Bollywood Movies for the Global Audiences

Indian films with their action, drama, song and dance have become a global phenomenon and an entertainment craze world wide.

Nearly 80 percent of Indian films are being shot abroad. This has brought the Indian film industry, which churns out nearly 1,000 films a year, into the world stage.

Bollywood film critics [Taran Adarsh and Indu Mirani] feel that…

“…with their immense talent and potential, Bollywood directors can go directly to Hollywood films. And with the influx of bi-lingual films like ‘Everybody says I m fine’, ‘Split Wide Open’ and ‘Bombay Boys’; more and more foreign performers seem to be sweeping into the ocean of Indian films to experience the wave of change and get the taste of the typical ‘Bollywood-masala’.”

Romantic Thriller: Pyar Mein Kyun

Not so fast, Mr. and Ms. Critics…

“It’s not the Bollywood Hollywood crossover that seems to have evolved here… it’s the Indian film industry’s brilliance that has become a global phenomenon.”

What does the mean?

Well, in simple terms, it means that there is no such thing as Bollywood Hollywood cross over.  Bollywood movies; like the Oscar nominated ‘Lagaan’, or Gurinder Chadda’s ‘Bend It Like Beckham’, or Mira Nair’s ‘Monsoon Wedding’; all have crossed the traditional boundaries between the east and the west. And with Bollywood stars also performing in Hollywood films, the industry is now witnessing a revolution…a transition marked by the cross fertilization of Bollywood and Hollywood resulting in a rewarding amalgamation of two diverse cultures.

Yes, cross fertilization of Bollywood and Hollywood… but no crossover.

Crossover films is a term that has meant different things at different times, and now really that term is increasingly being disused in favor of international or global cinema that seamlessly integrates cinematic talents from India and the West to offer quality cinema that will appeal to a global audience. Many such projects are in the various stages of production.

Earlier crossover movies used to mean Karan Johar films that were made for Indian cinema goers─ but with the US NRI market in mind, so that you had the settled-abroad characters that still retained their Indian traditions and more inexplicably their Indian virtue.

Then there were the Gurinder Chaddha genre of films where an attempt was made to apply a British sensibility to Indians in cinema. So you had the amusing and entertaining Bend it like Beckham and the rather less amusing Bride and Prejudice─ which was basically an attempt to make a Bollywood film in English.

Crossover cinema has also meant movies from filmmakers such as Deepa Mehta; with hard hitting, stunning films like Elements Trilogy (Fire 1996, Earth 1998 and Water 2005) and many other internationally acclaimed films.

Mira Nair is another Indian born filmmaker who deals in subjects of an Indian origin with a global sensibility and has over the years made hugely successful films like Salaam Bombay, Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love, and urban India films such as Monsoon Wedding and the beautifully sensitive Namesake based on the Jhumpa Lahiri book.

Whether Bollywood [India] has produced a film that has actually `crossed over’ may still be a matter of debate, but movie-making certainly has. The UK may be the new place for Bollywood to set up camp, complete with cast, crew and locations─ going by the activities of some enterprising second-generation Indians-turned-Brits who seem all set to turn film producers.

Now it’s Hollywood’s turn to eye Bollywood.

One such Hollywood co-venture is ‘Marigold’ by Hyperion Pictures India, a subsidiary of Hyperion Pictures, USA. Written and directed by Willard Carroll, ‘Marigold’ stars Salman Khan, who plays a choreographer (Prem) who falls in love with an American actress acting in a Hindi movie.  The film will be shot in both English and Hindi, and will be released in both countries as mainstream entertainment.

Siddharth Jain, Vice President, Hyperion Pictures, India says…

“… in the past American productions shooting in India have used the country as an exotic backdrop and as a source of manpower.”

Well not only that but a lot more… now we have joint venture Hollywood Bollywood movies for the global markets.

Another movie stars the eighties heartthrob Madhuri Dixit in a film about Indira Gandhi, which is being made by Indian born filmmaker Krishna Shah. This is an ambitious project and is expected to also star Hollywood actors Tommy Lee Jones and Tom Hanks.

Then there is the movie Taj Mahal proposed to be made by Sir Ben Kingsley, instantly recognizable to an Indian audience who has watched his portrayal of Mahatma Gandhi in the movie ‘Gandhi’.  The British born actor who is of half Indian/Kenyan extraction is now set to play Emperor Shah Jahan in the film to be made by his own production company SBK pictures. The real coup here is that Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is set to play Mumtaz Mahal opposite him in the film.

So clearly crossover cinema [if there’s such a thing] has now come of age and can no longer be pigeonholed as being merely that; it is fast acquiring the more credible appellation of global cinema.

So, what’s the future like for Indian Films on the stage of global cinema?

According to the leading experts from the Indian film industry; the market for crossover movies has been assisted to a great extent by the digital movie production, Internet and social media marketing, digital distribution, and the multiplexes… and that has given the low budget indie films the much needed exposure that had been previously missing. Yet another factor has been the growing number of Indians settling across North America, Europe, Australia, South Africa, and Middle East.

