THE BUSINESS OF FILMMAKING – Why ‘The Oracle Machine’ Is A Great Value Proposition

THE ORACLE MACHINE is both a graphic novel and the script for a live-action movie project. But movies can cost quite a bit, so movie-making becomes a business too, that usually must try give some kind of ROI (Return on Investment) to investors – be it emotional, financial, or preferably both.

It’s truly wonderful to know something you have helped to create is having an impact on multitudes of others.  And the financial returns can be huge. The excellent Trainspotting had a return ratio of about 60:1. Yes, filmmaking is always a gamble, but the higher the risk, the higher the rewards (and for some, the bigger those thrills). But I sincerely believe this project is relatively low-risk for a movie, and of course I’ll tell you why.

(Filmmaking is team-building! South African actors Suraya Santos and Grant Swanby posed for the drawings in the graphic novel.)

Three big factors mitigate the risks here:

Firstly, the script has been drawn out as a graphic novel, so my vision of it is perhaps clearer to communicate than as a written script.  It’s also easier for producers to scope out the locations and cast and action-sequences etc. And then price it. And it’s a step closer to the final product, so for myself as a filmmaker, it’s another opportunity to see how the script plays out – where is it too fast, too slow, unclear etc. And though the graphic novel format (mine anyway) can be a bit limited in conveying the emotional weight, I’m sure the actors will do an even more compelling job of telling this story.

Secondly, I have experience in filmmaking. I’m happy to say I’ve managed to get one original feature-length movie – GIRL FROM NOWHERE – made from start to finish. Although it was a micro-budget first film, made with about $20k, it’s out there now getting views. So imagine working with me and 100x that amount, and we’d still be on the lower end of the low-budget movie spectrum. i.e. I can stretch a budget and this script is constructed to be affordable to make.

Thirdly, Cape Town is a massively popular and highly economical filming location. We have very experienced crews here, seasoned even in the whims of international Hollywood productions. And filming in Cape Town is so darn cheap. No limits, and every kind of location. i.e. $1m spent here usually looks like $10m back in the States.

So let’s do it. Time is fleeting. Come on board and let’s make an awesome Indie-Genre African Sci-Fi Cutting-Edge Original A.I. Movie – THE ORACLE MACHINE!

As described in TOM, hacking door-locks & traffic lights has arrived

I’ll soon shift to talking more about filmmaking – since T.O.M. is my illustrated film script, and I’m hoping that it, plus my 2017 movie here will give possible investors enough confidence to invest in this exciting indie African Sci-Fi film project.

But first, these articles got my attention: An article highlighting how new ‘smart-locks’ can be opened remotely online. And this Wired story describes how traffic lights can be hacked! Who knew?

About ‘The Oracle Machine’ – Movie Project

Hi, my name is Mark and it’s my plan to turn my script into a movie…

Ok, you’ve heard that before… But… this is a really interesting script, and I feel a big desire to share this story with people. I also knwo a bit about film-making and work in the industry.

My script is called ‘The Oracle Machine’ and it tells the story of Lena, in Cape Town, who uses a new computer to try solve the mystery of her dreams, and inadvertantly triggers the machine to become ‘Artificially Intelligent and ‘escape’. The rampant computer program spreads over the internet and is perceived as a terrorist attack by the American military, who set out to stop it, suspecting Lena is part of a terror network. Will Lena survive being caught between these two forces? Will anyone be able to stop the approach of greatest, and perhaps the last, event created by humankind as the machine takes over the internet.

‘The Oracle Machine’ is a particularly interesting story because it deals with the growth of the internet. This is something which has not been examined enough in popular culture. It also deals with dreams, another favorite topic of mine and something else that has not been examined enough. So this script poses the question, what make us human?

This blog is to share ideas and generate interest in my project, get support and momentum, that might just keep this project going long enough it get onto a screen in one way or another. No, I’m not aiming for a Hollywood blockbuster, just a low budget flickering grainy Black and White video to take to independent film festivals all over the place.

I’ll share my ideas about what inspired this story, as well as filmy stuff, like styles, camera experiments, and the steps I’m taking to get production going. The biggest thing right now is workshopping actors and looking for producers, and I’ll share that process with you too.

Thanks for listening and stay tuned…