Dear Film Investor.

Dear Film Investor,

With all the industries that are looking for investors, why have you chosen to support film and or television? Yes, it can be profitable, but so are many other kind of businesses. So why have you chosen to risk your money on projects that are solely based on the whims of the audiences?

I chose to be a writer, because telling stories is how my soul breaths. I became a producer and editor to bring quality to those tales. I am a creative with a good business sense. It is this blending from which profitable films and television projects are born.

I would like to speak with you about the qualities that make a successful and profitable film. It's easy to describe the traits in hindsight. Think about your favorite films. Does list contain sequels and remakes or does it have the original movies? If your list is like mine, it contains the original projects. So many filmmakers have been remaking the great films, while I on the other hand want to work with those that made them great.

Audiences are very fickle and unpredictable. Project that shouldn't work by the numbers some times are the biggest successes, while those, who should be the big hits, flop at the box office. That is the name of the game. The summer of 2014 was cold and rainy, which should have driven people to the box office, yet it was the worse in 20 years. The studios keep making excuses and pointing at reasons that were out of their control. This year they are bragging about the big box office receipts, but are their films really as popular as they are claiming when you factor in the huge cost of movie tickets. It's easy to rack up big sale numbers when you are multiplying by a large number. How profitable will they be after you factor in their immense production and marketing budgets?

It may sound like I am trying to talk you out of investing in the entertainment industries. But that is far from the truth. I'm asking you to actually think about why you want to invest and then really look at the industry.

Most studios are part of large corporate conglomerates, who frequently use them tax write offs. For this reason, they choose projects that won't be successful, then further hobble their ability to be profitable by inflating the budgets. Their corporate accounting voodoo blackens the entertainment industry's reputation with the high risk label. Is it really the industry or the bean counters who are at fault when a film or television project doesn't make a profit?

Think about your favorite films. Were they remakes or were they original projects. Was Jaws 2 or 3 as good as the original? Or was it the originality and the innovation that made it your favorite? Great films start with a solid, original script. Revamping an existing script and adding the latest special effects isn't creating a new film; it's producing a rerun.

To expand the concept, did the actors make the film your favorite or was it the film, which made you a fan of the actors? A list talent guarantee nothing but a larger budget. This is a fact that has been proven many times in the past decade as films starring the biggest names crash and burned at the box office. A list talent doesn't make a film profitable; casting the right talent in the right role makes both the film and the actor popular.

A quality film starts with a sold, original script that has well develop characters and plot. Quality comes from properly preparing during pre-production to develop and incorporate the creative elements, while factoring the budgetary restrictions. If you properly plan, you don't have to waste money fixing in post. Once the film is ready for the audiences, the promotion and marketing campaigns need to showcase the film through all media venues. However, for good or ill, the best marketing tool is still word of mouth, which is why the initial presentation to the target audience is so important. It is the hub to reach the general audiences.

When you give your customers what they want, when they want it in a cost effective way, your business will be successful. This especially applies to the entertainment industry. People can't live without food, shelter, or energy, but entertainment comes from disposable income. When that budget is tight, audiences become more particular with how they spend their time and money. With all the new venues, you have to give the audiences a reason to choose your project. Our projects are build on solid original scripts that have strong casts and crews. . At Cosmos Productions we combine originality, innovation, and common sense budgets to produce both film and television projects about people who are forced to face their fears. Sometimes they win. Sometimes they lose. But either way, they will inspired the audiences to laugh, cry, and care about the characters as if they were friends, family, or the person they see in the mirror. In short, we give them a reason and permission to become emotionally involved with others.

We keep our budgets reasonable and responsible, which allows us to produce more projects and spread the risk among them. I can't legally guarantee that our projects will make a profit, but when you give the audiences what they want, they have proven they will come. I invite you to join our team and enjoy our amazing journey.

Website

Our current slate of projects:

 

Never Can Say Good-bye

Love can be a blessing or the curse that destroys a town.

