I don't know if this thread should be posted in this section but I couldn't find a more appropriate one. If this should be posted somewhere else, please remove the thread. I have a budget of $500 to create a brand new website. I have never done a website before and I know nothing about programming but I'm reading a book about it so it's going to work out fine, if it doesn't I'll just hire some dude to make a design. The website is about movie making. Mostly for kids between the ages of 12 - 19 but adults could also enjoy the website. As I said... the website will be about making movies and if you make movies in your spare time you will love my website. You will find tutorials on how to make special effects in your computer with Adobe After Effects, you will find a few articles I have written about the basics of film making, for instance how to set up lightning, what a director should do, how to become a better actor, how to write a script and a lot more! You will also be able to purchase e-books where I will teach you everything about making movies. You will also find a forum where you can discuss with other young film makers and share your movies. So... the reason why I created this thread is because I wanted to know if it's a good idea to start a website like this. I mean... how many of you make movies? I won't be getting a huge amount of traffic I know that but if I get around 5000 - 10000 hits per day I will be satisfied but I'm not sure if the interest is good enough. Not many people make movies in their spare time. I would also like to earn money from my website. I have a bunch of different methods to earn money. First off I will put ads on the website. I wont be making a lot of money from ads but it's not impossible to make $500 a month. I'm also going to sell a bunch of different e-books with various price $39 - $99 and I hope to generate at least $1000 from e-books but I'm hoping for more than $1500. I'm also going to add a donation option because I will give away a lot of video tutorials and very detailed articles so if they appreciate this, they should donate some money. I'm also going to find some sponsors which will provide me with a lot of stuff, such as laptops, camcorders and tripods. I hope to get at least 25% of each sale and around $2000 - $5000 should be a reasonable amount each month if I generate a lot of traffic. I also have a few other ways to make money which I wont bring up in this thread but I hope to earn $5000 - $10.000 every month from my website. I know it will be very hard but I'm prepared to work very hard! So please answer these questions: Do you think a website like this could become successful? I mean... not many people make movies on their spare time. How can I get sponsors and how much should I charge for each item I sell? Is there any good way to generate traffic? I'm going to spend around $200 to make my website appear on a popular PPC site, such as NeoBux. But most of the visitors wont be interested. Should I still do this?
It all really depends how narrow of a niche you're targeting. Have you browsed the net for similar sites like yours? If there are a lot of websites chances are that someone else may have something similar too. But no need to worry. If you have the time and commitment, and believe that you have a lot of content that can draw in your visitors then go for it. Just keep in mind that no successful internet business is made overnight. If you still have trouble click on the link on my signature...No I'm not trying to sell you anything... But this has helped me a whole lot especially for a newbie like me. Check it out. Hope this helps.
Thanks for the reply! I haven't browsed for similar sites but I'm pretty certain I wont find many. There's a Swedish website about film making and the forum has over 11.000 members and my site will be global so sure, it can become successful. But as you said it wont happen overnight. And the link in your signature seems interesting and I will definitely read everything, thanks. If anyone out there make movies please let me know if you would be interested in a site like this. Also, is there something you would like to see on the website that will really help you become a better movie maker? All feedback is appreciated.