Need help with ideas on funding

[Theauteur14]

So my producing partner and I have just started looking for investors for my directorial feature film debut. We are looking to raise anywhere from $500,000 to $2.5 million. It's a romantic thriller (think Match Point meeting The Ice Storm).

So far we have been contacting real estate agents and dentists. We just started three days ago so we hope as we contact more we get a lot of interests. A few real estate agents did say that they will get back to me.

Outside of crowdfunding ( I am just not popular enough) what else can I do? I had my agent submit my script to a production company for me. I have reached out to some stars (one of which actually seems interested). And I have video auditions for all of the roles. What is a good plan of action right now?

I tried to get another producer and line producer on board. But they have kinda flaked on me. But I figure with my producing partner that I don't really need another producer. Maybe a line producer once we get money.

I am probably going to look up some indie film production companies and send over the script as well. We are looking to shoot as early as April.

My last short has been submitted to Sundance, SXSW, Slamdance, and TriBeCa, and it will be submitted to several others. So when it gets into some of these festivals that will surely help.

Any ideas? Anyone interested in coming on board?

 

[Sweetie]

Can we take a peek at your business plan?

 

[moonshieldmedia]

It sounds like you're doing everything right, however since this is your first feature film you're probably going to have a hell of a hard time finding that kind of budget unless you have rich family or friends.

If you do get into one of those festivals with your short, it will make life easier, but still there are tons of very talented directors who have already played at Sundance who are still trying to make films for $100,000 so any smart investor is going to look at those directors first.

If you managed to attach bigger talent, your odds increase of course, but still without a feature under your belt it doesn't necessarily matter if the script is good, are they going to trust their career in your hands?

I'd say you should keep looking for experienced producers who can push the project for you, but in the mean time either re-write the script for a smaller budget, or write a new film altogether as a plan B.

Maybe you'll have a big investor on the hook but they'll be hesitant to put in a million dollars, but you can say "Maybe you'll be interested in this other script I have for a fraction of the cost."

 

[Theauteur14]

Sweetie: We just started pre production Monday. I am still casting. We've gotten video auditions for the rest of the characters.

Our plan is pretty simple though: If we can get at least $500,000 we will go up to New York and film for 25 to 30 days. We will then submit to Sundance and what not. I am looking to get hooked up with a sales agent though. But we need to start to get investors on board.

Moon: I really don't want to work with a super low budget again. Just too stressful. I am pretty confident than my producer partner and I can raise the money we need. If those directors whose shorts have played at Sundance can't even get $100,000 then they are doing something fundamentally wrong.

If you make a plan B you might as well throw out your plan A because that is what you will do. I love this story, I know it will be great if done well. At the end of the day it is about story.

 

[Sweetie]

Sounds like you've made a previous movie. Go back to the investors from that movie(s) and ask them to invest.

Other than that, it sounds like winging it is your style. Good luck with it.

 

[moonshieldmedia]

I really don't want to work with a super low budget again. Just too stressful. I am pretty confident than my producer partner and I can raise the money we need.

By all means you should be pursuing your big budget project if you're that passionate/confident in it. But how many 2.5 million dollar films can you name in the last few years made by first time directors? Your chances of actually getting it made are incredibly slim in my opinion. I have an expensive sci-fi film written that I don't even pitch to anybody because I'm saving it for when my career picks up a bit first. To each his own I guess.

If you make a plan B you might as well throw out your plan A because that is what you will do.

I strongly disagree with this statement. A smart director has many projects in his/her pocket or at least ideas for scripts ready to be written. There's no sense in putting all your eggs in one basket, and you never know who you're going to meet who might hate one of your ideas but love another.

 

[elemental]

I think you should go to bank to ask loan or do you have some base cash. Because the investors take risk and they want profits for risk. If you don't have any base cash the risk is bigger for investors and I would not trust first timer who don't put any of own money on it. I don't know is there any association who gives money for movies? I don't know what type of movie you have, but have you think about some company's to sponsor. Maybe you don't get so much money for one company, but from small creeks comes big river. If you self get like 20 000, association 30 000 and sponsors 50 000 then you have good base line and it is easyer to get investor because you can say that you all ready have that much money and you can show that these people trust you so why not you.

Casting is tricky thing if you want to do international movie you need specific people to act on it. Those people can cost you a lot even before you film even one take. I don't know how that system goes(a-list, b-list).

I recommend to make that business plan and think how the investor get 7-15% profit for invest. Because the movie making can take like 1-3 years and why they would invest you than some where else, but anyway good luck and have fun.

