hiya everybody as a celica owner I thought here would be a good place to tell you about my short film.

TRAILER >> NGM FILMSwww.NGMFILMS.com

watch the tailer on the site, i've had donations, sold on in first day, interested loads and 10,000 daily now!

Tell me what you think and tell a freind trying to raise 30k. to shot the feature film.

>>

This post has been edited by Nigel: Mar 25, 2005 - 7:02 AM

Doesnt work.

Hey Nigel,

here we go

1) Don't spoof an age old movie company with your title. NGM Films is neither appropriate, nor going to lead to a sucess. MGM had, and still has, a lot of respect in the industry and you'd be viewed as either trying to leech off of that, or worse, patronizing that. So, name change. Even if your initials are NGM.

2) the entire website first tries to crash my computer, than shows up with redxs for images. And has a crappy layout from what I can see. It looks like trash. Get rid of it, redesign it.

3) Hollywood is quicktime based, your trailer is wmv. Change it.

4) What are you filming on? I wish I could see the trailer, but it doesn't work.

5) If you're shooting on DV, a feature length can be made for under 10,000 (5000 pounds). If you have a ton of special effects, double it.

6) Don't shoot your first film on film. If you're shooting film, shoot a short first- not a feature.

7) Your first film won't sell. You will never make any money back. You will never sell any DVDs. You will end up with a loss.

8) Storyboards are done, at max, 3 to a page. You've got 20. Your DP is going to go nuts.

9) Do you have a DP?

10) your storyline ( http://www.freewebs.com/rising-evil/risingevilstoryline.htm ) is filled with grammatical errors and the like. No one's going to donate money to your film with a synopsis like that.

11) Your special effects section is ok, however it has very little do with making models for the silver screen. The build process is different; because the models have to be animated, and the colors have to look right and not gleam under 5,000W lights. Also, from what I gather you're shooting on MiniDV, which is almost impossible for model/green screen work.

12) one to four months PRODUCTION TIME? Get real.

13) Finally, you state that you'll be sending the film to film festivals worldwide. You won't be. 1) Festivals don't accept MiniDV for entries (well, a few do) 2) Those that do, don't accept 90-120 minute long movies. Almost no festivals do.

14) How in GODS NAME did you turn a 6 page script into a half an hour? The scripts either really poorly written, or was overproduced and overedited.

Sorry to crush your hopes and dreams,

--Sean

I'm not trying to be an asshole, I'm just trying to be realistic for you- and the people who you want to funnel $60,000 dollars into your project. I'm glad you "sold out" on the trailer DVDs the first day- but that doesn't mean much.

This post has been edited by shid: Mar 25, 2005 - 12:04 PM

wow

-jayi12-15psi+Mar 26, 2005 - 12:31 AM

^
he rights, I think thats the ultimate flame, should be made into a sticky

It wasn't a flame, but when you're asking for $60,000 dollars in handouts you deserve some critism. If you and your film can stand up to that, so much the better. But if you're asking for that much money on what seems to be flawed basework, you're also asking for some real facts of life to be made apparent to you, very fast.

[quote=shid,Mar 25, 2005 - 4:58 PM]
Hey Nigel,

here we go

1) Don't spoof an age old movie company with your title. NGM Films is neither appropriate, nor going to lead to a sucess. MGM had, and still has, a lot of respect in the industry and you'd be viewed as either trying to leech off of that, or worse, patronizing that. So, name change. Even if your initials are NGM.

>> May initials are NGM

2) the entire website first tries to crash my computer, than shows up with redxs for images. And has a crappy layout from what I can see. It looks like trash. Get rid of it, redesign it.

>> Crash becuase im getting 10,000 hits a day now getting redesigned

3) Hollywood is quicktime based, your trailer is wmv. Change it.

>> Im not aiming for hollywood im aiming for UK and WMV is better quality

4) What are you filming on? I wish I could see the trailer, but it doesn't work.

