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March is in like a lion…and out with a THOSE FOUR MISFITS comedy show!

THOSE FOUR MISFITS is a comedy group made up of Doug Kayne, Ryan Provencher, and Jeni Robins. Here’s the info for our next show:

Friday, March 28, 2025 at 9:00 PM

Whitmore-Lindley Theater

11006 Magnolia Blvd.

North Hollywood, CA 9160...

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What's wrong with this statement from someone seeking film financing?

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What's wrong with this statement from someone seeking film financing?

"Hello Mr. Investor! I've got a great script that's won a ton of awards & competitions and an incredible pitch deck that will dazzle the eyes for my $5 million movie (approximate budget) with comps that include some $50+ million movies that made tons of money at a fraction of the cost! We also have (insert A-List talent name here) attached with an LOI!"

So much to unpack here. Yes, this was from a real person. Where to start in disecting process?

We'll start with what's wrong/misleading...

First, everyone says they have a "great script". And tons of those scripts are indeed fantastic. But does the script match the budget? Maybe it does. But often, people will try to squish a $50 million script into a $5 million (or less) budget.

Pitch Decks are great commercials for a film, but often have little to no accurate information regarding numbers, reality check of talent, ROI, etc. For this reason, most to all investors require a film financing business plan, but they don't require a pitch deck.

"$5 million approximate budget" hints no real budget has been done yet so they're guessing. Something that doesn't go over well with an investor when they ask to see the budget. Don't do this lol. Also, making up a top sheet without doing the actual budget is as close to fraud as you can get. Top sheets are generated by the full budget. Making up numbers to fill the top sheet will be a chore when you have to actually produce the physical budget and the top sheet numbers don't match.

Comps can only be within the budget range of your project. With a $5 million project, using $50 million comps is illegal. More about this later...

I recently posted on using the word "attached" (see Tip for the Day #9 for more info on this) and an LOI is NOT an attachment.

Those are the items that are wrong with the statement. So how do you fix this comment and make it legit?

Make sure the budget fits the script. Get a real full budget done by someone that does it for a living such as myself. In order to actually get an accurate budget, a script breakdown/schedule should also be done.

Few to no investors require pitch decks. However, nearly all require a film financing business plan. So if you can only afford either a pitch deck or a business plan (and yes, they are as different as night and day), get the one that will actually help you get your financing and that's a business plan.

Comps (included in the financial projections section of a business plan) have SEC requirements and can't supersede your projects budget by more then 20%. A fact tons of people seem to either not know or ignore.

This post is a reality check for many.

If your seeking film financing, & want to do things the correct & legal way, hit me up for my rates, info, consultation and promotions. You've worked hard for a long time. Don't falter on the final steps.

Now let's go make some movies!

Maurice Vaughan

3 hours ago

Hi, Emily Stoll. Welcome to the community. I’m a Stage 32 Lounge Moderator. I wanted to let you know I moved your post from the Introduce Yourself Lounge to the Your Stage Lounge. You can talk about t...

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5 hours ago

Congratulations, Kathleen OBrien! I’m a Stage 32 Lounge Moderator. I wanted to let you know I moved your post from the Screenwriting Lounge to the Your Stage Lounge. The Your Stage Lounge is a space w...

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Banafsheh Esmailzadeh

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1 day ago

What Maurice Vaughan said, though I'd add that I often like to remind myself that just like I feel happy knowing that a creator I love didn't give up when they could've, someone out there feels the sa...

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Congratulations, Gerry Barrett! I’m a Stage 32 Lounge Moderator. I wanted to let you know I moved your post from the Screenwriting Lounge to the Your Stage Lounge. The Your Stage Lounge is a space whe...

3 weeks ago

Great post, Patrick McIntire! Thanks for sharing. "Comps can only be within the budget range of your project. With a $5 million project, using $50 million comps is illegal... Comps (included in the fi...

Patrick McIntire

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1 person likes this
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1 day ago

Maurice Vaughan Apologies for the late reply as I just saw this comment from 3 weeks ago. The simple answer is no, you can't use that $50 million comp ever. This is why investors don't require pitch d...

1 day ago

No problem, Patrick McIntire. That happens to me sometimes. I don't see a comment until later on. I make pitch decks to pitch my spec scripts to producers and directors, and the pitch decks don't have...

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