Doing it ourselves?

I realise that people will give me a hundred reasons why not, but I was thinking just yesterday about the success of myfootballlclub.com.

For those that don't know this was just a website that got 50,000 web using armchair footy fans to put 35 quid in and own a share of a club they'd buy. This teams would be owned by the fans and they'd even have choice on who to buy, sell and team selections.

Anyway most people thought it was stupid, but they got 40,000 pledges of money and recently purchased Ebsfleet FC (Okay not Man U, but come around about 100ish in the English League)

Okay where am i going with this. Obviously I'm not suggesting to try and buy a production company, but would it be possible to put together a 30 minute sitcom using the combined skills and knowledge we have here?

I realise a single sitcom episode can cost 100-500 thousand, but I'm willing to think that given talent, ingenuity and a lot of begging it could be achieved for a fraction of this amount.

This is how I think it could work.

1. An X amount of people would have to pledge an X amount of money. They would then become preliminary shareholders in a production company that would be formed if a deal was ever signed with a TV company
(This would have to reach a certain agreed total to cover whatever expenses filming incurred, before going to part 2)

2. Being a preliminary shareholder (PS) would give you a vote on script that would be filmed. And also voting on various other points in the process.

3. A competition for which to enter you would have to pay X amount and become a PS. The winner is voted for by PS's

4. Commitee finds volunteers, and begs and borrows whatever is needed. I guess finding actors etc.

5. Film and edit

6. Tout it to various TV companies

7. Once/IF a deal is agreed the production company is formed with PS's becoming full % shareholders.

Yes i realise that will say this is impossible, and a stupid idea, but I thought it worth voicing this idea. Might be worth 50 quid for the experience of learning what a nightmare the whole procedure is.

Your thoughts?

Regards Rob

Quote: Rob B @ December 18, 2007, 6:02 PM

Okay where am i going with this. Obviously I'm not suggesting to try and buy a production company, but would it be possible to put together a 30 minute sitcom using the combined skills and knowledge we have here?

I realise a single sitcom episode can cost 100-500 thousand, but I'm willing to think that given talent, ingenuity and a lot of begging it could be achieved for a fraction of this amount.

This is how I think it could work.

1. An X amount of people would have to pledge an X amount of money. They would then become preliminary shareholders in a production company that would be formed if a deal was ever signed with a TV company
(This would have to reach a certain agreed total to cover whatever expenses filming incurred, before going to part 2)

2. Being a preliminary shareholder (PS) would give you a vote on script that would be filmed. And also voting on various other points in the process.

3. A competition for which to enter you would have to pay X amount and become a PS. The winner is voted for by PS's

4. Commitee finds volunteers, and begs and borrows whatever is needed. I guess finding actors etc.

5. Film and edit

6. Tout it to various TV companies

7. Once/IF a deal is agreed the production company is formed with PS's becoming full % shareholders.

Yes i realise that will say this is impossible, and a stupid idea, but I thought it worth voicing this idea. Might be worth 50 quid for the experience of learning what a nightmare the whole procedure is.

Your thoughts?

Regards Rob

View original

A single episode costs about 100k (of a costly show) - like Red Dwarf, as is common knowledge.

A lot of the money goes to editing (it's dear), cameras and personnel - crew and actors! So it could be done a hell of a lot cheaper than 100k, I'd say. (Buy high-end kit which is broadcast quality and get out of work actors)

You could buy the kit - 5 - 6 grand? - shoot single camera - so you wouldn't need to spend more than about 10. And even that's a lot. You could probably, if you were tight, do it for even less.

The theory is a good one, it's pretty much what I'm doing, we're begining the pilot next year now...So far spent something in the region of 4K just on pre-production, which is pretty good considering.

But you need people you can really trust, everything changes when monies involved. You can hire equipment so now arguments on who takes what home to/

To a point I guess it would be about trust. But the money would only be pledged until everything was finalised, so would be less of an issue as long as people actually paid up.

If writers were to have to pay to enter a script I guess they would have to pay directly. TBH I don't know how the money would work out, atleast the most you could lose will be a small amount.

If the figure needed was 5-10k I wonder if we could find 100-150 people to pledge say 50 pounds.

Anyway I would pledge an amount. 1% of the way there then. Anyone else?

Quote: Rob B @ December 18, 2007, 6:39 PM

To a point I guess it would be about trust. But the money would only be pledged until everything was finalised, so would be less of an issue as long as people actually paid up.

If writers were to have to pay to enter a script I guess they would have to pay directly. TBH I don't know how the money would work out, atleast the most you could lose will be a small amount.

If the figure needed was 5-10k I wonder if we could find 100-150 people to pledge say 50 pounds.

Anyway I would pledge an amount. 1% of the way there then. Anyone else?

View original

If you want people to commit you need to get proper costings and set out a plan for people to see.

Start a website etc.

If you want to do it properly, then I don't see why it couldn't work, but you'd have to invest a lot of time and really think about budgets and such.

Cripes, it's a bit like 'Dragons Den'.

It's going to be interesting to see how this idea unfolds but for all intents and purposes, and going on what I've read, it seems like a very interesting idea and for that reason I'm in.

Keep me posted on this Rob. I have a friend with his own video company, he has all the tv quality cameras and would love the chance to work on a sitcom, he does all his own editing,i have a DVD he made last year, just a short comedy written by a local Bradford writer, but it picked up a few awards for the filming alone. Love the idea.

