A do-it-yourself method
The Blueprint
Fourteen steps to lower the risk on a film and improve its chance of earning money.
Built on a hundred years of Hollywood practice. Sized to fit a real schedule, and to a budget that is not yet committed.
Carries a $500 credit into Stage one.
Fourteen steps you run yourself
This is the whole method. Fourteen steps, in order, that lower the risk on a film and improve its chance of earning money. Nothing is held back — the paid version is us doing it, faster, with a buyer list we already have and a phone that already gets answered. What follows is that same method, stripped to what one producer can do with a laptop, a few hundred dollars of ad spend and about three weeks of attention before the money is committed.
What is inside
The fourteen steps, grouped into the four stages they belong to. The document explains how to run each one yourself.
Validation
Genre, audience and buyers, established and tested before the money is committed.
| # | Step | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Establish the Movie's core genre | Easy |
| 2 | Test the genre against established genre rules | Easy |
| 3 | Establish the Movie's core audience | Easy |
| 4 | Test the audience assumption | Medium |
| 5 | Establish the Movie's core distributors | Easy |
| 6 | Test the distributors' demand for it | Hard |
Producing
Holding the film to the specification the validation work produced.
| # | Step | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Produce that Movie | Hard |
Audience testing
The film tested with a real audience, and the campaign built from what they said.
| # | Step | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | Test the Movie with a recruited audience | Hard |
| 9 | Test the Movie with a focus group | Hard |
| 10 | Screen to press and industry creatives | Medium |
| 11 | Create the Movie's marketing material | Medium |
| 12 | Test the marketing material | Medium |
| 13 | Collate the evidence and make it presentable | Medium |
Market execution
The film taken to market territory by territory, and the deals closed and accounted for.
| # | Step | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | Execute — take the film to market | Hard |
31 pages. One PDF. Yours immediately.
Your $500 credit
This document costs $50, and that $50 carries a $500 credit against Stage one if you would rather I ran it. One per project. Not transferable and not redeemable for cash. Valid for twelve months from purchase.
Questions
What format is it?
A PDF, 31 pages, downloadable immediately after payment.
Do I need a finished film?
No. Start at step one whether you are in development, in production or in post.
Is this the same as what you do for clients?
Yes — the method is identical. What you are buying at Stage one and above is me running it, and the buyer list.
What if I buy this and then hire you?
The $500 comes off. Stage one is $4,500, or $4,000 once the credit is applied.
Refunds?
Yes. A full refund within fourteen days of purchase, for any reason. Email us and it is done — you keep the document.