That’s the big question of the moment. How much should a thesis film cost?
I’ve seen both ends of the spectrum. I knew someone that spent well over $100k on her 30-minute thesis and I have a friend that probably spent $100 on his 3-minute thesis. Granted I can’t predict the future (at least not all the time) but where will their thesis films get them? They’ll get some recognition, get into a few festivals, but I don’t think they’ll land features as a result of their thesis films. No, the days when studios handed out contracts to film school graduates are over (if those days ever did exist). It’s the rare individual that makes the leap from thesis to studio feature (odds are just slightly better than winning the lottery).
So, if I am to make a thesis (can you sense my lack of resolve at this moment), how much should it cost? When I was making 16mm films, I had a formula. 1 minute of 16mm screen time = $1k. This proved true. A 2-minute film cost me around $2k and a 7 minute film cost me just over $7k. I then went on to make a 60-second 35mm film that cost $6k; we built a set and had a huge crew.
As I stare down the financial barrel of the thesis, I ask myself “how much should I spend on a 12.5 page script?” Is $25k too much? What about $10k? $5k? Should I blow the money to build a set? What about renting a Varicam? Isn’t the HVX200 good enough? Why not shoot SD?
How about the bigger question that scares the s#!t out of me – should I even be shooting a thesis? Should I be concentrating on making a feature?
Thoughts? Opinions?
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