A Little Bit Zombie

FAQ

Can I buy just one frame?
Certainly, by all means. But the more you buy, the higher your name will appear in the final credit roll. People purchasing more than 5000 frames will get an Executive Producer credit and get a credit at the opening of the film.
Who are you?
My name is Casey Walker. I’m 34 years young and an experienced director working in Film and Television since fall 1999. I take my work very seriously but try to have as much fun as possible while doing it. Life is to short to do it any other way.
Do you have a script?
Yes I most certainly do. We started with one, but have recently switched to another. There are many reasons for the switch, but the main being that the new one, A Little Bit Zombie (more on the film page) is a bit better developed, has fewer characters and locations and is much better for the current market. The idea was pitched to me at a party by Chris Bond, the creator of EVIL DEAD: The Musical, and I quickly pressed he and his writing partner, Trevor Martin, into getting to work on it. Fast forward 2 years later and it’s ready to go.
What is the script about?
Check “The Film “ section at the top of the page.
What is the idea behind mymilliondollarmovie.com?
Well, essentially, I want to make a movie. I don’t know any studio executives or Hollywood power brokers and since necessity is the mother of invention, I figured out another way to come up with the money. I don’t need 40 million to make this movie. I’ve worked on many films and TV shows and have seen the insane amount of waste that goes on. I strongly believe it is only important to make a movie with good acting and a strong story. So I’m turning to the internet to help fund my film. This was all before Facebook had taken off, sites like Kickstarte or Indy Go-Go had proved that it was possible. I was the first, but I’m sure I won’t be the last. I hope to give other film makers this opportunity once I’ve proven it can be done on a scale such as this.
Why should I buy frames?
Independent films are produced through private financing outside of major studios and currently represent the majority of all feature length films produced throughout the world, setting new records each year in box office grosses and annual growth rates; profits are in the billions! Technology has been a major factor in changing the confines of the film industry. Producers can now profit from the need for new “high quality” film production. VOD, Broadband, Pay-Per-View, Cable, Satellite, and DVD promise continuous growth. A single film can create hundreds of millions of dollars in profit with a worldwide release. Buying frames is an inexpensive way to be a producer on a film. It’s a great way to advertise or promote yourself, your project or your company. You’ll be part of Film and Internet history. If the film makes money, you will not only get your initial funds back, but you get to choose which environmental charity or organization gets you’re profits (there is a good reason for this as we don’t want to be seen as offering a “security” such as a stock, that’s nothing but trouble). Finally, you’ll get to follow myself and my fellow filmmakers on the journey as we’ll be documenting the whole experience and putting it up on the blog for you to see.

What will you do with the money?I’m going to make a movie. I’m not telling you I may make a movie. I am GOING to make one. Unlike other sites that raise money and say they might or might not do what they say they are going to do with it, I am in this for the long haul and will be making a film with all of the money I’ve raised.