Comparable to Ghost, The Others, and Dark Shadows

Genre: Paranormal Thriller feature film

Status: ready for pre-production

Have you ever met someone and suddenly felt love or hate? Did you wonder why? What if you had forgotten the reason? Would you want to remember if it could save you life 
 
Elizabeth was asked by her mentor to teach a writing course at a small college. Since she never forgets a kindness, she reluctantly agrees. Arriving in town, she instantly regrets her decision. She wants to run, but she is honor bound to stay. Even as the ghost of a small child begs her to forgive, the memories of another time arouse feelings of hatred that she doesn't understand and cannot control. When she meets Shane, all of their lives are thrown onto a dangerous collision course from which they can neither run, nor can they hide. The question is, "Can they overcome their tragic past or will they be doomed to repeat it?"



 

Horses and Heroes

Although veterans can't go back and make a brand new start,

they can start from now and make a brand new end.

Comparable: I have not found another show like it.

Genre: Documentary/talk show TV series

Status: ready for pre-production

Horses and Heroes combines the concepts a talk show with that of a documentary, by intertwining the spontaneity of a talk show with the scripted informational aspects of a documentary. It will utilize both interviews and practical demonstrations of horse therapy to give the audience a full understanding of how and why working with the horses help veterans heal. Although Equine Therapy will be the stage, the primary focus will be on the veterans as they sharing what they experienced while they served our country and how those events had a lasting effect on their lives as well as on those who love them.

Operation Home Base

Helping others heals our wounds

Comparable: MASH, The Waltons, and NCIS

Genre: Scripted Drama -Action TV series

Status: ready for pre-production winter 2016

Not all scars show. Not all wounds heal.
Author unknownn
Missing limbs can be replaced by the miracle of modern medicine and technology. They are functional, but not the same. But what of the pain that is unseen yet goes soul deep? These are the wounds that bind us to the past. Some use it as an excuse to hurt others. Some hurt themselves. Yet there are the few who channel their pain into helping others as a way of healing themselves or to pay penance for the harm they caused.
Facing their own demons, veterans and civilians come together to actively make a difference through legal, medical and logistics systems, to help active duty, reserves, and retired military personnel, veterans and their dependents. Their motto is: “We've got your back” What if, in their dedication to help, the founders of Operation Home Base stumble upon an international cover up; putting a target on their backs? Do they shrink in fear or do they “damn the torpedoes” to face the challenge with a “gung-ho” mentality?

Eye of Ra

Envying others murders the best of ourselves.

Comparable: Exorcist and Amityville Horror

Genre: Occult Horror

Status: Spring 2016

All families have natural gifts that they pass down through the generations. Yet these gifts are not always equally shared among family members. Sometimes generations are skipped or given the talents that are more passive than active. Not all gratefully accept their destiny; instead, they choose to steal what belongs to others--even if it means murdering their own children.
Katherine was born with the power to control the elements. Her whistle called the winds. Her tears refreshed the earth. She sees into the realms where fools and angels fear to tread. Yet her daughter Sandra's gift were complimentary—or they should have been. Katherine created life. Sandra had the ability to nurture and heal. She could see their destiny and helps them to release their fears. Instead she envied the talents others. A voice from the dark void asked, “What she would do to have their power. Sandra replied, “Whatever it takes.”

Paramount, Warner Bro., Lionsgate--Do you still be believe in Quality Films?

It was implied to me yesterday that I am archaic. That I don't know what the modern audience wants. I always loved films because they were a break in the fast pace, competitive world. Those two hours were a time to laugh, cry, be scared and visit other worlds. It was a time to relax and take a break from my own worries and life challenges. You fell in love with and along with the characters. You shared their adventures and their challenges. You also shared in their successes. They gave you hope that you could also win in your life.

But evidently movies aren't like that any more. I was told that in order to get foreign sales there had to be nudity and sex . Evidently they are more important the the foreign markets instead of love and romance. Plot and character development were less important than the having the scenes strobe across the screen. I have been told that the modern audiences don't have the attention span, patience, or the intelligence to watch movies that have actual plot and character development. It's so much easier to produce shallow films; they sell more toys, beach towels and other crap.

