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As the end of the year approaches, I wanted to let you all know the status of the film. We've signed an agreement with a company in Canada and will be shooting around Summer time. The company is called Mind's Eye and they've produced close to about 50 films so we're in good hands. Kathy Morgan is selling the film foriegn and they are amazing. We now have a team in place that loves the films as much as, well, we all do.
And speaking of love of film... this year seems to be an amazing year for movies. Kid adventure stories seem to be on the rise with TIN TIN and HUGO leading the pack. And I love that trend. I've seen both and highly recommend them as fun for kids for all ages!
If I had to pick one "best" film this year it would be EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE. It's incredibly powerful. If you go, bring a box of tissues as it's a heart wrencher yet so uplifting at the same time.
Other notable films of 2011 are: WARRIOR, RANGO, IRON LADY, MY WEEK WITH MARILYN, WARHORSE, and let's not forget MIDNIGHT IN PARIS. I don't remember a year in recent times that we've had so many really good films out there to watch.
So we near the end of 2011, remember that movies can be magic even if the business side of the business can get annoying at times. But if you believe and keep working... movie dreams can come true. BUDDY HOLLY IS ALIVE AND WELL is alive and well. I look forward to keeping you all updated as we move forward... and in closing, thanks so much for all your support. It means so much. All the best to you and happy holidays!
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We wanted to give you an update on Buddy Holly is Alive and Well on Ganymede.
For the past several months, we've been in negotiations for the financing of the film. Now, film financing can be a tricky endeavor - especially when it's financing for an indie. Indie financing comes in the form of equity, tax credits, gap loans, and pre-sales. Usually you need about 30-40% equity, tax credits might generate another 20% or so, pre-sales and sales another 30% with the "gap" filled in the rest. In our case, our funding was going to come via a film fund, who were to finance 100% of the film upfront. But their funding was more like a film loan similar to a home loan. Now, in theory, film funds such as this can be fine. But the issue in our cast was that once we got down to the fine print, the fund wouldn't commit to an actual financing date. That would be like having your house in escrow without any real end or date in site. And in the movie business, this makes doing business darn near impossible. You have to know when you're filming so you can lock in cast and key crew and shooting dates.
In the end, we had to walk away from the fund and thus push our shooting date.
With that said, I am happy to report that we have now locked in a Sales Agent that will start selling the film at the American Film Market in about ten days. This means that we will finally be introducing the film to the world!! Moreover, we are in negotiations with another company for financing! All this to say... in the words of Kenny Rogers... sometimes you gotta know when to walk away. And when you do, bigger and better things just might be on the horizon.
We will begin principal photography in mid 2012. We'll keep you posted!
]]>It has been a little while since the last post. I wanted you all to know that things with Buddy Holly is Alive and Well is alive and well. Financing a film in this budget range isn't easy in today's world. It involves lots and lots of paper. And by paper, of course I mean legal documents. But before you even get to that legal doc stage, you as the producer need to make sure you fully own all rights to the property and can thus present a clean chain of title. This often takes money and of course lawyers. As of now we are moving forward with one financing group. We are aiming to shoot late this year or early next. It also looks like we'll be splitting our shoot between New Mexico and the great State of Louisiana. Shooting a desert road trip movie in Louisiana? Really? That's possible you might ask? Good question. Movie magic and cheating will need to prevail. But again, it's all a matter of dollars and, uh, sense? Casting wise things are slow. I can't yet report new names we've attached until their deals are done. Appreciate the patience. One rockin cool thing to note - the Buddy Holly is Alive and Well gang will be in LA (the other one) for Buddy's 75th bday and star on Hollywood Blvd presentation. There will also be a star studded concert in celebration. Now that's cool. Rave on everyone!
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So in terms of financing a movie, it's usually a game of catch 22. Stars bring money but without money how do you get stars? Well the short answer is that you have a good script and persevere.
Right now Buddy Holly is Alive and Well is in an interesting position. We have talent attachment, interest and very good sales projections. It's now about closing the financing and getting it all done for our mid Oct shoot.
But if course, it's all a house of cards. So you leave all the balls in the air until you hear "rolling!"