Monthly + Quarterly Retrospective
+ Canadian productions, actor analysis, digital-first production update, and more
Welcome to August - I hope you all are enjoying your summer! 🥳
I just realized it’s been a month since I sent my last dispatch to you all and what a month it’s been! Actually, I meant to do a Quarterly (Q2) review a few weeks ago and got sidetracked so in today’s newsletter I’ll make that up to you and bring you up to speed.
What I got up to in Q2 and into Q3
Here’s the highlights….
• Started Pre-Production on a fully financed feature film that we’ll shoot in Montreal and Quebec this fall.
What I learned: This is my first full production in Canada and what a gem of a place to make something! In my case, shooting outside the US was the only way to make this project for the budget allotted. By a mile. I actually commissioned budgets from three different countries before settling on Canada and they are the best value hands down for what we need. This won’t be the case for every project but for this one, it presented the best value for dollar while still keeping quality at the highest standards and an attractive location for cast to travel to.
I’m applying this framework to all the projects I’m overseeing and in some cases, it just makes more sense to shoot in US for various reasons and max out tax incentives. but in at least half the cases where doing a full union US shoot isn’t feasible, I’ve made fantastic partnerships and alliances with production partners in other parts of the world where budgets can be brought down while still maintaining a high production quality.
Casting is underway for this project and I’ll be sure to share the announcements here in this newsletter as things develop.
💥 Side note: Are you a Montreal based HOD or Editor? Hit me up at stacey@filmspecific.com with your resumes and IMDB links please!
Next up!
• I started working with two of my FS Pro members in a Packaging Consulting capacity whereby I help attach talent to the projects to eventually close financing.
What I’m learning: You can package a project that isn’t fully financed BUT you need to have a solid and realistic finance plan based on a realistic budget for your genre and director and the cast you are going for. Also so much of my work is in vetting talent in the first place that can help move the needle for financing. What that means in practice is me tapping my sales and financing contacts and relationships and getting a read on which talent to attach to achieve our financing goals. Then working with the filmmaking teams of assembling talent lists and prioritizing based on marketplace value, creative, and connections and then strategically going out to actors for building a package. It’s like 90% strategy and 10% execution. But we’re seeing great results so far and the producing teams are then able to leverage talent interest to close financing.
💥 Side note: on the Actor Analysis side of things for market viability, is this an area you need help with? I’m considering creating an offer that just helps with the actor analysis piece of the puzzle so if this is something you’d be interested in, email me at stacey@filmspecific.com and let me know!
• Wrapped shooting on the first two projects on our digital-first production slate
What I learned: I’m finding a real sweet spot in applying traditional film production discipline to these lower cost productions while staying flexible and adapting to creative solutions and new skillsets associated with nano budgets 💪 But what fun this is to be in the trenches on building out a new Creator business and vertical based on new business models and filmmaking techniques. I’m also learning you need to marry short term and long term planning, test various ideas, be willing to abandon ones that fail to get traction, and double down on the ones that catch legs. We’re doing the work now, the second half of 2024 to hopefully be fully cranking in 2025 and with our first two shoots in the books, we’re setting up the second two for Q3 and Q4.
💥 Side note: are you an editor of digital-first content? If so, hit me up at stacey@filmspecific.com with a link to your portfolio as we’ll be building out teams for Post.
Well that’s the full report of what I’ve been getting up to!
What about you? I’d love to hear what you’re working on too so feel free to email me at stacey@filmspecific.com and let me know.
Have a lovely day everyone and I’ll speak to you again soon…
Stacey
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Congrats on the Canadian shoot. Quebec is absolutely gorgeous in the fall. If you ever land one in Vancouver please feel free to connect.
Shooting in Canada sounds great!!
My son is an actor and has been in a few digital first vertical projects. They pay decently and look pretty good, too. I was surprised.