← Travis Makes Money
Loading summary
Transcript100 lines
- [00:00]
A
You're listening to the Travis Makes Money podcast, presented by GoHighLevel.com for a free 30 day trial of the best all in one digital marketing software tool on the planet. Just go to gohighlevel.com travis. What's going on, everybody? Welcome back to the Travis Makes Money podcast, where it's our mission to help you make more money. Today on the show, my producer Eric is in studio. What's up, man?
- [00:22]
B
Hey, what's going on, my guy?
- [00:25]
A
Just sipping some. Some coffee.
- [00:27]
B
Sipping some Henny?
- [00:29]
A
Nope.
- [00:30]
B
Dude, I was. I was at a bar yesterday and this older couple came in and the guy was like, can I get a. I think a vodka soda. They were probably like in their 60s. And then the lady ordered Hennessy.
- [00:46]
A
That is an interesting.
- [00:47]
B
And I've never seen like an older, like, like an older retired couple. She's like, give me the Henny.
- [00:52]
A
You know, she was a white lady.
- [00:55]
B
Yes. Like, like, literally, like, like your parents type of demographic. Yeah, old. Old and white.
- [01:02]
A
Why would you say my parents?
- [01:04]
B
Like, it's not also your parents or mine. I don't know why. I just.
- [01:08]
A
I know your parents are white.
- [01:11]
B
I don't know. I don't really see my.
- [01:13]
A
That is interesting. She just. Just like, just.
- [01:16]
B
Can I have a rocks? Yeah, she just said, can I have a Hennessy? Or she said, do you have Hennessy? But also she was formal enough to be like Hennessy, which sounds more formal than Henny.
- [01:28]
A
Do you perhaps have Hennessy?
- [01:29]
B
Hennessy on the rocks, please. Dude, I got. I got some stuff to share with you that is crazy good news for the film industry.
- [01:39]
A
Okay.
- [01:39]
B
Crazy good news for content creators and crazy good news for me because I enjoyed it. Let's.
- [01:44]
A
Let's hear it.
- [01:45]
B
So I went to go see the movie Iron Lung the other day. Are you familiar with this movie? You're the only one in America not familiar with this movie. So, no, I was. I have this. That Regal movie pass. So I can see any movie I want to, which is great because it, like, there's movies that I wouldn't normally see, and I'm like, let me go check this out. And there's movies like this I would definitely see, but there's no skin in the game. I can just go enjoy it and if it sucks, I can just leave. But I went to go see Iron Lung, this movie I was excited for, for a few reasons. One, it's a horror movie, so I was. I was excited. But two, it's a horror movie directed by a person who's A very well known YouTuber. And so I was like half nervous and I actually asked the guy at the front, I was like, which movie should I see, this one or a different one? And they both were ones that had high potential to suck. Because when you hear YouTuber does movie, you're like, maybe they're not gonna make the jump.
- [02:36]
A
Yeah.
- [02:37]
B
So I went and saw it. It was really, really well made. Like incredibly well made. And he. Oh, and let me also say this. He produced, wrote, starred and directed the movie. So the very high potential that it would not be good because then it's also a passion project that you know you're doing. So he made it for under $3 million and he 4x his budget the first night of release. So it was actually top of the box office when it came out.
- [03:09]
C
No.
- [03:10]
B
Yeah. Who's a YouTuber Markiplier?
- [03:13]
A
I don't know. That is.
- [03:14]
B
I know. You wouldn't know who it is. No. So he's a video game react channel, like primarily. And he reacted to a video game like this, like indie video game called Iron Lung and tweeted the dude who designed the game and said, can I make a movie about your game? And the guy was like, sure. That's pretty much what started the whole process. Yeah, it made $8.9 million and topped the Friday box office. So good for him. Yeah, for me it was. And he has. I mean he has 38 million YouTube subs, but also there's been a ton of YouTubers that have tried that formula.
