DV vs. Film, biz wise

Mon Dec 30 08:42:16 PST 2002

For theatrical presentation, Lowell is absolutely right about MiniDV 
and the big screen. However, you might consider other options wherein 
MiniDV, or preferably, DVCAM can be used successfully for an 
independent film. I'm alluding to the "direct to video" category, but, 
as a feature FILM, I specifically mean DVD, perhaps following, were the 
film of sufficient impact or star quality, other video markets such as 
cable and satellite. Shooting 24P High Definition would add 
considerably to your budget, but would allow the further opportunity to 
do a theatrical release down the road. In either case, as others would 
probably shout as well, get yourself the best director of photography 
you can.

Direct to video? No money there, right? Maybe, maybe not, but it 
depends on what your definition of success is. For a studio picture, if 
a mere $30 million is spent on production with a 2:1 Prints and 
Advertising (P&A) budget, you've got to make $90,000,001, only 
theoretically, to make a $1 profit. This is absurd, of course, as other 
charges are levied against the film. There was a famous law suit over 
points owed on "Batman" which stated the film languished "in the red." 
Didn't make a dime. Hollywood accounting is legendary for its 
uniqueness, and each year, the same stories float around about how the 
whole film industry is on its death bed.

For the independent, this is an interesting time. It's a bear market we 
are plunging into, and a look at the dismal holiday sales levels will 
clue you in fast about the state of things. Filmmaking is one of the 
essentially "recession proof" industries. During the Great Depression, 
movies thrived. But they were CHEAP, then. Today, if money is tight, 
and you've got a family to take to the movies, which with tickets and 
concessions checks in at $30+, what if you could feed your home theater 
system a world premiere DVD for $20, including the popcorn? $18? $15? 
Now, you look at your direct to DVD film, maybe it's a great family 
comedy, your budget, with luck, is under $100,000. Maybe you've had a 
stroke of great luck, and it's $55,000. Your DVD averages about $1.25 a 
copy, you charge $2.95 Shipping and Handling with a $19.95 price, with 
the buyer also paying for shipping. There are many millions of DVD 
players in computers and home theaters in the world right now. You need 
to sell 5,000 pieces to make an $8,250 profit on a $100K budget, or a 
$53,250 profit on $55K. Now the DVD production cost is you as film 
prints are to a studio. The "Advertising" part is where you will have 
to spend money to get the word out. But ways to do this are developing 
right now on the Internet. And what if you sell 25,000 pieces after 
putting up another $50,000 in advertising? That's about a $390,000 
profit on that $100K feature, because at this time you're bothering 
also to get an MPAA rating. Which means, you're making another feature, 
maybe this time in 24P HD. Clint Eastwood was often chided about some 
of his smaller films, like "Bronco Billy," about how they were box 
office "failures." That film, and his other "disappointments," were in 
the black to the tune of MILLIONS of dollars. Failures?

Without marquee level stars, however, most independent films are 
relegated to the unseen category, except possibly for film festivals. 
What a film festival (the right ones) can do for a DV filmmaker is to 
bring that filmmaker to the attention of people who could launch a 
career. But if you are looking to produce with the intention of 
profitability, this brings up genre, which, for a low to micro budget 
project shot in video, almost certainly precludes all but a few genres 
if you are to have any shot at all. Theatrical distribution, even for 
top flight independents shooting 35mm is often an impossible goal lest, 
through the festivals or direct presentation the film is "picked up" by 
a distributor. This is not common, but does happen.

What is most vital, as an aspiring filmmaker, is to maintain the 
passion through the obstacles. Giving up is what ends many a 
filmmaker's career. On the bright side, the Internet is beginning to 
provide exposure, distribution, and sales opportunities for indie 
productions which have NEVER existed before. With the explosion of DVD 
players and home theater systems into the viewing public's homes, 
combined with the maturing DLP High Definition Projection market (still 
a long way from critical mass) we've taken the notion of the DVD World 
Premiere seriously, and will be developing dvdworldpremiere.com and 
worldpremieredvd.com shortly. If DVD is suddenly replaced by the 
forthcoming holographic storage technology, we have those sites as well 
to chime in toward what looks to be a very bright future for home video.

Two other bright sides: 1) even if you shoot High Definition, you can 
still edit inexpensively on Final Cut Pro. 2) If you choose to use 
DV/DVCAM, Ultimatte has done a nice job at solving the compositing 
issues of DV video, so mind blowing effects in DV are now pretty much 
doable. Knowledge of available technology and the creativity to use it, 
in the end, is key to any production.

Now, you can always go and shoot 16mm or 35mm. Your rentals, film and 
lab budget will be a big eye opener. But it's film. Having been there 
and done that, selling independent films at Cannes, MIFED, and AFM, I 
can say, were I beginning today... with Final Cut and DVCAM having 
changed the way many people think, and with the Internet changing 
everything, and with DVD about to kill VHS... I'd probably try some 
kind of adrenalin rush scifi/horror film aimed more toward kids rating 
wise but fun for adults with great effects, as a rich-featured DVD with 
a 5.1 surround track in 2 languages, a huge bunch of special features, 
a supporting, linked web site, several popular foreign languages 
available in subtitles, great art and a collectible standard movie 
poster for an extra five bucks. It would also, of course, have a decent 
cliffhanger at the end.

Richard Brown

On Monday, December 30, 2002, at 01:23 AM, finalcutpro8 at netscape.net 
wrote:

> Hello,
>
> I want to produce an independent Film and I am wondering if anyone out 
> there has shot on miniDV? Does anyone here have real field experience 
> and can you tell me how DV compares in quality to 16MM and 35MM Film?
>
> Chris
>
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