For some actively searching, this may seem a silly question. But for many others it’s a valid question. Many out there are assuming if they publicly pitch their “awesome” project, investors will flock to them with tons of offers. However, living in Neverland won’t get you funded.
Do you have a solid budget? A solid shooting schedule? A Solid Film Financing Business Plan (not a pitch deck). Does that Business Plan include accurate financial projections? Realistic profit sharing (aka backend participation)? Demographics? Accurate comps (and no, comparing your $2 million project to $50 million+ projects doesn’t count). Realistic Cast choices? (Tom Cruise won’t do your $2 million film). Options for an investor if they like you, but not the main project you’re pitching? A film financing Agreement? A viable plan and answer to the investor if your project doesn’t make its money back? A Distribution Plan?
So many out there are totally unprepared. Yes, you may have a fantastic script. Academy Award worthy. But if you don’t have the basic items that EVERY investor requires? You’re not prepared.
If you’re seeking any amount over $500k, you’re going to need answers to all those questions & your flashy “pitch deck” won’t suffice.
That “top sheet” you got from a template online that you did by making up numbers, could cause you to get sued if it wasn’t based on a real full budget.
“But my script is so good any investor would be a fool not to invest in my project”. Really? There’s a lot more to film financing than a great script. Real Investors likely won’t even initially read the script. They want to see numbers. ROI. Budget. Profit sharing & more before they consider investing.
Don’t assume things. Your competition is huge. Others already have the items I previously mentioned. Do you? If not it’ll be years before anyone gives you a positive response. There’s tons of equity investors out there and they all have the same requirements. And if you don’t have those requirements, your pitch will be deleted. This is not a high school game. An investor dumping $1 million or more into your project expects to see professionalism, and not a “pitch deck” full of bogus and wishful info.
If you get a shot at a real investor, it may be your only shot so make sure you’re prepared & have everything they’re looking for. Because if you try to enter the film financing game “unprepared”, you’ll look like a fool.
I can help you get prepared through my consulting, budgeting, scheduling and/or film financing business plan prep for any size project. My services have helped clients raise over $200 million over the last several years. You could be next. Or, you can do the cheap online forms, that won’t help because you don’t know the proper info to add.
Message me for info, rates & limited time discounts.
Now go out there and conquer the world...
Great advice and insight, Patrick McIntire! I tried to make two feature films way back, and knowing these things and hiring a professional like you would've really helped.
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Great advice! Thank you for your insight into this very important aspect of filmmaking.
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Thanks for the sales pitch.
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Very nicely said Patrick McIntire and I hear you from way down in Slovenia.
I agree with you on being prepared and you're right!
Maybe people should be more prepared, but what if even that's not enough?
I recently had a really nice conversation with a producer who has worked on films and commercials for 30 plus years. He told me one simple thing, that it doesn't matter if you have everything including the screenplay, pitching material, budget, etc. But if you've never done a feature film, nobody will give you funding for a feature film until you've done a feature film. If it sounds like a catch 22, maybe because it is.
Don't get me wrong I still think that it's a great idea to be prepared, I always like to be. But...
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Patrick McIntire You raise great points, Patrick but what playbook are you working from? For the most part, producers, actors, and distribution companies are always out to screw the investors. If they wanted to play fair, no movie would lose money, but we all know how that happens and that's by signing into horrible deals. The term "Bankable Talent" is a joke by the definition itself. We also know how producers can move money from the production budget into their own pockets and having a distribution company that won't let you do any promotion for the film yourself is just another way to overcharge for their services.
Before the world has changed into what it is now, independents and investors were pretty much getting screwed in every aspect of the financing world. What have investors learned in the last 5-8 years? How are films like Captain America: Brave New World and Disney's Snow White going over budget with re-shoots and rewrites with seemingly no accountability to the added cost and then having the resulting re-shoots not improving the final film, it's anticipation or it's performance at the box office at all?
Anyone can look up SAG scale rates, union labor costs and daily, weekly, or monthly equipment rental costs and put together a budget allowing at least 25% of the budget going for post production. I can tell investors what I'd be planning to spend per minute while I'm on the set directing.
Negotiating with the seedier elements of this business is really the key. If I have a film with a $1.5M budget that's an action film, from original source material with a targeted "R" rating, and a worldwide known actor extremely interested in the part, investors should know that that those facts means it has a better than average chance of making its money back and producing a profit. The price is right for a genre that is always on the top of the market shares as is the source material. The rating usually switches between 2nd and 3rd place in market shares depending on how many films come out that year.
So the question remains, who's playbook are you calling plays from? Is your service up to date or are you selling earnest and hopeful filmmakers snake oil? You said that investors won't listen to big dreams and they shouldn't. However, you stated that your work helped gain over $200M in financing.over the last several years. You see what I'm getting at? I'm sure you're on the level as while it seems you know your stuff, you're not giving us any real proof of anything and if Oscar winners are claiming they are broke, what kind of financial condition do you think we're in?
I'm sure you're great in what you do but there are no guarantees in this business. Not for investors and definitely not for those of us that would be willing to spend money on something that might not do it's job in the long run.
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Patrick McIntire Great advice. this old lady has learnt so much since joining STAGE 32 . THANK YOU !