 

[Theauteur14]

Sweetie: I've self produced three short films. But this is my first feature that I will be directing. I had no investors on any of those projects (well my uncle gave me $100) I made them myself.

Moon: $2.5 million is not expensive by industry standards. I have a story that I wanted to do before this. But I but that on the back burner as that would cost $30 million to do it exactly right.

Here are some examples of first time directors with that kind of a budget.

P.T Anderson made hard eight for $3 million
Wes Anderson made Bottle Rocket for $20 million (this is where getting into festivals help as they found Mel Brooks that way)
Rian Johnson's first film Brick was made for $475,000.
Jason Reitman made Thank you for smoking for $10 million (okay his dad is Ivan Reitman)
James Ponsoldt made his first film for $2 million
Terrance Mallick made his first film for $500,000
Steven Soderbergh made his first film for $1 million

This list goes on.

Granted there are people like Richard Linklater made his first big feature film for $30,000, Darren Aronofsky who made his first film for $60,000, David Gordon Green who made his first film for $42,000, and even Christopher Nolan who made his first film for $8,000. Lena Dunham did it for $60,000 too. But those seem to be rare nowadays.

It's a uphill battle. But it isn't impossible


Think about this, when you have a plan B you know that your plan A is probably not going to work out and you go with your plan B. I did this with my last short. I lost funding, wrote another script that I could afford to make, and stopped pursuing the other short. And if someone hates an idea of mine then I would just move on to next (which seems to have happened with the producers that I met with, though I've gotten positive feedback elsewhere).



Elemental: That's a bad idea to ask for a bank loan. I don't even have good credit. As far as getting big names the thing that I attached to it is that they would also be coming on as a producer as well, that is probably my best bet.

 

[directorik]

P.T Anderson made hard eight for $3 million
Wes Anderson made Bottle Rocket for $20 million (this is where getting into festivals help as they found Mel Brooks that way)
Rian Johnson's first film Brick was made for $475,000.
Jason Reitman made Thank you for smoking for $10 million (okay his dad is Ivan Reitman)
James Ponsoldt made his first film for $2 million
Terrance Mallick made his first film for $500,000
Steven Soderbergh made his first film for $1 million

How did they get financing?

Perhaps you could use some of their methods as inspiration.

 

[elemental]

It was only example, but my point was that if you don't put you self money on it. Its hard to expect that some one else put money on your project and if you put it shows that you are willing to take risk too. But it is my opinion and I don't know so well about american culture. Of course when you produce and work on your project you have to count how much your own work is worth and ad that on your part of budget. But I understand if bank loan sounds bad when the project is some art stuff what is hard to sell. Most of the investors don't invest just for fun. So they want some thing return. It can be end credit, role in movie or return of invest and then it means that the movie have to be certain that it makes profit. So if you take bank loan you expect that you get more than loan + rate of interest + salary for you. You can go to bank ask do they at all offer money on loan. You don't have to take them out, but it is good to know if it is last barrier to start project. With business plan is easier to make strategy what you do in witch part, how do you get money back and what are obstacles. You don't have to know now all and there comes always some surprises what can ruin every thing. Anyway I think it is good to have options and look things around. Never can know where the possibility comes.

 

[moonshieldmedia]

Here are some examples of first time directors with that kind of a budget.

P.T Anderson made hard eight for $3 million
Wes Anderson made Bottle Rocket for $20 million (this is where getting into festivals help as they found Mel Brooks that way)
Rian Johnson's first film Brick was made for $475,000.
Jason Reitman made Thank you for smoking for $10 million (okay his dad is Ivan Reitman)
James Ponsoldt made his first film for $2 million
Terrance Mallick made his first film for $500,000
Steven Soderbergh made his first film for $1 million

Notice how I said to name first time directors "in the last few years" with those budgets.

All of those films were made 10 or more years ago (1996, 1996, 2005, 2005, 2006, 1973, 1989) which is WELL before the major technology and VOD shift in the film industry. A 100,000 budget was unheard of back then, but now it's almost expected for an indie film. I'm just trying to get you to think realistically about it, whatever you decide to do in the end.

 

[Theauteur14]

directorik: Brad Anderson's first film was also made for $1 million.

Rian Johnson and Terrance Mallick are actually the people that I got the idea from to go to doctors, dentists, real estate agents, and lawyers. They both did bring in some money though (Rian had family bring in a little money to help him get investors involved). P.T Anderson got discovered at Sundance and Wes Anderson got discovered at a festival by Mel Brooks. I'm not sure about the rest. But where there is a will there is a way.

elemental: Certainly bringing on money does make a big difference. I do have a family member in a high place in corporate America. I just emailed her my last short and my screenplay so I am hoping for some help from her.

