I have been thinking a lot about how to make this film a success. What can
be done to make this film stand out, given all the other demands on our
attention? Trusting my business instincts, learning from other filmmakers,
and asking for God’s guidance is how I’m proceeding each day.
When I first acquired the rights to Jake and Vivian’s story, I had no
filmmaking experience. What I did have was a deep sense that this story
mattered and could help shine a light on suffering, courage, faith, and
resilience, and could be told in a way that touches hearts.
So I jumped into this venture based on a gut feeling. Something inside told
me to do this. What motivates me primarily is not financial success, but the
hope that storytelling can impact people facing overwhelming hardship and
injustice…from those living under oppression in North Korea to others
around the world who feel forgotten or without hope.
Let’s tell stories of hope for the underdog!
I believe that, as Filipe, a Hollywood filmmaker I met last Friday, put it, “film
can inform people on a grand scale.” I have a deep sense that this story
matters and could help shine a light on suffering, courage, faith, and
resilience, if told in a way that touches hearts.
The Business Plan: Build An Audience
From the very beginning, I have pursued the idea of finding or building an
audience for this message before the film is released. One thing I have
learned is that by taking the leap of faith and putting yourself out there,
many good and amazing things come into your path.
So with no clear idea exactly how to “build an audience,” we’ve jumped into
whatever made sense, experimenting with many different ideas, such as
the following:
-
Networking - give books away to anyone who would listen, attend industry
events like AFM, Zions Indie Film Fest, and VidSummit - Newsletter - start a newsletter to share this journey with others
- Website - hire a talented marketing agency to help with branding/messaging
- Live events - create events at iHub, SVU, and more to come
- Social Media - start various social sites
- Internships - recruit college-aged students willing to donate time
- Prototype Production - discussed in more detail below
- Weekly Meetings - work with a small team for new ideas
My experience is that most ventures grow exponentially, not linearly. This is
how I would expect our audience to grow if we keep doing these
things…not just the film audience, but the Known By Name Foundation
audience.
Script Reading Events
Recently, I met another indie filmmaker who validated this idea of building
an audience in his IndieWire blog post. His name is Daren Smith, and he
started a $10 million film fund called the Producer’s Fund. His first film is
called Brotherhood, a cinematic musical, about an immigrant family living in
the USA. Missy and I went to his film set in Sandy, Utah, a few weeks ago. I love the premise behind this film. His goals with film align very well with
ours.
Meeting Daren a few weeks ago was a blessing because I was feeling
stuck, a bit confused about next steps. He helped me discover some new
ideas, and I was inspired by what he is doing in the independent film space.
Using one of Darin’s ideas, we are already planning to do some script-
reading events around the country. These will be live events where hired
actors and a narrator read the script to gauge audience feedback and
interest. This will make more sense when you read Darin’s article.
Live events inject new energy and open doors to new people. So our plan
is to host and encourage more live events, such as book signings and
speaking engagements.
One Filmmaker’s Journey
We now have a second draft of the script and are grateful for the
experience of working with our screenwriter. There is still more refining to
do, but we’re excited to soon begin sharing the story through upcoming
script-reading events.
Some of the next steps for the film journey are to continue marketing
efforts, create a budget, build a pitch deck (to attract
investors/donors/actors/directors), possibly hire a casting director for
LOIs, and then set up meetings to find the rest of our team who will help
make this a reality.
Another strategy I’ve observed successful filmmakers use is to create a
short film, or proof-of-concept video. Dallas Jenkins produced a short film
called The Sheppard , which led to his partnership with Derral Eves and the
launch of The Chosen. Much like a prototype in business, this short project
allows us to test audience interest, demonstrate the creative vision, and
build momentum for the larger film.
We have also begun developing a short video series based on a true story
that has deeply impacted us. This is one of the greatest stories I have ever
discovered…a true story that ends in a tragedy, or did it? Stay tuned and we will reveal more about this story very soon!