Quote: Seefacts @ December 18, 2007, 6:47 PM

If you want people to commit you need to get proper costings and set out a plan for people to see.

Start a website etc.

If you want to do it properly, then I don't see why it couldn't work, but you'd have to invest a lot of time and really think about budgets and such.

View original

Obviously I'm only writing out loud some ideas at the moment. If enough people think it might be something worth while then we could formalise it further and get a website etc. But if its a stupid idea nobody likes then why bother.

On budgets how can you say until a script is chosen, and then solidified. All you can say is no Sci-fi or costume dramas etc. After that it's up to the people involved to improvide and make the pledged money work, or give up and all we've lost is the time and effort. I guess you initially have to set a target budget using the best judgements of those interested.

Quote: Ray Dawson @ December 18, 2007, 6:54 PM

Keep me posted on this Rob. I have a friend with his own video company, he has all the tv quality cameras and would love the chance to work on a sitcom, he does all his own editing,i have a DVD he made last year, just a short comedy written by a local Bradford writer, but it picked up a few awards for the filming alone. Love the idea.

View original

This is the sort of thing.

Seems good but those who pledge most will be able to get their stuff produced before someone who may be a lot better but hasn't paid anything. That's the way it will be because if someone does pay a lot they're not likely to be prepared to be outvoted.

Therefore it won't necessarily be the funniest. It's Vanity Publishing under a different name.

Sorry to put a dampener on it.

Indeed - who gets the final decision on the script with 100 people chipping in.

Don't get me wrong, love the idea, but (a bit like dragon's den) it's better to have a detailed business case to put forward that people can sign up to - too many people have great ideas, get people excited by it, and then get bored with it before it even reaches the initial planning stage.

You shouldn't need our enthusiasm yet - put a bit of effort into your idea, show you've got the belief to go through with it, and then others will follow. Sorry to be cynical, but people having great ideas, advertising it, and then dropping it as soon as they have to put a bit of work in does seem to happen a lot. It is a nice idea though.

Quote: David Chapman @ December 18, 2007, 10:24 PM

Seems good but those who pledge most will be able to get their stuff produced before someone who may be a lot better but hasn't paid anything. That's the way it will be because if someone does pay a lot they're not likely to be prepared to be outvoted.

Therefore it won't necessarily be the funniest. It's Vanity Publishing under a different name.

Sorry to put a dampener on it.

View original

A pledge would equal a set amount, and you would therefore get one vote. Nobody would have more than one vote, so in theory the most popular (hopefully the best script - unless demeed outside the budget) would be the winner.

I guess a writer could pledge and then vote for their own script, ultimately with 100-200 people voting it wouldn't matter. I guess a competition like this would have a largish number of entries, so it would have to be organised as all those with votes couldn't possibly read each script. Some way of whittling down to a top 10/15 would be needed and then top 5 and top 2.

How the voting is exactly organsied and judged would also be voted upon.

Perhaps a smaller fee for somebody submitting a script (payed up front - cos they'd never pay after they lost), with no voting right. Paid back if filming doesn't happen.

Just an idea, and not something that I think shoul'd be driven by one or two people alone.

OK then - maybe it could work. Good luck and let us know how it develops.

I'd echo what Gavin says about trust and also about when money is involved.

We are doing this very thing with 5 of us and I guess we've spent about £750 so far all told. Peanuts of course, but still...

We've been going a year and were nominated for a Smalls TV award for one of our vids, we won £500 on 4laughs for a vid and an audio and one of us has had a sketch on BBC7 radio so peanuts too I guess, but still...

BUT getting just 5 people to pull in the same direction is incredibly hard! There is a lot of heartache for all of us in this thing!

But I'm a believer! Good luck with it. If you're big enough, go and get it!

Frankie xxx

Quote: Frankie Rage @ December 19, 2007, 12:49 AM

I'd echo what Gavin says about trust and also about when money is involved.

We are doing this very thing with 5 of us and I guess we've spent about £750 so far all told. Peanuts of course, but still...

We've been going a year and were nominated for a Smalls TV award for one of our vids, we won £500 on 4laughs for a vid and an audio and one of us has had a sketch on BBC7 radio so peanuts too I guess, but still...

BUT getting just 5 people to pull in the same direction is incredibly hard! There is a lot of heartache for all of us in this thing!

But I'm a believer! Good luck with it. If you're big enough, go and get it!

Frankie xxx

View original

Well to quote Frank Spencer. "A trouble shared is a trouble doubled!"

Seems trust might be an issue with this idea rather than anything else. I'll think about it and post a new thread in the general discussion tommorrow.

Well I'm in for fifty quid and a vote.

About 10 years ago I put an ad in the newsletter of Raindance offering my services as a film runner for free in exchange for the experience. I was offered a weekend by An American who was trying to make a scene from his move to raise funds. It was incredibly hard and tiring but he semed happy enough and six months later he called me and I ended up being the second assistant director on a movie he was making for £50k. The budget went up but it did win an award at the Sundance Film Festival. Nick Moran even had a part, after Lock Stock shot, but before it's release if I remember rightly.

The point is, a lot of the people were working for nothing or very little in order to get experience.

I also spent a week as a runner on a short film where everybody worked for nothing, most of whom, not myself, knew the writer/director. They got an actor (whose name didn't ring any bells but his face did) to do the week based on the quality of the script.

So I would say, with the right person heading it up, it should be possible. And having seen it done at close quarters, I know I haven't got what it takes, but it can be done.