Katie Affleck

916-288-5369

Katie_affleck@hotmail.com

1

Contents

Executive Summary ………………………………………………………………………3

Background…………………………………………………………………………………4

Employee List ……………………………………………………………………………4

Competition Analysis……………………………………………………………………5

Projected Startup Costs ………………………………………………………………9

Potential Projects………………………………………………………………………10

3 Articles related to focus………………………………………………………….11

Blank Business License Application…………………………………………………17

Executive Summary

2

Alpha Film is a new video production company based in the North East of England. We provide services in many areas of video production, including;

Music Video Wedding Video Corporate Video and Advertisements Documentary Editing Services

We are looking to secure funding for our team so that we can expand upon our business and buy equipment to produce the highest quality films.

We are an easily accessible company with a professional website in the works, meaning finding, contacting, researching and hiring us will be incredibly easy for clients to do.

Background

Brought together by our mutual interest in the creative arts, Alpha Film was established in 2012, as an output for our

3

creative overflow. We are currently a filmmaking duo and are looking to expand upon this in the near future.

Biographies of current staff:

Katie Affleck

Katie began working on films at the age of 16, when she developed an interest in the world of editing. Since then she has completed a BTEC National Diploma in Film and Television Production with the result of a Triple Distinction, she then went on to further her education with a Bachelor’s Degree in Film and Moving Image Production at the Northern Film School of Leeds Metropolitan University. During this time, Katie studied abroad for a year at Sacramento State University in California, where she gained valuable cultural knowledge and experience.

Past Projects include:

Music Videos Short Film Documentary Film Corporate Film Wedding Video

Michaela Menache

Originating from South Africa and growing up in Belgium, Michaela’s interest in film spanned from a young age. When she was 17, she applied to study at the Northern Film School in England, where she is now completing her Bachelor’s Degree in Film and Moving Image Production. During her time at Leeds Metropolitan University, Michaela applied to expand her cultural knowledge even further by studying abroad for a year at Towson University, in Maryland, USA.

Past Projects include:

Short Film Documentary Film

Competition Analysis

Buzzfilms is an independent production company based in England. Their logo is simplistic, the colors,

4www.buzzfilms.co.uk

white and orange, complement one another and there is a small speech bubble icon above the word to finish.

Buzzfilms specialize in producing high quality documentary, drama and promotional content for the broadcast and corporate industry. There are three principal employees at Buzzfilms.

Jan Bednarz - Much of Jan's work in the documentary field has been developing relationships in the Third sector - often working with young people or people with disabilities. Having made hundreds of promotional films for charities such as Barnardos, The Prince's Trust & Fairbridge, Jan has developed a trustworthy reputation, and a reliable track record when working in sensitive situations. Jan currently sits on the Sheffield Documentary Festival Advisory Board, and is currently developing factual projects that look to harness the changing media landscape, and engage the next generation of media consumers through multi-platform delivery.

Robin Schmidt - Robin set up his own production company, Chrome Productions with two friends in 2002. Over the next six years the company travelled all over the world producing tv shows, music videos, brand films, commercials and documentaries - including the Award winning Burj Birdmen for Current TV. Robin now works as a freelance preditor, the deadly multi-hyphenate, writing, directing, shooting, editing and motion-graphic (ing). He recently won the Bahamas 14 Islands Film Challenge as well as being listed as one of Moviescope Magazine's Ones to Watch. Robin is a highly regarded expert and blogger in the world of DSLR filmmaking and is a Canon Pro Envoy working with both video and stills cameras.

Simon Wan - Having studied fine art, and then Media Production, Simon made a series of short films and was awarded the JVC professional award for best student production. He has since been involved with many crossover projects, including producing promotional content, alongside short documentary projects for ITV, Channel 4, Community Channel, Red TV and more recently Current TV - for which Simon received fantastic exposure with features in both local and national press.Simon is currently developing a raft of projects including a surreal comedy series set in the 1990s, and a feature length music documentary told through a group of characters connected by a tattoo and a love for rave music.

Buzzfilms currently works all over England, and have even gone as far as the Bahamas to produce documentaries and corporate films.

Being independent, Buzzfilms shoots most of their films on DSLR, mainly Canon 7D and 5DmkII.

Buzzfilms are currently working on a Youtube entertainment project called ‘Stenderz’. This is a comedic retelling of the weeks happenings on one of the most popular British soap operas ‘Eastenders’. They are also working on another

5

Youtube charity project entitled the ‘Supermassive Raver’, where a percentage of their profits from these experimental comedy sketches will go to charity.

The website is very professional, with minimal décor and color only where it is effective, it is easy to navigate, however there is a lack of detailed information concerning actually hiring them to produce films.

INSIGHT DIGITAL MEDIA is a wedding videography company based in the North East of England. Their logo is attractive colorful, however the

name itself seems irrelevant.

