I have a feature length musical that I chopped into 30 minute shorts. 2 songs in each short. It's in a football stadium during a playoff game, live, on the field action plays.
(Michael Jackson's BAD video was 18 minutes and cost $5.2M).
2 questions:
1. Can $5M produce my least expensive short?
2. Is it probable or likely that a (Cash Source) would invest money in the production?
I know you people are are busy, but please answer whenever you can.
Best Regards,
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1) $5mill is way too much for a short. 500k is way too much for a short. A few thousand dollars max is generally what you want to spend on a short film IMO.
2) It's unlikely someone would invest a lot of capital into a short. Shorts have basically a zero percent chance of turning a profit; they are more like calling cards, although an effective short can also launch a feature version. Lights Out is one example where David Sandberg shot a 2 1/2 minute no budget horror that went viral and he ended up directing the feature a couple of years later (on a $5m budget) and is now big time. If possible you want to make something yourself (short, sizzle reel, etc.) as a super low/no budget project.
Also, IMO 30 minutes is a bit long for a short film, at least if you plan on going the festival route. If you're doing something yourself I'd try and keep it to 12 minutes or less.
Not 100% sure I understood the questions though so apologies if this isn't what you were looking for.
You answered reasonably. The problem with my work has 2 drawbacks:
1) it's a musical
2) inside a football stadium during plays
Both require more money than a traditional short. 50,000 or 100,000 dollars. I mentioned the Michael Jackson BAD video to compare the expense. So your account says $10M is too much for a 30 minute musical. I accept that.
Thanks
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nycplaywrights.org - The theatre industry has some interest in musicals. The movie industry does not.