Bollywood Movies Vs. Crossover Movies

No matter how you look at it…

Indian audiences love their Bollywood song, dance, and drama… and that’s not about to change anytime soon. However, crossover films with good content will find increasing number of English speaking middle-class audiences around the globe. Because this segment of world population is presently looking for different types of subjects and presentation─ for films that feature fewer spoofs, slapstick comedy and hamming─ and more intellectual and well organized content.

Crossover Movies Content

The crossover movies feature simple and realistic content, which has contributed to their growing demand among a certain section of Indian audience and NRIs. The film makers who specialize in this genre of film making believe that their movies are made in a thought provoking way that is different from traditional Bollywood films.

The crossover films address issues that are important to new generations of South Asians, South Asian immigrants, as well as, their friends and relatives. In this way, they have broken new grounds – dealing with subjects that previously went unnoticed.

Changing Tastes of Indian Audience

Traditionally Indian films have always been viewed as a medium of escape from the problems and issues of daily life to a world where the hero is all powerful and solves every problem. These films have found success among previous generation of Indian viewers but presently the youth is looking for content that is believable and realistic─ for films that reflect their problems and emotions with honesty.

This is what the current Baadshah of Bollywood had to say on the subject…

“There is no such thing as crossover cinema” – Shah Rukh Khan

MUMBAI: Speaking at the 10th India Today Conclave, Shah Rukh Khan said that there is no such thing as crossover cinema.

Khan lashed out at Indian industry’s long-time obsession with crossover films and actors. He suggested a ban on the phrase crossover films because they just did not exist.  He said, “We should instead take Bollywood to the world. Mumbai to Melrose, the road is shrinking. Warner Brothers and Sony are making movies here while UTV is doing the same in Hollywood. If you want to do crossover films, then you are barking up the wrong tree because the Indian audience loves their musical dramas.”

Khan, who was speaking on The Arts Dialogue at the Conclave, analyzed the issues plaguing the Bollywood industry. He said that the film industry has a long way to go if it truly wants to go global.

“Bollywood needs scientific screenplay-writing and the organization, the discipline of Hollywood and the science of marketing films,” he added.

Talking of making movies work in a brand new decade, he said, “Though we have the music, we are missing a symbiotic relationship with Hollywood when it comes to the film and the mathematics (or economics) of cinema.”

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Global Markets for Indian Films

North America has come up as a major market for crossover films─ being made in India, UK, and USA─ for the huge NRI populations around the globe and growing number of South Asian in USA and Canada.  Other countries such as UK, France, South Africa, Australia, Singapore and New Zealand are important markets for the Indian crossover films as well.

Romantic Thriller: Why You’re in Love?

For example, the movie PMK was shot in New Jersey/New York, with second generation South Asians in the cast and crew… and with American financing.  There is no distribution deals signed as yet and most of the estimated $300,000 budget, a fraction of what an average Hollywood/Bollywood production costs, is self-financed by the producers.

“Basically it is a Bollywood movie done Hollywood-style; and is created for the 500 million English speaking audiences world wide while keeping home-grown sensibilities intact,” said Anant Goel, the producer(s) of the movie.

Current funding can take this movie to higher levels of global awareness, broader theatrical screening and an intense global digital distribution. Internet and Web 2.0 are changing the very core of our lifestyle… and you are invited to be part of this fabulous journey to chart new frontiers in digital movie production, marketing, promotions and distribution to global audiences.

The target, once the film is completed in September this year, is the 500 million English speaking audiences around the globe.

RKNet Studios and Aary Films are independent film producers and the movie PMK is in final stages of post-production. They plan to use additional funding for social media marketing and PA on the Internet and also have a broader theatrical screening in key global markets. Soon after the movie premiers and platform theatrical screenings, they will release the movie to consumers as download VOD and DVD sales… and aggressively take this movie to each and every one of the 900 million Facebook subscribers.  It’s a very ambitious goal… however, their initial success with Internet promotions on YouTube and Facebook gives them the confidence that they can pull this-off… and hope to set a new trend in indie film marketing and distribution to global audiences.

The growing popularity of non-Hollywood media products around the globe, straddling cultures, and opening up other worlds to inward-looking Americans; could also persuade American investors to put their money into such ventures.

Silicon Valley may be a garden of innovation, but many of the seeds were sown by Hollywood. Earlier generations of innovators were inspired by shows such as Star Trek, Lost in Space, and The Jetsons; later generations, by films such as Aliens, Terminator, and Avatar.  Hollywood brought science fiction to the masses and gave people big things to dream about. And music spread the inspiration — it was a social network before social networks existed.

The fact that best business practices and organized funding could make an essentially chaotic enterprise like film-making a more democratic and profitable venture; might explain why so many IT professionals from US are now looking upon it with favor.

Like they pushed the frontiers of IT technology to take Indians to top of the high-tech pile, they might be able to do the same with Bollywood. And we might finally see some true “crossover” movies for the global markets… that is, if there’s such a thing.

Anant B. Goel

Producer CEO – RKNet Studios

Producer – Bollywood Movie: Romantic Thriller “Pyar Mein Kyun” for global markets.

Based on excerpts from published articles, blogs, and sponsored research reports.