INSIGHT DIGITAL MEDIA offers wedding videos and DVD’s, ‘marryoke’ (features selected family and friends miming to chosen tracks of popular songs) and they offer suggestions for venus, photographers and other services that come with planning a wedding.

In addition to the basic wedding packages, a number of other products are offered:

Childhood Photo Montage for start of DVD £75

Bridal Preparations £75

Guest Messages (max 6) £60

Highlights montage for end of DVD £75

Reservoir dogs sequence £50

Old movie receiving line £50

Evening Coverage charged per hour from 7pm £90

Principle cameraman and editor Mike Trewhella is a Master Member of the Institute of Videography and has over 28 years experience in producing wedding films.

Their service area stretches across the whole of the North East of England, and if the price is right, the whole of the UK.

To film their wedding videos, INSIGHT DIGITAL MEDIA shoots on at least two cameras at all times.

Their website lists many testimonials, for example: “Thank you so much for capturing our special day in the best way ever. You were so professional we hardly noticed you were there and absolutely love the finished product. We’ve watched the dvd so many times now, it’s made us laugh and cry, but we love it! Thank you again. ”

6

www.insightdm.co.uk

The website itself is nicely layed out, it’s simple and easy to navigate. However the information they provide feels informal and not professional. For example the introduction to their website is “Some couples use a friend or family member to record their wedding day. Would you have a friend or family member take all of your wedding photographs? Probably not. You don’t want to have a friend or relative running out of tape or camcorder batteries, not shooting important activities, and taking shaky or bad footage.” I feel insulting potential customer’s picture taking abilities is not the way to draw in customers.

MELTING POINT MEDIA is a video production company based in the North East of England. Their logo is simple, yet effective.

It contains no color, but it is elegant and professional. The name itself is interesting, it sounds exotic, especially in comparison to INSIGHT DIGITAL MEDIA. The font and arrangement of the text intrigues me the most.

MELTING POINT MEDIA offers a range of services, including corporate videos, advertisements, single and multiple-camera shoots, editing, colour correction, grading, compositing, visual effects and motion graphics. Their speciality however is music video production.

They also offer design services including website, advertising, leaflets, DVD authoring and photography.

Their videos have won multiple awards, along with being broadcast on international television. They have been shortlist at a variety of festivals, both national and international, and featured in numerous magazines and blog sites. They have a “talented in-house team”.

Their website does not feature any testimonials, however they have made available their selection of music videos which are of a high quality.

A lot of the music videos appear to be shot on DSLR, which is convenient for music videos because of their aesthetic quality and also the fact that sound recording is not required.

The website is laid out simple, the color scheme is dark and attractive, however when I click the ‘about’ button I am taken only to the home page, so there are some technical difficulties.

Currently, they are currently working a new single for band, Shibuya Crossings.

7

Start Up Costs

Equipment Cost ($)Canon 5D MK II body 2199.99

Ravelli APGL4 70” Tripod 93.33SanDisk Extreme 32GB

SDHC (x3)(@45.50ea) 136.50

1TB LaCie Rugged Hard Disk Firewire

189.99

Custom iMac 2799-with Promise Pegasus R4

4TB RAID HD1149

-with Thunderbolt cable 49Final Cut Pro X 299

Adobe Creative Suite CS6 1899

8

50mm f1.4 med telephoto lens

350

28mm f1.8 Wide Angle Lens

469

Canon Gadget Bag 37.72Delvcam HD7 Monitor 408

Rig mount 59HDV-296 LED video light

kit (x2)(@89.90ea) 179.80

Roland R-26 6 Channel Digital Field Audio

Recorder

499

Total Start Up Cost Projection -

$10817.33

Potential Projects

Wedding videos would be a great place to start as it allows for us to build up our portfolio and also bringing in a good amount of revenue. I have 2 lots of friends who are getting married this Summer and I would give them a discounted price in order to produce their wedding videos.

Having produced a wedding video in the past, I am already associated with a wedding venue and a photographer. Through these contacts I am able to find future clients.

9

Articles Relating to Current Focus

The Highs and Lows of a Freelance FilmmakerArticle published: Monday, November 22nd 2010

Film and commercial director Phil Hawkins, gave an intimate talk about the film and creative industry at the Cornerhouse as part of Exposures Festival, alongside a panel consisting of several colleagues working in the industry from Producer to Arts Director. They were on hand at the student film festival to impart valuable advice and ruminations to the audience.

The Annexe, a rustic room with wooden beams and bricked walls, is teeming with students and professionals alike from across the film industry. Talking animatedly with one another

10

in anticipation of the coming event, Phil Hawkins gets the event rolling with an introduction of the panel: Paul Kondras, a Production Designer with an illustrious background in theatre; Producer Mercedes Crescenti, who headed production for Current Affairs at the BBC before leaving and starting her own production company; Richard Bodgers, who has composed music for films and advertisements for global companies such as Bentley and Mercedes; and finally Assistant Director Olly Pillon, recently graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University.

