What Would it Take to Make this?

[Darkwing]

I have a question that I'm hoping some of you can weigh in on, especially those that actually has experience in making and finishing stuff and even more importantly, finishing big stuff (feature films essentially). But I'll take all opinions. First off, I'm going to post a script in CeltX format. Please don't redistribute the script and on top of that, if you're willing to read it at all that would be impressive (it's 130 pages.) Before I ask my questions, first make a couple of assumptions. One is that there would be minimal changes to the script, no reducing it to a short film or anything. The second, imagine it's a perfect and hypothetical world.

 

So the question of questions. What would it take to make this movie? Like just off the top of your head, how many people, resources etc do you think ideally would be needed to make the movie in a reasonable timeframe (say 3 years). I guess just assume it'll be 3D animated in a photorealistic fashion (if you want to answer so far as a live action pic then go for it). But just in your general opinion, what would it actually take to make this movie? If you do read the script (or some of it even) look at the one labelled Draft 2.

ELZ.zip

[Rodney]

While this is a caculator that figures out video production costs (and what you should charge for them) you could still use it to arrive at the answer to your hypothetical:

 

Videomaker Magazine Video Rate Calculator

 

The focus here is money but that is just the common denominator commonly used as exchange for goods and services.

As the calculator is designed to calculate per year you'd have to factor three times the number for your final figures.

 

I've seen excel spreadsheets used to calculate the cost of producing an animated movie and those would also work in figuring out your target numbers.

 

Off the top of my head I'd say 10 million pazoozas to bring the film in on time and on budget under a three year production schedule.

That wouldn't account for marketing and distribution.

[Darkwing]

I've only had a chance to take a quick look at the link. Looks like a useful tool, though I have no concept about how much some of those businessy things would cost (ie rent)

[robcat2075]

I haven't read the script yet, but I'm not much on dollar figures anyway.

 

Perhaps an interesting exercise would be to look up movies of similar complexity on IMDb or BoxOfficeMojo and see what their budgets were.

 

There are lots of people making "micro-budget" films that look good but they cut a lot of corners or do a lot of FX work themselves "for free". Their pictures rarely get distributed, however. Never, really.

 

A major motion picture that gets a real release tends to be at least tens of millions in budget. "Magic Mike" and "The Hurt Locker" got done for about ~$10 million each, but those were not major effects pictures.

[Darkwing]

Well I'm not just looking at dollar figures, but like, necessary roles that would be filled (ie how many animators would be needed, modellers etc). It's really just a matter of curiosity. I suppose with a lot of dedication and caffeine, one person could in theory (if they had the time) produce such a thing on their own or with a very small team.

[detbear]

Hey "D"

 

Press on....you can do it. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. But be wise in how

you approach it. Planning is the most inexpensive and yet skipped part of most

projects. Plan on paper.....plan shots out.....plan how each will be done. The more you

plan, the less re-do's you'll experience. There's a huge potential for wasted time do to

a lack of planning. Planning on your part is free, but wasted production time is expensive.

 

I completed a half hour show. I did a bunch of it myself. Actually most of it.

However, I hired a few people I knew were experts in the areas I needed. They did a

great job by the way.....Thanks guys(AKA....Robert, William, Nancy, Mark M, Brian N.)

 

A few others on the forums here have created some pretty cool "Large projects".

 

When I say "Large," I'm talking about something more than a short film. Something

longer than 15 minutes. In my case, 28 minutes.

 

Whatever the path you choose, I think a small, refined crew is always the best way to go.

 

Pre-production work is essential. How much do you already have completed as far as models,

rigs, props, etc.

 

I could go on and on and on.....but If you need anymore advice in getting a project actually finished,

I'd be happy to give you my 2 cents.

 

A bunch of projects get started....but very few get finished unless they have big budgets to plow through

all the obstacles.....And there will be obstacles.....even ones that can shut the production down completely.

 

With that said, I believe that if you really want to accomplish this....you can do it. Just soak up the experience

of people who have actually completed large projects. The best questions to ask are "what were the biggest hurdles you

faced and what mistakes did you make."

 

Press on....you can do it.

[largento]

People rarely finish "epic" things. It is possible, but they have to look at it as a thousand tiny projects they must succeed at. It's like losing a great deal of weight. You focus on each day and then they add up.

 

I would set up a goal to accomplish something relative to what you'll need to be able to do for the big project. Try one scene or sequence. The experience you gain from this will tell you what it will take for you to do the whole project.

 

And you'll have something to show others who might be attracted to your project.

[Darkwing]

Baby steps, I like that. It's logical, makes sense. Looking at the whole thing at once is completely overwhelming. That's actually why the project was canned a couple years ago. It was basically too big and we weren't willing to reduce it. Making a scene or sequence though could be an interesting and manageable thing to do though. I'll definitely consider that!