Archive for Film Financing
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What is a “Film Package”?
A film package is far more than just a script and a budget, though that is what many new filmmakers think it is. A film package is a set of documents that: Outlines, in detail, a plan for producing Proves, conclusively, that a producer and his team are ready, willing and able to execute this plan Demonstrates that the film is likely to...
Film Financing Begins with A Great Script
People tend to gloss over the need for a great script in a film package. The assumption seems to be that any script will do. The truth is, a script actors and directors love is a script that will get funding on the very best terms. Actors, and their managers, are always looking for great roles, and they make tactical decisions to charge a little...
Once You Have a Script, You Need a Line Producer
Once you have a script and it is something actors and others love, you need to pay a line producer to break the script down into shooting days and budget items. Why? You need real numbers in order to determine how much your film will cost to make. It is not uncommon at all to change your script to reduce costs. Make sure your line producer...
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...
Identifying Key Cast
One of the most annoying things you will hear as you work to build your film package is that it will takes name talent to get it funded. You will come to hate those words for a variety of reasons. First "name talent" is a fairly meaningless phrase. People use it to mean almost anything and so it means nothing. Some people use the phrase to...
Lining Up Distribution and Sales Agents
This is actually somewhat impossible for most independent feature films just at the moment. In 2008 when the stock market crashed, motion picture studios and distributors hit a serious cash flow crisis. Their operations were funded by banks, by hedge funds, by asset backed securities transactions, by government rebates and overseas investors....
Creating Financial Projections
The truth is, no one knows exactly how much a film will make. But it is easy to calculate how much similar films will make. It just takes research. Here are specific techniques you can use for creating your financial forecasts. For films that will have theatrical release, start by going to www.boxofficemojo.com. In a spreadsheet record the...
Insurance and Completion Bonds
Letters of intent from a Production Insurance company and a Completion Bond company is required to receive most film funding. Both Production Insurance Companies and Completion Bond Companies review the script, the budget, the key crew, the shooting schedule and talk to the line producer before giving a letter of intent. So if they say a film is...
Make Sure You Own an LLC or Corporation to Give the Funding To
In order to take money for a film, the money has to go into some bank account that is associated with some company. You need to form an LLC or a Corporation to separate your assets from the film's assets. Talk to your lawyer if you don't understand how or why to set up these business entities. Your Corporation or LLC needs to have a bank...
