Financing / Crowdfunding

My female human partner, her father created StereoVision 3D and Indi film company in Burbank, that ran for almost 40 years. I was one of the camera techs and creatives there and we now have a storage full of gear, posters, about 400 slides, film, a lot of stuff. I have edited a basic event sequence together. We need funding for various tasks. Where do you look??? We are in Southgate CA. FilmSmithy@yahoo.com

George Ray Rigney That's very interesting. Have you approached the Academy Museum? Seems like it might be a good fit. Perhaps Lucas Film, etc. old school companies that would be interested in supporting...

Michael Fitzer, MFA Thank you for such a thorough answer. That is wildly appreciated, and I will take those notes to heart.

Willem Elzenga 2 That honestly reads like gatekeeping.

I’ve been producing projects for over 15 years—yes, mostly low-budget, and yes, always a financial risk. But that’s the reality for many independent filmmakers.

A week ago, I released a short film on YouTube that has already been accepted into five film festivals and has surpassed 10,000 views. No, it won’t return an ROI—but that wasn’t the point. I’m focused on building a body of work as a cinematographer. That takes visibility, consistency, and craft.

Suggesting that anything under $2M is “just an expensive film school project” dismisses an entire ecosystem of working filmmakers who are telling stories that matter, often with few resources and a lot of heart.

AI may have its uses, but as a DP, my job is to collaborate with humans. To light for emotion. To frame for meaning. That’s not something I’m outsourcing to a machine.

I appreciate your perspective, but I respectfully disagree. There’s more than one path in.

Lindsay Thompson I am not gatekeeping anything, I just think your route of building a body of work is a very expensive one and your idea on AI filming is rather simplistic.

Well said Lindsay Thompson. I agree.

Lindsay, what an important topic and such masterclass comments. I have made some important notes.

As a first-time film producer, we were fortunate but unfortunately it only took us only to production. We had to use our pre-production funds in production because of the deliberate delays on set and we had to reshoot the first three days of the film. As soon as the cast and crew found out that it is your first film then then will literally put your head on the block at an abattoir, they dragged the project so that they could get overtime and more days on the set.

Then the DOP saw the opportunity to experiment with the film and offered to head up postproduction. I tried every funding I could, crowd funding, government funding and private equity but the answer was a big "No" mostly due to my being a first-time producer. We had to share 50% of our shares to the DOP and the investor he brought on board to complete the film. The DOP and the investor were also involved in another film, so priority was given to that film.

If I had access to funding, then I would have handed the film to a postproduction house to complete, and my film would have been sold by now.

The good news is that I am in negotiations with a distributor now and hopefully the film will receive a great welcome by audiences.

It's masterclass information like this which will give us producers more confident to make better business decisions and hopefully make financing our films easier. There are so many paths to find your financier and the importance of Pre Sale agreement is pivotal to getting a financier or financiers.

I am now ready to start with my next project, a beautiful RomCom.

You can learn more and sign up here! https://www.stage32.com/education/products/equity-investment-in-film-how...

Hi Emma - thanks for the great webinar. My question concerns the idea of "first money." A couple of good, highly accomplished producers have expressed interest in my script. They said, "if you have access to potential investors, it may give your script a better chance." I'm assuming they may want some "first money." What % of a film's production budget needs to be in the kitty to get things moving. Attachments, so forth. I've had some say 10% as "first money" can get things moving. Of course, first money is most at rsk. Is 10% of good ball park figure?

Wow- Emma, thank you for the amazing webinar. The Q&A alone was worth the time and investment! Thank you for encoraging me and I'd love to stay connected with you. You have such a warm, friendly, and open way about you, and I deeply appreciate your investemnt in me and everyone who attended.

Those are incredible experiences, Wyman Brent. Love hearing that Byrne was as cool as he appears.

Richard "RB" Botto, I just made a post regarding the venue where I helped set up the David Byrne concert. It was called 4th and B. It was the same venue where I had one of the most beautiful moments of my life which quickly brought me to tears of sorrow. Los Lobos was appearing at 4th and B. This was a time when I was not helping set up concerts. I knew they were going to be there so i took several albums to get signed. They were hanging out in the parking lot. They were very cool. I got to talk with them for a long time and they signed all of my albums. Then as they were getting ready to head in for the show, I started to walk away. I did not have money for a ticket. Sandra Rosas, wife of Cesar Rosas, asked me where I was going. I explained I did not have money for a ticket. She took me by the hand and said that I was with them. She led me in backstage hand in hand the whole time. She gave me a hug inside and told me to enjoy the show. A few days later and she was murdered. That tore me up inside and still does when I think about it now.

That is why she is a main character in my planned animated series What the Mack? That is why it is so important to me that the show gets made. Just how?

Wow, that's quite a story, Wyman Brent. Can certainly see why it's so important. You have the script for this? If so, write Geoff for sure.

Richard "RB" Botto, thank you so much. I will write to Geoff. If this series does become reality, I plan to donate a portion of my profits to whichever charity would have been Sandra`s favorite. I will have to ask Cesar.

Excellent, Wyman Brent. Get at him at success@stage32.com

Very worthy.

Bravo! @RB @Amanda @Stage32!

Exciting news!

Good news for BBC. "- Budgets matter more than ever—creativity must match sustainability" - this statement is absolutely true as ever before. With film and tv budgets under renewed scrutiny amidst belt tightening, knowing the market-focused, actual cost to create your production, with the highest production value, at the most economical price point is critical.

Yes :-) Have a lovely week.

Has the meeting started?

I have the "waiting for the host to start the meeting" message

Hi Michael, there's no class today. Check your inboxes for Emma's email thread where we're to book one-on-one Zoom sessions with her, in place of today's class.

Ok copy, thank you Dele!

Maurice Vaughan - "a 3-6 sentence synopsis." .... This I can do! Thanks!

I begin with the assumption that I'm making art, not entertainment. The idea that art must be reduced to an industrial churn of entertainment literally nauseates me. I'm an artist, not an entertainer.

You're welcome, James Martin.

You're also an artist, not an entertainer, Maurice Vaughan. And there is no shame in that. In fact, our dignity as human beings is in our being artists, not entertainers. Filmmaking is an art, not entertainment. The distinction is that art is a healing art, whereas entertainment basically is an industry for profit. Entertainment is exploitation and extraction. Healing art as art is giving into our human community. At least that's how it feels to me. Art-making involves risk. Entertainment involves profit-making, not art-making.

James Martin, If you're looking for solid advice on crowdsourcing and crowdfunding for indie films, you should definitely check out Stage 32 CEO RB's book: Crowdsourcing For Filmmakers: Indie Film & the Power of the Crowd. RB interviewed hundreds of filmmakers to break down how to effectively engage your audience, build community, and leverage the power of the crowd to get your project made.

It's packed with insights and real-world strategies that are invaluable for indie filmmakers. Highly recommend!

Check it out here: https://www.amazon.com/Crowdsourcing-Filmmakers-American-Market-Presents...

Thank you Ashley Renee Smith !

Film & Television Finance Forum