Logan Russell's Figuring Out Buyer Behavior #1

1.    Pick a segment: My specific segment I will be gearing this assignment toward are young filmmakers who specifically need help financing their film, rather than getting a distribution or advertising, which are other segments of the whole collective ideal customer. These people do not have the means to get their movie funded on their own, and most likely have turned to friends and family and crowdfunding sites for assistance. They have a script and a vision, just no money. 

2.    Interviews: Brian Vargas. Brian was one of the producers of a student film I worked on throughout the summer before my senior year of high school; we grew close discussing our frustrations of the wildly disorganized and dysfunctional set. I asked Brian a series of questions about the complexities of getting an independent film funded, I will be highlight the most important questions and answers of the interview. The first question worth noting was how much of a challenge it was to get an independent film financed in your position in the modern film industry. Brian answered that it was incredibly challenging, adding that even having significant connections doesn’t guarantee even a cent to your production effort. He cited that independent filmmakers are being drowned by studios producing mega blockbusters that steal practically every possible filmgoer. My second question/answer worth noting was about the possibility of my product achieving the success I think it could. He said that a product like the one I described to him would be undoubtedly popular and would facilitate the financing of many movies that previously wouldn’t have been able to. My second and third interviews were done together with two friends of mine who recently got engaged, Kyle Allen and Vanessa Rodriguez. They are a writing directing team I met in Los Angeles during one of my trips out there and are the proud producers of a few independent films. I asked them the same line of questioning and got similar answers. Again, the first question I posed that was worth noting here was how much of a challenge it was to get an independent film financed in your position in the modern film industry. They said that getting the necessary funding is practically an inevitability, that they know deep down they will have to sacrifice a great deal of their vision to make the near impossible budget they set for themselves. I then asked about what they thought about my product, to which they replied with resounding enthusiasm. They both agreed that it would solve many of the problem modern independent filmmakers have to deal with in the film industry. My product would provide these artists with the means to produce and the ability to showcase their work.

3.    Need and awareness: All three of the people I interviewed were all too aware of the problem and had a great need to find a solution. I was happy to find that my product seemed to solve these problems quite nicely.

4.    Move to information search: All three of the people I interviewed tried to remedy this problem just how I anticipated they would: they tried to utilize extensive connections they made, they reached out to friends and family members for support, and they used crowdfunding websites as well.

5.    Report the findings of your research: I found overall that the need for what I am proposing, the need for my opportunity, is just as great as I anticipated. The industry is backwards; not enough people are getting the resources to see their visions through, which is why my product is so necessary. 

6.    Conclusions: This segment of my customer base provided me with valuable insight into what I have to do and what must change from what has already been established. At the end of the day, there are artists out there who cannot succeed because they do not have the means to do so, but my opportunity can change that. These three interviews solidified the course my opportunity is taking, and I am looking forward to seeing where that course takes me next.