Creative Decisions and Market Consequences
During a bike ride, I cycled next to a film set which was located on the side of a road, overlooking the sea. As I approached I was struck by the amount of people, gears, and vehicles. Are all these people necessary? What kind of budget is the film? What kind of market is the film destined to?
I am not trying to judge this film set in particular but think in a more holistic way. A film budget should be in line with its market and audience size. In a market that is getting harder to work in, budget to audience aligned is not an afterthought. It becomes an essential part of the preparation process. Not all films get grants, or can crowdfund. If money is invested either personally or through external sources, there needs to be a sense of what the film will do in terms of earnings.
It doesn't remove the artistic importance of the film, but it grounds what is available and can be done in reality. Creative decisions have an impact on the audience size for a film. The idea is not to alter the story to fit a market (if that is not the intent), but to be aware of the market size consequences of a story, and how to work with it.
That tension, between the creativity and the market reality, is something difficult to navigate. But, more than ever it becomes an important part of the filmmaking process.
The tension between what you want to create, and the tools needed to create that vision, and the market reality are all a balancing act. And working with people that understand that is extremely important.