It isn't a bad idea because of the subject matter (this is the closest that I have come to making a genre film), I just don't want to owe the bank money. If you don't make any money with a money when investors give you money (which is rare nowadays with VOD, distribution deals, etc) it's a loss. You will always owe the bank money.

Moon:
Benh Zeitlin made Beast of the Southern wild for $1.8 million.
Johnathan Levine made All the boys love Mandy Lane for $750,000
Colin Trevorrow made Safety Not Guaranteed for $750,00
Alex Garland made Ex Machina for $15 million (he was an established writer though).
Tony Gilroy made Michael Clayton for $25 million and his brother Dan made Nightcrawler for $7 million (granted both were established writers).
I am not sure of the budget of ain't them bodies saints. But it had to be over $1 million. That was David Lowery's first film.
Matt Reeves directed the Pallbearer for $8 million

But yeah there are a ton of movies that have real low budgets that get seen. I mentioned some. But the Duplass brothers first film, the puffy chair was made for $15,000. Adam Wingard's first film was made for $2,000. Fast forward to this year's the overnight which was made for $200,000 (and that was an "all star cast").

I am pretty devoted to my story. I've decided to take off the budget in my emails though. I'll raise as much as I can and see what happens. But if you can get to right people there is no reason you can't get $1 million or $2 million.

 

[Sweetie]

If you don't make any money with a money when investors give you money (which is rare nowadays with VOD, distribution deals, etc) it's a loss.

This will be your largest hindrance.

But if you can get to right people there is no reason you can't get $1 million or $2 million.

Let us know how it goes.

 

[Theauteur14]

This will be your largest hindrance.

What is that suppose to mean? And investor knows that investing on a film is a risk. That's why Ted Turner got out of the movie industry. He didn't like how one weekend decides if you make your money back or not.

Though the cool thing for indie films is that there is a slow roll out and you got VOD. Ideally I'd like my film to have a slow roll out during awards season.

 

[Sweetie]

What is that suppose to mean?

Without running into dumb money, investors tend to shy away from high risk ventures. There isn't a lot of 7 figure dumb money out there. What makes you think that you and your film will be worth the risk to investors?

 

[elemental]

I think there is different type of risk in film industry too. Like if the movie is made in English language, with known producer, director and actors. There is chance that production company take a hit, but they can pay for investors money back if the movie profits are not disaster. In long term they can get +/- 0 after years. Because the names are well known they names are marketing the movie and with not so well known people you have to use more money to marketing. With known actors you can count different things like what is the average amount of people going to theater etc. But don't tell to investors that you don't want to own to bank if it don't work because there is not free money

 

[Theauteur14]

Sweetie: Anyone who invests in a movie knows it's high risk. Hell Darren Aronofsky said to his contributors that if the film lost movie that they would receive credits. I would never promise an investor that they will make money.

And they will invest because the script is badass and I am badass.

Elemental: Well no shit. Have you even heard of a filmmaker going to a bank? Mark Cuban said it best "starting a business with a bank loan is a dumb idea". As I said before any investor knows that they can lose their money. It's a risk. I cannot promise them that they will make their money back. But I can do what I can to see to it that they do.

 

[elemental]

yes I have hear of many people going to bank and in business world it is very typical when you start company that you go to bank. Every one don't have rich family or friend's to pay and it can be only option.

 

[AudioPostExpert]

$2.5 million is not expensive by industry standards.

$2.5m is not expensive by industry standards, but you're not a member of the industry! Furthermore, you have not demonstrated (to industry investors) that you even know what "industry standards" are, let alone that you have the potential to meet or exceed them.

And they will invest because the script is badass and I am badass.

As you have never demonstrated any knowledge of industry standards, your self-assessment is effectively worthless. This is especially true in light of the fact that those who are not part of the industry and claim that they or their script is great, badass (or some other superlative) are, nearly always, the exact opposite! I'm not saying that this is necessarily true of you but you are doing yourself more harm than good with statements like this.

directorik: Brad Anderson's first film was also made for $1 million.

Directorik gave you the best (widely) known answer to your question. I don't get your response, which was both untrue AND had nothing to do with directorik's reply?!

As directorik implied, why don't you make a great short which garners critical acclaim at a top film fest, thereby proving to the industry that you know the standards, are able to meet or exceed them and are therefore a viable investment prospect? Just like many of the directors you listed!

G

 

[elemental]

Audio post we going to need like button in this forum. I agree every thing what you said.