- [03:51]
A
Oh yeah.
- [03:52]
B
And like to see one actually really work and I think the quality of it kind of speaks to this as well. Like it was just really neat.
- [03:58]
A
Well, and his YouTube subs aren't for horror films, they're for video game reviews.
- [04:03]
B
He does do a lot of horror video games. So there is some crossover.
- [04:06]
A
Some. Some. Some crossover.
- [04:07]
B
I've watched, I've watched some stuff on his channel in the past, but I wouldn't say I'm like a big markiplier head, but it was. Yeah, it was pretty neat. He pre sold $6 million in tickets.
- [04:18]
A
Wow.
- [04:18]
B
Which is nuts because I.
- [04:19]
A
Distribution man. Yeah, Built in distribution. That's. That's super cool. I love, I love the idea of the low budget films doing really well like that.
- [04:27]
B
Yeah.
- [04:28]
A
This is why a lot of like indie filmmakers are in the horror genre too. Correct. Like are like horror films are in. On average, they're easier to create, they're.
- [04:37]
B
Cheaper, they're cheaper to make. Action and horror, you can do relatively cheap. And there's a huge audience for those genres. Like, it's pretty broad appeal, but that was pretty crazy. So. Yeah. As weekend projections climbed to 15 to $17 million.
- [04:55]
A
Wow.
- [04:55]
B
Dude's doing really well. And I walked out legitimately going, like, one. I just like seeing any, like, small. Like, small, like, in any indie filmmaker that, like, does well. Yeah. But, like, I also like when they do well and the movie's good. And I walked out going, like, I'll watch whatever that he does. Like, this is really well done. Yeah.
- [05:15]
A
And that's probably the first of many. Well, anyhow, now that one's done well.
- [05:20]
B
Well. And he outperformed. So I also saw this, and it was very good. Sam Raimi, who directed, like, Spider man and Evil Dead. Like, I mean, it's Sam Raimi, but he outperformed him in the box office, and they opened at the same time.
- [05:33]
A
Wow.
- [05:34]
B
So he also, like, knocked a veteran.
- [05:35]
A
Like, do you think that that's correlated to his audience size?
- [05:39]
B
I think so. I mean, when I went, there was a definite. Like, the audience was packed when I went, which was cool. And it was a. They were all locked in the whole time. And I could tell from the demo that was there, like, it was his. Like, they all knew who he was because, like, when he first came on screen, they all kind of, like, laughed, but not in, like, a. Like, it was like, oh, that's that YouTuber.
- [06:02]
A
I recognize him.
- [06:02]
B
Yeah. But like, in a, like, respectful way where it's like, I could tell there were fans, and, like, they all had the same kind of, like, style and vibe, and it was, like, so cool. Clearly, that group.
- [06:12]
A
How. How did. Was his acting also really good?
- [06:15]
B
Yeah, That's. Honestly, like, that was. The thing is, I went into it and was like. I was like, in the. I didn't think the trailer was that good, but I watched the trailer and was like, it could be, or it could be really bad, like, passion project and, you know, and. But his, like, at first, like, the first time he spoke, it's very much his voice. He has, like, that game, like, hey, guys, today we're gonna be watching this. And so the first few times where he's, like, sitting at the computer and he's like, what the fuck is that? You know, I was like, oh, no, Is this gonna be, like, a weird video game react kind of situation? But he. He has a lot to do, and it's. The whole movie takes place. So the premise of the movie is that he, like, all the stars have died. It's like this super deep space. Intergalactic kind of thing. And there's this planet that's covered in blood, so it's like completely covered. And the last few survivors basically take him, who's like this convict, and lower him in a submarine that's welded shut into this, like, sea of blood. And so the whole movie, aside from like one scene, is just him. Like, and the only interaction he has with anybody else is like a speaker up in the corner where, like, they'll send these like, warbled, distorted messages. And it's like a two hour movie. So like, that's a huge task for any actor.
