick conversation, it turned out to be a great chance meeting - because she's produced other arts work (such as fashion shows) and has had success approaching private investors. I gave her a quick overview of what I was doing and how I wanted to approach it, and we exchanged info.
That was May 2nd.
So as of today, I've been researching more funding sources, trying to find more crew, and I've got a meeting coming up with her next week.
Funny how things go in this business. We'll see how the meeting goes. Lots to do before then...
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
"Dana" script update
So, after months of slaving over a script, my sister and I have finally come to a final script! While I'm in the process of converting it to the proper formatting, we're both quite happy with how the dialogue flows and where the story goes. This brings about the next task in the film, which is building a budget and finding a producer; followed closely by location scouting, building a crew, setting shoot dates, acquiring the equipment, selling my soul to get this film in action... but they will all be tackled as they arise. I've talked to a few people already that I'm confident will be able to help me out in various departments, so the main concern is building up the capital to make this happen. I'm confident that's a task that can be done, especially considering I'm not running an extremely large budget, and I've heard first-hand stories of others raising ten times the amount I'm asking in places less known for filming.
However, with that said, I figure it's my duty to provide a sneak peak into the script - by dropping a few lines from it.
Dave (rigid, irritated):
“You know, I tolerate you because for some crazy reason, Dana seems to like you. But don’t think you fool me– I see the way you look at her when you think no one’s watching. So, in addition to politely asking you once again ‘What are you doing here?’ I’m also going to say back off from the door.”
Scott (passionate, near-uncontrolled anger):
“Fuck you Laduke, I was invited. And don’t give me that hypocritical bullshit; you’re no different to that last bastard I had to help Dana get away from. Don’t think I didn’t see the bruises on her wrist.”
That's all for now - chew over that one! (And yes, it's copyrighted, for anyone wondering).
-Mark
However, with that said, I figure it's my duty to provide a sneak peak into the script - by dropping a few lines from it.
Dave (rigid, irritated):
“You know, I tolerate you because for some crazy reason, Dana seems to like you. But don’t think you fool me– I see the way you look at her when you think no one’s watching. So, in addition to politely asking you once again ‘What are you doing here?’ I’m also going to say back off from the door.”
Scott (passionate, near-uncontrolled anger):
“Fuck you Laduke, I was invited. And don’t give me that hypocritical bullshit; you’re no different to that last bastard I had to help Dana get away from. Don’t think I didn’t see the bruises on her wrist.”
That's all for now - chew over that one! (And yes, it's copyrighted, for anyone wondering).
-Mark
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Chomping at the bit
There may be a global recession that's gripping half the world right now, but be damned if I feel it. This past February was one of the busiest work-related months of my life, as I sacrificed myself to the god of capitalism, although I seem to be perpetually on the negative side of the supposed dream I've heard so much talk about.
At the same time, winter has raged on in it's usual fashion, with London's weather experiencing 20 degree (C) changes within 24 hours in some cases, essentially confining me to my basement lair; ultimately this is leaving me yearning for spring. It's been a paradoxical winter for me, personally - while winter has made me stir crazy because I can't go outside, I've also been working myself to the point of collapse at times, sleeping in 4 hour shifts some days while collecting 30-40 hour weeks at my three jobs. Ironically, while I've found myself a slave to work, I've also found that out of the 28 days of this month, I had 11 of them off. Not bad for a near full-time worker.
Ultimately, I don't mind the crazy hours I work. I'd much rather sacrifice a few hours of a sleep a night for 3 more days off in the month, especially when these days come clumped together. This gives me time to research my film, and actually get the creative juices moving.
I'm not sure how many people experience the creative phenomena I live with, but I've always discovered that my best ideas, or my enlightened moments come very rapidly, and if I don't write them down or start discussing them with someone, they disappear almost as soon as they've came. At the same time, I can spend hours spaced out at work thinking about my film, or my newly envisioned novel that's been gaining mental steam to the point that it's nearly a runaway freight train. But I digress, so I'll get my priorities straight. 1: Film, 2: Novel.