I don't believe this to be true. I believe that there is intelligent life out there, but I think that they are being ignored. I know there is a market for good old fashion plot and character based films. So let them call me archaic. I'll wear the label proudly because I will not compromise on quality.

http://www.theresachaze.com/

What Makes a Successful Film?

The main doctrine of a profitable business is to produce a quality product that consumers want at a cost effective price. Yet for many production studios, film distributors and investors there is a major disconnect with this concept. Not only have they failed to produce a product that consumers want, they are also not producing their product in a cost effective manor. Whereas technological advances in production and distribution equipment have lowered costs, while increasing quality, film budgets continue to skyrocket.

When choosing films to support studios, distributors and investors ask “whose in it?”, while the audience asks “what is the film about?”. The former believe A list talent insures the success of a project; therefore films without a hot actor on board have difficulty finding financing and distribution. Yet the box office has repeatedly proven this standard to be false. Which celebrity is hot and who is not quickly changes. They quickly become famous for one project, yet they just as quickly disappear. Talented actors—the ones who have learned their craft--maintain a standard of excellence that begins with smaller roles and develops into the body of work, which leads to more challenging roles.

True A listers do not magically appear through PR tricks or highly publicized bad behavior. They are created when the right actor is cast in the perfect role for her or him. It is the unique combination of the right person, the right role at the right time that launches an actor into stardom. The best example is Indiana Jones. Tom Selleck was the first choice for the role. He was the hottest male star at the time, but he was unavailable. Harrison Ford was cast. Most people would be hard pressed to imagine anyone else as Indiana Jones. Although Stars Wars launched Ford to stardom, it was Raiders of the Lost Ark, which made him box office gold. However, even with his strong fan base and his profitability track record, not even Ford could pull in an audience for Cowboys & Aliens. The storyline wasn't strong enough for the audience to suspend their disbelief enough to buy tickets.

Although many of the “A list” actors started in television, many distributors discount their profitability in the theatres. They refuse to see how far reaching and potentially profitable television actors can be. Popular television shows create a fan base not only for show, but also for the individual actors. Ratings translate not only into advertising dollars, but ticket sales as well. Television talent, which has yet to make the leap to film, is more cost effective. They have strong fan bases, yet their salary and perk requirements are usually not has high as their film equivalent. They are also used to working on tight production schedules, which also lowers costs. In addition, every episode of their show is free advertising for whatever film they appear.

Studios and distributors are responsible for the endless remakes and sequels. From their perspective, if it was successful once, it'll work again and again and again. Audiences are tired of reruns. They are looking for something new and the box office proves it. The success of Spider-man movies as well as few other films on the surface supports their theory. However, how much of the box office is not so much the audience being excited about particular film, but rather wanting to see a movie and choosing to see the lesser offensive film. The successful reruns are far out numbered by the mediocre remakes. Dark Shadows and Total Recall are just two in the latest remakes that haven't lived up to expectations. Ticket prices also contribute to the seemingly high box office numbers. By dividing the price of tickets sold into the grosses, the numbers prove that attendance is down.

Audiences are more loyal to genres than to cast, crew or production teams. Although there are hundreds of sci-fi, romance, horror, anime, etc conventions, there has yet to be one convention for an individual actor. Genre is a more reliable source of profitability. The Devil Inside is a perfect example. It is micro budget horror film with a 1 million budget. It was distributed Paramount Insurge. Opening weekend, it grossed 33 million dollars. By all accounts, it is a bad movie, yet it went on to gross over 101 million USD worldwide, because of the genre and it was new film. Many people have a favorite genre, which they will go see no matter who is starring in it or what others say about the film. These people are the target audience, whose word of mouth endorsements will bring in the general audiences faster than any marketing campaign.