A Showreel of Phil’s work is shown to the audience, illustrating clips from his various commercials and films with elaborate background orchestral and choral music bringing the montage to an impressive crescendo that is littered with quotes about his work from venerated peers such as Steven Spielberg – “one of the best new and upcoming directors”. After the show-reel ends, Phil speaks about his first foray into amateur film-making at 13 and subsequently becoming a runner after college. Before that his only professional experience was writing and directing a short film for BBC Manchester. Having worked his way up from runner to director in the commercial industry, he received a Roses Advertising Award for his first commercial in 2004. Since then he has directed films to wide acclaim and is two times winner of Best Director for a Feature at the New York Independent Film Festival. He intimates that the greatest high is not knowing where you are going to be next week”, while the lows of a freelance film-maker include more mundane concerns such as perpetually chasing invoices and waiting for projects.

Phil and the panel are keen to stress the importance of publicizing yourself for work and that there is no substitute for enthusiasm and hard work for breaking into the industry. This is especially echoed by Mercedes, who herself started with the BBC doing work experience. As a recent arrival into the world of directing, Ollie repeats this essential advice, while Richard is eager to emphasize that starting as a runner is one of the best ways to break into the industry as it gives an invaluable opportunity to familiarize yourself with all aspects of filming – from the unseen work of a production company or the more detailed elements of directing.

The conclusion of the evening is a satisfied audience that leaves with well-received advice and cogitations about the film and creative industry – and how they can make their break in Manchester.

Mohsin Iqbal

Source: http://manchestermule.com/article/the-highs-and-lows-of-a-freelance-filmmaker

________________________________________________________

The Future Of Filmmaking: Will Your Freelance Filmmaking Job Be Replaced By A Robot?”Posted on June 12, 2010 by Jason Brubaker in FILMMAKING 2 Comments

In case you haven’t noticed, filmmaking is changing. With the emergence of awesomely great DSLR technology, making a movie is getting cheaper.

In years past, the cash threshold necessary to propel a project into production was cost prohibitive. This alone served as a major obstacle to most every aspiring independent filmmaker. Add the need for complex

11

technology and the skilled professionals necessary for the equipment, it’s it’s easy to understand why most would-be feature filmmakers never took action.For example, in years past, if you wanted to create an awesome picture (on a budget), you shot Super 16mm – And later, if the film was picked up, you could easily blow up Super 16mm picture to 35mm. And, I repeat – these steps were once considered an affordable option.And let’s say you decided to follow this “economic” filmmaking route – if so, you had to raise enough money to not only cover the film and equipment, but you paid for your DP, your camera operator, someone to pull focus, someone to load the film, someone to lay dolly track and someone else to push your dolly – and once the film was in the can, you paid to get the film processed, create dailies, get it color corrected, transferred to video, edited and blown up to 35mm.Then you crossed your fingers. . .“UGH! Can you imagine trying to make movies like that? It makes very little sense. Especially now.” 

Everything has changed. It’s been almost a decade since I’ve heard anybody in the filmmaking community seriously consider shooting their first feature on film. And why would they? These days, if you want to make a great looking movie, you grab your $2,000 DSLR camera and you start shooting.That’s it. No film stock. No silly processing costs. No silly blow up costs. You simply take your camera out of the bag, point and shoot.Then you edit on your computer and upload to several of the video on demand websites and that’s it. You’ve created a product (your movie) and you have taken your product to market (via digital self distribution).

AMAZING! (Or is it?)

Seriously. For producers, the evolution of DSLR is totally awesome. For all below the line crew working to make a living – this isn’t so good.Using my previous example, let’s compare shooting Super 16mm to shooting on a DSLR. Take out an eraser and eliminate 80% of everything I just mentioned.  No more need for heavy dolly track and a dolly. No more need for the person pushing the heavy-duty dolly. Eliminate your focus puller and your film loader. Eliminate a few production assistants. And totally eliminate film processing. Not necessary.This shift in filmmaking technology is going to create more and more projects. And unlike years past when making a movie required a gazillion dollars, the modern filmmaker can now produce viable projects “out of pocket.”And yes, while many of the screenplays will continue to suck, rest assured that the picture will look good.

12

“OK. What’s the downside to modern film production?”

Producers no longer need a million dollars to make a good looking picture. Simply put, this is bad for the freelancer community.Let’s say you’re a filmmaker looking to hire a sound guy. Normally you would have to pay him $500 dollars or more per day (which is a low figure for some, I know). Well if you’re a filmmaker shooting your first feature on a budget, are you really going to pay that day rate?Probably not.You’ll probably find a sound guy and get him to bring his own equipment, and you’ll offer to pay him peanuts. And if he doesn’t take the job, you’ll find someone else to replace him.