Business Intelligence, Data Visualization and Dynamic Decision Making

Business intelligence (BI) is defined as the ability for an organization to take all its resources and capabilities and convert them into knowledge; and ultimately, getting the right information to the right people, at the right time, via the right channel. This produces large amounts of information which can lead to the development of new opportunities for the organization. When these opportunities have been identified and a strategy has been effectively implemented, they can provide an organization with a competitive advantage in the market, and stability in the long run (within its industry).

BI technologies provide historical, current and predictive views of business operations. Common functions of business intelligence technologies are reporting, online analytical processing, analytics, data mining, process mining, complex event processing, business performance management, benchmarking, text mining, predictive analytics and prescriptive analytics.

Business intelligence aims to support better business decision-making. Thus a BI system can be called a decision support system (DSS). The term business intelligence is sometimes used as a synonym for competitive intelligence… because they both support decision making.  However, BI uses technologies, processes, and applications to analyze mostly internal, structured data and business processes while competitive intelligence gathers, analyzes and disseminates information with a topical focus on company competitors.

Business intelligence and decision making often not linked, Gartner says

Despite huge investments in business intelligence (BI) software and platforms that have resulted in a more informed workforce, most companies still fail to link BI to “the last mile” of business decision making, according to a recent report from Gartner Inc.

One need only peruse the business pages of news media to realize that a rash of poor business decisions have been made over the last several years, from banks deciding to invest in risky mortgage-backed securities to the Bank of America acquiring brokerage firm of Merrill Lynch.

The BI life-cycle is made up of three stages. The first stage involves simply organizing, cleansing and collecting data, followed by the second stage of delivering that data, often in the form of reports, in a consistent way to the decision makers [or consumers of this data]. The third and perhaps most important stage, is actually applying BI to decision making for strategic, tactical or operational purposes.

The three parts of the decision making process are…

• Business Intelligence: Organizing, cleansing, and collecting data.
• Delivering Data: In the form of reports and other data visualization formats.
• Dynamic Decision Making: For strategic, tactical, or operational outcomes.

Business Intelligence

Business Intelligence is the primary tool to collect, cleanse and analyze information for developing a successful business strategy. In this age of vast amount of information available at finger tips, supercomputer fast technology and gigantic bandwidth communications; it’s important to have full knowledge about all the strengths and weakness of your business plan… and that can be possible only by collecting and analyzing available data. These data generally include quantities of products, customers, sales, market demand, customer service, and technical support system etc. that are useful in critical decision-making.

Data Visualization

In today’s complex, global and mobile marketplace; data is the basis for making sound business decisions. By presenting complex data in the form of reports or other visualization formats, business decisions are easier to make in real-time. And, the companies that are ahead of the curve are the ones who win in today’s marketplace. Data visualization helps get you there.

Data visualization is an effective way to communicate information.  And infographics, a popular form of data visualization, is a growing trend in business and media.  Infographics are being created by data analysts, marketers, and other professionals to give executives and sales teams, for example, more than just a PowerPoint or a pie chart─ they are visual tools to persuade.

Dynamic Decision Making

Business Intelligence decisions are moving from the boardroom to the front lines.

Businesses are now mostly relying on the kind of information that can be collected through various sources both internally and inside the industry; and from outside through personal contacts or with the help of Internet. However, both collection and analysis of data takes time but are useful for long-term strategic decision-making. In case of short term goal oriented companies, or when making tactical decisions; companies often take business decision without experimenting or analyzing too much… and mostly depend on anticipation or intuition.

There are primarily three types of decisions that most business organization takes today: strategic, tactical and operational… but act collectively for the growth of business.

Strategic – This is the most important one to take that affects the entire organization. This includes new product development, company merger, acquisition, market expansion etc. So broadly, this deals with the kind of business that one ought to be in and the markets one wants to focus.

Tactical – In case of tactical decision, the focus is more towards the product and customer and the amount of risk associated in developing a new product or attracting new group of customers. Tactical decisions are mainly focusing on short-term goals dealing with immediate activities.

In both these decision making process, business organizations take help of operational data store and data warehouse that provides credibility and validity for analytical processing. However, human intervention is necessary for taking action. So the role of business intelligence in both these two cases is considerable less. It merely builds a data store to extract strategic business value from available data.

Operational - Apart from the above two there is another named operational decision making, and that deals with money transaction for example, approving or declining a specific application, pointing out fraud, and so on. In particular they address individual transaction like approving loan or not and these are more common decisions taken in daily business activities.

Business Intelligence decisions are impacting more and more operational decisions on the front lines, according to Boris Evelson, a Forrester Research analyst.  The reason for this, as stated in a recent article, is that operational BI is moving toward the front lines with “offerings that integrate data and process dashboards” as well as “event-driven systems that initiate a business process based on certain data conditions.”

A good example would be a cellular phone customer service representative (CSR) accessing a customer account; and seeing that the customer is eligible for an upgrade when they are making a payment over the phone.  The call center employee can initiate a sale, in addition to service during the call.

Let’s continue with the cellular CSR example.  The CSR can become a concierge with access to intelligent information about the customer including making account changes to ensure the customer is getting the biggest bang for their buck.  This can apply to cable or all other types of service industries.  By feeding BI to front line employees, your team can be responsive and anticipate business growth opportunities on an individual customer level.