>> as above crash cos of visitors only have 9GB bandwiath

5) If you're shooting on DV, a feature length can be made for under 10,000 (5000 pounds). If you have a ton of special effects, double it.

>> Name one moive that cost $5,000 and ill eat my hat. The camcorda alone is $3,000

6) Don't shoot your first film on film. If you're shooting film, shoot a short first- not a feature.

>> Ive shot a short first that is the DVD for sale. Film would be ok but cost too much as im in UK,

7) Your first film won't sell. You will never make any money back. You will never sell any DVDs. You will end up with a loss.

>> As I put in underlined under fund my film "there is no garrantee that this project will make any money"

8) Storyboards are done, at max, 3 to a page. You've got 20. Your DP is going to go nuts.
>> Well now i have 500 storyboard as im the one filming it no one else really needs to know about it.


9) Do you have a DP?

10) your storyline ( http://www.freewebs.com/rising-evil/risingevilstoryline.htm ) is filled with grammatical errors and the like. No one's going to donate money to your film with a synopsis like that.

>> I have redo it but ill take another look at it.

11) Your special effects section is ok, however it has very little do with making models for the silver screen. The build process is different; because the models have to be animated, and the colors have to look right and not gleam under 5,000W lights. Also, from what I gather you're shooting on MiniDV, which is almost impossible for model/green screen work.

>> you can shot models and green in miniDV Starwars uses HD camcordas

12) one to four months PRODUCTION TIME? Get real.

>> Aliens and terminator was done in 16 weeks.

13) Finally, you state that you'll be sending the film to film festivals worldwide. You won't be. 1) Festivals don't accept MiniDV for entries (well, a few do) 2) Those that do, don't accept 90-120 minute long movies. Almost no festivals do.

>> 28 Days later and my little eye was on the big screen so why not X's miniDV
120minuate is standed time for any film check any back of DVD.

14) How in GODS NAME did you turn a 6 page script into a half an hour? The scripts either really poorly written, or was overproduced and overedited.

>> the short was 25minutes long shot from 6 pages of my script, my proper script is 90 pages.

Sorry to crush your hopes and dreams,

>> I have had loads of critisiem usally about spelling, the site, etc and i've had loads of prositive feedback. At the end of the day I have come so far and raise $4,000 with also pre-orders this is my dream who else do you know trying to shot a film at least im out there doing it, I cant turn back now.

good luck bro. I cant view the site because of your traffic. Hope things work out.

ps. I'd work on spelling a little bit. Not that it matters, but you misspelled quite a few words just here in this thread. So I'd make sure to have someone double check every page of your site.

pss. Also, the only questioned I wanted answered out of Sean’s post was
What is this film? I cant view it, so what is the topic. I hope it involves cars, James Bond like gun shots, corny one-liners, ninjas and ninja guitar solos, subtle Pepsi ads everywhere, Anglina Jolie, and dependence on a 16 year old computer guru that somehow creates a way to destroy the enemy.

-Ti

This post has been edited by turboinduction: Mar 27, 2005 - 12:34 PM

>> May initials are NGM

Thats unfortunate, I'd still change them

>> Im not aiming for hollywood im aiming for UK and WMV is better quality

hehe, since when was WMV better quality? I know you haven't shot your film yet, but if you're doing stuff on the web, you better learn


5) If you're shooting on DV, a feature length can be made for under 10,000 (5000 pounds). If you have a ton of special effects, double it.

>> Name one moive that cost $5,000 and ill eat my hat. The camcorda alone is $3,000

hehe, plenty of movies shot on DV have cost 10,000-20,000 dollars and gone many a places. Furthermore, it's not my fault you decided to buy the camera instead of renting- a huge expense. But what kind of crappy camera did you buy that only cost 3000? A GL2 isn't qualified to shoot a feature, and neither is a DVX100


11) Your special effects section is ok, however it has very little do with making models for the silver screen. The build process is different; because the models have to be animated, and the colors have to look right and not gleam under 5,000W lights. Also, from what I gather you're shooting on MiniDV, which is almost impossible for model/green screen work.