1: My next short, which I've alas arrived at a working title of "Dana", has been progressing at a painfully slow rate. I've made some calls and done some research for the technical aspect of how this film is going to come together this summer, and I've been talking to virtually anyone that will listen about the conceptual aspect of it. However, since I want this to be a quality product, my sister (co-writer, although really she's put waaaay more effort on the first draft than myself) and I have been slaving over the details of the first draft of Dana's script. The hardest detail has been connecting the plausibility of the action with the motives of the characters, although we've finally got to the final act. Both of us are becoming very impatient with the progress of the script, but we're of the same mind: if it all doesn't fit, it's a piece of shit. By the time this script is finished, which I envision being some time in March, all the small details will match; visual, emotional, and story. Then comes the next challenge.
I've already hammered out the preliminary research on camera equipment. I'm planning on shooting the entire short as a POV [point of view], so equipment and creative shooting will be a priority come call time. Mentally, the visuals of the film are solid, as they were what initially spawned the whole short. I need to affix a camera to a cameraman's/actor's head with a deck [recording device] somewhere on their body or out of sight to make the shooting style believable; and then there's the balance of how much of this film will come together in post-production. It's a lot to think of, especially considering this will be shot on a shoestring budget, and could end up being up to 20 minutes in length... but I've always preferred a challenge over the status quo.
2: Over the last month or so, I've been dreaming up this novel that has a quintessential film-noir feel to it. Living in London has always had its advantages and disadvantages - and my own personal beliefs that London has a 'crime-town' feeling to it is what initially gave birth to this novel idea. I've found that this city balances good and bad in a precarious way - the good things (such as recreation, small-town feeling, big-city convenience, etc) really carry this city's reputation, while the bad things (traffic problems, general administrative incompetence, obvious corruption, 'rich bastard' syndrome, sprawling east-end ghettos, etc) really bring a crushing sense of cynicism to someone that lives here. It's this balance that the city carries that gave birth to the novel; a cynical, perpetually poor private investigator that gets the case that he sees as his ticket to big money finds himself nearly over his head in the details. I will definitely be posting chapters to this blog. I hesitate to set a timeframe because I'm deep in the research stage, but I can tell you while this will be a fictional story, much of it will involve truths or actual London locations.
I've been pretty excited about this novel, and a completed outline came together within mere days. I haven't yet thought of a title for it, but all the characters are in place, the plot makes sense, and I've been chomping at the bit to start writing the chapters. I've already plowed through J.G. Ballard's High Rise and The Drought as some inspiration, while Burglars Can't Be Choosers by Lawrence Block was the initial idea creator. Of course, I can't discount HG Wells' classic War of The Worlds. Naturally, Lost. Prison Break, Veronica Mars, and The Dresden Files DVDs and books have all been a heavy research diet of late. I won't drop too many details as of right now, but suffice to say that the first chapters of this novel, with the main character Sam Maxton's exploits, will be hitting this blog shortly. This won't be a Marathon, Ontario novel situation (a novel I started a few years back) situation because this already has a complete outline - and like I said before, I've been itching to start writing on this one.
So, that's what has been going on recently for LEGP. I know my posts have (as always) been scarce, but that's a situation that will be rectified in the coming months as I lose myself in Dana and Maxton's lives.
-Mark
At the same time, winter has raged on in it's usual fashion, with London's weather experiencing 20 degree (C) changes within 24 hours in some cases, essentially confining me to my basement lair; ultimately this is leaving me yearning for spring. It's been a paradoxical winter for me, personally - while winter has made me stir crazy because I can't go outside, I've also been working myself to the point of collapse at times, sleeping in 4 hour shifts some days while collecting 30-40 hour weeks at my three jobs. Ironically, while I've found myself a slave to work, I've also found that out of the 28 days of this month, I had 11 of them off. Not bad for a near full-time worker.