Many organizations have matured through stages one and two but have yet to make the leap to stage three. “It’s a crawl, walk, run kind of thing, but I think most organizations are ready to move to stage three.”

In order to make the transition, organizations must develop decision support systems that allow them to use BI-related analysis and reports to experiment with more “what if” scenarios that track how a decision was made, with what data, and by whom.

Companies should start the process by taking an inventory of the decisions they make and identifying the ones that are most important to their business. Determining how many temporary staff to hire during the busy holiday season might be a critical decision for a retailer, for example, or ─ for a manufacturer─ whether or not to open a new factory.

“Companies should also begin a cultural transformation focused on developing decision optimization as a core competency.”

“Start with a corporate education effort around decision-making best practices, and provide opportunities for decision simulation to socialize the value of transparent decision making and create a common corporate vocabulary to drive a cultural shift.”

Anant B. Goel

www.facebook.com/anant.b.goel

Producer CEO ─ RKNet Studios

President CEO ─ EZ Marketing Inc

Based on excerpts from various articles, blogs, and sponsored research reports.

What Anticipation Got to Do With Hollywood/Bollywood Movies?

Anticipation is the process of imaginative speculation about the future.

Romantic Thriller

“Skate to where the puck is going, not to where it is.”  This famous saying by Wayne Gretzky, “the greatest player of all time” according to The Official Encyclopedia of the National Hockey League, nicely sums up the skill of anticipation.  The ability to predict where things are going is very important not only for ice hockey players, but for Hollywood/Bollywood movie producers as well.

Think of all the time movie producers/promoters/distributors spend anticipating the outcomes of their movie genre, the posters, the trailers, the distribution channels selected, the locations and timing of their theatrical screenings… and the impact of everything that can go wrong.  This list is by no means complete and there is so much more to this list of anticipated outcomes.

But what is anticipation?

Can we learn to anticipate better?  It certainly seems that experience has a lot to do with this ability.  Anticipation appears to be a complex skill, so I’ve decided to break it down to some more basic components.  Perhaps, if we work on those, we can get better at anticipation.  Here is my list:

• Asking the right questions:  When we anticipate something, aren’t we looking for an answer to some important question or problem that is on our mind?  If that’s the case, the practice of asking questions about future events should help us to get better at predicting the outcomes of those events.
• Recognizing patterns.  Patterns are predictable.  If you are good at recognizing patterns, you are good at anticipation.  Look for recurrent behaviors.
• Prioritizing.  We are constantly bombarded with all sorts of information.  When we make a decision about something that may occur in the future, we need to determine what to take into consideration and what to ignore.  Malcolm Gladwell’s bestseller book Blink is about learning what’s important and making snap judgments based on “thin slices” of information.
• Art of Thin-slicing: Great decision makers aren’t those who process the most information or spend the most time deliberating, but those who have perfected the art of “thin-slicing”─ filtering the very few factors that matter from an overwhelming number of variables.
• Follow Your Instincts: Its how we think without thinking, about choices that seem to be made in an instant─ in the blink of an eye─ that actually aren’t as simple as they seem. Why are some people brilliant decision makers, while others are consistently inept? Why do some people follow their instincts and win, while others end up stumbling into error? How do our brains really work-in the office, in the classroom, in the kitchen, and in the bedroom? And why are the best decisions often those that are impossible to explain to others?
• Mindfulness:  In order to anticipate, you need to be aware of what is going on around you.  You want to notice things like: the written words in articles; news; views; pre-views; reviews; the movies’ IMDb and ‘Box Office Mojo’ stats, the likes and dislikes on Facebook, the video views on YouTube ─ to get immersed in the churning pot of audience preferences and behaviors. Sometimes, anticipation is about paying enough attention to the present.
• Empathy:  I think there is a connection between empathy and the ability to anticipate.  If you can share in someone’s feelings and emotions, you can understand that person better, and as a result, you are better at predicting preferences and behavior.

Is there anything else I should add to the list?  Let me know.

Click on the picture and watch your anticipation being rewarded…

Click On Me

Anant B. Goel

Producer CEO – RKNet Studios

Producer Bollywood Movie – Pyar Mein Kyun

Pyar Mein Kyun Facebook Page

Body Language in Hollywood/Bollywood Movies

Mental and Physical Ability of Human Non-verbal Communications is Body Language… and Successful Actors Use it Effectively.

The 2012 Oscar for best picture went to a silent movie ‘The Artist’.  And one movie review said…

“The Artist, the final film to be released in 2011 and also the most heart-swellingly joyful one, is a silent movie, screened in black and white and …”

That says all that needs to be said about ‘Body Language’ as the most profound mental and physical ability of human non-verbal communications. Body language is an important part of human communications; which can constitute 93% or more of what we are communicating.  Body language consists of body posture, gestures, facial expressions, and eye movements. Humans send and interpret such signals almost entirely subconsciously.

Not only that, research shows that we humans prefer video communication over any other forms of communications. The reason cited is that retina is actually a piece of the brain that has grown into the eye and processes neural signals when it detects light.

