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...
Refining the Production Schedule and Production Budget
As a producer building a fundable film package, the budget and schedule provided by the line producer are your starting point. You go UP from there. You will add costs for: Purchasing & Developing the Script Paying the Producer, Executive Producer and Finder Paying Lead Talent Paying Key Specialty Cast Marketing Prints &...
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...
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...
Developing a Weekly Cash Flow
Having created a production schedule, a distribution plan, and revenue projections, you should now be in a position to create a worksheet that outlines, on a week by week basis, when funding will be used and when revenues will be received. Start by taking the items from your budget top sheet and entering them line for line in the...
How to Find Film Funders
If you go online and search for terms like "film finance", "entertainment capital", "entertainment holdings" you'll find hundreds of listings for those who invest in film. You can approach them by phone, fax or email. Phone works best if you are good at pitching your project on the phone. Note that these folks are easy to approach. They do this...
What are the rules of film financing?
There are no universal rules in the film industry. Film productions, by their very nature, are constructed by very small teams which means decisions by a very small number of people are required to make some very big decisions. There are films that have been funded based on nothing more than a few lines on a napkin. There are other films made by...
Understanding the Iron Triangle of Film Financing
If you want to produce a feature film you need many things, most of which are relatively easy to acquire. You need a script, a camera, a camera man, lights, a location, a crew, etc. But the heart of your production, if your film is to be profitable, will be the Iron Triangle, which is to say a cast, financing and distribution. If you have a...