Ultimately, I don't mind the crazy hours I work. I'd much rather sacrifice a few hours of a sleep a night for 3 more days off in the month, especially when these days come clumped together. This gives me time to research my film, and actually get the creative juices moving.
I'm not sure how many people experience the creative phenomena I live with, but I've always discovered that my best ideas, or my enlightened moments come very rapidly, and if I don't write them down or start discussing them with someone, they disappear almost as soon as they've came. At the same time, I can spend hours spaced out at work thinking about my film, or my newly envisioned novel that's been gaining mental steam to the point that it's nearly a runaway freight train. But I digress, so I'll get my priorities straight. 1: Film, 2: Novel.
1: My next short, which I've alas arrived at a working title of "Dana", has been progressing at a painfully slow rate. I've made some calls and done some research for the technical aspect of how this film is going to come together this summer, and I've been talking to virtually anyone that will listen about the conceptual aspect of it. However, since I want this to be a quality product, my sister (co-writer, although really she's put waaaay more effort on the first draft than myself) and I have been slaving over the details of the first draft of Dana's script. The hardest detail has been connecting the plausibility of the action with the motives of the characters, although we've finally got to the final act. Both of us are becoming very impatient with the progress of the script, but we're of the same mind: if it all doesn't fit, it's a piece of shit. By the time this script is finished, which I envision being some time in March, all the small details will match; visual, emotional, and story. Then comes the next challenge.
I've already hammered out the preliminary research on camera equipment. I'm planning on shooting the entire short as a POV [point of view], so equipment and creative shooting will be a priority come call time. Mentally, the visuals of the film are solid, as they were what initially spawned the whole short. I need to affix a camera to a cameraman's/actor's head with a deck [recording device] somewhere on their body or out of sight to make the shooting style believable; and then there's the balance of how much of this film will come together in post-production. It's a lot to think of, especially considering this will be shot on a shoestring budget, and could end up being up to 20 minutes in length... but I've always preferred a challenge over the status quo.
2: Over the last month or so, I've been dreaming up this novel that has a quintessential film-noir feel to it. Living in London has always had its advantages and disadvantages - and my own personal beliefs that London has a 'crime-town' feeling to it is what initially gave birth to this novel idea. I've found that this city balances good and bad in a precarious way - the good things (such as recreation, small-town feeling, big-city convenience, etc) really carry this city's reputation, while the bad things (traffic problems, general administrative incompetence, obvious corruption, 'rich bastard' syndrome, sprawling east-end ghettos, etc) really bring a crushing sense of cynicism to someone that lives here. It's this balance that the city carries that gave birth to the novel; a cynical, perpetually poor private investigator that gets the case that he sees as his ticket to big money finds himself nearly over his head in the details. I will definitely be posting chapters to this blog. I hesitate to set a timeframe because I'm deep in the research stage, but I can tell you while this will be a fictional story, much of it will involve truths or actual London locations.
I've been pretty excited about this novel, and a completed outline came together within mere days. I haven't yet thought of a title for it, but all the characters are in place, the plot makes sense, and I've been chomping at the bit to start writing the chapters. I've already plowed through J.G. Ballard's High Rise and The Drought as some inspiration, while Burglars Can't Be Choosers by Lawrence Block was the initial idea creator. Of course, I can't discount HG Wells' classic War of The Worlds. Naturally, Lost. Prison Break, Veronica Mars, and The Dresden Files DVDs and books have all been a heavy research diet of late. I won't drop too many details as of right now, but suffice to say that the first chapters of this novel, with the main character Sam Maxton's exploits, will be hitting this blog shortly. This won't be a Marathon, Ontario novel situation (a novel I started a few years back) situation because this already has a complete outline - and like I said before, I've been itching to start writing on this one.
So, that's what has been going on recently for LEGP. I know my posts have (as always) been scarce, but that's a situation that will be rectified in the coming months as I lose myself in Dana and Maxton's lives.
-Mark
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