Brandon Keever's Lounge Discussions

John is right but I say go with both. send provisional connections to vimeo and let the You tube listing simply be for exposure.

@ John and Tabitha, I see your point. However I was asking what few have answered, and I have elaborated on. Plus, does anyone really think "higher ranking advocates" Surf for content? C'mon, when I think about that, it reminds me of an old 80's movie, cannot remember the one. There is a scene where a band tries to give a higher ranking advocate a demo "cassette" that is how old the movie was. Anyways the exec, tosses the cassette. Another note, anyone who knows editing, knows an export can be in any format out. So what is posted, is not necessarily what the final out for delivery would be. So we are in agreement Vimeo is a slow load. Due to it's Color bit, I am assuming. The bigger the bit the bigger the file the slower the load.

here's where you have to remember the Catch 22 of this business. No one pays attention to you if you don't have some visibility and you don't get any visibility if no one pays attention to you. Being seen by a lot of people gets you visibility and if its really a lot of people then it can lead to something. Yeah its a shot in the dark but do you want to try something and have it not work or go join the zillions in Hollywierd who are playing the game the old fashioned way and going nowhere. Both ways can work. The first way lets you stay in real surroundings where the people aren't hidebound to a system that is swiftly becoming old hat.

How does that relevant to the load speed and actually being seen. Respectfully, humans have the attention spans of Gnats. On that note, waiting for a video to load does not help the cause. I just went to watch another Vim vid looked like a good 7 minute short. But waited 5 minutes for it to load...So I won't see it. Too bad for me, and the guy who would want me to see it, as I am sure that is why it is out there.

Yeah I guess it is only me and another guy....

Good luck!

Good for you. A definite red flag. Never give up the rights to all your intellectual property or product. Negotiate each one separately, and as you enjoy more success, your rates should and will go up.

Walk away.

Contact the film office in your state, search for entertainment attorneys. Good luck Philip

Really, I do everything but sound and acting.

nice, very nice

Thank you, Brandon!

Wow! That is a magnificent story! Inspiring my friend R

Me too my fiancee was murdered and a decade later completed 3 full feature films, prod,directed, acted...c u in Hollywood! Lydil Lydia

Thanks Tommi. It's still a vague answer. My character traits can only go so far without opportunities discovered and given. But everyone's path can be different.

Hi Holly... There was no PLAN... I made sure that I maintained my integrity and that I was a person worthy of trust.. I then followed my heart and hit the pavement working hard every day to make my dreams come true and daily, opportunities presented themselves that helped me rise from the ashes..

Hi Tommi, Your story is truly inspiring as I can totally relate. Currently going through some challenges in my life. Your success sounds like "The Secret" reaching out to the Universe. Congratulations on your accomplishments.

How I met two broke girls?

Nice

Unconditional too Richard.... Thank you guys for starting up this site.... the opportunities for those to find the help they need are tremendous. No where else could you find a group of folk, so many, by the way.... who are extremely talented and gifted...and willing to care to share, without looking for anything in return...Big applaud to you both you guys... You would get a standing ovation real time... if it were possible to do on here... J

A standing O? I'd even take a John Hughes "slow clap"! Seriously though, I am thankful for your support. You're a shining example of what makes this community tick - active, selfless, helpful, positive...All. The. Time. All of it is appreciated more than you know.

Well I do network a lot thanks to this site , I am yet to get a Producer but this site is awesome . I can get to meet Producers and directors . I am sure I will be able to land a Producer shortly.

