Most Singaporeans can relate to Jack Neo and his made-in-Singapore movies like Money No Enough, I Not Stupid etc. What most Singaporeans do not know however is that you don’t have to a Jack Neo to make movies that make money. You also dont need studio quality video cameras.
Youtube is a familiar website for many people. And many people upload movies made with their mobile phone, digital cameras and camcorders to Youtube. Most do it without any intention of making money from their movies.
However, amateur moviemakers would benefit from knowing that Youtube runs a potentially lucrative “partner” program for contributors who regularly attract large audiences with movies that are creative and totally original. The program splits the advertising revenue on a 55% to 45% basis in favor of the creator. Some people have made six-figure annual incomes from their Youtube videos. But the average serious home moviemaker can expect to make about USD200 a month. How does SGD300 a month sound, working from home, planning your movie, editing your movie with no boss to answer to? You can even shoot your movie at home if you want to.
With that said, a little skills in making home movies would help to ensure that your movie can be selected for the Youtube partnering program. Take some time to read up on techniques for producing good quality movies suitable for Youtube. You will need to master the art of story telling, directing, filming and post-production editing for your movie to reach a large audience and create a stir in the Youtube community.
Patience can pay off here, and the people who really make big money on Youtube make movies everyday or every three days. They just concentrate on making movies and uploading them to Youtube for people to see.
A good book to read about making Youtube movies is YouTube: An Insider’s Guide to Climbing the Charts by Alan Lastufka and Michael W. Dean
You can actually buy it online from Amazon. (It can actually cost less buying a book from Amazon than to pick it up in town from say Borders, even if they have to mail it to you from the USA)
In reality, you don’t need to be Jack Neo and have big movie studio to make home movies that can generate income on a regular basis, you just need a camcorder, broadband Internet, a home computer, creativity and the determination for success.
