Subscriptions

M2R Films’ mission

A documentary is, obviously, an informative piece. However, it is also an adventure that one is not fully in control of. It involves discoveries and unexpected turns which make the story richer.

Among the many surprises, there’s one that stands out. It is the human part of the investigation, made out of all the strangers one meets along the way.

Information, adventure, meetings… M2R Films would like to share all of these things with the audience. Through DVD extras and Members Area content, we want to offer to our subscribers the materials that never really “fit” in the documentary format

Subscriptions: our guarantee

What we propose when we open a subscription :
    • A VOD access to the film and the bonuses. This access replaces the traditional DVD that we used to send in return for subscriptions. We know that many of our subscribers were attached to the DVD object and we hesitated to replace it with VOD. We made this choice for two reasons:
        ? many subscribers told us that they did not have a DVD player and that they preferred not to receive one more object, in a world already saturated with consumer products and waste;
        ? As DVDs are used less and less, the production process is very costly and ecologically unsustainable. We could not therefore restrict production to subscribers who preferred this option.
    • The Members' Area: your online registration gives you access to the documentary website, with articles and videos throughout the production process: with your password, you can follow the production. Those who subscribe by post or pay by cheque are notified by e-mail when their access is granted.
    • For those who choose the "cinema" formula: you will receive an invitation to a preview of the film at home. If there is no preview scheduled near you, or if you are unable to travel, you can attend a virtual preview. Marie-Monique Robin will be present at a distance and can answer your questions virtually.
    • Deadlines: the special edition VOD access will be open to subscribers only, after the first broadcast of the film. The Members' Area will be populated until the VOD accesses are sent.

I, the undersigned Marie-Monique Robin, personally undertake to reimburse the subscribers in full in the event that the production of the film does not go ahead, whatever the cause.

Attention, the subscription for the film "long live microbes" is not possible in English. If you decide to subscribe, you will have access to the member's area as well as to the film in French version.
 

Where does the money go?

It doesn't cover all production expenses

An ambitious documentary requires hundreds of thousands of euros; relying solely on subscriptions is out of the question! Major TV networks – some more commercially-oriented than others – remain the unavoidable intermediaries between films and the general public. The producer contacts the program directors hoping to hear the magic formula: “Yes, I want the audience to see this report”. The CNC (short for Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée, France’s national center for cinema) and several other public and professional institutions also play a leading role in financing films through mutualized funds. A positive response on their part, possible only after submission of big application files, attests in a way to the quality of the project: “Yes, this production is worthy of our intervention”. Shouldn’t there be a seat at the table for audiences that want more than just mere entertainment?

Their support would help put the focus on the social issues that are addressed in the film, taking them beyond the screen: “Yes, we would like to know more about this subject, we want a feature that helps us put it on the agenda and shape the debate”.

Pre-orders, not donations

Other causes, much more deserving, deserve your generosity. We do not ask for donations, but for you to advance the price of the film before its completion, which you will collect a few months later.

And thanks to the support you have given us, your VOD access will be enriched... You will find bonus content specially designed for you by the director.

An advance to help the investigation advance

Even if they don’t cover the bulk of the production costs, the funds brought in by the public and by associations are a decisive contribution to more ambitious projects. The complicated structures that underpin the media economy considerably lengthen the time before funding becomes available. Around 25% of the funds will be credited to the producer only after the film is completed.

As for banks, they tend to favor safer and juicier investments. However, a film’s quality is decided at the start of the production process, through the number of connections made, of books read, of references crossed, long before the camera starts rolling. In short, it’s the investigation that makes or breaks a report. And as subscriptions fund the investigation, they directly contribute to the quality of the end product, which is the subscribers’ main concern.

Building ties

By regularly participating in public screenings of my films organized by activist networks, professionals, or local authorities, I realized that my productions were reaching a certain audience, that shared its ideas and feelings. Being supported is a powerful motivation, especially amidst controversy. Equally so is finding yourself in the role of the mediator between the people interviewed, who are often isolated or underestimated, and a quality audience that will take hold of what they say.

In this way, subscriptions bring together audiences and first-hand witnesses. They further amplify these ties and multiply the power they carry by allowing the public to follow the making of the report, and by allowing the richness of the interviews to be shared in its entirety.