So, you want to make a film...? Do you know the full costs involved? There are many hidden costs, and ways in which you will sky rocket over budget if you are not an experienced professional in this field. Are your crew trustworthy? This business has a reputation for having people who look to take advantage of producers who end up being forced to spend over budget due to lack of proper planning. There are some very dishonest people in this business who don’t have your best interests in mind. Over pricing, phony receipts, kick backs, bribes, and general fraud are common occurences in the film business when there is lack of supervision. Don’t leave your hard earned money in the hands of directors, production managers, cameramen, and other members of the cast and crew. Don’t become the next victim. The truth about Sri Lankan cinema is that most film producers have lost money making films... They have gone over budget and lost their investment because they have not considered some or all of the following factors:
Total Cost of Production
including Advertising, Marketing, Print Copies, Food & Lodging, Travel, and Production Delays.
Target Audience
The vast majority of cinema going people are under 25 years old. Most adults with families only go to see children’s films (with their children), not Art films or films with Adult themes. Therefore spending a huge amount of money on making a film geared towards people who won’t see your film will be a very expensive mistake. If you want to make an Art film, you must consider your budget very carefully because you will only have about 30 days in which to recover your money in the theatres. Theatre Circuits are only in the business to make money, even if you are not, and they will judge your film based on its ability to fill their cinema halls, and nothing else.
The International Market
The simple truth is that there is no International market for a Sinhala film yet. The Sinhala and Tamil diaspora are generally uninterested in Sinhala films – they have mostly become westernized and prefer Hollywood movies. They are also not in large enough numbers, in any central location, in any country, to be able to come to a single theatre to view a Sinhala film and make it a financial success. And as in Sri Lanka, the only diaspora going to the theatres are the younger crowds who are mostly under 25 years of age. Their parents, like most parents in Sri Lanka, prefer to stay at home and watch television shows. Not one single producer in the history of Sri Lankan cinema has succesfully marketed a film abroad and made money on it. So if your business plan is to recover your money in the foreign theatre market, please think very carefully about your strategy again.
Marketing Strategy
Have you budgetted for advertising and publicity? Without advertising who will know about your film to even see it? Hollywood films spend approximately $10 – 50 Million Dollars on advertising and publicity for each film. Sometimes they spend upto 50% of their total film budget to advertise. Without publicity and advertising you will not recover your investment. In Sri Lanka this rule holds true too. If you are planning a large budget production you must consider a minimum of 25% of your total budget for advertising and publicity.
Revenue Recovery
If you plan to spend Rs. 100 Million on making a film, how hopeful are you to recover your costs? Even if your film ran for 100 days in the theatres do you think realistically you would even break even? Once again the fact remains that most films don’t run for more than 30 days, and don’t make more than Rs. 20-30 Million gross revenue, of which, the producer only gets 45% of that total gross revenue. Only a handful of films in the whole of Sri Lankan film history have made over Rs. 100 million gross revenue in the cinema. Spending Rs.10-15 Million on a film gives you are far better chance of being profitable. Think realistically about what your film will make in the theatres.
Entertainment Value
Do you think having a great cameraman or using the most expensive camera will bring people to see your film? Do you think using political connections will make people see your films? Think again! The film market is 100% consumer driven. People will only go to see your film because it is entertaining and caters to what they want to see. If you look at the film industry in any country you will see that masses of people go to see films for three main reasons only: 1). The Stars. 2). The Story. ....and sometimes 3). The Director. No one goes to see a film for the Cinematographer, the Editor, the Gaffer, the Tea Boy, or even you, - the producer. If you want a successful film spend your money wisely on getting the best Actors, the best Script and the best known Director. If you want to win awards then get the best camera and cameraman; but if you want to make money, give your customers what they want...
Still want to make that film?
Come talk to us, we can Line Produce your entire production and make sure your entire strategy is realistic, cost effective, efficiently run, and most of all... profitable! We will make sure that you are not taken advantage of by unscrupuous cast and crew, we will manage your production and save you millions in lost time and money due to poor planning and lack of supervision on your production. We want to keep the Sri Lankan Film Industry clean and honest. We want to make your next production a success, because your success is our success. As your Line Producers, we are not your best friend, we are your only friend.
