I am in pre-production for a project I am undertaking, and in a bit of a situation that I'd like to gather some helpful advice on. I have an eight-episode season of a series based on a successful short film. I have the opportunity to shoot the pilot on a cinema camera (Apple ProRes 422), or shoot the whole season on a Sony a6300 (No known APR422 capability). I am wondering what would be the best course of action for seeking distribution and/or selling the project. Would it be best to film a great pilot, but not have anything to follow it up with besides scripts? Or shoot the whole season and potentially lose out because of distribution codec requirements? Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Distribution : Season or Pilot? by Matthew Manyak
Season or Pilot?
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Hmm how much money can you afford to risk and not be homeless?
It’s ambitious to shoot 8 episodes.
Couple questions there. Answers depend on whether you're DIY'ing this whole thing or getting a platform or network behind you.
1. Film a great pilot? Sure. Why not. Can't hurt. Unless it's awful. That'll hurt the pitch for sure.
2. Jury is out on writing the scripts for the pilot. Some say yes, some say it's not necessary. Writing additional episodes beyond the pilot is likely a waste of time. Outline the series so you can pitch the whole thing well and you know where it's going and whether it's going to end with a 2nd season or it's a limited run show.
3. Shooting the whole season seems like a different approach entirely. Are you not pitching this? If you're just making it for self distribution then the first few questions are moot.
4. Codecs for distribution? You can transcode a deliverable in any spec you want. I've often wondered how or why they care what codec it's shot on. Episodic narrative is not the same as news and sports. So it shouldn't matter. I don't think any platform can or does investigate what camera you used and you can probably list any make or model you want without worry. But I'd look into that first. How does the particular platform you want check into that? My hunch is, they dont'.