Cinema's Secret Formulas: How To Save Money

And 4 tips for filmworkers on the business of cinema in the era of abundance, data hoarding, corporate lameness, and unrestrained CEO greed.

it is not just via the cracks…. sometimes we need to open the door for inspiration to enter

Today’s post of Cinema’s Secret Formulas is focused on production. I think I might do a few more of these. Aren’t you consistently surprised by the number of people in the FKATFB who don’t seem to know anything at all about how movies are actually made, let alone how to make better movies? Anyways, I will get more into that below.

We also have for you a slapdash version of a new variation of The5. I was thinking I might try to curate the links I find to share with you, my fellow filmloverworkermaker, a bit more. You know, group them around a common theme? I am bit short on time at the moment though, so I did do the gathering and the filtering, but I haven’t really spiced it up much with any personal perspective. Still though I encourage you all to check them out further.

The Five: Current Business of Cinema. 03.02.25 Edition

1. How to save money making a film.

2. YouTube Movies & TV can make you money (or maybe not).

3. The GSPs are ripping off indie filmmakers (sez you!)

4. Theatrical windows are getting longer (no they’re not)

5. Are festivals still a place for sales? Is the press a place to announce them

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How To Save Money (In Production)

You have to spend money (well) to save money.

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I have witnessed those that work to grind down the spend. They short-change. And everyone is left hanging. They pay people as little as they can and don’t give any grace. And then they wonder why everyone moves slowly, And breaks things. They deliver less than the cash flow that is actually required. They think they are saving money with such bone-headed practices but it is costing them more in the end. They might have saved some on their borrowing rate, but their burn is spreading fast.

It is a formula that should be obvious but the grinders don’t often have a lot of experience. They don’t usually have their hand in many quality productions, but even they can get lucky sometimes. Spending well on Tuesday, will help everything on Thursday. It is all about how you spend and when you spend. It is not about not spending.