What does this mean, in simple terms, to us humans… specifically for our preference for visual over any other forms of communications like sound, smell and touch? Well, this may be because our brain [in the retina] receives information first and processes it before that received from other channels like sound, smell or touch.

May be this “brain in the retina” explains why survey after survey, the research points to our preference for “Video” over “Widgets”. Recent research survey from CES 2009 enforces the belief that “Video will continue to be the preferred means of all human communications”.

RKNet Studios is producing new generation digital media films using the universal language – the body language, in the tradition of Bollywood and Hollywood. They are utilizing global talent with local resources to produce full feature films for audiences world-wide. Granted, the language in their movies is Bollywood Hindi and English, with English and Spanish subtitles, but, what’s so intriguing is the director’s focus on the use of the universal language, the body language.

Body language comes in clusters of signals and postures, depending on the internal emotions and mental states. Recognizing a whole cluster is thus far more universal and reliable form of communication than trying to interpret individual elements of spoken words in a dialog.  Hollywood directors get it right in their movies; that have over 70% body language, 20% dialog, and 10% metaphors and action.  Bollywood directors on the other hand seem to make movies for idiots; and have over 70% dialogs, 10% body language, and 20% irrelevant song and dance sequences.

James Borg, author of the book ‘Body Language: How to Know What’s Really Being Said’, states that human communication consists of 93 percent body language and paralinguistic cues, while only 7% of communication consists of words themselves. More extensive research has suggested that between 60 and 70 percent of all meaning is derived from nonverbal behavior.

Body language may provide clues as to the attitude or state of mind of a person. For example, it may indicate aggression, attentiveness, boredom, relaxed state, pleasure, amusement, and intoxication, among many other cues.

It is important to note that some indicators of emotion (e.g. smiling/laughing when happy, frowning/crying when sad) are largely universal; however in the 1990s Paul Ekman expanded his list of basic emotions, including a range of positive and negative emotions, not all of which are encoded in facial muscles. The newly included emotions are:

1. Amusement
2. Contempt
3. Contentment
4. Embarrassment
5. Excitement
6. Guilt
7. Pride in achievement
8. Relief
9. Satisfaction
10. Sensory pleasure
11. Shame

One must remember, however, that body language signals may have a goal other than communication. People should keep both these aspects of communication in mind.

Keen observers, and professionals, limit the weight they place on non-verbal cues and pay more attention to the biological origin of the person’s body language or actions.

Also, verbal communication is listened to in conjunction with body language to show the person you are talking with that you are actually listening. These signals can consist of; eye contact and nodding your head to show you understand or agree with them. Other more common examples would include yawning─ bored, or showing lack of interest, and attempts to change the topic─ fight or flight drivers in action.

Some people use and understand body language differently, or not at all. Interpreting their gestures and facial expressions (or lack thereof) in the context of normal body language usually leads to misunderstandings and misinterpretations… especially if body language is given priority over spoken language. It should also be stated that people from different cultures can interpret body language in different ways.

Click here

Unintentional human gestures such as making an eye rub; a chin rest, a lip touch, a nose itch, a head scratch, an ear scratch, crossing arms, and a finger lock have been found conveying some useful information in specific context. Some researchers have tried to extract such gestures in a specific context of educational applications. In poker games, such gestures are referred to as “tells” and are useful to players for detecting deception or behavioral patterns in an opponent.

There is also a huge interest in learning to avoid any unintentional gesture that might leave a negative impression on the onlookers. A large number of people are starting to attend special sessions on controlled body behavior and take advice from expert sociologists. Learning good body language, such as living styles of foreign people, is important during interaction in any sort of global community.

Anant B. Goel

Double Take

Producer CEO RKNet Studios

Producer Bollywood Movie Pyar Mein Kyun

How To: Find Hollywood/Bollywood Film Investors

Trying to compare Slumdog Millionaire to The Blair Witch Project or Clerks to The Passion of the Christ might seem like an all but waste of time effort. But there is one thing that all four of these films have in common: They are independent films, commonly known as indie films.

An indie film is produced independently from major Hollywood or Bollywood studios… and are often seen as more artsy or edgy than major studio productions. They are shown around the world at festivals such as the Sundance Film Festival in Utah or the Cannes Film Festival in France. Particularly buzz-worthy projects are sometimes purchased by major studios for distribution.

Indie films are funded with the producers’ own money, through loans, or with the help of private investors.  However, most filmmakers approach making their indie films with a “if you build it they will come” mentality. And they raise money with this mentality as well─ budgeting and raising money with a lack of understanding of how much revenue films are earning in the marketplace.

Furthermore, most filmmakers underestimate how important it is to research and understand realistic revenue projections for their films so they can ‘back into’ their film’s budget before raising the financing for it. Not only is this approach responsible and ethical fundraising but it can also increase the chances of your investors seeing a return on their investment [and potentially investing in your future project] and the chances of your film securing the financing it needs to be made in the first place.

You must first establish realistic revenue projections for your film─ as one of the key steps in responsible budgeting, and then use these projections as a baseline to build a sound financing plan to fund the budget for your film.