- [07:38]
A
Right.
- [07:38]
B
Like, he's basically doing like the Will Smith I am legend thing. Yeah. And in the whole time I was, I wasn't like, is this almost over? Like, what's going to happen? Like, it was very, very good. Like, and he was, he was on point for sure.
- [07:52]
A
Has there. Has there been any sort of repercussions so far from the creator community that you've seen where people are like, talking about it, not whether negative or positive way to say, like, you know, start introducing more of these types of crossovers?
- [08:07]
B
Well, everything I've seen has been positive. Like, I watched like Penguin Zero Charlie's the creator there. Like, he did a video about it and was like, super positive. Like, and it felt like everybody was like, oh, we're so glad this is good. Like, that was kind of the vibe, which I thought was cool.
- [08:23]
A
Yeah.
- [08:24]
B
And I think, I think that's also like, of all platforms, I feel like YouTube is kind of the least. I mean, there is certainly factions and I keep up with some of the drama, but I feel like for the most part there's a lot of, like, support of like, oh, we want to see each other make it right. In a way that I, in podcasting is like that too. I feel like a lot of the long form, I feel like I see more like the cattiness on like the short form creator worlds where it's like, sure, oh yeah, dude. Like, I don't know. But yeah, it seemed like it was all super positive overall.
- [08:53]
A
Yeah, let's. I mean, I, I love the concept that those two worlds are colliding more and more often.
- [09:01]
B
Yeah.
- [09:02]
A
You know, in, in several contexts. Because bottom line, bottom line, what Hollywood is missing right now is what creators have, which is attention, unbridled attention. You know what I'm saying? So when there's these fully funded film projects that aren't even making their money back.
- [09:21]
B
Right.
- [09:21]
A
And then you have a film project that, you know, four X's and opening weekend that you, you have to start taking a look at that. I mean, that's why you look at something like Happy Gilmore too. You know, like Adam Sandler did a great job. I mean, obviously he. This isn't a regular film we're talking about. This is a long awaited, like 20, 30 year gap between a sort of like comedy cult classic and a sequel. But also the way that they did it in bringing out all of these different. There was, there were so many like almost Easter eggs, golf influencers that they sprinkled throughout the entire movie. Even if it was just like us, they weren't even a major part of the plot or they didn't really have any lines, but they happened to be in this one scene type of a thing. That immediate distribution that they get that, that, that recognition that the fans get when they see somebody who they follow on social standing next to Adam Sandler and the shot in this new movie that they've been long awaiting, like, that's why it was the number, number one opening movie on Netflix of all time. Yeah, was probably like, obviously, again, can't say it was just due to the influencers because it's still Adam Sandler and it's still a long sequel. But it's also the, the idea that he's, he's embracing that new type of media and figuring out a way for them to coexist, I guess is, is really what I'm more excited for, is that it's not a, it's not us versus them anymore. Where like before it was like a hard line drawn in the sand. It's like, are you a YouTuber or are you an actor? Because you can't be both, you know what I mean? Like, you either choose to be an actor as a profession or you choose to be a YouTuber as a profession. There's not gonna be a lot of crossover here. But then you start seeing it more and more often, even with people like King Bach, who's made that jump fairly successfully over the years with a bunch of different random movie roles that he has. Or it's something like this where the creator is obviously completely 100% led in his own direction and makes the entire project smash hit. Like that, to me, is super cool and, and bodes well for a lot of the people who got turned down by Hollywood, but have found their own audience through like the creator version of that and now probably see that as sort of like, wow, that's a big inspiration. You know what I mean? And I think, I think funding dollars might Notice that as well. Yeah, the money, like, money is going to follow the money. So if they see something like this, they. Those financiers might be like, oh, and you don't have to have the New York financiers.
- [11:48]
B
Y.
