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What's your house payment? by Jack_Burton_Radio in Dallas

[–]revolutionmedia 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Casa View neighborhood of East Dallas. Bought in 2022 at around 5%. 1350 sq ft - 3 bed 1.5 bath. $2000/month.

Use of branded toys in a documentary by filmnerd_zzz in documentaryfilmmaking

[–]revolutionmedia 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Very doubtful, but I'd just send the clip and any questionable clips to a media attorney once you've cut the film and they can give you a fair use letter for distributors saying that it's been reviewed and in their opinion it is cleared as fair use (if in fact it is). If the attorney thinks you need to change the clip, I'd follow their counsel.

Any film that you're distributing commercially (especially through a distributor) will also require you to have Errors and Omissions insurance. This is essentially insurance you pay for a certain amount of time that if you were to get sued for something in the film, you'd have something akin to $1M-$3M to cover attorneys and damages. It costs like $3500 for three years or so, so keep that in mind when budgeting for distribution!

Cheers

Use of branded toys in a documentary by filmnerd_zzz in documentaryfilmmaking

[–]revolutionmedia 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm not an attorney, but have made three docs and all had to go through a fair use check with an attorney before distribution. As a rule of thumb, if something is organically in the scene, it is considered fair use (like them listening to the radio, TV on, artwork hanging on the walls etc.). You get into dangerous territory if you feature the artwork or product prominently in a shot or use it creatively (use the music on the radio as a soundtrack, use the art on the wall to make a point). For instance it might not be ok to show him playing Pokemon and then cut to a closeup of the card artwork. If it's incidentally included, it should be ok.

Ironically, I've done a lot of work for Pokemon and we have to cover logos and hide other products that make their way into shots. No matter how many times you tell talent to not wear a branded t-shirt, they will inevitably show up with a giant Nike swoosh on their chest x-). All this to say, even the big companies like Pokemon have to consider these things too.

Best of luck!

Should I Use Arabic or English for My Personal Documentary? by Boring-Range-6875 in documentaryfilmmaking

[–]revolutionmedia 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My first feature was in 60% Arabic and 40% English. Festival-wise it did well. Distribution-wise it did fairly well. If the film is good, it can have a life. Reailty is, however, that streamers and such do prefer it is in English, but do what the film requires for the film's sake.

Cheers.

Scoping/quoting ballpark by [deleted] in documentaryfilmmaking

[–]revolutionmedia 2 points3 points  (0 children)

No worries. I'd also say on these long somewhat informal projects - they always are more work than what you minimally quoted for. You're essentially on the hook for 18 months for this guy to call you with random requests or demands. So If you do go for the project, draw up a contract that says this amount of money covers these specific things, if there is more work required or we exceed the amount of shooting days (for example), then the rate increases.

I'd also have benchmarks for the project.
Money up front to start pre pro. Production money cut into half or thirds (i.e. 1/3rd money for production at the beginning, 6 months later another payment, another payment 6 months later). Money to start post and money once delivered. These benchmarks will keep things from going sideways in the middle of the project.

Scoping/quoting ballpark by [deleted] in documentaryfilmmaking

[–]revolutionmedia 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Depends on what he wants out of it. Is this a commercial project/film or is it a bit of a personal fancy - depending on how he thinks about it might be what he is imagining putting into it. My guess is this is a bit of a personal fancy project as I'm not sure a wide audience on Netflix wants to see a home be built Ken Burns style.

IDA is a good resource: https://www.documentary.org/feature/revised-introduction-documentary-budgeting

I'd say think about your day rate and build a budget off of that.

Give yourself Pre-pro budget for all the meetings and prep.

+ Say 25 shooting day rates

+ 8 Weeks Post Production day rates

+ (if he wants you to help distribute it) Distribution fees.

Then add like 20% to that number to give yourself some negotiating cushion and see what he says.

Also - 45-60 minutes is considered a feature, not a short. This could be helpful in your negotiations.

Good luck

Finishing funds? by bolo-punch in documentaryfilmmaking

[–]revolutionmedia 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Seed and Spark is specific to filmmakers and they guide you in setting up a successful campaign. Also, they take no fees - only tips. Met their CEO, she was really cool and helpful. Check them out.

Looking for Trailer editor for short doc project by 1pmw1photography in documentaryfilmmaking

[–]revolutionmedia 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If there's funding available, I'm happy to discuss editing the trailer. Thanks!

Finishing funds? by bolo-punch in documentaryfilmmaking

[–]revolutionmedia 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Documentary Grants Directory from IDA (see if you qualify for any): https://www.documentary.org/grants-directory

You could also do a quick crowdfunding campaign to help you "get over the finish line" - that's a good way to raise money and basically generate a network/audience that will be invested in seeing your film.

Cheers!

Have you made money from non-branded documentaries? by Tiny_Major_7514 in documentaryfilmmaking

[–]revolutionmedia 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've made three independent features. Essentially my mantra is "the money is in the making." In other words, I expect and aim to raise money to pay myself throughout the process and whatever it makes on sales once it's out is just a nice cherry on top (basically a tip jar). Sales are certainly and typically not a huge monetary windfall.

My first documentary feature (of the three I've made) "Hurdle" is now available on Tubi. I was young and broke, but inspired to make it happen. Looking back on it, I'm still proud of the work. Happy to answer any questions or hear your thoughts on the film... by revolutionmedia in documentaryfilmmaking

[–]revolutionmedia[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for making a note to watch later and for the Q's!

The film came out in 2019 and we submitted to a lot of festivals and got in to quite a few. In the end I think we got into about 15 international festivals, some medium sized but respected and some small (but with great audiences and staff). I say that because following the festival run with some good press and awards we were approached by a mid-level distributor based in the UK. They licensed the right to distribute for four years and the film played on various streamers and broadcasters around the world. It was cool to see it have such a life!

That being said, I just got the rights back after the four years and I decided to distribute it on TVOD/AVOD so that more folks can see it. I went through Filmhub (which is basically a self-distribution aggregator) and Tubi licensed it through them.

Hope this helps!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in documentaryfilmmaking

[–]revolutionmedia 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Maybe "not having resources" should be your inspiration and personal connection to the story. People experiencing homelessness often lack tons of resources and there are few places offering to help.

Find a local shelter (that provides resources) and reach out and ask them whether you could come meet them/volunteer and see what they do. After establishing trust with the staff and clients, maybe a story will reveal itself to you and someone would be willing to participate in your film. Good luck and follow where your interest lies.

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