Film Courage asks Zac Reeder, an Emmy-nominated producer’s rep and distribution/financing consultant, “What is it that 99% of filmmakers don’t understand about distribution?”
He says people spend too much and don’t cast recognizable actors.
And, “A lot of people would be shocked if they saw the real numbers.”
But he also says:
“I encourage people not to just make short films, but to make features because if you can make a short, I think you can make a feature, because you’re almost there. It’s a little bit more money, but a feature is much better; it has some marketability.”
Zac’s company, Lucky 27, provides Financing & Distribution Strategy, Producer’s Representation, Negotiation and Deal-Making and Marketing and Promotion services.
My take: having made over 60 short films, I totally agree. There is no money to be made making shorts. Features, technically, have a market. Of course, what’s distinctly missing here is what the market is looking for, how to attract those known actors and how to raise the money. Guess that’s where the consulting services come in.
Good write up and good video, Michael! Thank you. 🙂
To date, I’ve produced 4 short films, and 4 other short screenplays I have written were picked up by others. The last short film that I wrote was produced by Johnny Cole, which is coming out this Fall
One of my CineVic Incubator teachers from 2019 the three things that were recommended was to
1) get a distributing producer first, and
2) to get a locations manager first, and
3) do a full feature with the back-up of a big actor. He had Paul Gross from the old TV series ‘Due South’. That Incubator teacher said “Do two shorts and then aim for a feature.” That is difficult protested a few students in the class, which I agree. This teacher successfully did it and was asked to join DGC as a full-fledged Director (!), not as a PA.
However in the LA writing group ‘Voices on Paper’ I was invited into a few years ago, the two things to get one’s film off the ground is the
1) back-up of a big actor or two, and
2) a distributing producer. Long story short, a Victoria acquaintance attempted in getting Paul Gross who was a good friend of his for my autobiographical feature, but as much as Paul wrote that he “was hooked by the first 10 pages” and “in love with it” (yes, he said this) he was unable to commit because he was back logged with 3 features.
Sorry for all the typos — my mind is reeling from another project which I’m working on with 3 others at the moment.