That dynamic can be frustrating but sadly most social media sites, regardless of the industry focus, tends to have a lot of people who fail to balance out their posting habits with their actually talking to the people they post to and truely networking :/

Im only a week here, but so far, Ive read inspiring and amazing posts/comments, and have seen how it can uplift and often assist that person. So, I do think that u never too old to learn, and u choose what u want to read, or who to talk with. Its a place for professionals, learners and those that love to connect with like minded ppl in their industry of choice. I hope that this site keeps me inspired on my journey of knowledge, and that someday I can achieve my dreams, if its by myself, or with assistance from my connections made here. Life is about taking chances, and I must admit, I leap at all opportunities, because its out there. Chin up... this site is great :)

Shrirang are the DP responsibilities in India similar to those in the BSC article that Webb so generously posted a link to? If not, what are some of the differences you have found?

here in India, since the film industry is so vast there is lack of trained qualified DPs. secondly, DPs does the lighting as there is no different lighting director. DPs can't spend enough time with crew and director due to time constraint so no enough interaction before the shoot. I want them to realize that DP is not merely a good camera operator and being expert in handling modern gadgets doesn't make you DP. its far more than that... there is no dearth of talent here, the Indian technicians are hugely talented only there is need to be little more professional in terms of delivering results and to be more systematic. you can refer to this site where they have defined the duties, http://www.indiancinematographers.com/index.html

Thank you for the information and links Shrirang. It is always interesting to learn how others are approaching productions. There is no one correct way. Camera Operation is not something I do often on scripted shows, I have operators for that, but on documentaries I still get to play. For scripted shows, as you say, lighting and working with the Director while keeping the crew on task both for the scene we are doing and prepping the next scene. Lighting directors here are used more in multi-camera television production than single camera style productions. Camera operation and knowledge of the equipment are a very small amount of what I have to know and do. They are important, but not where I can best help the production. You have the opportunity to help groom the knowledge of the DPs you like to work with and challenge them to move away from the security blanket of the camera to working alongside you in order to make your pictures better. It can create a wonderful working relationship if you are willing to take the time and the DPs are willing to work to learn more. Perhaps you might try to move your DPs in the direction you wish them to go with the added benefit of helping to plan your productions. Ask them to make lighting plots for the scenes you are going to be shooting, including camera placement and angles. It will force them to think of the light and where the camera will be. All of the set-ups at first. Doing lighting plots ahead of time, allows freedom on the set to stretch your imagination, knowing that you have a fall-back position. It is a stretch for a lot of folks, but it quickly separates the people who imagine and create the images from those who have people move lights around and try to find the look on a monitor. It is also has the results of cutting down the lighting budget to what you actually need, and nobody can say they don't know what you are doing. IT is much cheaper to pay the DP to do this work than to do the same work under pressure on a set with the full company waiting. Most of my lighting is done weeks or months before we are on the set. Usually at 3:00am in my office creating the plots of the images that I see in my imagination weeks or months before we are on the set.

that's fantastic idea Andrew! obviously for such idea, now am thinking to rely more on new DPs rather than established ones. since lighting - the overall look of the frame - will be always on the top of my chart as a director, its nice to have a lighting plot while making story boards. thanks for the colourful thread.

No age has a monopoly on art. Creativity, knowledge and experience are at the heart of artistry. Doing something new is part of creativity. Look for the person who can translate what you are saying into images. Reference images help because words can often fail us when describing a look or more probably portions of an image that contain aspects of the look you wish. Your DP needs to put what you asked for on the screen as a minimum, then add all that fancy stuff that makes your ideas look better. Storyboards for me rarely contain lighting info other than a few broad suggestions. The lighting plot is based on the location, the script and the storyboards. Knowing where on the set, the angles and what images we are creating is the basis for the lighting so storyboard usually before lighting plot. There really are no rules, it is all what works for you once you start working this way it will evolve into something you like or not. One of the side effects of doing this is that the whole crew knows I have thought the whole day through. I'm not staring at a monitor and hoping for divine inspiration. Plus it gives me time to have a cappuccino, chat with the actors, and tell the director everything is fine. You know what those pesky directors are like. :-)

John, welcome to the group!

Hey John, Love's Song is a romantic comedy about a Berklee songwriting student who must learn to love again before she can write the classic love song. regards, Bill

Hey Jeff, now THAT'S a nice welcome!

BTM...........that's a VERY well-known theme!

