Introduction
The main aim of this report is to sell my idea to the producers to get my film made and shown all around the world. From some of the research that I did, I noticed that Horror short films do not get a lot of views compared to Thriller short films. I realized because with Horror they usually or always show the person dying and there is never a climax or suspense, whereas with a thriller there is always suspense and tension and it builds up towards a climax and that is what people want to see. I found this information by looking online and checking short film playlists, also I checked some of the people’s comments and their page to see what they were interested in and what they watch.
Film Synopsis
The name of my Short Film is TAKER. I chose that title as it is very catchy and people would want to know what it is about, therefore they come and view it. My film is simply about a boy who just finished shopping and is going through Tesco car park form level 2, he gets followed kidnapped and killed. My hook starts at the beginning as there is a chase, and physical contact with the attacker and the boy (Runner). The twist is that when he gets killed, the audience would think that he is really dead but little did they know that he was only dreaming. My influence was the film ‘’Taken’’ which was released in 2002. The film influenced me on how to produce my film; this film contains many twists and plots. There is a hook from the start which gets the audience into the film and paying their attention to every detail. In some stages of the film we can consider it to be a thriller.
Film Ratings
The ratings of my film will be a 15. This is because I went through the BBFC and their categories of different age ranking and the reasons behind them. The reason why it would be a 15 is because there is violence in my short film, and use of drug taking. This would not be suitable for anyone under 15 as they are still growing and don’t know when something is real compared to when it is fake, this may lead them on to try out these things themselves at home or anywhere and harm someone or even themselves.
Primary Research
Whilst I was with a group of friends on Tuesday, I came up with the idea to ask them and show them which of them preferred a Thriller or a Horror short film. I played 1 horror and 1 Thriller. In total there were 12 of us. I played the Smiling man first which is a Thriller then I played Bedfellows which is a Horror. I then went to ask for a raise of hands that Preferred the Thriller 8 plus me raised our hands, and asked who Proffered Horror and only 3 of my friends put their hands up for thriller. I now had a Q&A discussing why they found Thriller (The smiling man better) They all responded because it had a hook at the start which got them engaged into the film, and also it created suspense for them as they were watching it , and they liked that. The horror Raters said they liked it because the film got straight to the point and it was very short and swift. Now from this I found that Thriller was the better narrative to watch. The YouTube views and likes backup this point as they are more than the ones of the horror. The target audience is from 15-21 mostly in most cases. Thrillers are found interesting my young adults because they like the plots, and they love the suspense and mystery.
Budget Breakdown
Mask- £2
Camera - Provided by college
Lights- Provided by college
Fake Blood- £5
Black Hoodie- £10
Black trousers with slitz- £20
White shoes -£15-£35
Food for the crew
Pizza-£10- Day 1 of shooting
Pizza £10- Day 2 of shooting
Chinese £25- Day 3 of shooting
Snacks- £10
Everything here would be coming out of my own pocket money as this is a manageable sum. The total budget spendings would be £127 for my short-film.
Locations
The title of my short film is called ''TAKER''. I decided that the location should be an isolated area, where its only the characters in the short film that are at the scene. The film will be shot in a Tesco Car park, this car park is big and makes an ideal place for shooting a short film. This location will create a frightening Hair-raising Spine-chilling atmosphere, Also the shooting will take place during night time as it creates tension and suspense.
Regulation
Ofcom is the regulator for the UK communication industries, this means that they are involved in things such as television, radio and on demand. 2 of their roles are , making sure that a wide range of electronic communications are available across the UK, also that are wide range of TV and radio services which have high quality are available in the UK. They will intervene when there is a need to towards a public goal, because markets alone cant achieve.
In-order for me to be able to publish my film it would have to be seen and verified by the BBFC. The BBFC watch films and age rate the film. Below it is broken down the types of age ratings that are available.
· U- This stands for universal; this means that it is suitable for anyone to watch from 4 years and above. There are no serious foul words only minor words eg ‘’hell’’ ‘’dam’’.
· PG- This stands for Parental Guidance; this means that a film that is allowed to be watched by everyone, because it is a calm film with no swear words or offensive scenes. But then again it is up to the parent to decide if they want to let their child watch the film or not. The BBFC have done their part by rating the film.
· 12A and 12; to view a 12A film a child would have to be supported to the cinema by someone older. 12 have scenes that are just not suitable for any youngster under the age of 12.
