Filmmaking Stuff Filmmaking Stuff provides resources for independent filmmakers. The website includes articles on how to take a story idea from script to screen, including articles on scriptwriting, producing, finance, shooting, editing, directing, marketing, distribution and how to build an audience. Filmmaking Stuff also has articles detailing how to make money making movies – including interviews with Hollywood Producers, Directors, writers and other filmmaking professionals.

I don’t know about you – but for me, getting money to make a movie was a major mystery. When I was starting out, I met with quite a few producers who refused to share their money magnet secrets with me… I don’t know why.

Even though some filmmakers think getting money is somehow limited to the arena of filmmaking, it’s not. The truth is, all budding business professionals need to shake the money tree from time to time. So luckily for us filmmakers, the world of business provides us with rules to and resources for getting money.

GET THE MONEY

The traditional ways people raise money in the United States, aside from going to a bank, is by meeting with an attorney, putting together some complex paperwork in-line with the Securities and Exchange Commission regulations, creating relationships and meeting with potential investors, asking for money – and then getting the check!

Now, this is pretty complex. So I hope you’ve taken some time to look at your movie. Do you need a few million to make it? Or can your project be made for much less? This factor alone will determine your strategy. Just keep in mind – If you’ve worked really hard to eliminate costs in your budget, then it’s possible to make a fancy looking movie for under 15K… Or less.

Yes. You read that right.

But for today, lets take a look at some traditional action steps used in raising a few million dollars:

ACTIONS

1. Cultivate a legitimate friendships with rich and successful people.
2. Get an attorney to write up something called a private placement memorandum.
3. Figure out how you’ll spend the money.
4. Figure out how you’ll get the money back.
5. Under a million and it’s doubtful your venture will be perceived as a worthwhile investment.

Now again. Raising money is a super simple subject (just find rich people and ask for the money) – but the laws and rules and regulations mean that you’ll need to know a few things about protecting yourself and your business from liability. The following resources are worth reading if you want to add to your growing knowledge base on “how do I get money to make my movie?”

I found OPM: How to Attract Other People’s Money for Your Investments–The Ultimate Leverage, to be a pretty good read. It’s not filmmaking related – but as I often say, if you want to get a step ahead of your filmmaking competitors, you need to learn a thing or two about general business. And speaking of business, I also think Risky Business: Financing & Distributing Independent Films provides some specific movie making information that I would have otherwise not considered.

In four days, I’ll send you a lesser known, secret strategy for raising funds. (And it won’t involve asking a dentist or a doctor. Promise!)

Happy Filmmaking!

Posted under 21 Part Filmmaking Mini-Course

Dentists do not always make great independent movie investors. This Image comes via Wikipedia

Often filmmakers get choked up when it comes to finding investors for their movie. Yes, we all know film is a speculative investment, and a bad one at that. Yes, we’ve all heard that a dentist is probably the most likely source of potential investment dollars. And finally, we all know that you need to sell potential investors on the glamor of filmmaking before they will buy into your project.

On top of these factors, if you haven’t noticed, the financial markets are in turmoil. But the good news is, during this financial downturn, you can still spend this time networking. This country is full of wealthy and successful people (other than dentists) who are very kind and generous when it comes to giving advice to young entrepreneurs.

Your job over the next couple months is to get at least one initial meeting with the wealthy guy in town… Every small town in America seems to have at least one wealthy individual. Go meet him or her.

How? Call them up on the telephone and ask for a meeting. Let the person know you are a entrepreneur seeking advice. (Because, lets face it, a filmmaker working to make a movie is an entrepreneur.) Then when you get the meeting, go prepared with about 10 really good questions about how to become successful (not focused on filmmaking, but just success). Take a note pad. And then make a friend. Dress nice. Give a firm handshake.

After you ask the question, LISTEN! Don’t ask for money. Your primary order of business in this initial conversation is to make a friend.

If you focus on a friend first, then someday your friend may be willing to help you reach your filmmaking goals.

Hope this gets you thinking.

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If you are wondering how to get money for your movie – Almost every resource will tell you that you need a business plan. Very few resources will tell you how to actually go out, find prospective investors, qualify them, contact them, get a meeting and build a relationship.

Since getting money for movies was such a frustrating experience for me, I spent the last few months creating: The Independent Producer’s Guide To Financing Your Movie. In it, YOU will gain valuable insider experience so you can avoid my past mistakes, find investors and make your movie. CLICK HERE to learn more.

Posted under FILM FINANCING

Image via Wikipedia

How do I get money for my movie?

This is the one question everyone wants to know. I’ve scoured the internet as well. And it was nearly impossible for me to find answers. Heck, I moved to NYC and worked with a producer… And there, I finally figured out how independent filmmakers get movies made.

Here are 5 secrets:

1. Filmmakers set a high budget, but then get a lot of stuff for free.
2. Filmmakers figure out ways to exchange advertising and publicity for food and services.
3. Filmmakers get money from friends and family.
4. Filmmakers go into shared risk/participation deals with other film professionals. (For example, a filmmaker brings on a DP willing to pay money in exchange for ownership.)
5. Filmmakers create friendships with rich and successful people.

I’m going to write a lot more about these subjects in detail. But because I’m actually doing the stuff I write about, who knows when I’ll get the time. In this regard, sign up for the insiders newsletter. It’s found on the right hand side of www.filmmakingstuff.com

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If you are wondering how to get money for your movie – Almost every resource will tell you that you need a business plan. Very few resources will tell you how to actually go out, find prospective investors, qualify them, contact them, get a meeting and build a relationship.

Since getting money for movies was such a frustrating experience for me, I spent the last few months creating: The Independent Producer’s Guide To Financing Your Movie. In it, YOU will gain valuable insider experience so you can avoid my past mistakes, find investors and make your movie. CLICK HERE to learn more.

Posted under FILM FINANCING

Image via Wikipedia

One of the biggest reasons I felt compelled to write this article was so I could specifically tell filmmakers how to build relationships with investors. When I first started, I asked everyone how to get money to make movies. And oddly the more I asked, the less people told me. I thought that was bizarre. It took my moving to New York and working with an indie producer to finally get the answers I was seeking.

Most books and “experts” tell you that a great way to raise movie money involves convincing dentists, doctors and lawyers to fork over cash. In this model, you are supposed to sell these folks on the excitement of filmmaking and promise that, even though the movie won’t make money, there will be a really cool wrap party and premiere. Let me get this straight… You plan to ask someone to throw (in some cases) hundreds of thousands of dollars of their hard earned money at movie so they can attend the party they paid for?

In order for this strategy to work, your potential investor has to be extremely wealthy, risky and a little crazy to participate. Now, I’m not saying these people don’t exist and that these methods don’t work – they do. Risky rich people exist. They can be found every day in Vegas, on the high rolling Blackjack table. But it’s my experience these folks are the minority.

Tomorrow, I’ll give you the scoop on what many investors look for in a project.

Posted under FILM FINANCING

Image via Wikipedia

Because nobody has ever made your movie exactly the way you plan on making it, with the same script and the same actors and the same locations and the same music – even if you have a distribution agreement, it’s impossible to know if your movie will be profitable, let alone breakeven.

And if you’re working without distribution in place, it’s understandable why many investors do not regard filmmaking to be a worthwhile venture.

If you’re going to make your movie, you need to fill the gaps and make your project more valuable and less risky.

Posted under FILM FINANCING