Sinclair and Hanby, principals of locally based independent filmmaker Bri-Am Entertainment, say their company owns three screenplays. The company writes, produces, makes the music and distributes its films.
The company is seeking funding through a private placement offering — an invitation to a small round of investors — for its first movie, titled “A Single Trepidation.” Sinclair and Hanby declined to discuss their budget for the film, but they say they’re doing all they can to prepare the project for success.
Said Hanby, “We’re in the capitalization stage of the project.”
The first step is surrounding the project with the right people, the women said. Securing the right material is a crucial step, as well.
“My company is dedicated to writing and producing feature films about strong intelligent women, with family values at the core,” Sinclair said.
Centerville resident Sinclair has worked as a production assistant on movies like Air Force One, Milk Money and Lost in Yonkers, among other projects. She is also a theater veteran, having produced and directed more than 40 theater productions.
She moved to the Dayton area from Los Angeles 20 years ago for personal reasons. “This became home,” she said. “And it’s so expensive to go back.”
She thinks PG-13-rated projects can secure the widest possible distribution. The first movie is about a three-time national archery champion fighting to protect her family from political enemies. Bri-Am’s goal is to start shooting in the Dayton area in the spring of 2013.
Mike Katchman, a principal of Cincinnati-based Rivercoast Media — which helps independent filmmakers get their work on Netflix — thinks Bri-Am is making the right moves.
Sinclair “is going after a market that’s been so overlooked by Hollywood,” Katchman said.
But movies are fueled by money, not just creativity and drive. Filmmakers increasingly see Ohio as a cost-effective place to make movies, and state government wants to encourage that view. Three independent film projects which were recently approved for a round of Ohio motion picture tax credits plan to shoot in and around Dayton.
Megan Cooper, executive director of FilmDayton, said the tax credit is drawing filmmakers to the Buckeye State. But she sees other advantages to making movies in Dayton and elsewhere in Ohio. Those include low costs compared to Southern California and bigger cities, “full-scale” camera and equipment rentals, experienced cast and crew, including theater students from Wright State University and more.
“When you put all those things together, it’s more affordable to make a movie here in Ohio,” Cooper said.
The first people to receive proceeds from an independent movie are its investors, Sinclair and Hanby said. They say they’re ready for those investors to do their due diligence.
Hanby said investors may contact her at deb@@ba-entertainment.net.
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