Yes, film equity investors still do exist and can be found, but the competition is fierce. However, if I can do it, so can you. It’s just a question of numbers.  Estimate how many investors you think you need to meet to find one that actually invests… then, multiply that number by 10.  That’s hard work.

Some of these sources may seem obvious or commonplace, but film investors are not hiding on the dark side of another planet. They could be your friends or family or someone that may reside on your block or goes to the same local Department store.  It is up to you to make sure your film project is ready.  It is also up to you to put the necessary hours of research into locating both past and future film investors.

Assuming you have a capable team, your script is amazing and the project can be done for a reasonable budget, here are a few strategies to research and locate potential film investors.

1. State Film Commissioners: They don’t want to advertise this, but state and sometimes city film commissioners are aware of the equity investors in their region, particularly in those areas where there are tax credits, tax incentives or rebates.  Why? Commissioners process all applications (from filmmakers seeking film tax credits and incentives), which must list all the investors. If you hype the state or local pride and promise to film something in their region, you never know what introductions may be made.

2. Entertainment Lawyers: When investors and producers need to protect themselves legally, they call on their favorite entertainment lawyers.  Those who specialize in independent film are aware of dozens upon dozens of executive producers, investors or angels. Whether they will divulge them to you is another matter. But a good start is to get to know them, perhaps become a client and try to get invited to their private parties.  Also, a good entertainment lawyer can be a superb ally for the entirety of your creative career.

3. Start-up Investors: There are tech and entrepreneurial meet-ups, conferences and gatherings in every major city in America.  Go to them. Why? Two reasons: It polishes your schmoozing and networking skills, which are absolutely essential to creative success.  Furthermore, start-up investorslurk in the shadows (or corners). Tech and other start-up businesses are extremely risky, just like films. It’s possible that these same investors could be persuaded to invest in your next start-up… meaning your next film.

Romantic Thriller

4. Entertainment Investors: Just like the start-up financiers, investors in restaurants, bars, or nightclubs are used to risky and collaborative investments.  They also like fun or glamorous investments. If you happen to know this type of investor, go for it. If you don’t, go to your favorite restaurant, bar or nightclub and meet them. Tell them how much more business and media coverage they can generate by being the locale for an important scene in your film or by hosting the premiere party.  Also helps to offer them or their spouse a small role in your movie.

5. Philanthropists: Every community has them.  They donate large sums to the local schools, parks, gardens, landmarks, museums, theaters, ballets and orchestras.  And sometimes, if you’re lucky ─ and they like you and your project, they may just invest in your next film.  Those philanthropists who live in your region and have a history of contributing to the arts are your best bet.

6. Internet Movie Data Base: IMDB is an online database of information related to films, television programs, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million unique users each month and a solid and rapidly growing mobile presence.

As everyone knows, IMDB lists the casts and crews of films and television shows. This also makes it a great source for researching and locating investors. It’s not the subtlest method, but it can be a start: Find film titles similar to your upcoming film in both budget range and genre.  Then click on “full cast and crew” and locate the ‘producers’ section. Those who have a “produced by” credit are generally film producers and not investors.  They are money raisers, but not investors themselves.  Those who have “executive producer” or “co-executive producer” titles─ and no other position on the film─ are more likely to be your target for independent film equity investing.

7. Films as an Alternative Investment: Wealthy investors make millions of dollars every year from their active and passive investments… and are always looking for ways to shelter their income. Something many investors may not realize is that there are tax benefits in place for film production costs. According to Section 181 of the US Internal Revenue Code, investors can deduct 100 percent of funds invested in “qualified” films. A “qualified” film has a budget below $15 million, with a minimum of 75 percent of the budget going towards qualified compensation—compensation for services performed in the US by actors, producers, directors or other production staff. This tax benefit has been extended for films that commence principal photography prior to 2012.

Many states and foreign countries offer their own film investment tax incentives in the form of tax credits, so investors should do some research in their area to learn what other benefits may apply. Many states and foreign production incentives are tax credits, whereas US Section 181 provides a deduction, which is less valuable. Most people confuse tax deductions with tax credits. State and foreign ‘Tax Credits’ can be sold and reduce taxes dollar for dollar: a $100 tax credit reduces your taxes by $100… or it can be sold for $100─ minus the banks’ commission.

The combination of federal and state incentives is “fairly powerful.”

From a wealthy investors’ point of view, film investment should not be looked at as a way to make a quick buck. It’s also for investors looking to put their money into a fun and creative project. Film investment can provide an experience like no other, but investors should be sure never to invest more than they can afford to lose.

Those who provide funds for a film’s production will have their names listed in the credits, typically as a producer. Investors can also attend premiers and potentially brush shoulders with some of the Hollywood/Bollywood stars. While it is always possible that one’s investment will turn out to be a money-making hit, the main appeal of film investments is the opportunity to be involved in something bigger than life and unique.

Money is one thing, but the idea of being involved in a film—being in and around something that’s so creative and energizing—can be just as big a motivation.  Investors can leave a legacy… and see their name appear in the credits for many years to come.