- [11:50]
A
You don't have to have the, the massive movie studio name or production company name behind the film project in order to raise capital to go, like, see it to through to, through, through to fruition. You can basically come in with your own, you know, distribution engine, your own idea, your own content and cast and production and everything. And then somebody's going to be like, hmm, probably worth taking a shot. Like, instead of writing this, this, you know, $40 million check to be a part of this $100 million movie project, like, we could stroke this $4 million check all day and basically be partners on this film project that has the opportunity to actually make us a lot more money than even any of these other projects might be able to make us.
- [12:34]
B
Yeah, well, and I think too, the other thing I thought was really neat about this is like, there's been plenty of things where someone who's famous gets picked by a studio to be in something that doesn't really have anything to do with their brand or like, they're hoping just having the name will get the eyeballs. Like, Hollywood's been doing this for a long time, like way past its due, where it's like, if we get stars, people are going to come. And then you see like Amsterdam starring Margot Robbie and Chris Rock, and it's like it bombs. It's like nobody cares at all because it feels like it's just a star studded disaster kind of thing. But, like, what's really cool. And I think what helped Iron Lung. And I felt this watching the movie and then watching because, like, I kind of watched a little bit after just to like, dig into some of the lore and like, understand some things that are like deep cut things in the, in the movie. But, like, even him talking about it, it's so clear he loves this video game a ton that it's based on. And you can feel that in like, every frame of the movie where it's like, it's like, I think if Hollywood were gonna make a movie, they'd be like, let's make a video where you're reacting to video games and you get sucked into the game. Like, they would pitch some weird, stupid story, but, like, he found this niche video game he liked that's small enough that he can reach out to the developer on Twitter and be like, hey, wanna make a movie? And even though the movie's based on ip, it's very nit. Like, nobody knows that except for, like a niche community of gamers. So, like. Yeah, yeah. The passion project side of it, I think, is really huge too, where it's like he didn't go try to get the rights to some random thing he didn't care about because he thought it would get butts and seats. It was like, no, it's this niche thing that he spent a lot of time streaming about.
- [14:15]
A
Right.
- [14:16]
B
And also that's kind of cool for, like the video game creator side, where it's like they make this kind of indie game and then someone can just hit you up and like, this definitely put, like, I wouldn't be sitting here talking about this guy's game.
- [14:29]
A
Right.
- [14:29]
B
You know what I mean? So it's really cool.
- [14:32]
A
The marriage of those expressions of IP is what helps. It's the rising tide that raises all ships.
- [14:41]
B
Yeah.
- [14:41]
A
In the harbor. You know, it's like when you have. When you have a great video game and then a great story written off of that, that's turned into a great movie and then also scored really well. And you have a great soundtrack. It's sort of like several expressions of that IP hitting around the same time tend to really blow up everybody that's involved in the project. You know, like K Pop demon hunters type of a thing where it just explodes because they have multiple impact points. You know, like, they. They. The soundtrack. The soundtrack by itself is a banger, even without the movie. Yeah, but the movie is what popularized the soundtrack. And then the soundtrack helps popularize the movie, which helps popularize the soundtrack.
- [15:20]
B
What?
- [15:21]
A
You know what I mean? It's like sort of this combustion actually.
- [15:24]
B
Good.
- [15:25]
A
Right? Right.
- [15:26]
B
No, I think this is a clip. If I'm wrong, I'll just X out. We'll pretend I didn't do this if you're listening. But I think it's where he talks about just hitting up the crater, which, again, it was like. I know we've talked about working on some projects where it's like putting together a little bit of funding and doing so. And it's like all this stuff, I was like, oh, yeah. This kind of fires up that thing where it's like, it can work. There's something here.
- [15:46]
D
Here to talk to me about it is the film's writer, director, star, executive producer and editor, Markiplier. Mark, thank you so much for joining us.
- [15:56]
B
Hi.
- [15:56]
C
No problem. Thanks for having me.
- [15:57]
D
For anybody that hasn't played Iron Lung, could you give us the time?
