Filmmaking Stuff

Filmmaking resources for indie filmmakers, including, screenwriting, financing, producing and film distribution

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How To Meet With Film Investors Without Looking Like An Amateur

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If you’re looking to meet with film investors, you’re not alone. Go to any film festival and you will see dozens of other filmmakers looking for someone who can write big fat checks. The challenge is, most prospective investors don’t walk around with t-shirts advertising their net-worth. Even if they did, you’d have to shove your way through a crowd to even pitch your project. Ugh!

Here’s the good news. Meeting with investors is not a new concept for any industry. Many people who invest in film projects run successful businesses in other industries, OUTSIDE of Hollywood. For example, my first meeting with an investor was a local car dealer in my hometown. He was worth (as I found out) over sixty-five million dollars!

meet with film investors

How To Meet With Film Investors Without Looking Like An Amateur

Before you even seek out a meeting, you’ll need a clear vision for what you want to accomplish. More importantly, you’ll need to find a reason why your prospective film investor should care about you and your project.

When it comes time to meet with film investors, the process can be distilled down a few steps.

  1. Find and Qualify Prospective Investors –  Begin by asking around: “Who do you know who has money?” Go back to your hometown. Find out who runs successful businesses. Then get the business contact information.
  2. Contact Your Prospective Investors – Telephone your selected individuals at their place of business, and ask for a meeting. Let the person know that you are an entrepreneur and you’d like to meet. Don’t sell yourself short either! As a filmmaker working to make a film, you are absolutely an entrepreneur.
  3. Set Up A Meeting – When you go to your meeting, dress nicely and give a firm handshake. Be prepared with at least 10 thoughtful conversational points that reveal your passion and integrity. (I always rehearse the whole conversation in my car before I even go there.) Then shut up and listen.
  4. Build A Relationship – Do not ask for funding at your first meeting. The goal of the initial conversation is to make a friend. Then as the conversation flows, naturally you and your goals.
  5. Ask For A Second Meeting – If there is interest in you and your project, let the prospective investor know that you’re going to put together a proposal and come back. Maybe it’s going to the be right fit, maybe not.

You should set a personal goal for yourself. For example, in the next couple weeks, you can look to meet  at least one wealthy person who could potentially fund your film. And if you don’t live in a big city, that’s okay. Every small town has at least one wealthy individual willing to offer advice to entrepreneurs. Ask around and identify who this person is, then go from there.

If you’re looking to meet with film investors,  The Independent Producer’s Guide To Financing Your Movie might be worth checking out. It provides info and tactics on how to find and meet with prospective film investors so you can make your movie.

How To Make Your First Feature Without Going Bonkers

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If you’re making short films, sooner or later you’re gonna start brainstorming ways to make your first feature film. This makes sense. Production gear is cheap (well, relatively speaking) and distribution is accessible.

first feature

How To Make Your First Feature Without Going Bonkers

Consider the following tips before making your first feature film:

1. Spend the next months making a few more short films. This will grant you valuable filmmaking experience. This is your time to experiment. Play around with different camera angles, locations and edits. Honing your filmmaking skills through short films will prove super valuable when you begin filming your first feature film.

2. Read EVERY screenplay you can! This will teach you pacing and get you well accustomed to the standard three act structure. Scripts can also increase your film knowledge. When reading a script, envision how you would shoot each shot.

3. Allow the script for your first feature film is to evolve. Real writing begins with rewriting. As long as you have a deadline, it’s okay to refine and rewrite your feature film script until you get it right. Then when you hit your deadline, stop writing and start planning your film.

4. Go out of your way to create relationships with rich and successful people. You never know. The first millionaire I met was a local car dealer. And my buddy Tom Malloy met his first film investor at a poker table. Expanding your network never hurts. But you must be willing to put yourself out there.

5. Avoid anyone in your life who sucks your filmmaking energy. This is YOUR passion and YOUR dream! No one should get in the way or bring you down.

If you follow the above steps for six months, you will put yourself on the path of producing your first feature film. You’ll gain a new sense of confidence and this will put you ahead of the gazillion wannabe filmmakers who are not truly dedicated.

What are you waiting for? Get going and greenlight yourself. Anything is possible. But nothing is possible without action. Go out there and create your first feature film!

How To Find A Film Industry Mentor

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Like it or not, filmmaking is a business. And if you really want to have a career making movies, you’ll need all the help you can get. One way to accelerate your career is by finding a film industry mentor.

With that said, I can’t overstate just how important a film industry mentor can be to you. No matter if you’re working on your first project or your fifteenth, the guidance that a good mentor can provide will be instrumental in helping you take the next steps in your career.

Just What Is A Mentor?

Simply put, a mentor is someone who has already achieved the goals you want to achieve for yourself. But a mentor is different than a partner because he or she will not have a direct involvement in your projects. Instead, a mentor offers things like:

  • Advice on your project or your career.
  • Help understanding what pitfalls to avoid.
  • Advice on how to succeed.
  • An open ear to discuss issues with and get feedback.

While a film industry mentor may not be directly involved with your projects, having someone who has “been there and done that,” can really help you navigate the industry landscape.

film industry mentor

How To Find A Film Industry Mentor

You don’t need to be in Hollywood to find a film industry mentor. There are plenty of people involved in the industry all around the world. And meeting up with these professionals is often the first step towards finding a mentor that can help you. Here are some steps you can take to find a mentor:

  1. Make up a basic list of the people that you think may be great mentors.
  2. Take that list and write each person a letter or email. You can then follow with a phone call.
  3. You’ll likely talk to an assistant. Be professional. Make a reference to your letter and then request a meeting.
  4. Repeat the process with each person on your list.

