Ask HN: Can a No Budget Indie Movie Make $1m Online?

#1

Post by incub8or » Sun, Oct 02, 2011, 8:36 PM UTC

We've made a no budget indie movie with:

No studio No distributor No movie stars

Our goal is:

to gross $1m and fund the next movie

It's sounds quite impossible. But we've come up with a strategy:

Everyone who registers to download the movie will get to display a picture, logo or text of their choosing on a billboard in New York's Times Square.

Prices start from only $10 upwards. So for as little as $10 you can get any message / image / logo (as long as it's not obscene and you own the rights) up on a Times Square billboard.

What do folks think about this and could this be used as a cheap form of marketing for startups?

Re: Ask HN: Can a No Budget Indie Movie Make $1m Online?

#2

Post by nycs » Sun, Oct 02, 2011, 8:47 PM UTC

how is it the movie that's making the money?

Re: Ask HN: Can a No Budget Indie Movie Make $1m Online?

#3

Post by jdnnhs » Sun, Oct 02, 2011, 8:51 PM UTC

i'd love to be notified when my message will be shown, as well as receive a photograph of the message on the board.

sounds unreal

Re: Ask HN: Can a No Budget Indie Movie Make $1m Online?

#4

Post by incub8or » Sun, Oct 02, 2011, 9:45 PM UTC

jdnnhs wrote: post #3

i'd love to be notified when my message will be shown, as well as receive a photograph of the message on the board. sounds unreal

A recording of display will be available for download; so you could grab a still or loop the video and post on your website.

Re: Ask HN: Can a No Budget Indie Movie Make $1m Online?

#5

Post by incub8or » Sun, Oct 02, 2011, 9:53 PM UTC

nycs wrote: post #2

how is it the movie that's making the money?

Good question. $10 buys the movie and as a "Thank You" you get a line of text on the billboard. $49 buys the movie + soundtrack and you get 1/4 screen text/image. $99 buys the movie, soundtrack, special features and you get full screen text/image and $149 gets an associate producer credit as well on top of this. Basically, people are buying the movie in different packages and are getting the billboard message as a "Thank You" from us.

Re: Ask HN: Can a No Budget Indie Movie Make $1m Online?

#6

Post by kongqiu » Sun, Oct 02, 2011, 10:13 PM UTC

Any specifics as to the content or genre of the movie? (Many companies wouldn't want to be associated with certain kinds of content.)

How large (as % of the billboard) are the picture, logo, or text?

Re: Ask HN: Can a No Budget Indie Movie Make $1m Online?

#7

Post by jorgedf » Sun, Oct 02, 2011, 10:18 PM UTC

Sounds like a great deal for a poor startup. Isn't it?

Re: Ask HN: Can a No Budget Indie Movie Make $1m Online?

#8

Post by incub8or » Sun, Oct 02, 2011, 10:25 PM UTC

kongqiu wrote: post #6

Any specifics as to the content or genre of the movie? (Many companies wouldn't want to be associated with certain kinds of content.) How large (as % of the billboard) are the picture, logo, or text?

You are right, although the billboard would only be used to thank everyone who downloaded the movie and not necessarily used for the movie promotion itself.

More information on the movie and the billboard options can be found at http://bit.ly/n4XQG0

Re: Ask HN: Can a No Budget Indie Movie Make $1m Online?

#9

Post by ig1 » Sun, Oct 02, 2011, 10:30 PM UTC

Why not just sell the movie via itunes, if the movies good enough people will buy it and recommend it to their friends.

Re: Ask HN: Can a No Budget Indie Movie Make $1m Online?

#10

Post by md1515 » Sun, Oct 02, 2011, 10:47 PM UTC

I don't think anything is impossible. Heck, take a look at the Million Dollar Homepage: http://www.milliondollarhomepage.com/

Nonetheless, you do have to convince 100,000 to do it (if they all took the cheapest option). That is quite hefty.

I think you may have to set your sights a bit lower, but it is worth a shot. Try to raise some funds via Kickstarter or IndieGoGo - both have a heavy focus on indie films.

Good luck