Taking points on a film’s earnings…advice needed

[Christopher Wright]

I’d say, if you wanna make the movie, make it… if it is something that you want to do, if it is a subject or theme that is close to your heart, if it seems fun, or if you want to build your reel. Don’t make it though in expectation of a future payday down the road. I have rarely seen those happen.

Very sage advise.
I have been through this process with film projects many times, either on the D.P. end, editing end, or as a full on production resource. One “director friend who only lives a few miles from me” totally hosed a good project and even tried to stop the film from being shown at film festivals and to distributors. You never really know who your real friends or enemies are until you try to make a feature film with them, and there is money involved. As has been mentioned by many here, even if your film gets good reviews and is played at a major film festival, rarely does anyone make a dime on their effort, especially their “first feature under their belt.” Making a film takes a lot of hard work and effort, and dedication from all participants in the project especially if no one is getting paid for it. And as one producer once told attendees at a seminar on filmmaking at our local film festival, “Making a film is easy, it’s getting someone to actually see it that is hard (besides your actors, crew, and relatives).” The best advice I can give you is to get the best contract written up, signed and in place before a single person sets foot on set and the camera starts rolling. You will regret it down the line if you don’t.

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