A Money Raising Conversation
A Money Raising Conversation
A Money Raising ConversationA few days ago I had an argument with a financier friend of mine who maintained that any business could be categorized and rated and therefore subjected to a standardized kind of financial test as to the potential of the business making a profit. I strongly announced my disagreement with him on the basis that filmmaking was one such business that did not neatly fit into his categorical analysis and then began to expound on how film was definitely different from almost any other business. I told him, true, making a film and being an entrepreneur had many similarities. I said that in fact most filmmakers I know are or have been entrepreneurs at some stage in their careers, but I maintained that there are many elements in filmmaking that are dissimilar to being an entrepreneur in almost any other business.
As in most other business and filmmaking there is first the conception stage, where the idea is conceived and developed which is akin to the preproduction stage in filmmaking where a producer finds or causes a script to be created. Then there is the financing stage of that idea. This stage includes all of the business planning, the charts and the graphs and the projections and the testing the market to see if what we hope to do has the slightest chance of working.
"But, I told him, here is where the fork in the road looms. The major difference between filmmaking and other businesses is that with many businesses one can make a standardized projection based on a location or a historical or physiological need, for example people will always need to eat bread, wash clothes or be transported from one place to another so if the entrepreneur gets the location right, there is a chance they might fill the gap, but with filmmaking it is totally different. There are no location factors that can pre-determine or determine the success of a film. Not even the biggest stars can guarantee a film's success. And audiences usually don't go to see films for the locations.
Next is the production stage, where the actual making of the product takes places if it is a manufacturing product, this is true of cars bread factories as well as film production, but now comes the interesting partthe marketing and the selling of the product.
With cars, or bread, one can target where people are living and project with certainty that people will have some use for their product, but not with filmmaking.
So my friend turned to me and asked if there is so much uncertainly why in the world would anyone with an ounce of good sense go into the filmmaking business. I was aware that he was looking at me with new eyes, since he knew I had been a filmmaker for more than thirty years. My response was that filmmakers unlike most people probably could not be classified as people with what might be traditionally called "good sense" as he perceived or defined the term. Instead they normally had another thing that his business standardization method could not measure. To this he took umbrage "In business everything can be measured, that is why in any university where sound business principles are taught, the same subjects are taught all the world over. Certain curriculum's are observed and applied all over the world, economics, statistics, analysis, that's the purpose of a standardized course of study. Then he added with a hint of sarcasm, even in American they understand this, in fact they understand it very well I must say. "
"Yes, they do, but not in the film business. I mean if the success of films could be predetermined, Hollywood which is the place where the film business originated, would never make unprofitable films as they have a history of all of the films that have ever made money and they have access to all of the elements that would give them the edge like economies of scale, talent, financial muscle and everything it takes the make the machine run."
He looked perplexed and then responded, "OK, but they do make profitable films a lot of the times"
"Sometimes" I corrected, "but is it as much by mistake as by design?" I asked.
Well. He was fighting to understand the logic of the curve ball I has just lobbed into our little Tete a Tete. As he is well known for his logic and level headedness I could see he was clearly perplexed.
"Soul" I said, "that's the determining factor for profitability in films.
"Soul"? he responded with a bewildered look as if I just spoken the previous sentence in Sanskrit.
"Yes, the pleasure a film gives to the soul. Pleasure or excitement for example, how does one measure, define or give it value? You are big Liverpool fan are you not?" I added.
"What does that have to do with it?" my friend bristled.
"Aside from the fact that they are on a losing streak at the moment and the fact you haven't tried to sell your season ticket?" I quipped.
His face became stern, I had touched a nerve. I could almost read his mind; I had his sacred cow by the horns and was leading her into the milking stall, possibly with the slaughterhouse being the next stop. He was rightly suspicious, because being a friend he was well aware of my joyful habit of dropping the odd fly into the honey pot. But I was on a roll and knew it. Not the time to lose momentum now.
"How does one measure how much pleasure one gets going to a football stadium watching guys kick a ball around in inclement weather, it is a matter of perception and value isn't it. You value the game enough to attend whether or not you think your team will win because you are connected to that team not with your logic or profit motive, but rather with your soul, I mean how much good sense does that show?
Feels more like a kind of masochistic heritage. In America if a team is losing, we simply switch side without any emotional attachment."
He blinked and opened his mouth to speak, but failed to utter a sound. I could see, my argument beginning to gain traction.
"But I am purely a fan, I am not into football for any monetary gain, for me it isn't a business venture." My wealthy friend answered curtly.
"You spend money on it" I reminded him. "You even travel all over Europe to follow your team that most certainly is a business proposition, especially if you add up all of the travel expenses, dinner, etc. not to mention the fact that I am sure you attempt to write most of it off as a business expense."
He coughed nervously, looked over his shoulder and then back at me as if I might be wearing a listening device and on a secret mission for the Inland Revenue.
I decided to make it easy for him. "Let's says the filmmaker is like a player on the field, he plays his hardest whether or not they win or lose, if they win they get a bonus but if they don't win enough they will get traded. Still they play as hard as they can win or lose. Unless you think they do it for the money?"
"No they do it because they love it" he said "and that's what they ..well they almost can't help it, it's like they were born to it."
"Exactly" I said "And such is the case with filmmakers, they are also born to this form of expression of the soulto tell stories with the help of a camera, lights, sound and actors.."
"Maybe I guess I can see it but it still doesn't make sense" my friend said.
"Like going to watch Liverpool consistently lose does?"
"Just leave it" he said and headed towards the bar.
"What you drinking" he called over his shoulder.
"Red Wine", I responded.
He returned to the table and we drank in silence for a while.
"That check you asked for, come get it on Friday afternoon, it will be ready then".
"Ok thanks"
What kind of film is it going to be anyway.." my friend asked.
"A film about a guy who fights against the odds to win.."
"Might be good" he said offhandedly finishing his drink.
"Yep, should be", I said drinking my wine quickly to suppress the gloating smile that was trying to escape from the corners of my lips.
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