RMM General Meeting Minutes – July 25, 2013

rmm

Start Time: 6:36PM
Total in Attendance: 33
Location: RCTV (downstairs location)
Agenda:
 
Introductions:

  • Made individually around the room

Upcoming Events:
Shmoovies

  • September 9, 2013 at Cinema Theater
  • Includes films such as Requiem for a Beauty Queen, Mirror Lake, Freedom Fighter, Step 9, and  Hundo Leeng
  • Stan Main made an announcement for Call for Entries and set out flyers for members to take
  • Patrons will be able to buy tickets online or at event with cash or credit card

RMM Writers Workshop

  • Next meeting is Tuesday, August 6, 2013 at 6:00PM at Pita Pit, 311 Alexander Street
  • Bring outlines, short scripts, or first ten pages of feature, and discuss

RMM Executive Meeting

  • Next Meeting is Thursday, August 8, 2013 at 6:00PM at Little Theater Café

Rochester Film Lab

Upcoming Projects:
Nate Sorrentino and Anthony Marotti – Humans vs. Zombies YouTube Series

  • Series is expanding and the audience demand is present
  • Needs sound mastering and sound effects help (Foley Artist)
  • Also need spokesmodel/actress for the trailer
    • Needs to be the “face” of the series; nice “pitch person” and recurring character
    • 18-25, female, physically fit, well-spoken, and good personality to interact with investors
  • Shooting Trailer ASAP, and other full episodes later in the year
  • Contact nsorrent10 AT gmail DOT com for more information or to get links to view his finished trailers
  • Contact Anthony Marotti at amarotti AT iti-now DOT com for more information on investing and acting

Jonathan Povoski (J.P.) – Rochester Comedy Documentary Project

  • Producing a documentary exploring stand-up comedy in Rochester, NY.
  • Currently in the research phase, gathering information and setting up formal interviews.
  • Looking for a second shooter and a sound engineer (prefers one with at the very least a shotgun and a Lavalier microphone (wired or wireless))
    • Currently has one shooter, but wants to have two (with a sound engineer) for the seven days that we capture an evening at each of the various venues.
  • Dates are not set but, but at least one evening for each day of the week (i.e. a Sunday night, a Monday night, etc.) for the various venues in town as well as six or seven days of interviews.
  • Contact jonathanpovoski AT hotmail DOT com or call (940) 220-1939 if interested

Chris Hazenbush and Nicki Pierce –Can’t Weight

  • Short Film (7-12 minutes running time, estimated)
  • Shooting dates – Saturday, August 24, 2013 – Sunday, August 25, 2013
  • Looking for Art Director to gather props and set up scenes
  • Also looking for Grips and Pas during shooting days
  • Contact chris AT rochestermoviemakers.org for more information

Tom Barker – The Story of the A.C. Gilbert Co. remake and Simple Gifts

  • Remaking a film produced thirty years ago about the company that created Erector Sets
  • Also filming Simple Gifts, a story about organic farming that will be entered in the 2014 Greentopia Film Festival
  • For both projects, a development assistant/script consultant is requested to help develop and hone the scripts for both of these projects
  • Contact tbbeqa AT mac DOT com or visit www.tombarker.net for more information

Randy Huckabone – Shadow House  Feature Film

Announcements:
Avery Munger – RED EPIC Camera for rent

  • Just purchased a new RED EPIC Cinema camera and is renting it out (along with him) at very competitive/reasonable rates
    • Comes with all necessary components and Avery’s expertise in using it
    • Contact avery AT threelightpictures DOT com for more information

Walter Tasbas

  • Suggested RMM start fundraising and shooting RMM-lead feature film (one a year)
  • Stan Main and Wayne Coughlin suggested discussing it at Executive Board meeting
    • Logistical issues prevent the board from taking on such projects, and RMM is set up as an educational cooperative, not for fund-raising

Speaker:
Nick DiBella – writer/producer/director of many films, including Cherry Crush and (most recently) King’s Faith