· 15-This simply means no one under 15 is allowed to view the film; they are not suitable for children. The reason why it is a 15 is because you might experience strong violence, drug taking and many more.
· 18- No one under 18 is allowed to view an 18 film they are for adults.
Online distribution
For my Short Film it will be distributed on an online platform such as Netflix. This is because Netflix is online and it shows films as well as a TV programme. Also Netflix has a certification and the ratings of the show this enables the audience to see the age rating, and what the film is about.
Sell A Movie To Netflix
The world of indie filmmaking is abuzz with folks wanting to sell a movie to Netflix. And this is for good reason. With over 30 million subscribers, getting your movie into the platform would represent exposure. As a result, many filmmakers have been leaving messages at my office like this:
I want to sell a movie to Netflix! I just want you to know that I don’t care about money. In fact, if I can’t sell a movie to Netflix, I’d be happy to put my movie on Netflix for free.
If you’re having similar thoughts, you may want to rethink a few things. While the opportunity for exposure feels enticing, accepting a silly deal doesn’t pay the bills or pay back your investors.
Sell a Movie to Netflix
Unlike many video on demand platforms, the majority of Netflix deals still happen the traditional way. A filmmaker finds a distributor. The distributor negotiates a deal with Netflix. And then the filmmaker gets paid a licensing fee for one or two years.
Think of Netflix the same way you think about HBO or Showtime. What’s in it for Netflix to pick up your movie? Will your movie help attract new subscribers or retain current subscribers?
How Do You Attract Netflix?
There are two popular ways to attract Netflix. You can go old school, whereby you get into major festivals and markets (like AFM, Sundance, SXSW, Toronto, et al) and garner the attention of the NetFlix acquisitions team. Or you can work with a distributor or sales agent with a Netflix relationship.
In both instances, if you want to score a Netflix deal, your movie better have star talent, thousands of social followers and tons of traditional publicity. If not, then getting a Netflix deal (that actually pays money) will be challenging.
Alternatives To Netflix Distribution
When it comes to Netflix, many filmmakers argue that the exposure is more valuable than money. If that’s true, then let me remind you that piracy is also good for exposure and involves less work.
If you are truly looking for exposure, the subscription service offered by Amazon Prime is one of the best alternatives to Netflix. Amazon Prime has millions of subscribers and they are very filmmaker friendly. This makes Amazon Prime a great platform for “discovery.” And unlike Netflix, Amazon Prime actually pays you every time someone streams your movie.
If you’re interested in Amazon Prime, you’ll need to work with a direct Amazon aggregator like my current employer Distribber. And while you’re at it, if you’d like more info on modern distribution tactics, check out the Independent Producer’s Guide To Digital Distribution.
ShortFilm Distribution
i will distribute my shortfilm to the London ShortFilm Festival, because it is local, and they showcase low budget, shortfilms. A short film Festival is one of the best ways to get recognised and to show off what u can do and it will also portray what skills you have. They give you and your work a chance to blow and to be shown to the world and released in several countries depending on which company buys your film. The main aim of the festival is to celebrate the art of film and to praise the person who produced it. At the event there will be professional critics who review the film, and say their opinion on what they think and what they feel about the film. The ones who win get a cash award as well as enjoying the attention from the media, this will make themselves feel good because they know that their hard work paid off. If not for the short film festival there would be nothing to watch in local theatres today. I intend on making my film and entering it for the Short film competition.
Audience and Target Audience
This is a thriller, with a viewing amount of 3 million. This indicates to me and the audience that thrillers get millions of views. We can also say that the reason why people like thriller so much is because it creates suspense and mystery, and people like thinking to imagine whats about to happen.
This view and like amount tells us that
Thriller has many people who watch it as well asMany people who actually like what they are watching.
This is a horror, with a viewing of 2million+, this also indicates that there are also a lot of people who watch horror films, but there are more people who prefer to watch thriller, than horror. To back this up i have a screen shot of the likes and viewing of this Short film ''BedFellows''
As we can see the Short film Thriller, had 3,783,387 vies compared to the horror which has 2,654,174 views, also the thriller has 29k likes whereas the horror only has 16k likes. This is a piece of back up that tells us that thriller is more preferred that Horror.
These are some of the comments from the smiling man short thriller film.
