Questions, Questions, Questions
We are so often asked--"How are the movies coming?" And while these blogs are from from Sherri and Jessica who are producing Far From the Tree, the process and progress is pretty much identical to what's going on with the production for Tryin' to Sleep in the Bed You Made. We want to keep in informed and involved--after all they're your movies and we want you to understand that all of this takes time, effort, dedication and a positive attitude! So please give them a read--and your encouragement!
Thanks,
V&D
Questions, Questions, Questions
http://blog.myspace.com/farfromthetreemovie
This week Jessica and I worked on our pitch for investors. Before we sell the movie to you – the fans of Far From the Tree – we must sell the viability of the movie to prospective investors. Tons of questions must be answered and each presentation must be specifically tailored for the person to whom we're pitching. Whatever we say in our pitch, it must all add up to us proving that Far From the Tree makes good business sense.
Some of the questions we must consider include: How much creative information should we include? How do we make the case for this film and prove that it's a worthwhile investment? Should we focus exclusively on the film's profitability? What other movies like ours have been made in the past? Where is the audience for Far From the Tree? How much money can this film generate? How do we know that the fans of Far From the Tree will show up when the film gets to the theaters?
How we present the information is as important as what we present. For example, what pieces of information will be most important to this investor? Can this person write the check or must he/she take our pitch back to the person who can write the check? How does this person process information? Are they a numbers person or are they someone whose heart and mind comprehends better through pictures? And, how many pictures should we include? Will the images we've chosen appeal to this investor? Have we said too much? Are we overloading this person with data? How much information is too much information?
As we endeavor to find an investor for this picture, we don't know the outcome of this process. Will we find the investor who will get the vision we have for this film? Will he/she be ready and willing to write the check when we're ready for him/her to write the check? How long will it take for us to find the money for this film? What hoops will we need to jump through in order to secure this investment? What if we get some of the money but not all of the money? The list of questions can go on ad infinitum. There's little glamour in this process at this point.
Truthfully, none of these questions can be answered until the movie is in the theaters. That's the real proof. Still, Jessica and I must make the case for Far From the Tree convincingly enough that an investor sees what we see – that a movie with three African American women in the lead roles will not only be a good film but it will make money, too. Every element of our presentation has been crafted to sell this point of view.
Will we be successful? Of course we will. And, you, the fans, will be the first to know. You can expect a big fat e-mail in your inbox that shouts, "WE GOT THE MONEY!!!!!" If nothing else, the satisfaction of sending out that blog keeps us going.
Over the past few weeks, your words of encouragement, your overwhelmingly positive response to this blog and your trust in our ability to give you a movie you can be proud of have given us a boost each time we hear back from you. Keep letting us know what you want to see in this film. As much as we love this book and what it says to us, it's also something we're creating in love for you, the fans of the book.
Please tell a friend about this blog. We want as many people as possible to know that this movie is being developed. And, we can only do that through the help of fans of the book like you. Encourage someone to read Far From the Tree and then subscribe to this blog. And, when our film hits the theaters in 2009 and debuts at number one, we can all feel like we've created something great. http://blog.myspace.com/farfromthetreemovie
Thanks,
V&D
Questions, Questions, Questions
http://blog.myspace.com/farfromthetreemovie
This week Jessica and I worked on our pitch for investors. Before we sell the movie to you – the fans of Far From the Tree – we must sell the viability of the movie to prospective investors. Tons of questions must be answered and each presentation must be specifically tailored for the person to whom we're pitching. Whatever we say in our pitch, it must all add up to us proving that Far From the Tree makes good business sense.
Some of the questions we must consider include: How much creative information should we include? How do we make the case for this film and prove that it's a worthwhile investment? Should we focus exclusively on the film's profitability? What other movies like ours have been made in the past? Where is the audience for Far From the Tree? How much money can this film generate? How do we know that the fans of Far From the Tree will show up when the film gets to the theaters?
How we present the information is as important as what we present. For example, what pieces of information will be most important to this investor? Can this person write the check or must he/she take our pitch back to the person who can write the check? How does this person process information? Are they a numbers person or are they someone whose heart and mind comprehends better through pictures? And, how many pictures should we include? Will the images we've chosen appeal to this investor? Have we said too much? Are we overloading this person with data? How much information is too much information?
As we endeavor to find an investor for this picture, we don't know the outcome of this process. Will we find the investor who will get the vision we have for this film? Will he/she be ready and willing to write the check when we're ready for him/her to write the check? How long will it take for us to find the money for this film? What hoops will we need to jump through in order to secure this investment? What if we get some of the money but not all of the money? The list of questions can go on ad infinitum. There's little glamour in this process at this point.
Truthfully, none of these questions can be answered until the movie is in the theaters. That's the real proof. Still, Jessica and I must make the case for Far From the Tree convincingly enough that an investor sees what we see – that a movie with three African American women in the lead roles will not only be a good film but it will make money, too. Every element of our presentation has been crafted to sell this point of view.
Will we be successful? Of course we will. And, you, the fans, will be the first to know. You can expect a big fat e-mail in your inbox that shouts, "WE GOT THE MONEY!!!!!" If nothing else, the satisfaction of sending out that blog keeps us going.
Over the past few weeks, your words of encouragement, your overwhelmingly positive response to this blog and your trust in our ability to give you a movie you can be proud of have given us a boost each time we hear back from you. Keep letting us know what you want to see in this film. As much as we love this book and what it says to us, it's also something we're creating in love for you, the fans of the book.
Please tell a friend about this blog. We want as many people as possible to know that this movie is being developed. And, we can only do that through the help of fans of the book like you. Encourage someone to read Far From the Tree and then subscribe to this blog. And, when our film hits the theaters in 2009 and debuts at number one, we can all feel like we've created something great. http://blog.myspace.com/farfromthetreemovie
Labels: African American Women, box office, Far From the Tree, FILM, investors, movies, producing
1 Comments:
I'll be there opening weekend...and I'll bring friends!
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