Finding Key Crew Prior to Financing Your Film
There are several people you need to identify before you shoot a film in order to get it funded quickly.
- Your Director is key to funding. He may bring with him funding sources, actors, and other resources. If you are a writer and you want to direct your own film, you may have a pretty easy time convincing a funder that you’re an acceptable choice if your line producer or 1st AD is a seasoned DGA director. Because a funder will know you have back up on set to make sure things go smoothly.
- Your Cinematographer , or Director of Photography, is a huge factor in your production. Every image that gets on screen will pass through their lens. If they have a good portfolio of short films and features and solid commercial work, your DP will be an asset that makes your film more fundable.
- Your Production Designer, who designs the world your character lives in, should work well with your DP and your Director.
- Your Editor is a key factor in your production because unprofessional editing will destroy the best film. Your editor should have multiple credits and a track record of coming in on time with commercial quality work. Editing film so that it can become a commercial quality film print or be an HD feature for distribution to cable or PPV is no small task. Make sure your editor has great credits and great references.
- Your Production Accountant is critical to ensuring your film manages its cash flow and pay its bills on time. This is important because violating union agreements related to payroll and benefits can shut your production down. Failure to track expenditures correctly can make rebates impossible and taxes hard to file.
- Your Sales Agent, if you have one, will sell the rights to your movie, making it possible to repay your investors.
- Distributors put your film in theaters and in stores. If you have one for your project, and they are willing to offer a minimum guarantee, your film is much easier to get funding for.
- Marketing & Advertising team members can also make your project more fundable. If they have a track record of working on solid, profitable projects, their willingness to work with you gives your project a strong stamp of approval.
Your business plan will include biographies, and letters of intent, from all key crew members on your project. Not every one of these professionals has to be a “rock star” but they do all have to be solid working professionals with a track record of getting profitable films to market. If every member of your team is a “newbie” outside funding becomes quite difficult to acquire.
If you approach potential team members directly with a very solid script, a solid shooting schedule and tell them you will pay them market rates (as defined by what they get paid on other projects) the should be willing to give you a letter of intent that says they would be willing to work on your project.
Documentary filmmakers need to build their crew along the same lines. A documentary film needs a good DP and a good director. It may not need to make money in order to make its funders happy. But it may need to get theatrical release in order to insure the grant makers and donors who “invest” it are getting the exposure and support they want for their money. That means that a service deal distributor handling theatrical release should be included in the business plan.
In assembling your crew the key thing is to see how every key “adds” to the marketability and attractiveness of the package. Film is a collaborative process and good collaborators are an asset to any production.
The following image shows budget items along with projected rebates.