Secondly the high production costs have limited the number of films the studios are producing each year and thereby reducing the number of films distributors have available to them. In the past, each studio produced hundreds of films a year, which spreads the financial risk factor among them thereby protecting the studio's bottonline. They were always looking for new projects and new talent in which to invest. However with the enormous budgets most new films, studios, producers and distributors have placed all their financial eggs in one or two baskets. The big budgeted films have to do extremely well otherwise the studio suffers a great financial loss. The break even point for a 100 million dollar film is much higher than for a 20 million dollar film. For that same 100 million, five films could be produced, giving the studio a five times higher chance of making a profit.

Big budgets are caused by A list casts, special effects, big egos and lack of pre-planning.

• A list actors, directors, and producers simply cost more. A list actors cost millions of dollars, a percentage of the grosses and special “requests”, which could include anything from special food to having their entire family brought with them. The greater expense is justified by their increased profitability. The Tourist is a prime example of how this is not always true. It had two A list actors and barely made budget.
• Technological advances have created more opportunities for special effects. But by focusing on the new effects, character and plot development have suffered. John Carter is the best example of what focusing on special effects at the expense plot and character really costs.
• Big egos, poor planning and lack of flexibility combined together are the biggest waste of funds. For decades films were able to boasted about their ability to be innovative. They were the “MacGyvers” of the business world. They were experts at finding creative solutions to production challenges; that has changed. They would rather spend money like a drunken sailor on payday than think outside the box. Disney is remaking The Lone Ranger. Instead of leasing or bartering use of one of the existing western frontier towns, they are building a town. Why? Because someone on the team was unwilling be flexible with their vision of what the town should look like. There was another film that spend thousands of dollars in post production to change the color of a character's shirt. It would have been more cost effective just to make sure character had the right color shirt in the first place.

Technology had brought down both production and distribution costs. Digital video has eliminated the film stock and processing costs. Bulky production and editing equipment has been replaced with smaller high tech pieces that are easier to transport and are more cost effective. Theatrical distribution has replaced expensive 35 MM film prints with hard drives and electronic downloads, which has eliminated the most costly aspects and allowed simultaneous worldwide release, while eliminating most pre-release pirating.

Even with the massive budgets, film continues to be one of the United State's most profitable exports. It is one of the few industries that can't be outsourced. Films that do not make budget domestically find an eager audience abroad. However, theatrical release is only one source of income. DVD or electronic download followed by pay per view and network release increase the films revenue without adding to the production costs. The growing number of Internet and satellite entrainment networks has created an increasing demand for new television programming and films. These venues have a high demand for content and have the ability to pay for it.

The film industry is a business like no other; yet like every other business its success depends on their ability to provide a quality product that meets its customers' needs. There a no simple formula for a successful film. What people will like cannot be summed up on a balance sheet. Just because a film worked once, it doesn't guarantee that it will work again. Nor can relying too heavily on one element, whether it be star power, special effect or remaking a popular film, insure a film's profitability. However, if you give the people what they want they will come.

Have you ever met someone for the first time and instantly liked or hated them? What if the meeting again was not by coincidence, but an opportunity to make different choices? Would you do things differently or would you make the same mistakes?

Elizabeth was asked by her mentor to teach a writing course at a small college. Since she never forgets a kindness, she reluctantly agrees. Arriving in town, she instantly regrets her decision. She wants to run, but she is honor bound to stay. Even as the ghost of a small child begs her to forgive, the memories of another time arouse feelings she doesn’t understand and is unable to control. When she meets Shane, Elizabeth is overwhelmed with hatred. The feeling is mutual as Shane redirects her jealousy and rage. By the time Elizabeth realizes what is happening, it is too late to run. Can she and the others learn how to forgive and remember the love before the jealousy, hatred and need for revenge once again take over their lives?

Never Can Say Good-bye is a traditional ghost story with a reincarnation twist. It picks up where the films Somewhere in Time, Always, and Ghost left off. Its logline is: Love and hate survive death.

To learn more about Never Can Say Good-bye and Theresa Chaze's other projects go to www.theresachaze.comwww.theresachaze.com