Primarily used to secure funding and participation of key players. Investor that funds independent films bsi films film. Independent film funding for movies and documentaries. What percentage of independent films are profitable.
How to find film investors is simple if you are prepared. A lot of filmmakers are looking for movie investors. Elliot is the founder of raindance film festival 1993 and the british independent film awards 1998. Film distribution strategies to use when financing your movie. We believe theres a growing audience for elevated genre films like the last moon and were confident the film will receive professional distribution around the world. The filmmakers who find it difficult to secure investors are those who completely skip over the process. Afterwards, i met lisa, an independent writer to find out the steps she took to get a meeting with these investors. So at the time of release, if we project sales at 2% of 250,000 people. Any filmmaker who is prepared for film investors will find them. Theres even more independent dvds being released on other sites like some of which are likely not included on amazon. Traditionally, filmmakers worked with major studios to help provide the necessary investment of money for the equipment, crew, and everything else needed. And many of these filmmakers are looking for movie investors in the wrong place. Film investors do not post their emails online waiting for independent filmmakers to.
How to find investors for your indie film lights film school. But finding investors shouldnt be so difficult and random. The largest costs were art department they had to build a chip shop in an empty shop. New film group is a top, midrange, content provider that creates and delivers content, which fills the supply and demand gap with an eye on the bottom line, producing a consistent profit margin with excellent financial returns for investors. Ive made short films before, but this is my first feature, and the first film ive tried raising money for. Film makers look to foreign investors to fund independent. King, have the taste, savvy and, most important, the money to say yes to a film.
It connects the most promising movie ventures with the most suitable individual investors, a. Investing in a film is like giving lots of money to a homeless guy and hoping that one day. Generally, that makes independent filmmaking very risky, since there is no guarantee that your finished film will be shown on screens. How to find film investors seems to be a huge hurdle for filmmakers, but it is actually quite simple. It is best read after 1 a beginners guide to independent film financing, 2 3 first. The investors get an early return first out on their investment with interest provided the film in fact turns a profit, and an additional return on the back end if the. He has produced over 700 hundred short films and five feature films. Film investment is a huge long shot that is also littered with numerous traps and pitfalls. It is understood in documentary filmmaking that documentaries rarely make a profit. Meet the 25 players who can actually get an independent movie. Beginners guide to independent film financing lights film school. The profitability of independent films is a complicated topic for a whole variety of reasons. Most hopefuls hold the misguided belief that there is some secret list of movie investors who cant wait to hand over hard earned cash to filmmakers. How to attract film investors 10 things independent film makers.
Film funding companies short movie funding, documentary. Well, investors like to diversify and investing in film may help them to diversify their portfolio nicely. Those who specialize in independent film are aware of dozens upon dozens of executive. Working with film investors is a crucial step in moving your film project forward and vital to finishing a quality indie film. Our biz model is designed for investors with smaller amounts of money who want to be a part of.
According to the agreement, it says that the investors get paid back all of the films budget, plus another 20%, and then anything left over is split 5050 with the investors. Independent filmmakers shouldnt feel confined to finding money through investors. They can be entirely selffunded, crowd funded, or backed by investors. Get film investors prepare, find, attract, pitch, secure. S, what are the steps they will have to follow to be able to work with u. For over 20 years john has owned his company film producing, financing, selling, marketing and distributing independent feature films. If foreign investors are becoming a major new source of film financing in the u. I accompanied our executive team to a meeting with an investment group to observe and take notes. This post is a part of our indepth series about how to finance your independent film. There are many ways to get film financing and each project will appeal to. This means that 5000 people will download the movie at 9. Feature film investor takes meeting with independent.
Filmography this section provides the titles of the 63 films for which attorney cones clients have successfully raised investor financing with his legal assistance. John has published a number of books on the film industry including his best seller the film biz bible, which is a comprehensive view of the business aspects of the independent film industry. That is why film funding companies like movie investor have become the way to create movie fund drives. My name is elyse, producer with bluestar studios inc. Many filmmakers think the hurdle is finding investors, but learning with whom and how to work, to protect both the investor and producers is equally important and might make all the difference between a film that gets. That is because before a film is made, there is no money to work with. Independent film investors want to see your passion, know you have skin in the game youve contributed your own money or put serious thought to the finances and you understand the entire production and distribution process. How to find film investors locate, pitch, close the deal. A simple guide to financing an independent film with. San francisco, california, united states headquarters regions san francisco bay area, west coast, western us founded date dec 17, 2007 founders saad khan operating status closed closed date oct 8, 20 number of employees 110. This group is opened to any one who loves good indepedent feature films. How to make money investing in independent film makers finance. Investing in film is an inherently risky game, especially considering that independent films rarely make money for their investors, and you must disclose this risk as well as all other investment.
The rationale behind offering a huge premium to investors, is to acknowledge and reward the fact that an investment in an independent film is an inherently risky venture. Finding financing for independent films can be difficult, though there are certain steps that can be taken and some tips on how a new director can find potential investors for a film project. Filmangels is the worlds first angel investor group dedicated to funding independent film. When former investment banker tang acquired indie sales company im global. Here is a best list of upcoming feature film grants to get funding for your film.
As you can imagine, independent film budgets are somewhat harder to pin down. Investing in independent film can be difficult for ordinary investors because of the costs and complexities of financing a movie. Nine answers for anxious film investors filmmaker magazine. What rate of return should you offer your indie film. It is best read after 1 a beginners guide to independent film financing, 2 3 first steps to finance your indie film, and 3 how to get donations. In fact, the only generally accepted manner in which to make investing in film a somewhat. Meet the 25 players who can actually get an independent. It relies on a constantly shifting chain of third parties across the world, with no requirement to report to a centralised body, no third party verification and lacks even agreed reporting standards. Gregory goodell addresses the making of independent films, taking the reader through the process of the independent films development phase. This means you dont have to look very far to find, introduce yourself and build business relationships with people who could conceivably invest in your movie. If independent filmmakers only listen to film finance gurus, its a wonder any independent film.
Yet every year investors are duped by producers into believing that there is great opportunity in film investment. Whatever their reason, a competitive rate of return can help an investor take a chance on your film. Filmmakers from anywhere in the world can apply for the film funding, the lists are neatly organized for you to find the perfect grant for your feature film. In the game of extremely high risk independent filmmaking the cost of. How to invest in movies, film investing in hollywood. Movie investors can get an idea of how well a movie will sell based off of the. Worlds first professional angel investor group for independent film. List of best feature film grants for funding here is a best list of upcoming feature film grants to get funding for your film. The next step of film investment is to read through the synopsis and read whatever amount of the script is available to film investors. Independent feature film production is an essential guidebook for filmmakers. How an independent filmmaker chooses to make a movie is often dictated by access to money more than any aesthetic sensibilities. Looking for investorssupporters for my feature film called fancy girls. The independent feature film took 24 days to shoot in and around london. Without the proper funding, a feature film never gets made or made the way the filmmaker wants to.
Independent film companies and other film fund seekers might find it difficult to fund their films. Filmmaker raises money for preproduction, shooting and postproduction costs of the movie the budget from various individual and institutional investors. New rules for advertising to film investors film finance basics. There are almost fivemillion millionaires in the united states. The process of finding investors for independent film can be trying, to say the least, but it can also be illuminating.
Tips and tricks for finding independent film funding for your documentary and. Meet the 25 players who can actually get an independent movie made. It is the thousands of independent filmmakers empowered by the digital revolution. Whether they will divulge them to you is another matter. Anyone who has ever attempted to find money for a film knows that there are typical questions that always get asked by firsttime investors. These production companies often turn to private investors for financing.