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Making any film or media production is a major commitment of time, energy, and financial capital, especially, if one isn't a media conglomerate or studio film distributor. A general rule of thumb is that a lack of one (ie "money") can be made up with the other (ie "time"). A common joke among filmmakers is that it takes 5 years to produce an independent feature, or, in the alternative, it takes 5 years to get a studio feature made -- 4 years of "taking meetings," and 1 year for the multi-million dollar studio assembly line machine to produce the film.

The advent of digital production has helped the independent filmmaker to a degree, but it is not a panacea. I have taught a class in independent feature filmmaking at U.S.C. Cinema School's Summer Production Workshop where the students worked in 35mm. The last few years, I have taught a similar workshop / class at Los Angeles City College's Cinema Department. At LACC, the students work (or prepare productions) for digital formats such as dv, hdv, and hd. The class' basic budget is about $100,000 for a digital project, not counting marketing costs, interest on the amount "borrowed", etc. Despite the recent loosening of guild rules by SAG, WGA, etc., keeping to a limited budget is difficult for any project, since what's "in front" of the camera costs the same, no matter what format a project is shot on.

Digital distribution processes are, perhaps, a more revolutionary technical development. In the next few years, "streaming" and other internet technologies may well signal the direct tie-in of audiences' emotions to the filmmaker's vision through general internet distribution channels. It's already happening in the music business. Two Pomeranian Pictures (pomjpix) films are being distributed as internet dvd's and streamed through Amazon.com. This short-cuts the distribution "middle-man" who has been the archetypeal "bogeyman" to filmmakers.

The bottom line: films and media are expensive. Only the most compelling scripts, literary works, or documentary subjects deserve to proceed into production. The good news: in the digital age, such films can get made, and find an audience.

One further bit of "good news" is that the digital era has brought many newcomers and financial backers into the production arena, such as media impressarios Mark Cuban, and Philip Anschutz. The new media reality crosses national boundaries, it's digital, and co-productions are the way movies and shows get made.

Pomeranian Pictures can provide professional services for U.S. and international media professionals and independent media companies in the U.S. and abroad.