"and no matter how bad it is they will air it.."

PERFECT! So you're saying there's a chance!? Hehe, if I were drinking milk it would've come out of my nose when I read that! Thanks for the encouragement....I think.. ;)

Sorry about your mother. You honered your mother's memory and I am sure
she would be very proud of you.

There never is a silly question and we are glad to help others (sometimes our
answers ARE silly).

I would record as much as you an now while you have people to inteview.
Also check your local PBS affiliate to see if they might be interested. Our PBS
is statewide and does look for stories about "home grown". This will, even though
not polished, give you a start into getting funding. Historical societies may have
some funding to assist.

Congrats of upcoming wedding. Finding a wife that understands your art and
will put up with the costs is truely a great asset. If she looks good on camera
too you can save money in hiring on-camera talent!

Best wishes.

From "Dumb and Dumber":

Lloyd: What are the chances of a guy like you and a girl like me... ending up together?
Mary: Well, that's pretty difficult to say.
Lloyd: Hit me with it! I've come a long way to see you, Mary. The least you can do is level with me. What are my chances?
Mary: Not good.
Lloyd: You mean, not good like one out of a hundred?
Mary: I'd say more like one out of a million.
[pause]
Lloyd: So... you're telling me... there's a chance!...

Like Lloyd, I'd say that you have a chance to show your work on PBS, but don't quit your day job. The odds are about the same.

I edit videos and play with all these really cool toys because I love doing it. So far I'm not making much money from it, though I've gotten some trips to Europe for free.

I was just reading some of the requirements for PBS. One that stood out was encoding for closed-captioning. Fortunately PBS will do it for you FOR A FEE.
Do people really go to all that trouble to GIVE programming to PBS? I'm assuming SOME people are actually paid for their work? Others hope to use PBS as a springboard to a paying gig on a cable channel (History Channel, Discovery Channel, et al)?

Perhaps my future is on youtube :(

goshep, remember the main points made in that SAGIndie article: get a good story and film it and finish it. Shorts are a great way to develop. Film festivals are great forums for getting noticed. Don't make the road too steep for yourself.

Serena, once again, is right on target.

Start your documentary tomorrow, but keep it only 10 minutes in length.
Finish it to the absolute best quality you can.
Register onto the film festival's best friend www.withaboutabox.com and start submitting your stuff.
Don't be discouraged by losses, but if you submit to 10 likely festivals and don't get accepted, rethink your subject and your approach.
If you DO win a couple, start your search for more money.

I followed that exact route, won in four festivals, and based on those wins (and my movie, of course), secured funding to expand to feature length. Then we'll begin the festival/TV trip all over again.

Good luck - but don't hesitate one moment more - start your production now. - If you don't get into the game, you lose automatically.

v

Bad link. Perhaps you meant http://www.withoutabox.com/?

vicmilt,

So it is normal to produce a "lite" version of one's project, in the hopes of securing funding for a full length version? That is a question that has nagged me for some time. I've had a few ideas in my head but never wanted to spoil them with "lite" versions. It never occurred to me that they could be springboards to my end goal. That's a recurring theme with me: Paramount dreams on a guerrilla budget! Thank you for the encouragement.

Serena,

I found that article so inspiring, I've saved the text to review again as needed. I'm certain I will find it useful. Thank you as well.

goshep, put yourself in the place of the guy with the money (which you're hoping to take from him while promising to give back much more). How is the investor to judge whether this is a sound proposition? You must provide inspiration (your pitch) and inspire confidence in your abilities to deliver a marketable film (your short or a fully completed scene). A number of people have progressed from "short at film festival" to LA charged with filling it out into a feature.
Investing in film is a gamble, but most people want to believe there's a good chance of a good return. Or maybe they just want to give you a go, but that will mean you've inspired them.

grh -
thanks for the catch - I was having a long night's journey into - typo's I guess.

goshep -
Well, making a short to raise money for a longer film is a time honored proposition which definitely works on occasion. The most successful career move of this sort was a Mr. Geroge Lucas who produced a short, "THX 1138" which caught the eye of someone who allowed him to "go for it". While the feature THX 1138 didn't do gangbuster box office, it obviously helped Lucas onto other venues. There are many other stories of a similar nature, and (unfortuately) thousands of short films that never went anywhere. The good news is with digital media it's WAY cheaper to fail . (Bad joke there, but I have many friends who gambled Lots of their Own Money on shorts that never did anything).

But forget failure... look at the reality.
As Serena states, essentially you are asking (begging?) someone to gamble huge amounts of money on your concept and execution. Having ANYTHING already "in the can" [film comes in cans] demonstrates not only your concept and your execution... it also PROVES that you can "get 'er done".

Remember, "tell me is nice - show me is better". That goes for just about everything in life.

In my personal opinion, however, even more important than the stepping stone to feature greatness, is the pure pleasure of producing something, Anything, to completion. I admit that shooting films is my greatest single pleasure. I didn't start "Cowboys" with any dream or plan beyound having a great time... well... shooting cowboys.

Once you actually get off your butt and start any creative project, it generally takes on a life of it's own. So go for it - plan something, shoot it, edit it, and show it around to friends and strangers. If they fall asleep, figure out why, and either fix the problem or start a new project - promising yourself to "never do THAT again!"

Before you know it, you'll actually have a reel to show. Even the worst movie in the world has a few great moments. After a while, you'll gather the great moments from the collection of Gosheps greatest flops - and that reel will be dynamite. Plus - there is no school like the school of experience. Before you know it, you'll be making great films.

Forget your Oscar for the time being, and start working on your dream.

v

Last night I watched the first half of a very Australian doco, 16 years in the making so the producer / director / cameraman told me.
Not the kind of stuff they roll out the red carpet for, just the documentation of a part of Australian history before it and the people involved fade into oblivion. The maker has sold a lot of copies and probably recouped his costs but more to the point he's done something that'll keep a part of history alive.
I think there's a lot of unsung heroes in this game who just get the job done, it isn't all about winning festivals and Oscars, not to take anything from those that do of course.

Bob.