You’re reading a 5 part series on film making via a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO).
Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: The Experiment
Part 3: Git for Film Making & Screenplays as NFT’s
Part 4: DAO, Payouts & Legal Structure
Part 5: The Future of Film Making
Join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/h3DYAZd8yP
Part 2: The Experiment
For a film production DAO to work, we must show that we can make a short film (5–20 mins), with transparent decision making happening on the blockchain — becoming an immutable resume for the crew involved. This process will be the basic unit of value that proves a film production DAO is viable. Of course, a DAO can be used to raise funds too, but if we can’t make a movie, these funds will end up with the conventional middlemen anyway.
Luckily, we don’t need any funds to get started: we’ll spin up a DAO via one of many proven methods, use it for all pre-production purposes and once we’ve got a crew, script and production plan ready, we’ll raise a production budget (~$50k) for grants and expenses.
Hit the Roadmap
Note that the timeboxes are tentative and up to the DAO to decide.
1. Assemble the squad (2 weeks)
The DAO should be run by filmmakers. For the key production roles, we need experienced directors, cinematographers, set & sound designers, editors and more.
Once we get 25+ people interested, we’ll spin up the DAO and start distributing governance. Next to filmmakers, there’s also a place for all kinds of enthusiasts who want to join the experiment.
2. Select the screenplay (1 week)
The first vote in the DAO: decide which screenplay will be made.
Screenplays are easy to read: a good script pulls you through the story, with the same emotional highs and lows you’ll experience in front of the big screen. So even for laymen, it’s not that difficult to form an opinion.
3. Select the crew (2 weeks)
Now the DAO decides on who’s going to realize the movie.
Directors, Cinematographers, Editors, Producers, Actors and other film professionals pitch their vision for the project and apply to be part of the production crew. A prior vote can be held on how to distribute voting power amongst them (or simply use delegation). A final vote is held on the final form of the production team.
4. Pre-Production (2 weeks)
Considering the script, locations, shooting dates and more, the crew starts preparing the shoot. Reaching this stage is already a huge win — the toughest human coordination is done.
In this stage, the production budget will become apparent and an NFT will be minted to raise it.
5. Production (2 weeks)
The crew comes together and films. These are long days where you’re constantly fighting against the clock, so there’s no DAO involvement here. Regular updates are expected.
6. Post-Production (4–6 weeks)
Editors, VFX artists, sound designers are joined by the writer & director to make the final film, updating the DAO regularly on progress. Ambiguous cuts can be voted on — especially endings and beginnings. Look at any director’s cut to see how opinions can differ here.
7. Launch & Release
OMG OMG OMG. We did it! The final film can be sold as an NFT, to fund further productions. This case can be used to dive deeper into collaborative filmmaking, from screenwriting to production and distribution.
For filmmakers, I’m confident that there are benefits to this system. Not only do you get to work on cool projects with forward-thinking peers, but you can also build a resume and actually own a part of the movie you’re contributing to. Guild creation, slate funding or making two different movies from one story, everything is possible as long as we keep things transparent and democratic while trusting the collective decisions of 100+ expert filmmakers.
More on that in part 3: Git for Filmmaking & Screenplays as NFT’s
Want to contribute? Signal your interest here: https://forms.gle/9gwzUVkCmsuSDnpV9