- [16:00]
B
If my voice sounded like that, I would definitely.
- [16:03]
D
Video game walkthroughs line on what this is all about.
- [16:06]
C
Yeah. End of the universe, prisoner, welded in a submarine, dropped in an ocean of blood. That's pretty much the entire summary of it.
- [16:15]
D
This is a movie that you developed in pretty close collaboration with the game's developer and creator, Dave Zymanski. Can you talk a little bit about what that collaboration was like for you?
- [16:25]
C
Yeah. So I reached out to him a little bit after playing the game, asking if I could make a movie about it. There was not much more fanfare than that. It was just types like, hey, can I make a movie? And he was like, sure. But then from there, I needed to know so much more about the universe. And so I would ask him questions. The Lore Update had come out at that point, so we learned a bit more about the factions that were there. And so I was like, okay, I know that there's a universe, and I know that there are factions. I know there's people. Can you tell me more about, like, what caused all this and what else is. And he goes, well, I didn't really think about that because he hadn't needed to. A lot of it was left up to mystery. So he. He leaned on that kind of mystery to. To help it.
- [17:02]
B
And.
- [17:02]
C
And honestly, I didn't really need to know all the answers. But we worked in tandem. I was helping out with coming up with some ideas. I would chuck it at him, and he would say, like, no, this isn't really in universe. This doesn't feel quite right. And then I would come up with this horrible idea, and he'd be like, no, that's cool. I like that. And it was. It was that. It was like, you know, just kind of feeling it out until we got to a point where the story was starting to really feel cohesive. And it's like, okay, this is the story we want to tell.
- [17:27]
A
I'd also want to know, like, even from the video game creator's perspective, too, what he felt like with a YouTuber coming to him with that request, like, can I make a movie? And he'd be like, I don't know. Can you make a movie? Is that something that you can do?
- [17:43]
B
What's the other thing, too? Is like, Markiplier's done a couple, like. Like, he's done a couple, like, projects before that are, like, feature length. I don't think they ever went theatrical. I think this is his first theatrical. If only there was some way to know that. But this was definitely, like, the biggest, broadest release and totally different tone than a lot of his stuff. But again, I think even from that little snip of the interview, that's why I want to play. It is like, there's so much creative freedom just to go, like, what do you think is going to work based on this? Right. You know, and again, like, I just go back to, like, look at, like, a Haley Welch with Octo. It's like. It's like we're just going to take you and throw you into things, and it's like, right. That's not going to sustain the way that, like, some of these creators where it's like, yeah, I want to do this thing because I care about it.
- [18:27]
A
Yeah, it has an expiration date, you know, because it's not really like, the expression of any real creativity. It's basically just like a cash grab to see how long we can monetize this person that everybody knows of.
- [18:36]
B
Right. Well, I mean, I. I guess this is a big W for the creative world, for sure. And again, like, all the articles coming out make me excited because they're like, this is shaking up Hollywood. I was like, yeah, I like all those kinds of things. When are we making a movie?
- [18:52]
A
That's a good question, dude. Because, I mean, why not?
- [18:55]
B
Yeah. I mean, yeah, let's.
- [18:58]
A
Let's do it.
- [18:58]
B
Okay.
- [18:59]
A
Let's make a movie.
- [18:59]
B
All right, I'll see you on set in a minute. Go ahead and close this out. I'll turn on the lights. Yeah. So if you're.
- [19:05]
A
If you're listening, I mean, think about this. Think about this from the perspective what it means for you. And again, if you're not creating content, why not? You don't know where it can lead, what types of awesome projects you can be a part of, or what types of projects you can create from scratch. So get started doing something, because you never know what it's going to end up being. That's it for today's episode. Remember, money only solves your money problems, but it is a little bit easier to solve the rest of your problems when you got money in the bank. So let's solve that one first here on the Travis Makes Money podcast. Thanks for tuning in. Catch you next time. Peace.