Movie Business

[RCBH928]

Hello

Does any one here have any idea how the movie business works, because I would like to discuss that a little bit.

One of the things I want to know, what makes movies cost millions?
I understand there are a lot of stuff to pay for and a lot of people to get paid but what are the most expensive things needed in producing your usual movie?

I ask this because I noticed that Spiderman 3 is the most expensive film as it seems, and I just can't believe it. Older movies like cleopatra seem like it was much bigger production, I heard it was because of the special effects, but I think I saw a lot more special effects in X-men.


The second thing is that I saw Hercules by Disney today and they had producer names. Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't the producer the guy that pays the money and funds the movie and takes the risk to make the profit? If so, how come it is a Disney movie when some one else paid for it?

[Anayo]

Inflation might have something to do with Spiderman 3 being "most expensive." Case in point, Disney's Sleeping Beauty cost 6 million (I think), but today in 2009 that would be pretty low budget for an animated film.

[Funk, E]

Actors cost a lot of money--they get paid their enormous salaries because they bring in enormous crowds. And take a look at the credits of the film: That's hundreds of people there, almost all of which are earning a fair amount of money for working on the production. And then you get into special effects--not all of the effects for the film are things that you actually notice or see--there are all sorts of invisible effects, compositing, color grading, rotoscoping, and thousands of little touchups that get done but (hopefully!) aren't noticed by the viewing public except in an overall sense.

[Limewater]

And then you get into special effects--not all of the effects for the film are things that you actually notice or see--there are all sorts of invisible effects, compositing, color grading, rotoscoping, and thousands of little touchups that get done but (hopefully!) aren't noticed by the viewing public except in an overall sense.

Apparently, in Spider Man 3, they had already smashed up the windshield of a convertible and then decided they wanted to re-shoot a scene where its windshield was intact. So they re-shot the scene with a broken windshield and then spent I don't know how much money digitally fixing the windshield in post-production.

The above may just be an urban legend, though.

[Luke]

Hello

Does any one here have any idea how the movie business works, because I would like to discuss that a little bit.

In short, just like any other well run business, but with higher marketing costs.

[dsheinem]

Here's a crash course overview on the industry and "who does what" in an article I have the students in my film course read -

http://www.sendspace.com/file/nzley7

It is a few years dated (and was when I used it last), but the basics are all there.

[Funk, E]

And to note, the vast majority of films don't cost that much money, relatively speaking.

[fastbilly1]

Ive been in out of the industry most of my life, freelance videography and connections. But I can tell you the most surprising expense is locations. Especially if you are doing something like a chase scene. You have to pay for the stretch of land from the city, then you have to pay for the police to reroute traffic, you might have to pay the stores on the stretch since you are effectively shutting them down for a day or two, then any extras, and what not. One scene can easily end up being a couple hundred grand.

This is why for the second Matrix film they just made their own stretch of highway - it was the cheaper alternative.

Ill say more when I get back in town.

[Jrecee]

Apparently, in Spider Man 3, they had already smashed up the windshield of a convertible and then decided they wanted to re-shoot a scene where its windshield was intact. So they re-shot the scene with a broken windshield and then spent I don't know how much money digitally fixing the windshield in post-production.

The above may just be an urban legend, though.

No it's true. They actually knocked the entire windshield off of the car when it drove under a truck during the chase scene. They later cut that part out and had to put the windshield back on the car. So, not only did they spend god knows how much setting a scene up where the car drives under a truck, they then cut it out and had to spend a bunch of money digitally replacing the windshield. That's the type of stuff that makes movies cost millions.

And at any given time you've got probably 100 people on set. People driving cars in the background have to get paid. People walking down the street have to get paid. People who are lighting the scene. People who are operating the cameras. And then you've got to feed all those people, pay for the street that they're walking down, and when it's all done you've got to pay someone to color correct the street, put buildings in the background that weren't there, etc. Half the reason movies like this end up costing so much is because they're so big they just don't worry about the budget. That's why you can still make a perfectly good movie for under a million dollars, you just have to think your budget through more heavily.

[RCBH928]

Hello

Does any one here have any idea how the movie business works, because I would like to discuss that a little bit.

In short, just like any other well run business, but with higher marketing costs.

Marketing costs are another thing. I heard insane marketing costs like 20-30 million.
So my movies budget is $70 million, $40 just for the movie and then $30 just for marketing?
thats insane.


As for workers, do you have to feed them when they pay you?
Companies don't give free lunch for employees in a company, or is the movie business different?

Jreecee
What do you mean they don't care about budget, of course they do.
What is terrorizing is that some movies fail so miserably that they reach sales of $200,000 when they were made for few millions! So you never know, think of Psyconauts for a videogame example. "Tamara" is a movie example.

dsheinem
thanx for the article

No one answered me about the producer question