There are a few more traditional ways of raising money for your indie film and you should give them a try… you may get lucky, you never know:

• Superangel: is an investor that is able to invest large sums of money. They are considered superangels because they have the ability to invest anywhere from $500K to millions of dollars for your film.
• Banks: that specialize in the film industry are those that loan money based on the size of the studio producing the film. At times you can even find insurance companies that will also invest in film financing.
• Pre-sale: is a deal where the rights to the film are sold prior to production. The basis of the sale is the script and the A-list cast.
• Negative Pick Up: are deals in which a studio will purchase a movie from the producer at a set time at a set date for set sum. Up until that point the producer is financing the film himself. However, in this case a bank loan can be obtained because a studio has already agreed to purchase the film.
• The Studio Development Production: deals involve the studio owning most of the rights to your film. If you choose to go this route; hire an attorney to make sure that you are protected.

No matter what, do not use the Internet to find investors for your film or theater project.

Why?

We will cover that in the next article: How Not to Use the Internet to Find Film Investors.

By: Anant B. Goel

Producer CEO – RKNet Studios

Producer Bollywood Movie “Pyar Mein Kyun”

[Excerpts from various articles, publications, and blogs on the subject of indie film investment.]

Is Big Brother Watson Watching You on Internet & Facebook?

Do you remember Ken Jennings? He’s the genius who shattered game-show records with his incredible Jeopardy winning spree.

He’s also the human life form who got pummeled by IBM’s prized supercomputer Watson. About 15 million viewers watched Watson beat former Jeopardy champions Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter… a highly publicized victory in artificial intelligence that IBM always aimed to apply to the business world.

The champion computer did not retire after dethroning the game-show champ. Nope. The ultra-fast Watson sent his resume to Wall Street, where it was read by the hiring managers at Citigroup.

They liked what they saw.

Watson's avatar, by IBM

Watson has a new job… as virtual assistant to stock brokers, traders, and risk managers in outsmarting ordinary investors.

Get this. Citigroup, whose CEO is the India-born Vikram Pandit, will be the first financial services client of Watson… and Watson will get paid to process 500 gigabytes of information per second. And he will do it in the firm’s digital banking division.

In other words, the next time you call Citi, you’ll chat with a real, live, oxygen-breathing financial professional, but behind his keyboard, he’ll have access to a computer that can decipher 1 million books’ worth of information every second.

By the time you’re done clearing your throat to say, “No, thanks, I don’t want any shares of Groupon,” Watson already knows your next move and is adjusting the broker’s sales pitch accordingly.

Here is how IBM summed up its latest star employee:

The collaboration between IBM and Citi will explore how applying Watson in the consumer financial market could help empower financial professionals to make better business decisions and represents a significant step in delivering on the promise of personalized banking in the 21st century.

The lesson here, my friends, is really simple. You’ve been outsmarted. You’re outmatched. And the folks on Wall Street have the advantage.

It’s not fair. But what is?

You can complain about it all you want. But every second you waste is another second you’re fighting an unshakable machine. Watson is not just a highly optimized search algorithm. And, although it does perform a lot of database queries, that’s the not-so-interesting part of the package.

The Art of Conversation

The breakthrough is Watson’s ability to understand human language, ferreting out what we mean via the context and juxtaposition of our words and coming up in a very short time with an answer that has a high probability of being correct.

Beyond banks and other financial institutions, and insurance companies, Watson may have applications for healthcare companies, telecommunications companies, and perhaps even call centers.

Guess what?

IBM’s game show-topping Watson is starting another job, this time it’s in the healthcare sector, with a second real job after drubbing of the human race on US quiz show Jeopardy. Watson is now being outfitted to help us slack-jawed dim-witted humans live better and longer. WellPoint, a large US health insurer, will deploy a shiny new Watson system sometime this year to help physicians diagnose and treat their patients.

Here’s my take on Watson’s role in healthcare…

Recently, I had a fascinating and eye-opening conversation with a CIO type from a very large US hospital group. We talked about the woeful state of health care technology in the US.

The first thing he told me was that there is no Big Book of the Right Things to Do in Every Medical Situation.  I always figured that the medical community has been at it long enough to have arrived at the best treatments for most, if not all, diseases and conditions – but I was mostly wrong.

While there is a body of generally accepted treatments, what your particular doctor does when confronted with whatever loathsome condition you bring to him depends upon what he’s been reading in medical journals in his spare time, or what his bosses dictate, or things his golf-foursome pals suggest has worked for them in the past.

And there is a lot of medical research available today – thousands of studies of various drugs and treatment regimes. Some of it will be out of date and superseded by newer studies; some results will contradict current findings; and still others might apply only to a tiny set of special cases.

It is impossible to be fully up to speed all the time with current research. And even if your doctor is completely up to date, there are still judgment calls that need to be made between different alternatives.

Watson Handles Paper Mountain

This is where Watson comes in. The technology considers a set of symptoms; combines them with the patient’s unique health history; and can then comb through every single medical journal, research study, and empirical outcome to present the doctor with the best course of treatment.

As these data-led technologies come into wider use, I expect to hear a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth about how machines are taking over, and how nothing can replace the good old country doctor.

Where to next for Watson?

Some of the biggest financial institutions have already built big data centers. IBM is competing with most other major technology companies to sell them tools to analyze and use accumulated information.

