How to set up a production company and enter film festivals

Michael James Dean is the founder of comedy production company Posh Dinosaur Productions. He has recently finished taking their latest film “Already Dead” on a successful year long film festival run. Now he’s taken the time to answer questions on setting up a production company, making a short comedy film and entering festivals.

There is huge value in here for anyone who wants to do this themselves. We think this is a fantastic resource, so lets get straight into the Q&A:

POSH DINOSAUR PRODUCTIONS

Why did you set up your own production company and what are the benefits of doing it?

In 2011 I sadly lost my father to cancer and I was filled with an enormous sense that I was under achieving. I had always wanted to make a career in film & tv and for many years I had worked as an actor in self funded projects and with minimal success in auditions. I fell into a severe low and I found the only way to push out of that was to fill my days with writing. I had always created and had written several scripts for stage and screen and found it was the perfect way to pull me through the grief.

I sat down and had an idea to create a show based around the idea of a young man who was diagnosed with Cancer on his 30th birthday and is giving twelve months to live. He decides rather than give in to the inevitable he is going to write a bucket list and complete all the things he can on the list, the idea was that each episode the audience would decide what from the list he would choose. I met with someone who was interested in helping me with the project and in our first meeting she told me that nobody would listen to me as I was essentially a nobody, sounds harsh but it was true. How could I justify a large budget idea when I have no track record. She suggested I create my own production company as it would mean I would be taken seriously, harder to ignore the president of a company right?

Sadly the project never came to fruition, however it got me through a tough part of my life and in turn the decision to create Posh Dinosaur Productions was born. I started the company with one goal to help create opportunities for those who found it hard to break into the industry.  Nearly four years on I am proud to say we have people that have worked alongside us that have gone on to bigger things including working in Hollywood.

We have grown slightly and it is an on going battle with funds and exposure but some of the happiest memories I have are from working with the amazingly talented cast and crew on our sets. The aim hasn’t changed but it has evolved as we move towards creating unique, exciting content that can reach larger audiences with the hope of larger budgets and better opportunities for creatives across the world.

Who else is involved in Posh Dinosaur and what skills do you need in a production company?

Fundamentally I run all the day to day workings myself, I talk to new clients, writers, directors, financiers, reviewers etc. The company is my vision and in we aren’t a funded company so the buck starts and ends with me. It’s both a stressful and a rewarding role but I love every new challenge I have faced.

Of course I couldn’t do any of it without the talented creatives I have worked with on all my films. I use freelancers for all my projects, I have a core of trusted creatives who I know I can always turn to including founder of production company Invisible Darkness Ricky J. Payne who has helped me create everything Posh Dinosaur has made. Darren Ruston is an extremely talented actor who I have worked with on all our projects. Also he has an extremely deep knowledge of acting and it amazes me that he is not a household name as a super talented, passionate individual. To list all those who have helped during the founding of the company I would be here forever.

In terms of key skills needed for a company my advice is to find a great producer, someone who knows how to find the right money for the right project and who can really pull a project through. If you know someone who is a social media guru this is essential in the modern age, you will not get any traction no matter how amazing your work is without someone who knows the best way to promote your work. I spend hours posting, emailing, requesting reviews and features and many times you can come up short, to have someone who can cut through all that is a god send.

Have people around you that you can trust for their honest opinion, they don’t have to be in the industry just make sure they are not your family or close friends but someone you know who can tell you honestly if they don’t like something. We can all have blurred vision sometimes and we steam ahead thinking our ideas is the greatest thing in the world but if someone had just told us to dial it in or take another route we would probably end up with a better outcome. Think of all those X-Factor hopefuls who could have saved themselves some embarrassment if someone they knew told them they sound like a cat in bag. I have several people I can turn to with my scripts and who I know will give me honest feedback on all of my work, it makes me a better creative and it pushes me to work hard.

Find yourself a group of people you love to work with whether they are runners, writers, sound designers it doesn’t matter they will fill your creative cup up and pull you through the times when you feel uninspired.

Even if like me you start on your own you will find people who value the same things as you. Learn what it is you want from your company and be honest with what you believe in, once you find that people will find you.

ALREADY DEAD – PRODUCING A SHORT FILM

How long did each stage of the process take (writing, filming and editing / post production)?

I wrote the short over two months in 2015 however with every script it changes and develops as you move into production. You will find yourself making changes right up to day one of shooting, things change; locations fall through, actors drop out, time runs out and you have to adapt.

Pre-production I always set myself around 3 months to complete. There is no doubt this could be done far quicker but because we were on a low budget I always feel if you give yourself extra time you can usually find low budget alternatives to what you need. There is a lot of waiting around when money isn’t on the table. This phase included casting, crewing, props, location and shoot prep.

The shoot took 5 days in total spread over various weeks in June 2016 they were fairly swift as we used one location for each day of shooting and due to the documentary nature of the film we wanted it to look rough and ready.

Post production took around 6 months again because of working arrangements, this period included several cuts of the film, a sound designer from the super talented Filipe Periera, music by Ed Harris and a colour grade which was the hardest part as I was particular on how I wanted the film to look and feel.

