House of Dreams (Casa de Suenos)

USA (SANEPR.com) November 14, 2008 -- In this era of economic uncertainty, the already risky world of feature film financing has become more difficult than ever. Independent producer Joseph D. Peters, however, has redefined traditional business models and is garnering widespread attention for his risk-mitigating strategy.

A strategy that, in fact, may well revolutionize the industry and is garnering a groundswell of attention.

For several years, Joseph has struggled and sacrificed to finance his own movie projects. There were bites, but nothing more. He finally elected to package his projects not as a ‘slate,’ an industry term of choice for a series of unrelated features, but as a single film budgeted at $10 million – divided into and released as six individual “episodes.”

And that’s where the interest began. Joel Eisenberg, co-founder of film finance network group “All Cities Media,” says: “This is truly a unique idea. The money saved in production can be substantial, and the filmmaker builds a brand at the same time.”

Joseph calls his 12-hour proposed international feature “House of Dreams” (“Casa de Suenos”). Each feature-length “episode” is tied together by characters that are embarking on a journey towards their dreams – much like the filmmaker. The completed scripts are titled, “Tango in the Dark”, “A Silence Within”, “Shadow of the Werewolf”, “Hidden Tracks”, “Blood on the Streets”, and “Silent Storms”. The 12-hour project will be shot at once and entirely in Argentina, in order to take advantage of the experienced local crews, top level equipment, European-style architecture and the favorable 3 to 1 exchange rate.

“This takes the guesswork out of economic guessing-games,” says Joseph. “If a filmmaker finances one film at a time, who knows where the economy will be when the first project is completed? By creating this umbrella, the filmmaker will now be able to take advantage of the current financial climate, in addition to saving a small fortune on locations and other above-the-line expenses.”

According to the Argentinean Film Industry Union, shooting in Buenos Aires can be 30% cheaper than shooting in the United States. All of the films are fully packaged with an award winning writer/director, director of photography, sound design, popular cast and a local Argentine Production Services Company. The Argentine cast is confirmed and they are bilingual. American actors can be formally attached once funding is in place. The entire series will be shot in two versions (English and Spanish).

House of Dreams (Casa de Suenos) is set to begin pre-production in 2009. Each episode is intended to be submitted to the Film Festival Circuit, theatrically released, television, cable and home entertainment.

Joseph D. Peters is available for consultations. Please contact him through his website, at www.josephdpeters.com

Press contact:

Joseph D. Peters – Producer
Renaissance Productions, Ltd.
(909) 394-1931
jpeters@josephdpeters.com
www.josephdpeters.com