Funding for movies

Alex Mercer · February 1, 2005

What are some good ways to try and raise some money for an independent film? Not only fundraisers but ways to find investors.

Alex

Dominic Case · February 1, 2005

Investors simply want a return on their investment. As a rule they don't care about the film. If their money would be better in cocoa futures, a high-tech start-up, or the horses, they'll invest there rather than your high-risk proposition. So you have to persuade them that your particular production will make money. It's the potential box office take multiplied by the probability of getting that box office.

So you need to be making a film that they know will succeed because it's exactly the same as one that succeeded last year . . .

. . . or you need to be making a film that is totally original and quite unlike anything else - but certain to be a hit.

Either way, they need to know that it will be finished, on time, as expected, and will sell. Usually interest (read: advance funding) from a distributor or any other outlet will help get others on board.

Alex Mercer · February 1, 2005

what are some other ways besides using investors?

Alex

Mark Allen · February 1, 2005

what are some other ways besides using investors?

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What's your motivation for making the movie?

Is this an existing script or just a notion that you want to make a movie?

What is the genre?

All these things will dictate your process a lot.

As for your question:

Generally you have self-investment (and with DV this is becoming very common), grants, private investors, small production companies, mini-majors, and studios (and probably one or two I'm not thinking of right now). All of them have advantages and disadvantages.

If you have a truly unique and well written screenplay in hand, more of these options are open to you than you might imagine - then it would depend on if you are experienced director or if you are willing to let someone else direct.

Alex Mercer · February 1, 2005

My motivation for making the movie is to gain experience becuase this is what I want to do, make movies. The script is near completion and will be ready to shoot by spring. The film is a comedy. Im not an experienced director but Im trying to find a director that has some experience and is willing to let me co-direct. What could I do?

Alex

jasarsenault · February 1, 2005

Try searching for local and national film grants and arts councils. I had a film funded by a local group that finances and develops small local business along with local and national arts council.

Mark Allen · February 3, 2005

It sounds like you have not had a lot of experience directing and that's what you desire.

If so - I am not convinced co-directing with someone is really the right path. In fact, the people on the set you coudl learn the most from are the keys for every department. Gain insights from them - How does their job help tell the story. Then just study up and shoot some short pieces asking yourself - am i conveying any emotion here? Am I telling the story? Pick simple things at first - just see if you can capture a moment. Then when you feel you have a grasp on that - that's when I would think about trying to tackle a feature. Also - you could use some of your shorts to inspire some help.

Huge advice though. It's better to make one really amazing thing than ten mediocre things. You'll learn more.

You could look into grants when you are ready to move forward with the feature - but I would really take advantage of this DV era we live in. While it may be arguable for various people with other options to shoot on DV - it sure makes a lot of sense when you're just trying to get started. I think Pieces of April and Charlotte Sometimes were probably just as good as a lot of movies out there. (The budgets for those movies were in the couple hundred and tens of thousands respectively) - but you can do it for 7k like the director of Primer (who shot on 16mm none the less).

You could spend two years trying to secure financing - better to do what you want to be doing - making a movie. If it's great - you'll get another chance and someone will foot the bill.

Mister X · February 3, 2005

(The budgets for those movies were in the couple hundred and tens of thousands respectively) - but you can do it for 7k like the director of Primer (who shot on 16mm none the less). ~ Mark Douglas

When I first saw $7,000 being bandied about as the budget for "Primer," I thought that "something's wrong here." How does one make a feature film for under $10,000? I got a quick lesson on how the "budget" was calculated upon what was spent in its "production" costs and how this did not necessarily include "post-production" costs; hence, the budgets for "El Mariachi," (1992), and "Primer," (2004), were $7,000. If using very cheap film and making a "screener copy," (before someone else spends money upon it), entitles one to say the film's budget was only $7,000, I figure that it won't be too long a wait to hear of zero-budget features made with borrowed DV cameras and tapes left by Santa.

It was a few thousand for the camera rental, a couple of thousand for processing, and then, of course, the cost of film stock. I called around and managed to get a lot of expired stock donated. I also used tungsten-based 35mm slide film to storyboard the movie - this really helped me show the various labs what the final film would look like and thus negotiate prices with them. They are much more likely to give you a discount when they think you?re someone that might be back one day with a bigger budget. I'd also like to stress to people that the $7,000 did not cover the 35mm blow-up. A friend loaned me the cash for that when we realized we would need something to project at Sundance. ~ Shane Black

Phil Rhodes · February 3, 2005

Hi,

> If it's great - you'll get another chance and someone will foot the bill.

Or... not?

I've seen a very large number of incredibly bad short movies in my time, and two or three good ones - none of which went anywhere.

All claims that "you'll get your chance" should be taken with a pinch of salt - the stark, unavoidable likelihood is that even if you're really good, you won't anyway. Tony Scott isn't a really good director (I think he's OK, but he's no genius) and he works all the time. It's got nothing to do with ability.

Phil