You may land a dozen meetings, and you may land none. The key is to keep trying until you’re eventually land some meetings and spark a relationship.

Tips To Succeed

Once you have a mentor, it’s important to show them that you’re serious. A film industry mentor is likely very busy. They’re donating their time to you, so do not take advantage. Here are some things to remember:

  • Always accept responsibility for your own mistakes.
  • Be willing to work hard and do whatever is needed to succeed at each project.
  • Always show up early and work with enthusiasm.

Go into each relationship with professionalism and seriousness. And remember, if you don’t ask, you don’t get. If you like this philosophy, you’ll love my filmmaker checklist.

How To Survive The Movie Business

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It’s easy to fall into a rut when you’re living inside it, never realizing that things are changing around you. If you’ve spent the last few years working in Hollywood, you’ve probably see some changes. While some things are the same, there’s plenty out there that is changing in a big way. To survive the movie business now requires more than making a good movie and getting noticed.

Back in 2008, I wrote about streaming technology and how it was going to disrupt distribution. From Netflix and Amazon to satellite providers showing new releases at the same time as theaters, the film industry is changing. And as it changes, it’s vital that you change with it. So it’s a good idea to take a closer look at some key points that could help you survive the movie business.

survive the movie business

How To Survive The Movie Business

There are several disruptions in the movie business that will likely continue. These business declines are worth knowing so you can avoid common pitfalls in your plan on surviving in the movie business:

  • STOP building your distribution strategy around Blu Ray and DVD. Seriously. 
  • Foreign distribution is also going digital. So forget about robust minimum guarantees.
  • The movie business is no longer B2B. It’s B2C. Filmmakers who can be self sufficient win.
  • Predicting potential sales is a guess. Forget about comparables in your business planning. 
  • Movies will either be made on micro budgets or massive budgets. Mid-level budgets are hard to recoup.

Things To Focus On

Some of the above points are obvious. But it’s surprising just how many industry pros fail to think about this stuff.

As the industry changes and physical media declines, there are plenty of great opportunities for those in the industry to seize upon. Here are some things to think about as you push forward:

  • Casting social media influencers is a marketing investment.
  • Don’t build an audience. Find out where your audience congregates.
  • Building content that appeals to a niche audience is essential.
  • Creating an army of promoters can help push sales.
  • Internet marketing matters more and more for driving sales.

Taking The Info And Running With it

Sure. Things are changing. And you’ll have to adapt if you want to survive the movie business.

Despite this disruption, some things will always stay the same. Filmmakers will need to bring a story to life. And filmmakers will need to connect stories with audiences. To achieve these goals, filmmakers will still need to cultivate good relationships with recognizable talent, and figure out how to get a crew and equipment.

On the flip-side, production and distribution technology is finally accessible. This gives filmmakers an opportunity to finally take charge of the production, release, distribution and marketing of each film. And as a result, writers, editors, and everybody below the line will also have more opportunities to collaborate. The key is making sure that you choose to work with those who don’t force you to give up months of your time for little money.

If you like this sort of philosophy, you’ll love the filmmaker action pack.

Can’t Keep Up? 5 Ways to Simplify Your Film Goals

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Since starting Filmmaking Stuff some years ago, the entire world of filmmaking has changed. As a result, I thought it would be good to revisit some fundamentals of filmmaking success. In this post, you’re going to learn about the importance of film goals.

Making films is fun, exciting and often incredibly challenging. Especially now. Especially with inexpensive production technology and VOD distribution. In my own career, I have experienced heartache, stress, failed relationships and more sleepless nights than most. But I have also experienced the surreal, super exciting moments that come when people begin to know my work.

I would not have it any other way. And neither should YOU!

film goals

When you create a movie and you see your name race across the big screen…

There is nothing like it.

You have your reasons for wanting to make films. And for many, the need to make films is born out of an unquenchable desire to leave a legacy long after we are gone from this earth. Our need to make movies has everything to do with making sure we do something that matters. The goal is to always live life without regret.

This is the reason we do what we do. And as a filmmaker, it is essential that you create clear and exciting film goals for your future. Because (believe me) you are going to need something exciting to focus on when things get challenging. And things will always get challenging.

5 Ways to Simplify Your Film Goals

Making a career making movies is a long term process. One of the mental attributes that all successful people share in common is a never ending ability to keep their eye on the prize. And the secret formula for filmmaking success is patience plus unyielding persistence in a face of adversity.

What does your ideal future look like? In order to create meaningful success in both your filmmaking career and your life, it’s essential that you get a clear idea of what you want. This will involve setting some film goals for yourself and writing them down. The following actions will help you hone in your movie ideas, your money ideas and also help you paint a picture of your ideal future.

  1. Take out some paper and write down three ideas for movies you want to make in your lifetime.
  2. How much money would you like to have?
  3. How much money do you have now?
  4. What will you do to get the money you need?
  5. The people you hang out with will influence your success. Are you hanging out with people who share your vision? Or, are you hanging out with negative people?

Once you get an idea of where you are and where you want to go, you can begin to take steps in your desired direction.

And if you enjoyed this article, you will love my filmmaker action pack.