>> you can shot models and green in miniDV Starwars uses HD camcordas

Not to offend you, but you just prooved you have no fundamental understanding of tech- you really shouldn't be shooting this film. it is imperative you get a DP who has plenty of expierence and knows what they're talking about. You CAN NOT shoot models and green screen on DV and get a good composite

12) one to four months PRODUCTION TIME? Get real.

>> Aliens and terminator was done in 16 weeks.

You're not shooting Alien or Terminator.

13) Finally, you state that you'll be sending the film to film festivals worldwide. You won't be. 1) Festivals don't accept MiniDV for entries (well, a few do) 2) Those that do, don't accept 90-120 minute long movies. Almost no festivals do.

>> 28 Days later and my little eye was on the big screen so why not X's miniDV
120minuate is standed time for any film check any back of DVD.

First off, I'm in the business here in LA, so I'm well aware of the standing time of a standard film. However, I'm telling YOU that most film festivals don't accept MiniDV for entries, and most also do not accept longer films unless it's really really really ball busting good.

>> the short was 25minutes long shot from 6 pages of my script, my proper script is 90 pages.

So your finished film is going to be 360 minutes? Right now your ratio is at 1 page of script to 4 minutes of time, and thats too long. A film needs to be written, shot and edited with a 1-1 ratio
>> I have had loads of critisiem usally about spelling, the site, etc and i've had loads of prositive feedback. At the end of the day I have come so far and raise $4,000 with also pre-orders this is my dream who else do you know trying to shot a film at least im out there doing it, I cant turn back now.

I just shot a film, I've done films before. All my friends do film. I'm here in LA, in the industry.

I'm not asking you to turn back on your dream, I'm not asking you to quit. I'm telling you that the only way you're going to be a sucess is to make your dream a reality, not by wishing it so, but by making it so. The only way you can make it so is if you do things SMARTLY and realistically. Thats what my critism is aimed to produce. I want you to get down and think about these things. Trim your unrealistic budget, trim your shooting time down to 14 days (most features are shot over 3 weeks btw), realize the downsides of your format (you can't shoot models of greenscreen (if you want, I can tell you how to shoot against whitescreen, which DV handles a lot better)) Etc

Nigel, do it smart!

Oh, one more thing, on the topic of feature length filmmaking on the cheap, I'm sure you're aware of El Mariachi (the first film before Desperado, once apon a time in mexico). Shot for 7000 dollars, on film.

The directors commentary on that disc is A++. The best commentary I've ever heard, and I usually require my students to watch it. It's about budget filmmaking, special effects on the cheap, etc.

Ok well thanks for your reply, maybe I should say more about me, the script is 90-100 pages long, = to 90-1hr 40minutes. I’ve read you cant sell your film if its 80minuates long and 90-120 is a good time.
I have read up on films for the last 4 years (rebel with out a crew, guerrilla film makers movie blueprint and Hollywood, trauma toxic and more, dvds I have watched many if not all low budget films all you have mentioned el Mariachi, 13th sign, my list goes on)

You seem to know what your on about you have some valid points. Sure you can shoot a film for nothing (beg, borrow and steal) but I’m saying name one film shot on digital out there made for $5,000, you need money just even to buy lighting, stock and food.
Also I’m in UK where the dollar is doubled so everything hey is expensive a miniDV used on ebay is 1,200 pounds ($2,400)

My shoot is 2 months but that’s weekends so only really 16 days.
I’m not shooting green-screen I hate CGI.
I've had quotes of arri to shoot film and hire equipment alone is 700 pounds per week, which is way too much.
I thought it would be better to buy a camcorder as a asset so I can sell it at a later date.

Your in LA what have you made and what money have you made?
What have you shot on? Could you send me any of your films or more information about your projects and about you?