financing season two

POSTED BY: Alfred
UPDATED: Friday, January 23, 2004 20:13
VIEWED: 10758
PAGE 3 of 4

PREV PAGE 1 2 3 4 NEXT PAGE

TRASK43

Thursday, January 22, 2004 5:33 AM

wow we've already got alot of people willing to put money in. If we can find someone to get this going (any volunteers) I think it would be worth a shot as long as we can organize something so that people can get pretty much all their money back if it fails( or we could do something more creative like spend it on dvds and watch people be confused by the swift upturn in sales about a year after release) but I think we should try and give this ago. If someone with the capabilities could set up somthing to register interest we could see if we could get about 2000 people to agree in principle to one share (at $100) that would be $200000 and then if that was achieved I think we could give it a genuine attempt.

FOFFILMS

Thursday, January 22, 2004 6:11 AM

First off - I, as badly as everyone else want this show back. And I applaud the ideas batting around here.

But - to even consider doing what you propose you need FIRST to set up an LLC, a limited liability corporation to sell "shares", your share contracts need to be very specific, the money would also need to be held in an account where it would stay until the time it was used for production or determined that production would not commense and the share value would return (with any interest accrued) to the shareholders.

The task at the very base is herculean and would require the LLC chief financial officer to be employed at nearly a full time job.

Then the task would be to contact the right people at Mutant Enemy and Universal.

If you had the captal to finance an entire season, let's even conservatively call it 13 episodes. You would need a minimum of $50 million, at $2 million per episode, $10 million pre-production costs (sets, studios, employee payroll) and all the other associated costs, marketing etc...

Now let's say we get the 13 episodes picked up by a network - and remember... REMEMBER - Fox cancelled the show, Sci Fi passed, UPN passed, WB passed... Places that were built on Whedon PASSED on this show... Sad but true. Stupid but true. Pathetic, but TRUE.

And since this is produced with no studio financing (in our mythic world here) there is 0 incintive for the studio to put anythign behind the show, they have nothign on the line. Basically you're creating a syndicated show.

Okay, with few exceptions (Star Trek:NG) syndicated shows not high priority. Air at wierd hours (Andromeda anyone? Hercules?)

Okay, so now we know we're syndicated. Which adds another $10 million to marketing costs.

BUT - let's say Universal green lights the movie, now all the sets are BUILT! You offer universal a percentage of the show in exchange for sets, props...

Now you're cooking.

That's the most basic way to explain it.

Anyone up for it?

www.fof-films.com
Firefly Fan Film - Coming SOON

MRGREEN

Thursday, January 22, 2004 7:58 AM

foffilms, have you read Jeremy, aka, the DVDguy's information? His websites direct to DVD page explains alot of things prety well.

If Universal does make the movie, and is pleased with it there's a decent chance of something happening...

Way I figure it, if the sets, cast, crew, wardrobe, props, etc are all lined up from the movie still, the pre-production costs to get a few episodes made would be pretty minimal. Just gotta get Joss/Tim to write a few episodes to get thing rolling again.

So, if things went well getting 6 or 7 million to bankroll the prodction of a few more episodes, on a trial basis may not be to far fetched. Selling them direct to DVD would be better than on TV, in my opinion. If an episode costs $2million to make, if people will pay $10 for the episode, then they only need to sell 200,000 copies to break even. Even at a bargain basement rate of $5, it's still doable. Firefly, even at its lowest point, had around 2 million viewers. Not to mention the UK and Canadian fans. I wouldn't be suprised if they could sell a half a million discs.

Add in some revenues from advertising on the discs, and I bet they could make some money.

(hm, call it 3 episodes per disc, $21/disc - about the price of a new movie on DVD, $2million per episode production costs, half a million subscribers, $4.5million in profits, plus any ad revenue... 175% return on the investment of $6million, assuming the sets are built for a movie).

Gah, and the merchandising... we would buy so much gorram firefly crap, its not even funny!

If you can't run, you crawl, and if you can't crawl, well, if you can't do that, you find someone to carry you.

NITEHAWK

Thursday, January 22, 2004 9:24 AM

OOh, i like! i'd go for it!

*click* *click*
"You, uh, know each other?"

BRITCHICK

Thursday, January 22, 2004 11:46 AM

$100 a share seems very reasonable, especially if subscribers are entitled to a discount on the DVD.

If people can't afford $100 they could club together?

It sounds like we have a number of fans who would be willing to put their money where their mouth is, we just don't have anyone who is expert enough to make this happen.

So perhaps its time for Joss to help?

Just a thought :-)

BOBSUNCORP

Thursday, January 22, 2004 1:41 PM

Does anyone know of any sites/groups, etc that Joss actually visits? Then we can add a link and suggestion that he or someone else intimately involved takes a look at all this.

-Bob

Don't take the sky from us!!

SPACEMONKEY

Thursday, January 22, 2004 2:28 PM

something else to think about...How long has it taken to raise the $3000 for the DVD to troops fund?

I think alot of people WANT to see this happen, but not many would be willing to fork over cash until they saw the numbers start to really grow and have a good shot at getting this made.

SAINT JAYNE

Thursday, January 22, 2004 2:35 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by spacemonkey:
something else to think about...How long has it taken to raise the $3000 for the DVD to troops fund?

Anyone who has promised money to revive Firfely can be taken at their word, I'm sure.

There's a difference between a gift and an investment; between supporting a charity/cause and supporting something you believe in; between passively helping and actively driving!

Some good people here are supporting the troops. More will support the reason we come here.

HERO

Thursday, January 22, 2004 2:45 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by BobSunCorp:
Does anyone know of any sites/groups, etc that Joss actually visits? Then we can add a link and suggestion that he or someone else intimately involved takes a look at all this.

First of all I am all in favor of efforts to revive the show.

However, in my legal opinion, this idea is a nutty as a three dollar bill.

You want to start a production company, fine. But selling share in a company whose sole objective the the filming of Season 2. Frankly I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

Next thing you'll be advocating us all moving to China and making the show there for 10 cents on the dollar and copyrights be damned. Hmmm...it would get more chinease people into the cast. We could arrange for Chinease intelligence to kidnap Joss and the original cast.

H

BROWNCOAT1

Thursday, January 22, 2004 3:18 PM

I know I would be willing to put up some cash. I could part with $300 or $400, especially for Firefly.

I don't think you can directly compare the raising of funds for the DVD to Troops drive to this idea. Many people feel the Troops in Iraq are controversial & may not donate for that reason. Many people are hard to sell on a charity type drive that they can not directly see a result in. This idea would get us what we all want, Firefly for all of us to see and enjoy.

"May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one."

PREV PAGE 1 2 3 4 NEXT PAGE