These are some of the comments. We can tell that the people, '' audience'' enjoyed the short film and were really engaged in what was happening. Most importantly it make one of the viewers if not more, picture it in their own head, but it was more fascinating in their own head.
My own target audience for my short film will be from 18-35. But for my short film it will be 15-35.
The reason for this is because i have looked at the comments on short film thrillers, and looked at the profiles of the peoples pages, The majority of them are in their 20's. Why i said my ''own'' target audience is because, teenagers do not what to be thinking about what they are seeing on the screen, they want the story to be told to them and for it to make sense, hence why a 13 or 14 year old would not be suitable for this, is because they may be confused as to what is happening in the film. where as if there is an adult on a teenager that is 18 they will be able to think and try and figure out what is happening in the short film, mostly if the short film has an open ending, they can figure out what might happen or what is yet to happen, this may confuse a teenager that is more younger. Furthermore another reason why the target audience is 18+ is because teenagers don't spend time watching short-films, most of their time is spent playing games and being a teenager, where as someone who is older and has more experience in life, might be into short-films thriller and horror. I put 15 for my short-film is because its a thriller and there are signs of violence and uses of drug which is not suitable for anyone under 15, as this may influence them to carry out bad actions. Most of the people that comment and view the short-films are Male, as we can see in the screenshot above, this is generally because men like Blood and Gore and death, where as women are scared and tend to hide when they see things like that. We can conclude that men like watching thriller as it fascinates them and keeps them engaged.
My own target audience for my short film will be from 18-35. But for my short film it will be 15-35.
The reason for this is because i have looked at the comments on short film thrillers, and looked at the profiles of the peoples pages, The majority of them are in their 20's. Why i said my ''own'' target audience is because, teenagers do not what to be thinking about what they are seeing on the screen, they want the story to be told to them and for it to make sense, hence why a 13 or 14 year old would not be suitable for this, is because they may be confused as to what is happening in the film. where as if there is an adult on a teenager that is 18 they will be able to think and try and figure out what is happening in the short film, mostly if the short film has an open ending, they can figure out what might happen or what is yet to happen, this may confuse a teenager that is more younger. Furthermore another reason why the target audience is 18+ is because teenagers don't spend time watching short-films, most of their time is spent playing games and being a teenager, where as someone who is older and has more experience in life, might be into short-films thriller and horror. I put 15 for my short-film is because its a thriller and there are signs of violence and uses of drug which is not suitable for anyone under 15, as this may influence them to carry out bad actions. Most of the people that comment and view the short-films are Male, as we can see in the screenshot above, this is generally because men like Blood and Gore and death, where as women are scared and tend to hide when they see things like that. We can conclude that men like watching thriller as it fascinates them and keeps them engaged.
Box office
This is the box office for taken.
Box office / business forTaken (2008/I) More at IMDbPro »
Budget
$25,000,000 (estimated)Opening Weekend
$24,717,037 (USA) (1 February 2009) (3,183 Screens)£1,165,986 (UK) (28 September 2008) (396 Screens)
PHP 4,522,977 (Philippines) (15 March 2009) (30 Screens)
Gross
$145,000,989 (USA) (5 July 2009)$144,989,009 (USA) (28 June 2009)
$144,977,147 (USA) (21 June 2009)
$144,924,285 (USA) (7 June 2009)
$144,783,869 (USA) (24 May 2009)
$144,540,399 (USA) (17 May 2009)
$144,197,013 (USA) (10 May 2009)
$143,623,907 (USA) (3 May 2009)
$142,607,741 (USA) (26 April 2009)
$142,088,804 (USA) (19 April 2009)
$141,107,779 (USA) (12 April 2009)
$139,416,323 (USA) (5 April 2009)
$137,068,886 (USA) (29 March 2009)
$133,096,403 (USA) (22 March 2009)
$126,752,054 (USA) (15 March 2009)
$117,933,922 (USA) (8 March 2009)
