No changes in indie film prices
 Andrew Van Slee, Reporting from the American Film Market 2006



Courtesy of the Hollywood Reporter October 2006.

Indie films are still fetching about the same dollar amount and remain stable. As a filmmaker (Producer) you should take a look at the minimums to get an idea of what amount of money your Indie film can expect to pull in. The golden zone for low budget Indies is still the under $500K budgets.

When working with a smaller budget you can produce some high quality material. As long as you have a good Director, Director of Photography and a good sound person. These are the 3 things you should never cheap out on. I mean, let’s face it folks, you are creating a product that is basically Pictures and Sound. If you have a million dollars in your pocket it might be a better idea to produce 2 $500K films or even 3 films at around $300K

With major advancements in technology, especially in HD you can shoot some high quality product at a reasonable price. Plus, there are some wonderful USA tax credits available now for people who put money into your films.

The prices listed above are for commercially viable films. If you have an Art House film you can’t expect to pull in these types of dollars. The list was compiled by former AFMA chairman William Shields, Compliance Consulting president Rob Aft and Imagination Worldwide Chairman and CEO Pierre David. It was published in the Hollywood Reporter October 2006.  

 Panelists agree: horror films still one of the safest bets
 Julie Krol, Reporting from the American Film Market 2006









During a seminar at the American Film Market attendees were told which genres work best in the international film market, and it isn’t a surprise what they learned.

When deciding what type of film to produce and distribute internationally panelists agreed that the safest bet is going with a traditional family, horror, thriller or action film. The most perilous projects include period dramas, dialogue-reliant comedies, musicals and Westerns.

Myriad Pictures CEO Kirk D'Amico was one of the panelists and he believes that "the percentage of a film's financing via presales has gone way down... banks are now running comparables all the time on genre, cast and budget to accept the risk."

Another panelist, Magus Entertainment president Peter Wetherell says that instead of arranging multi country co-productions, filmmakers are more frequently deciding to get financing in Eastern Europe, India and China because they "don't have to go through the same hoops" with taxes and other legal issues. He also states that "some of our favorite films successfully mix genres, but producers have to be aware that when a film doesn't fit into boxes, that hurts the safety net."

All in all, if you want to succeed within an international market, Works Media Group managing director Chris Auty stresses that it is vital for producers to define the genre, "Europeans are particularly naughty in this regard. They'll say it's sort of a comedy -- is it a comedy? They'll say it's a psychological thriller -- is it a thriller?"

It is clear that all AFM panelists at the seminar "Totems and Taboos: The Rules and Myths of the International Marketplace" agree the formula used in horror films works. It is a formula that has worked for many independent filmmakers.

In 1978, an independent filmmaker named John Carpenter produced a film known as Halloween, on a budget of only $325,000 and grossed $47 million at the box office in the United States, making it the most successful independent film in American movie history.

Another little independent movie entitled The Blair Witch Project had a production budget of $60,000 and went on to gross over US$248 million worldwide, making it the most successful independent film ever made up to that point, according to Box Office Mojo.com.