Watson gives IBM “a huge marketing edge” in the race among tech giants including Google and Microsoft to obtain intelligence for businesses by teaching machines to understand sentences and paragraphs rather than searching for single words or phrases.

Beyond banks and other financial institutions, and insurance companies, Watson may have applications for telecommunications companies, and perhaps even call centers, said Saxena, who joined IBM when it acquired his company Webify Solutions in 2006.

Did I hear Call Centers?

Yes, and be afraid… very afraid of what may be happening to us consumers as early as 2015.

Brave New World is upon us. And it’s not just Big Brother…..

Take a look at what our future looks like… click here and watch this video.

Also, save this link to share with your friends and family…

http://www.aclu.org/pizza/images/screen.swf

Are you concerned?

You should be…

IBM may not admit it, but they won’t deny it either, the supercomputer Watson has applications for telecommunications companies, call centers, and perhaps the social media companies like Facebook and Twitter.

Read this from the media again…

“They think that Watson can make a difference. Still, Watson isn’t perfect. It is weak in languages other than English, and its processing of social media streams from platforms including Facebook and Twitter can be sluggish. The lag is “getting shorter”.

Did I say social media streams… and lag is getting shorter?

Yes, you heard me right!

If you’re wondering the next place Watson is going to show up… wonder no more.  The big brother Watson may be watching you on Facebook and Twitter already.

Now, seriously think why you are on Facebook and Twitter… and watch what you say or write on Facebook or the Internet for that matter!!!

Seriously, think again and read my next article as a follow-up…

“Why You Are on Facebook?”

Anant B. Goel

Producer CEO – RKNet Studios

Producer – Romantic Thriller Movie “Pyar Mein Kyun”

Based on news and articles in the media: Inside Investing Daily, Data Warehousing, and Bloomberg News

Nobody Cares What You Spent On Your Film Production

The problem with most aspiring filmmakers is that they want to make films for all the wrongs reasons. They don’t care about the business side of film making… they just want to make their first great film to be discovered and “loved” and be on their way to fame and fortune.  Of course, these filmmakers are not even aware that, at a subconscious level, all their focus is, most of the time, on the technical and production aspects of the film… and not so much on the profit and loss side of film making business.

Film making is a business and should be treated and managed as such. It is sad and really boggles the mind that a lot of so called “film directors” learn everything technical there is to learn about the creative side of film making, yet they completely skip learning the two most important things…

• Financial expertise and focus on the business side of film making: If these filmmakers made an effort to actually learn just 30% of what entails in creating a financially successful film, they would quickly learn to delegate the business aspect of film making and not wear multiple hats.
• How to work with actors and time management: Even the most seasoned directors don’t know how to work with actors and manage their time more effectively… really. What good is to buy a $25,000 camera if you don’t focus on what the audience is really going to watch…the acting and the storytelling.  Look at this way…

“If you hire an A-list actor for one day shoot for your movie and due to whatever reasons you can’t finish the shoot… and you end up keeping your star actor for another day, you just blew another $100,000 of the budget.”

All this reminds me, time and again, what I hear from filmmakers all the time. They’ve spent $500K or $1 million on their film and by golly they want [and need] to recoup that much to break-even.

Well guess what, here’s the cold hard truth… 

Distributors don’t give a rat’s hoot what you spent on your film, they only care about what the film looks like and more importantly: “WHO IS IN YOUR FILM”.

That’s right.

The distributors will only acquire your film for the market price or what the market can bear at any given time, and most of the time, it’s a lot less than what you think you’re going to get.

So what can you do about this conundrum? Well first of all, study and develop Sales Projections for your movie BEFORE you start the project. As a professional marketer myself and someone who is in constant contact with sales and market trends, I’ve developed a set of realistic sales projections for Hollywood and Bollywood indie films.

What you want to do is get a grip on what the market is paying first before you go spending millions in making your movie! Get in touch with reality and see what the market is paying before you pour an amount of money into a project that you’ll never recoup.

Second, you want to only put money into the areas that count – in real estate its Kitchens and Bathrooms. In film making it’s CAST and CAST.  Recently, I heard a horror story about a producer who made a horror film with $500K budget… and with no names.  And to this day, 3 years after the movie was completed, there are no takers.  In all probability, the movie can’t (or most likely won’t) be sold anywhere near the asking price. But, the movie producer keeps trying to fit a square peg into a round hole rather than do the easy thing – lower his expectations to take a loss and learn a lesson by lower his budget for future production.

Spend less! Like $450K less if you’re not willing to go after ‘names’ in your cast. Heck, even at the $450K level with names, I know someone who has been trying to recoup for 3 years, and is only halfway there in his recovery efforts.

So the bottom line is this – make your film according to what the market can bear not the other way around… and don’t expect the market to cooperate with your film project. Remember, buyers don’t care how much you spent – they are going to pay what they’re going to pay and could care less if you spent a million or ten thousand. They only care about what is on the screen!

Anyone who has an experience like this; where they spent more on their film than the market could bear… let me have your comments below?

Anant B. Goel

Producer CEO – RKNet Studios

Producer Bollywood Movie “Pyar Mein Kyun”