$107,796,273 (USA) (1 March 2009)
$95,034,161 (USA) (22 February 2009)
$80,496,557 (USA) (15 February 2009)
$53,610,944 (USA) (8 February 2009)
$47,487,241 (USA) (6 February 2009)
$24,717,037 (USA) (1 February 2009)
£6,277,639 (UK) (2 November 2008)
£5,525,386 (UK) (19 October 2008)
£4,527,090 (UK) (12 October 2008)
£3,104,042 (UK) (5 October 2008)
£1,165,986 (UK) (28 September 2008)
$226,830,568 (Worldwide) (5 July 2009)
PHP 7,110,684 (Philippines) (22 March 2009)
PHP 4,522,977 (Philippines) (15 March 2009)
Weekend Gross
$9,048 (USA) (5 July 2009) (15 Screens)$4,842 (USA) (28 June 2009) (15 Screens)
$10,218 (USA) (21 June 2009) (27 Screens)
$33,394 (USA) (7 June 2009) (71 Screens)
$173,722 (USA) (24 May 2009) (154 Screens)
$239,966 (USA) (17 May 2009) (250 Screens)
$448,375 (USA) (10 May 2009) (385 Screens)
$896,888 (USA) (3 May 2009) (494 Screens)
$355,149 (USA) (26 April 2009) (450 Screens)
$584,153 (USA) (19 April 2009) (609 Screens)
$1,083,022 (USA) (12 April 2009) (872 Screens)
$1,544,471 (USA) (5 April 2009) (1,355 Screens)
$2,695,342 (USA) (29 March 2009) (1,961 Screens)
$4,057,695 (USA) (22 March 2009) (2,661 Screens)
$6,568,651 (USA) (15 March 2009) (2,858 Screens)
$7,334,814 (USA) (8 March 2009) (3,016 Screens)
$9,864,197 (USA) (1 March 2009) (3,091 Screens)
$11,281,262 (USA) (22 February 2009) (3,102 Screens)
$21,821,805 (USA) (15 February 2009) (3,109 Screens)
$20,547,346 (USA) (8 February 2009) (3,184 Screens)
$24,717,037 (USA) (1 February 2009) (3,183 Screens)
£54,499 (UK) (2 November 2008) (112 Screens)
£530,578 (UK) (19 October 2008) (334 Screens)
£790,670 (UK) (12 October 2008) (363 Screens)
£1,096,324 (UK) (5 October 2008) (398 Screens)
£1,165,986 (UK) (28 September 2008) (396 Screens)
PHP 2,215,053 (Philippines) (22 March 2009) (30 Screens)
PHP 4,522,977 (Philippines) (15 March 2009) (30 Screens)
Because this film was very successful due to the amount of viewers and the ratings, which you can find on my research portfolio, also the amount of money it generated. It was so successful that the director went on to make 3 more. This showcases that my Shortfilm has potential to reach money heights such as this, and will sell very well.
Funding sources
These are some of the projects that have been funded by kick-starter, and you can see that they are still on going getting more and more funds, to fulfill their dreams.
Our community.
Kickstarter is an enormous global community built around creativity and creative projects. Over 10 million people, from every continent on earth, have backed a Kickstarter project.
Some of those projects come from influential artists like De La Soul or Marina Abramović. Most come from amazing creative people you probably haven’t heard of — from Grandma Pearl to indie filmmakers to the band down the street.
Every artist, filmmaker, designer, developer, and creator on Kickstarter has complete creative control over their work — and the opportunity to share it with a vibrant community of backers.
Our mission.
We built Kickstarter to help bring creative projects to life. We measure our success as a company by how well we achieve that mission, not by the size of our profits. That’s why, in 2015, we became a Benefit Corporation. Benefit Corporations are for-profit companies that are obligated to consider the impact of their decisions on society, not only shareholders. Radically, positive impact on society becomes part of a Benefit Corporation’s legally defined goals.
When we became a Benefit Corporation, we amended our corporate charter to lay out specific goals and commitments to arts and culture, making our values core to our operations, fighting inequality, and helping creative projects come to life. You can read our commitments in full below.
By this we can see that kick starter are ready to help people achieve their dreams, they have already helped and funded millions of people all around the world, i am the next in line.
USP
My unique selling point is based on my hook, and also a documentary about being aware of your surroundings. My short-film will teach the audience to be aware of where they are, and what is going on in their surroundings, despite the fact that its a thriller and you not supposed to gain any knowledge from watching it, the audience will gain understanding about always being aware. safety comes first. The reason i believe this will sell is because there is no thriller film that has a meaning behind it about being safe, as-well as watching it there will be some valuable knowledge applied into it. The twist will amaze the viewers and put them into shock.https://youtu.be/IHcOvPtYE08
