“Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friends.”
– Walt Disney
Making movies is hard. We want to work with filmmakers ready to make compelling and profitable movies, who can accomplish that for a reasonable budget. We make movies for up to $5 million, which means every dollar possible has to be on screen. Every decision from script to casting to location has to serve the story and the budget. We use the DGA, WGA, IATSE, and SAG-AFTRA modified/low-budget agreements, which gives us flexibility on rates, while still protecting the cast and crew with union benefits and fair treatment. And because we’re keeping the budget low, we can give artists more freedom to take risks. This is about making great films the right way – lean, professional, and artist-driven.
Everything costs money, so we try to use fewer locations, have fewer speaking parts, and limit the special effects. The above-the-line talent (directors, lead actors, writer) have to be in this for the long haul, working primarily for real backend, not big upfront paychecks. If the movie works, everyone gets paid. If it works really well, everyone gets rich. If it doesn’t work, no one group loses their shirt. But we also don’t plan to micromanage you. As long as we’re all on the same page going into the project, we’d like you to have the freedom to create something amazing. We’re all adults, and I hope when the movie is released we can all say it went as smoothly as possible, we worked hard, we had a lot of fun, and we’re all ready to make the next project together.
We give respected talent an opportunity for a comeback, a breakout, or a career pivot. Think about how Quentin Tarantino showcased John Travolta in PULP FICTION, or Darren Aronofsky and Mickey Rourke in THE WRESTLER, or Peter Weir casting Jim Carrey in THE TRUMAN SHOW. Not the obvious choice, but each actor brought something special to the role, and the rewards were so much greater than a paycheck. We hope to use the same approach not just with actors, but with directors no longer on the studio shortlist, or producers who’ve been stalled for awhile. If you’ve done great work in the past, we know you still have it in you. We want to help you bring that to audiences again.
About that backend, investors get 100% of the revenue until they’ve received 120% of their investment back. After that, profits are split: 50% to investors, 5% to fund management, and up to 45% to above-the-line participants and crew. As of now, there’s no set percentage assigned to individual positions, but I anticipate it’ll be higher than guild contract minimums due to foregoing larger upfront salaries. Again, if the movie does well, everyone gets rewarded.