  • Spoke about what he learned about producing King’s Faith
  • Background
    • Got start at Kodak – borrowed 8mm and 16mm film cameras and starting making short films with family and friends
    • Entered films in “Movies on a Shoestring” film festival in Rochester
      • Showtime picked up “best of show” film, “Sweet Surrender”
    • Then started making short films for Kodak to promote new film product
      • First projects with big budgets
    • Next, started writing to get better at it
      • Read successful scripts and learned how they turned into great films
      • Used them as a “blueprint” for a successful feature film
    • Wrote query letters to producers directly when studios refused to read his scripts
    • Would also fax updates to agents he knew in the hopes of getting signed
    • Eventually sold a script to Warner Bros., and “all the doors opened up”
      • Sold eight scripts total in his career to date
    • Advice: Story is only as good as who is attached to it
      • For example, three of his scripts went into turnaround after being sold and have not yet been produced
    • Tries to write four screenplays a year
  • King’s Faith – Fundraising and Pre-production
    • Wanted a “deeper experience” for teens than in his successful Cherry Crush
    • About a teenager who finds faith while in prison, but temptation keeps luring him back
    • Did want to do a “Faith Movie” but soon realized that his script was of that genre
      • Also, there is a huge, Christian market hungry for Christian films
      • People in the Christian community want to see this movie
    • Is hopeful he can also return investors’ investment with this film
      • Has never seen this happen with a typical independent film, but thinks he can do it in the Christian market
    • Put together a polished, bound Business Plan to give to investors
      • Used realistic, similar movies as examples of box office successes to show this was a good investment (didn’t use huge blockbusters like My Big Fat Greek Wedding because those are unrealistic expectations)
      • An impressive Business Plan will “wow” investors
        • More details will also allow one to speak honestly and from a position of knowledge
      • Projected he would make 1.2 million dollars (including foreign and domestic sales)
        • Based on that, he budgeted for $750,000 ($600,000 shooting/$150,000 marketing)
    • Set up LLC and Private Placement Memorandum (filed with FCC) with attorney to legitimately raise money
      • Fundraising plan includes information on legal structure of investing, risk involved, and other legal issues)
        • Wanted to make investors feel comfortable and happy
        • Even set up weekly/monthly meetings with investors to keep them in updated (now they want to re-invest in new projects)
    • Also made a video teaser component to the investor pitch when he hit an investment wall
      • Added an extra level to the film experience
  • King’s Faith – Production
    • Much more organized than Cherry Crush
      • Cut scenes into strips and laid out to organize shooting schedule and continuity
      • Can save a lot of money by shooting in an smart, organized way
  • King’s Faith – Distribution
    • Tested his film about five times around the country and tweaked after each time
      • Had questionnaire for viewers to fill out
      • Allowed him to fix issues with the story or with characters to make the film better
      • Also tested music and tweaked that too
    • Two biggest questions from distributors – “Do you like it?” and “Would you recommend it?”
      • Scores were 90%/87% “yes” by end of screening (65%/45% is benchmark)
    • Once that data base available, distributors were more willing to take on the film
    • Advice: can’t think of theatrical release as a money-maker
      • Theaters and distributors take out too much to leave any room for producer profit
      • Instead, break up all revenue streams separately and control the deals with distributors
      • Faith Marketing (Christian bookstores) and General (RedBox, Target, Netflix, Wal-Mart, etc.)
      • Also needed foreign, but used Sony Provident for faith and foreign
    • Sony worked well by getting TV deals on Christian TV (UpTV – http://www.uptv.com/), including premiere events put on by the TV Channel
    • Also decided to try theaters, now that other avenues were working
      • Decided to do a controlled, word-of-mouth campaign in a few select cities
      • Opened in thirty-eight markets, and a buzz was created
      • Is hopeful of a $100,000 box office return
    • Generally, they were able to use success data as leverage to get better deals
      • Got better DVD cost deals, etc.
    • Was able to get e-mails addresses through website, and will blast e-mails when DVD is released to boost sales
      • Doing a TV premiere before DVD launch generated a good buzz that worked out for them
    • Made “production guides” for distributors to keep all parties on the same page
      • Project Management was key to distribution success
      • Cover as many holes as possible to retain control and avoid sinking
    • Distributors withhold 35% of your money for “restocking” fees when DVDs are returned unsold
      • However, they do it for digital too, so be aware and specify which parts of the deal have the money withheld for restocking
    • Advice: don’t let distributors take advantage of you, give you blanket deals, or give you advances on your money (you will never see any more than that advance)
  • Film Festivals
    • Only entered in one, and it didn’t do well
    • Tested much better with specific, Christian audience, as opposed to general public

 
Networking: 8:00PM
End of Meeting: 8:45PM