The Mogul Production known to be a decentralized film financing platform welcomed Director, Actor, Producer, and Presenter of Mogul Live, James Pratt, to a Q&A session on its Telegram channel. The AMA session was done in order to enlighten community members about the romantic comedy Malibu Crush which is part of the 9-movie showcase currently on our Mogul platform.
On the 22nd of March, 2021, James Pratt, Presenter of Mogul Live was hosted by Mogul Productions, few questions were asked and the conversation was thus:
Moderator|Mogul Productions: Welcome James! It’s so great to have you here in our wonderful community. I know you have been very busy lately after just finishing the anticipated feature film Malibu Crush — https://www.filmink.com.au/james-pratt-calls-action-malibu-crush/
I am glad you could find some time to hang out and answer some questions today.
James Pratt: My pleasure, I’m looking forward to answering anyone’s questions.
Moderator|Mogul Productions: Before we open up to the community we would love to first ask you a few questions!
Q1.
Moderator|Mogul Productions: What is Mogul Live and how did you find yourself presenting it?
James Pratt: Mogul Live, is a live and interactive series whereby I interview the best talents within Hollywood and allow the audience to ask their own questions directly to these A grade stars.
Our guests have won, academy awards, Emmy awards and BAFTAs and it’s a direct chat without publicists pre answering the questions.At the beginning of 2020, I was talking to Andrew and we both agreed, a live series would be terrific and goes with Mogul’s vision of being more fair and more interactive for film companies. Mogul live is definitely interactive and is live for better transparency.
Moderator|Mogul Productions: I love the series! For those who don’t know Mogul Live has seen Mike Miller, René Bastian , Bryan McClure , Miki Yamashita, and many more!
Q2.
Moderator|Mogul Productions: Same here! So with all your recent work on Malibu Crush I am interested to hear your thoughts. Are independent films profitable?
James Pratt: It’s a great question.
Very much so, the benefit of independent films, is the budgets are much smaller than studio films and therefore you may not need to spend as much money on promotion and marketing to see profit.
I have a friend whose a producer, he just finished his film shot for 1m and already sold it for 2.5m
Q3.
Moderator|Mogul Productions: I love the idea of cheaper marketing leading to more independent films!
Let’s speak on budget for a little. Malibu Crush only had a budget of half a million USD. How did that break down?
James Pratt: We called in a lot of favours to stretch this, the main costs were, equipment hire, colour grades, music rights, catering and sound mixes.
The break down was split between these stages.1. Pre- production
2. Filming
3. Post Production ( marketing is also a cost here )
Q4.
Moderator|Mogul Productions: Sounds like it can come down to having the right connections. Speaking of connections, how did you first get involved with Mogul Productions?
James Pratt: I have a background in film and television as an actor and director, but it was through meeting Lisa in Vancouver years ago, I became involved. Right before I joined Mogul, I actually had conducted the worlds first cryptocurrency auction for real estate. So between the film experience I had and cryptocurrency experience Mogul was a great fit.
Q5.
Moderator|Mogul Productions: I can imagine. Must be a lot of work making it happen for the first time. Malibu Crush is in post production now. How do you plan to distribute this film and can you tell us some more about the cast?
James Pratt: With independent films, you can either secure distribution before filming, or shoot the film and then secure distribution. Both have pros and cons- but for Malibu Crush we decided to shoot the film first and so now, as we have a edited version almost ready with colour grades etc we are starting to chat with distributors and streaming services. We have a great cast
Look out for Scott E Miller — he’s worked with Charlie Sheen and Jake Gyllenhaal before.
Demitra Sealy — was a great cast member, she’s in Fast and Furious 9Moderator|Mogul Productions: I would love for Malibu Crush to be on a streaming service! I am not even sure if my local theater is open anymore. Streaming services have been growing a lot recently. I just read that the world-wide streaming subscriptions have just passed 1 billion!
Q6.
Moderator|Mogul Productions: Do you think online streaming services are becoming more important than cinemas?
James Pratt: You have raised a great point. The interesting aspect will be after Covid, “ will people go back to the cinema with the same interest levels ?
In general people are creatures of habit and the longer people keep getting hooked on viewing content by streaming services, the more they are getting used to this form of content
Q7.
Moderator|Mogul Productions: Let’s talk about Mogul Productions. We are building this platform for creators and fans. As a creator, what do you think will be the most helpful about Mogul’s platform?
James Pratt: Moguls platform has a lot of terrific aspects. One in particular is the networking opportunities for film makers and like minded individuals.
From my own experience, the bigger the network pool you have, the greater the opportunities —
Moguls platform once you sign up allows you to not only invest if you wish in films, but also connect with other film makers.
Q7.
Moderator|Mogul Productions: So what does blockchain do for Mogul beyond attracting a new type of asset holder to the project?
James Pratt: It’s adding in a much smarter and far more honest way to do business in the film space
Q8.
Moderator|Mogul Productions: What strengths can Mogul bring more into focus to build a great brand, like say HBO?
James Pratt: Great film projects!
Often you wonder why a tv show or film was made, considering the script or idea wasn’t strong.Mogul’s aim is to make spectacular content and films that the audience wants to see, we want to listen to the data and the voting by our fans.
Q9.
Moderator|Mogul Productions: I am so excited to see the first cult film come from Mogul Productions. I know when the fans have a voice it will lead to movies we actually want to see! Last question James, How will Mogul break the inertia of traditional studio filmmaking?
James Pratt: Mogul’s approach is much more inclusive and encourages indie film makers — you don’t have to live in Hollywood to be getting a great distribution deal or be making outstanding content.
Moderator|Mogul Productions: James it has been fantastic to talk to you. I am going to open it up now. I know I took up quite a bit of your time but if there are questions and you have time, feel free to hang out!
Community be sure to check out James Pratt’s newest work Malibu Crush: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3437892/
James Pratt: Thanks very much, Mike.
About James Pratt
James Pratt is an actor, writer, director, presenter, and award-winning auctioneer. He is the writer/director of the comedy Malibu Crush, starring Demitra Sealy, which was filmed in 2020.
James has worked alongside some of Hollywood’s finest talents including Q’orianka Kilcher, Sam Worthington, and Erica Christensen. His acting career started with guest roles in popular TV series including Home & Away, having studied acting at NIDA in Sydney, Australia.
In 2019 James became the first person in the world to auction real estate using cryptocurrency. He has won the REB Australian Auctioneer of the Year Award three years running! In fact, he is one of the world’s most successful luxury home auctioneers! James currently hosts Mogul Live where he interviews other film industry professionals.
IMDb: imdb.to/3pPydD9
Instagram: bit.ly/36ECzFG
About Mogul Productions
Mogul is a decentralized film financing platform that brings
creators, fans, and film financiers together; allowing everyone to play a part in the next big blockbuster.
For More Information about Mogul Productions:
Website: https://www.mogulproductions.com/
Telegram Group: https://t.me/mogulproductions
Twitter: https://twitter.com/we_are_mogul
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/mogulproductions/
Medium: https://medium.com/mogulproductions