Why is the money in Canadian funds?
Because I’m making a movie in Canada. However, let me make this clear to all. It is not only a Canadian Movie. I feel strongly that this project can hold it’s own in the US and Global markets. I intend to attach Canadian Born Stars who like the project and who have made names for themselves in the US. Follow my blog for casting updates.
Why did you call it the “my million dollar movie” if you’re raising more than that?
Because I only intend to raise one million in hard cash. The rest of the budget will be deferred into frames by cast, crew, suppliers, product placement, etc. This lowers the overall total cost of the film and ensures that I am working with people who believe in the project enough to invest in it as well.
What is an assistant producer?
Well, normally, an assistant producer is someone that helped in some small way to help get the project made. Since everyone will be helping me, I see no reason why you should not all be considered assistant producers. You’ll get your name in the credits here, on the IMDB, and on the final credit roll of the film itself. Those that purchase more will see their credit raise in the ranks to associate, co-producer and even executive producer!
How are the revenues from the frames returned?
Well, this is a big question and one I’ve had to do a lot of research to fully understand myself. Here is the striped down quick version. Once we’ve completed the film, we will be distributing it theatrically, making it available for digital download, video release and selling it for TV broadcast. Once the exhibitors and stores take their cut, we, the production company will split the remainder with the distributor. First we will pay back the distributor for their advance, then everyone who owns frames, essentially returning the total amount of your initial purchase. Once this is complete, we start paying you’re choice of charity the return fee on the frames you’ve purchased.
Why am I LEASING frames back to you?
I am looking to make a film, not start a public company. If I had 151,200 partners, we would have a public company. Things get very expensive after that and we would waste money needed to make the film.
Can I sell my frames to someone else?
Sure, but only after the financing for the project is complete and no more frames are available through this site. The reason for this restriction is to first allow us the opportunity to sell frames to everyone who wants them. Secondary sales made during the first stage would only hurt my efforts to raise the money. Afterwards, you can sell them to whomever you like for however much you like, as long as they agree to the same terms and conditions as you’ve agreed to. In order to sell your frames, you will need to contact us for the new buyer to follow the same steps you did when agreeing to our terms and conditions.
How long will this site be on line?
The site will remain up for at least 5 years once financing has been finalized and the purchasing of frames through the site is closed. This is plenty of time to make the movie and for it to be released.
Will you do this again if it works?
It will work, and yes, I’ll do it again. Everyone who bought frames from My Million Dollar Movie will be given first right of refusal on purchasing frames for my next film.
If I buy frames do I get to see the movie for free?
Sorry, I’d like to be able to offer this but , if you do the math, the average ticket is 10 bucks. If all the producers got in for free we’d lose a lot of cash. Any tickets you purchase will only help to make money back by increasing ticket sales and keeping the film in the theatre longer.I will be looking into DVD’s for everyone but I’m not making any promises at this point.
Are you worried about copycats/rip offs?
Well, this idea was inspired by someone else so… I also believe that ‘imitation is the sincerest form of flattery’. Unlike pixel sites, this one takes a lot to put together; I didn’t just hatch this idea and throw it up on the web a week later. This site is the result of a lot of planning by professionals in several fields to ensure that it delivers the most bang for the buck’. If someone wants to copy me, go for it. But take my advice, you’ll get further by coming up with your own idea than just trying to sell someone a watered down version of this baby.
How did you come up with the idea for mymilliondollarmovie.com?
I wish I could claim genius and say it was quite simple but alas, it was not. I’ve been developing this film project in my spare time for several years now and after seeing my friends go through the painful process of applying to and being turned down for government grants, I knew I didn’t want to go to a studio and be possibly dropped from my first project as happens so often. I had been racking my brain for months for a way to raise financing. I thought I might make it super cheap, borrowing money from friends and family but I didn’t want to compromise my vision just to get the film made. I knew I needed a different approach and I wanted to make owning a piece of a movie accessible to the public without having to put a second mortgage on the family home (like a friend’s father did for his film).Back in January 2006, I was up late drinking cheap scotch and stewing over it all when I came up with the idea to base the purchase structure on frames. I still had no way of delivering it to the public.

Hung over the next day, I was laying in bed with my laptop and Gatorade, surfing and I came across an article about Alex Tew.

It blew my mind, not that he had done the “Million Dollar Homepage”, but that it had taken me so long to hear about it.

After some more surfing, I realized that far too many people had copied him, and quite poorly I might add.

Alex said that if you’re going to use his business model, at least apply it to something new so as not to just deliver the same thing in a different package. So I figured I needed a way to take his sales model and apply it to my offering to the public to buy into my project. I figured that since none of the pixels were animated on his site, it would be cool to do a video version, except that a million videos weren’t going to work on a single page (who surfs the net with a magnifying glass?).

Well, I’m rambling now so to make an already long story a tad shorter, I came up with the idea of people being able to post video instead of pixels and over time I added several more features that you are just going to have to check out for yourself.