The business of Filmmaking

There are a lot of "it depends" answers to your questions.

If you have a producer it is their job to shop your pilot to
sales reps and distributors.

Distributors do not provide funding - they market and
distribute the finished project. What you might need now
is a production company to provide the funds and crew.
So you need to research companies that make animated
series and contact them with your pilot and series information.

another question -

If the production company provides funds, how do they earn back ? Are we responsible for distribution also or will they look after that? and will they give some royalty if they make money more than they invested ?

Where does the money comes from at the end ?

The earn their money back through distribution.

"We" meaning the filmmaker? Sometimes we are, sometimes not.
I hate to keep answering with the dreaded "it depends" but your
questions are too broad and vague to offer anything more substantial.

If your work out a royalty agreement, you will get royalties.

In the end, the money comes from people who pay to see your movie.

Thanks a lot for your reply.
One thing more I would liek to know is -

If a producer invests the 100% cost of the series / film, then only he will enjoy the full amount of revenue share? or the creative team will also share some percentage with the producer.

I am developing a series, and someone else is funding it, so all the profit will go to him?
What is the usual share / split ?

what if I sell him all the rights? It is then only I will not get anything even out of the merchandise ?

The contract between the filmmaker and the investors
can be written in any way you want.

Make sure everything you want in in the contract. If you
want part of the revenue, then you must put that in the
contract - you and the investor decide what the share/split
is. If you want to sell him all the rights - then you will
put that in the contract. If you don't want to sell him all
the rights then don't put that in the contract. You and
the investor will decide what will be done with the merchandising
rights - and you will put the agreement in writing in the contract.

There are no set rules.

Thanks

Is there anyplace(on web) where can I find a sample contract
Can you ( or anyone) give me an example

karan_s said:

Hi,
I just made a pilot episode for my series ( animated ).
Now I dont know what to do next - look for a distributor or investor / producer.
I am confused as I dont know the marketing side of films and series.

I am looking for investor so do distributors provide funding ? Do they " buy" series / pay on completiton of each episode? Or is this a role or a producer?

It would be aa great help for people like me if someonw can throw some light on this topic.
Thanks

Click to expand...

Project financing, advertising, distribution and many other things typically fall under the umbrella of a production contract in entertainment. I'm more familiar with deals in music production than film/animation production, but there aren't many major differences when it comes down to funding art and entertainment.

Most contracts for unproven, first time artists work out like this:

While ideally all of the money comes from people who pay to enjoy your brand of entertainment, YOU are basically held liable for all expenses up to, and sometimes even slightly beyond, the point where sales begin to turn a profit. All the expenses of gear and production financing, editing, distribution, advertising.. even travel costs incurred during promotion and catering expenses during production is all money spent on your good name.

If the production company does a great job and your product sells well, sales will cover the expenses of the contract and you earn a pre-negotiated percentage (typically small) of the remaining profit. If it doesn't sell as well as expected and the company doesn't achieve a profit, you owe the balance of expenses not recovered by sales, which will either come from future profits, if any, (such as future releases of a series in your case) or out of your pocket if the contract is terminated prematurely.

Also be aware that in most cases the production company will hold the rights to your art, not you. If you discover you're being hosed down by a bad contract, you can't just walk and take your work with you. They own it. And, even after a contract is satisfied and everything is squared away, you will either have to pay additional money yourself to get those rights back, or, another company you negotiate a new contract with will have to buy the rights from the previous company.

In summation, a first-time contract will be negotiated so that you incur most or all of the financial risks involved. It is very unlikely a contract will be successfully negotiated otherwise before you are a proven commodity.

If you're seriously considering this route, the first thing you should consider (most especially your first time out) is finding an entertainment lawyer who can interpret and negotiate contracts on your behalf. It'll cost you up front, but it will be the best investment you can make at this stage.