And this is the problem with modern filmmaking. There is an overwhelming supply of product in the marketplace, a glut of manufacturing – and revisiting economics 101 – your production (AKA, your indie film) can now be produced cheaply. (Sure, your product might be junk? But I’m not debating that here.)

Think of it this way, in years past, producing goods in an assembly line required hundreds of man hours. But as technology evolved, many of these jobs were replaced by robots. Well, the same can be said for many freelance production professionals. More movies, minus less budget money and something’s gotta give.

“So why don’t indie film producers just raise more money?”Distribution.Couple an ever growing glut of movie products coming into the marketplace with a measurable erosion in traditional distribution deals, and you can understand that the indie movie industry is saturated with an over supply of movies and less outlets.So given these unfavorable odds of a big payday, why would any filmmaker risk a few million on a budget with increasingly less opportunities for a traditional deal?In this regard, the only option is for producers to keep their budgets low. That way, in the event these filmmakers do not garner a traditional distribution deal, they can at least recoup some of the budget through digital self distribution.

So how can freelancers make a living making movies?First of all, I’ve been talking about low budget indie feature films. Freelancers can still find work in the corporate, industrial, BIG budget and commercial world. And if you’re going to make a living working solely on low budget, independent pictures, I suggest you consider tweaking your strategy.

13

1. Get a job to pay the bills and then start producing your own movies. Seriously. I’m sure you’ve probably worked with a few morons and thought “I should be making my own movies.” So DO IT! (I’ll now plug one of Jason Brubaker’s products.)

Go to http://www.GetMovieMoney.com and get your hands on “The Indie Producer’s Guide To Financing Your Movie.” I wrote it. It’s a step by step guide to help you start thinking like a producer.2. If you don’t want to produce your own movies, then do this. In addition to your day rate – or whatever deal those producers try to throw at you. . . Ask for back end points and at least an associate producer credit.For clarification, what I’m suggesting is different than deferred pay. I’m suggesting you get your hands on a piece of the action. You’ll want to get a lawyer to draw up the paperwork – but imagine owning one percent and a producer credit on 100 movies. Some of those movies will hit. And when they do, you could potentially get a nice stream of cash.Think about this – what if you got $50 dollars a month from 25 movies (25×50=$1250per month) – for life? In this regard, you would have an extra 12K per year in addition to your other work. Not great, but better than nothing, right?- – -

I don’t know if this sounds impossible or not to you. But with all these changes, including DSLR technology as well as digital self distribution, we can only expect things to change even more. The future of filmmaking is a broad topic and I welcome your thoughts and comments.

Source: http://www.filmmakingstuff.com/the-future-of-filmmaking-will-your-freelance-filmmaking-job-be-replaced-by-a-robot/

________________________________________________________

How to File Taxes for Freelance FilmsBy Jonra Springs, eHow Contributor

14

Freelance artist have more figuring to do at tax time.

Freelance filmmakers are subject to paying taxes on earnings with IRS forms made for calculating unpaid federal taxes along with Medicare and Social Security taxes. The initial rates are very high before considerations for money spent on supplies necessary for making films and the losses from projects that did not pay, or cost more than they did pay. Freelance film earnings are taxed as any other business income with deductions that apply for business expenditures and losses.

Things You'll Need

IRS form 1040

1040 Schedule SE

1040 Schedule C or C-EZ

Instructions

o 1Report the earnings listed in box 7 of your 1099 Miscellaneous Income forms from clients who paid you for films. Add those figures to your salary, wages and tips listed in box 7 of the 1040 tax return you plan to file.

o 2Fill out a Schedule SE form to report your earnings from freelance filmmaking, or your losses (see Resources). File this self-employment form for the sake of paying Social Security and Medicare taxes. Transfer the figure representing half of your self-employment tax from Schedule SE to box 27 of your form 1040.

o 3Report earnings listed as rents and royalties in boxes 1 and 2 of your 1099 forms on Schedule C or Schedule C-EZ (see Resources). Earnings from visitor hits for your films posted

15

on websites that pay you a share of advertising sales will be listed in box 2 as royalties. Transfer the profit or loss figure from Schedule C to line 12 of form 1040.

o 4Fill out your personal information on form 1040 and calculate the figures from earnings, losses and all applicable deductions to find out if you will receive a refund, or if you will have to make a payment. Send your payment if necessary along with your 1040, Schedule SE and Schedule C or C-EZ to the IRS electronically through e-file, or print and mail the forms to the IRS address listed for your region of the country.

Tips & Warnings

Use the free software provided through e-file for helping you to calculate your taxes. The IRS makes it available to freelance filmmakers and other workers who earned less than $58,000 in 2010 (see Resources).

Source: http://www.ehow.com/how_7929388_file-taxes-freelance-films.html

16