We screened a cut of the film to a selected audience in March 2016 with anonymous feedback, which I advise anyone to do. It is the most valuable experience you can have as a creative ultimately you will be showing this to an audience and if you get 70 people in a room and 60 of them tell you your ending sucks you have a problem on your hands. Luckily we had some great feedback and nothing we couldn’t change in post-production.

Finally we had our first festival on June 12th 2016. Of course your work doesn’t stop there as we placed our film in festivals for a year before we made it available online and that includes marketing material, press kits, reviewers, bloggers, screenings and networking. We started in June 2015 and I am still promoting the film now in June 2017 so it has been a long process.

We have a feature film version of the film that we are working on at the moment so the journey for Already Dead continues onwards!

Where did you find the actors for your script?

I use a variety of methods I have a pool of actors I know from working as an actor myself and from previous projects so if I feel they are right for the part I get them in for an audition or a read. I work in various roles behind camera on other projects and this means I am able to meet actors on set, this mean I can invite them to audition or read. I also use Shooting People, Casting Call Pro, Social Media any outlet I can. You will also find that when you start creating actors come to you as they are always looking for a new challenge.

If you are talking about named actors this can be far more difficult, obviously you need to have a great script to hook them and then you have to get past the agents, if you haven’t got a budget this becomes an extremely up hill battle unless you know the actor or know someone who knows them. Having said this that shouldn’t stop you contacting actors agents after all they want their clients to work and if they see a great script they are not idiots. I know several people who have secured name actors just by contacting their agents and the stars align for them. My advice is if you get a star use them to get your budget up but don’t assume they are the key to success it’s the script and all the other elements that make a great movie not just De Niro.

FILM FESTIVALS

How did you choose which film festivals to enter?

Choosing which festival to apply for is a long process. With my first film I did what most people do and that is apply for every festival I can afford. Well the money soon dries up and you’ll get rejection after rejection. Why? Well because you’ve enter festival that screen 5 short films but accept 3000 entries and you’ve entered a comedy into a drama heavy festival. You have to research your festivals, look at what they have programmed in past years, how many shorts do they accept? How many are UK short? Do they favour premieres? What’s their audience? Also know your audience, be honest with yourself is it a Horror or a Thriller, is it a gross out comedy or a romantic comedy. Once you know what your ideal audience is you’ll know what festivals are the right fit for your movie.

A great tip I got taught was never enter a late deadline. I’ve done it. You panic, it’s a great festival and you want a shot, but the truth is they have probably already chosen the line up and your money is just going to waste. Save the fee and use it on another festival there is always next year if you missed the regular deadline.

The large festivals like Sundance, Cannes, Slamdance etc are extremely hard to be a part of because everyone wants to get involved so when I apply for these I see them as betting. I accept that my $50+ is probably just going into thin air but if I get accept it will be a huge stepping stone so it’s a gamble I choose just in case. There is nothing wrong with giving it a good, just don’t do it for all the large fee festivals if you don’t have the budget.

So research is the key here get an excel table ready and find out about all the festivals you want to apply to find out if they fit your film and if they are a perfect match send them off. Ultimately there is no golden rule to getting into a festival. Just like you have different opinions to your friends and family, judges and festival programmes have their own tastes. If the right person sees your work and it hits them that’s all it takes they will fight for the films they love. Creating the best product you can is all you can really do.

Also a side note with the rise of online streaming and self distribution many filmmakers are choosing not to enter festivals but inside use their budget to market and online release or use a regulator to try and get their film on Netflix, the film industry is changing rapidly.

If you do get accepted into festivals and you can attend I urge you to do so. I have been accepted to so many film festivals that I just couldn’t attend due to funds and have missed out on some amazing opportunities to network. You don’t want Harvey Weinstein to see your film, ask where you are, only to find out you aren’t there. He will just move onto the next filmmaker he loved. Festivals are built to help you network, you and your team put in so much hard work you should get out there and tell everyone about it and you never know you might meet the person who will push your career to the next level, or your future spouse, or best friend. Who knows?

What are your top 3 tips for success at film festivals?

My three top tips for success at a festival

1. Attend (If you can) Show your support whether you made or are a part of the project, network the hell out of everyone that is there and enjoy seeing your work on screen. You honestly never know who you will meet or what you will learn from seeing other filmmakers work.

2. Don’t try and make a film that will win at festivals just make the best film you can. So many people try to second guess what festivals will want and they end up making a paint by number bore fest that nobody is interested in. Stay true to your own voice and work your butt off to make the best possible film and if it isn’t the best don’t enter it until it is.

3. Target your money. As self funded filmmakers you are likely to have little funds and most will have been spent on the production. Use that money wisely by researching every festival meticulously to ensure that money is well spent.

Can I add a 4th?

4. Don’t worry about it. Honestly your film might get accepted to 50 festivals or it might get rejected every step of the way, honestly don’t let it get to you. It’s like everything in this business you have ups and you have downs. Knowing that you love what you do will push you through and if Jeff the festival programmer doesn’t like your film screw him because not every great film won an award or played at a festival. Have confidence that your work is great, make it great and tell the world about it. We sacrifice a lot to work in this industry and if you work hard you’ll get there in the end.

Thanks for letting me answer these questions hopefully they will help some of you and if you have any other questions feel free to contact me at info@poshdinosaur.com