Guest Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 "I don't have any solutions to these problems and I'm willing to hear a debate on this -- but not here in this forum." Fine David, and all others, let the discussion begin..... http://movies.groups.yahoo.com/group/filmissues/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rik Andino Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 Before it became The McLaughin Group... I think this thread was about fundraising... Let's get back to it...please... Like some people mentioned before fundraising is extremely difficult And there's no one clear way to accomplish this. You can get grants if you're extremely lucky And no they're not just for minority like some people misquidely believe. And don't think just because you're a minority You'll have an easier time recieving grants--trust me this doesn't happen... (As a minority myself I've not been able to get any attention from grants org.) To get grants you have to have patience and perseverance. You should apply to as many grants you feel you have a chance---then hope. Also read all the guidelines very carefully, to see if you're eligble Also you'll know what project they're specifically after. Usually grants are associated with academia and university So it helps if you're a student in great standing at your local college And you're project correlates with the community. Like I early mentioned the simplest way to finance a film is to get friends and family to contribute money. Besides this saving up your pennies and maxing out your credit cards And going into debt is also a common practice...(this is what Kevin Smith did) But it's a gamble, because if you're film doesn't recups it's expenses You'll be paying off you're credit cards for a looong time :o The other way is getting investors you invest in your film And that is definitely hard cause you're basically begging strangers for money. If you're looking for investors you'll need a business plan... Perhaps a professionaly fundraiser could help you out... It helps out alot if you have a track record of making sucessful movies... If you don't have any track record you might as well just forget it... Because few people will take a gamble with someone who has done any film work. Hope these suggestion are helpful... Good Luck to you Alex And hopefully this thread will stay out of the political arena. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member David Mullen ASC Posted May 23, 2005 Premium Member Share Posted May 23, 2005 I'd do some more legal research before asking strangers for money because basically you're asking people to make an investment, which is a fairly regulated business in this country. Unless it is a donation or gift, with no promise of a return or profit, and even then there are limits to consider before you have tax issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 Ok jokes and sarcasm aside, here are two honest to goodness suggestions. 1) Have you looked at the ads on the http://www.mandy.com site? Often you'll see ads down on the bottom of the pages from production companies looking for scripts and projects to produce etc. No idea as to the legitimacy or the quality, but you can always look and send a few e-mails. Do a job search and you'll see the ads at the bottom like this.... http://www.mandy.com/1/jobs2.cfm?terr=uscs...ll=all&paid=yes I don't see any on this page but they do pop up on a regular basis. 2) Here's some thing else you might try.... http://www.scriptblaster.com/ It's cheap so even if it's a bust it's no real loss. In all cases if some one asks you for money as part of the "development deal" take a pass. R, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Pacini Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 Financing is a tough situation. Like David said, you're asking someone to invest, and you can't (and shouldn't) do that on just a handshake. So you're either hitting up family, friends, & acquaintances, (with a high risk of ruining those relationships, I might ad), or you're hitting up some entity that already finances films, which is much more difficult to get to, but at least they know what to expect and not expect as far as return on their investment, etc. Each situation has it's own FUBAR risk, and they're great. You have to keep things in perspective; you're trying to raise the same kind of money you would be asking for if you were building a house, or a shopping mall. Very few (if any) people toss that kind of cash at inexperienced people who "may" have a good idea. MP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Tyler Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 Someone pleeeeaaase email me when a thread like this gets out of control. I've just about had it with the name calling, the country bashing, far left this, far right that. Take it somewhere else. Seriously. Oh - and a 'Fundraising Ideas' post barely fits in the 'Business Practices' category, but more likely the 'Off Topic' category. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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