Impressive. Most impressive. :) Glad to see you aboard the Stage 32 Express. :)

I know.. I"m just waiting for the edit process to be done..;)

I am not at all in agreement with Robins comment. It makes 'distributors' look like the bad guys. 'Us' and 'Them' mentality does nothing to grow the industry. I have been in film distribution for 30 years ranging from blockbusters to little independent and Asian product. Its a tough business. It a 1 in 10 game . That is out of 10 pictures you distribute 1 will make you a lot of money , 2 will make a few pennies , 2 will beak even after you have had them for about 2 years and exploited all revenues and 5 will lose you a bundle ! Yep your right it is all about money and the distributor has to find it for prints ,DCP's , materials , marketing ,. freight , VPF fees ( the death knell for indies) , censorship , royalties for 3D glasses etc etc etc. All upfront. And in many cases then wait for a minimum of 60 days before they start to get money back. Good distributors and those that have been around for a while know there are a lot easier ways to make money ! We are in this game because we love film . And in my case I love to incubate talent. You are right about shorts. making money is tough but if we can at least give a PLATFORM for those shorts to be seen then we are looking after our future. Todays director of a short could be tomorrows Oscar winner. This distribution business is like golf. You hate it until you hit a hole in one. And then you cant wait to get back on the course. Cheers all . Milt

You should try Withoutabox, from there you can attend to film festivals easily. I have used it for years, and from my point of view it really is hard business to get your film through. I don't know if the festivals even watch all pre-screeners, because there could be literally thousands of shorts and hundreds of features for one festival... I think they fast-forward most of the material they get... Best thing about WOB is that you can easily have an IMDB title page and your movie online (or just trailer of it, if you want). https://www.withoutabox.com/

Hi Karen, Kaleigh Group Entertainment is now accepting films for distribution. We have traditional and Out of the Box distribution channels. We get paid commission, so there are NO up front fees. I would like to discuss this with you. Contact me if you are interested.

Hey Ron, Leslie.. would like to know more.. Best, Karen

ROI yes obviously...but they need a reason to invest in the first place & if they are investing all of the money up front than 10-20% isn't going to cut it. What percentage of the project are they investing in? Cast & crew are dependent on what their agents ask for. However, it all depends on how much you're paying them & how much they defer. If you have your business plan than you should also have a full budget outlining who gets paid what. So you'll need to use that for reference.

Go with the 20% of the revenue share after they recover their initial investment...

You say that you've done this, yet you are asking this 'impossible' question! OK, I have a question for you: How high is the sky, and deep is the ocean? Do you actually have a track record? If you've produced other films created with investor capital, how did they fare? How soon was the money returned? What was the profit margin? If you do NOT have a track record, its still possible but not too likely! For openers, your business plan must be laid out with all the specifics! Otherwise no one will even bite! Good Luck!

Have the 2 investors made money in films before. if they have then your are halfway home. Remember investors think as an investment. filmmakers think as an art. think first as a business otherwise investors won't take it seriously unless they are related to you and have lots of extra cash.

Thanks for the input Chris Johnson and Bob Willems. I have been offered an interesting deal here. The investors want FIFO, then 20% of revenue. I'm not taking on any debt for this project. They are looking at the 30% in tax credits. I just got a voicemail from a money manager that can put together the private placement. There is however, an interesting wrinkle, since each of the investors are experienced in film investing, they have asked me to meet with another production company they have both invested in before to discuss a partnership. Apparently this company has a distribution deal in place. I have the meeting set for Wednesday. I'll see what they are offering. On one hand, I want a deal. I need to create something to show what I can do, and I need this project to make a profit. On the other hand, I don't know how much I'll lost in partnering with an established production company. What would you look for in a partnership deal?

Copyright law is a minefield and I'm not convinced that anyone knows all about it as there are many variants. Personally I would use it

I've bprrowed music without permission from everywhere over the last 35 years and managed to to get away with it to date.Full credit was given to the music authors within the credits.i'M NOT SAYING IT'S THE CORRECT THING TO DO HOWEVER IT HAS WORKED FOR ME.

There are master recording rights and master publishing rights. You need to find out who holds the master publishing rights first in your case. Then try to go through the artist who rerecorded the music and work under there master recording rights

Great to have you here, Brandon.

What up RB

Oh, rolling the rock up the hill...with speed and force.