One of the most essential steps in the filmmaking process is to create a final movie budget. Your movie budget will outline the size of your movie and dictate how each dollar will be spent. From this information, you can finalize your business plan, raise money, hire cast and crew, make a movie – and [...]
So you’re trying to woo some private film investors? Maybe you are gaining traction and you feel a deal a close – yet despite the great conversations, something feels elusive – the money! As a filmmaker, know this. It does not matter how much you want to make a movie. Prospective investors do not care. [...]
Our first feature was a silly zombie movie. The production value was horrific. But the movie got a write up in Premiere Magazine, Fangoria and about one hundred horror related websites. As a result of this buzz, our crappy horror movie gained a cult following and sold very well…
One of the toughest parts of getting business minded prospective investors to take you seriously is distribution. Like it or not, your film distribution strategy has a ripple effect on all other aspects of your movie production, including film finance…
Most independent filmmakers want to save money but feel too strapped to take action. This is because each month is filled with bills and other unexpected expenses. For this reason, most people put off saving until the end of the month. The problem is, by that time, there is nothing left to save. Despite the expenses of living, there are ways to save money. Here is how I was able to pay myself first.
“How do you plan to sell this movie and return my investment?” In the old model of filmmaking, traditional distribution was a lottery. So to answer that question, most filmmakers, especially first time filmmakers said something like this: “Filmmaking is risky. If we are lucky, we will get into Sundance and get a distribution deal.”
