So, my friends and I, we're all students, have been working together in our own small film production company. We've made several short films all funding free up until now. As we've just finished a production, we're starting out on a new production which we hope to shoot in a couple of months and would like to acquire a small amount of funding, maybe around $1500 to pay some local actors and get the help of a couple other people on the production. What's the best way to go about getting these funds?
How to finance a film?
- Thread starter Cstein15
- Start date
Hey dude, well, you have a few options in my opinion. You can go the crowd funding route (kickstarter/indiegogo), you could try approaching local businesses see if they are willing to help out, set up a table & bucket in a mall or something and try and sell the film to strangers, alternatively, is it just you and 1 extra or are there a group of you? I mean you could try getting part time jobs or help out in your community for extra cash mowing lawns etc? it may take a bit longer but it's an option?
First, understand there is no magic money tree or faucet or window or organization anywhere.
There isn't.
Next, out-of-pocket is overwhelmingly your best bet for amounts below a few thousand dollars.
Filmmaking is a hobby, a somewhat expensive one, like ATVs and show horses.
Not too many hobbies generate revenue, same here.
Last, providing a product a consumer wants to purchase will take a great deal of skill and tallent in marketing and promotion, not just production.
Filmmaking is not a meritocracy.
Read this: http://www.indietalk.com/showthread.php?t=39742
Then this: http://www.indietalk.com/showthread.php?t=39122
GL & BW!
There isn't.
Next, out-of-pocket is overwhelmingly your best bet for amounts below a few thousand dollars.
Filmmaking is a hobby, a somewhat expensive one, like ATVs and show horses.
Not too many hobbies generate revenue, same here.
Last, providing a product a consumer wants to purchase will take a great deal of skill and tallent in marketing and promotion, not just production.
Filmmaking is not a meritocracy.
Read this: http://www.indietalk.com/showthread.php?t=39742
Then this: http://www.indietalk.com/showthread.php?t=39122
GL & BW!
$1,500 is easy. The best way to go about getting those funds is
to put up some of it yourselves and get friends and family to show
their support and put up some money.
You must know 15 people. $100 each and you have your $1,000.
Easy.
Your friends and you should be able to pony up $250 each, right?
A couple of months, that's less than $35 per week each. Are we
talking three of you? That means you only need 10 friends and
family to give you $75. Four of you? You each ask three people to
invest $50. That's $1,000 from you four and another $600 from
friends and family.
Shoot in three months rather than in a couple of months; you and
each friend put in $50 per week for 12 weeks and you have $1,800
or $2,400.
You can invest $50 per week for three months into your small prodCo,
can't you?
You will also need a bookkeeper/accountant to keep track of the money - that's very important.
A couple of students putting together $1,500 to make a short.
How much will a bookkeeper/accountant cost them?
I'm not joking.
An accountant will often do it for a nominal sum, if he's dealing with students. And lawyers will, believe it or not, often give free advice too.
An accountant will often do it for a nominal sum, if he's dealing with students. And lawyers will, believe it or not, often give free advice too.
It's so difficult to get an answer from you. You truly are a lawyer.
You say a couple of students putting together $1,500 to make a short film need
a bookkeeper/accountant to keep track of the money. How much will that cost?
Simple. Straight forward.
In my experience every, single penny of that $1,500 will be spent in two weeks
on the movie. All I'm asking is how much do you think a bookkeeper/accountant
will charge to keep track of $1,500 as it's raised and spent? What to you is "a
nominal sum"?
Let me save you $1500 by pointing you to this site where you can get free actors --> www.craigslist.com . Unless you're rolling in dough, never pay for stuff you can get for free.
(If you don't want to wade through the muck to find gems on craigslist, you probably don't have what it takes to succeed in the film business.)
Good luck.
(If you don't want to wade through the muck to find gems on craigslist, you probably don't have what it takes to succeed in the film business.)
Good luck.
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Okay, maybe elementary school students couldn't manage $1.5k.
But surely high school and college student can operate a single page spreadsheet of "where the h the money goes/went."
If $1.5k blows their minds then filmmaking probably isn't their bag.
No one's gonna fund your hobby other than f&f, dopes, and businesses that see value in your existing work.
But surely high school and college student can operate a single page spreadsheet of "where the h the money goes/went."
If $1.5k blows their minds then filmmaking probably isn't their bag.
No one's gonna fund your hobby other than f&f, dopes, and businesses that see value in your existing work.
Well, I've seen even $500 go sideways with adults, so I'm just adding my two pennies as a precaution. They're managing their project, so they take information from people like me and decide what to do with it - if they decide not to get an accountant or bookkeeper, they will still understand the potential problem and can discuss it among themselves.
I agree ray. Spending even $100 of a $1,500 budget on an
accountant is a waste of money. And no accountant is going to
work for two months for $100. Frankly I wouldn't trust one
who would with my $1,500. Unlike actors (who will get a piece
for their reel) accountants have no motivation to work for so
little on a students short film.
Sorry Mogul, but this is poor advice in this case.
That's not fair. No where in his post did Cstein suggest his mind
was blown by $1,500. Asking for the “best way” to go about getting
funds does not suggest (to me) that he and his friends are overwhelmed.
To me, it's a valid, necessary question and not one to suggest that
filmmaking may not be for them.
I could be mistaken, I concede that, but my point is still valid - if people see $1,500 cash, they may take some of it as their cut, and, before you know it, things go sideways. So, even if they don't get an accountant to do them a favor, they must still deal with this potential issue.