The group and I met up at McDonald’s to discuss our film, they offer free wifi and the guys wanted something other than Dunkin’ Donuts lol. Anyways, here we discussed our film and answered some proposed questions, the script that was written by one of my group members Kevin, and how we are going to get finance for our film.

What does the script look like for your film? You should have at least a basic summary of the film in order to pitch it. Research and skim screenplays for other films in your genre to get an idea of what they look like (this is also a great exercise for scripting your opening sequence).

The script is a sample, it has room for development.  The main summary for our film is that a detective and a hacker are forced to team up to find who hacked a popular simulation. However, the owners of the simulation are mysterious, and there seems to be more to the hack than what is initially let on. The two characters, the detective and the hacker, have directly contrasting personalities. The detective is dry and constantly serious, and is constantly monologuing to himself about his life. In contrast, the hacker is sarcastic and socially-oblivious, constantly breaking the detective’s train of thought. Everything that he says is either sarcastic, a joke, or not extremely helpful. He expresses his unhappiness about being paired up with the detective a lot more openly, and is a bit of a jerk to the detective. These two personalities will help accomplish the goal of catching the ultimate hacker.

What is your “brand” or “mission statement” for your film? What are you striving towards? What are you trying to achieve with your story? Your brand will be important for choosing a production company and pitching your film.

One Detective. One Hacker. Join forces to bring justice. 

We are going to have a slightly comedic image, as our two main characters are strongly contrasting in character. We are striving to have the detective be extremely serious and gritty in this world, but that this noir image is constantly subverted with the hacker’s ridiculous antics. It’ll be a contrast in tones for comedic effect. We want to have some action in the movie, which will probably be split with physical action done by the detective and ‘hacking’ done by the hacker (shocker). The action will also be the action when the detective and the hacker meet face to face with shared enemy.

What are some production companies that specialize in films similar to yours? Which of them would be ideal choices for producing your film?

Warner Brothers and A24, these would be ideal companies because they have produced Inception, The Matrix, The Dark Knight, and Detective Pikachu. With Warner Bros., they have a lot of history making darker science fiction films, or make deals with independent affiliates that fund these types of films. However, a lot of independent film companies have created the most famous tech-noir films, and with A24 being a major independent film company, they could also be another opportunity. This would be a great opportunity because Warner Brother has major money, and money to take a risk to produce a great film.

Do you plan to produce with a large studio or a smaller, independent production company? Why?

Large production company. Warner Bros. would allow us to have a lot more funds to have good special effects, and the prestige with having a large studio would likely increase our profit margin. If we produced with a large studio, we could actually buy professional software, and we could actually model things to put into the world.

How will your choice of production company affect the way audiences engage with your film?

Would bring our film to a bigger audience. We could probably do a wide release if we wanted. However, it could turn off some of the pickier members of our target audience, as large studio films are known for being more about action and less about the plot and lore. 

It would also likely hurt our digital sales. As a large studio, they are likely going to want ALL the distribution rights. That may make streaming distribution difficult. It would likely be best to make a deal about theater release, but then have our own path on digital distribution. That’s probably unlikely though. Again, Warner Brother has vested finances in it’s own streaming and digital services, so signing with them, we would have to agree to their way of distributing our film.

How will you convince the production company that your film is worth financing? Consider the business side of the industry. How will you “sell” your film and make back everyone’s money?

We are likely going to have to have more action in the movie than what it would be if it was independent. Audiences are drawn to action movies in this current market. Sure, critics are harsh about it, but if it’s a fun movie to watch, it’ll make money. We would likely have to promote our film as a gritty action detective story, kind of like the Matrix. We would need to present it as though the world the film is set in isn’t too far away from the modern audience’s fears (like the Matrix). While the film would be about investigating whoever hacked the simulation, the duo will need to fight off other threats to discover the truth.

What are some distribution companies that specialize in your type of film? Which distribution companies would be a good match for your film?

Probably Warner Bros. again. As part of the Big 5, they not only are a major production company, but they are also a major distribution company as well.

How will your film be exhibited? Consider theatrical and nontheatrical modes of exhibition.

Wide release. We want to work with a Big 5 distribution company, so we will likely have the funds to do a wide release distribution.

For digital release, we should probably stream it on Netflix or Amazon Video. Amazon Video would likely get us more profits (people have to but the films), but Netflix will get us a bigger audience. Even streaming services such as Hulu, who have worked with Warner Brothers by steaming their shows and movies.