Begging for money thoughts

B

Bill_Hooper

Active member
Hey all,

So I'm shooting a short in May that will require some money. I'm guessing around $4000-5000. And I'm thinking of passing the hat around to family, friends, coworkers, bosses, etc. Any thoughts on this? Anything I should avoid or anything? Any have success stories doing this? Obviously I will be up front with them about not getting their $ back since this is a short that will probably never sell.

Thanks for any advice.
Bill
 
Good Luck. Never done it, but it might be nice to have a little "presentation pack" that outlines your project, what you will use money for (actual budget items and amounts), and your plan for distribution. Not that you will give money back, but at least they can feel like you have done your homework upfront and project will come to reality and maybe get seen instead of you using money for pizza.

It may also be less uncomfortable (for everyone) if you can say to people, "Here is this project I am working on that I am trying to raise money for. Could you take a look at it?". Maybe better than saying "Well are you gonna give me any money?"

Good Luck.
 
1. Apply for grants
2. Ask 500 friends for 50 bucks each
3. Sell your organs
4. Get a loan
5. Sell your junk on ebay
6. Bikini Car wash
7. Ask grandma or grandpa or rich relative
8. Pimp out your relatives
9. Fund rasing ex: chocolate candy bars
10. Get a job that pays good!
 
galt

Good idea about how I word it - less confrontational is better. Thanks. And you're right - having a budget would be good.

Bluespider - I like your tips. very funny. Were you able to raise any money this way?

Anybody else have success raising money?

Thanks
Bill
 
might help to have a dvd with your other films to show potential investors, so they know their money is going to a good cause.

hell, i worked with you. i'll give you some dough. but i get executive producer credit!
 
antomic said:
hell, i worked with you. i'll give you some dough. but i get executive producer credit!
Click to expand...

Hey, you can give me money and I'll make you whoever you want be! :grin:


Bill, the way I usally do things is to invest my own money. That way I wont have to deal with all the drama of who gets what share and so forth. Great movies can be made to look a million dollars. You just got to find the right phucken group of people. Once you find them, then its on!!! yeah!:thumbsup:
 
bill thinks i crop to tight, so i'm probably not on his list. :)

and spidey, i've seen bill's work, i'm still waiting to see your "all talk no action" before i throw ANY money at you! :evil:
 
I'm in the process of raising funds $3000 for a short film right now, and it sucks. First of all, there are very few grants, and unless you have fiscal sponsorship or tied to a non-profit in some other way most of them won't even look at your application.

Begging your friends and family is easy, but if there anything like mine they won't have much to give.

Try going to your target audience. For instance, if your film is about World War II, find World War II reenactors, histroy buffs, and war vets and pitch them your story. Chances are you will find a good chunck of money this way.

Sell credits in your film. For instance, $25 can get someone's name the closing credits.

Don't forget about product placements. Big companies won't give you the time of day, but try some of the local businesses in your area. You could easily get $500 a pop for putting a company logo in a scene of your movie. One word of caution, unless you have the sales ability to really show these business people how product placements are a good marketing tool you won't be successful at this.

Finally, as a last ditch effort, take out a loan or borrow against an insurance policy or 401K.

Rob
 
Your guessing $4000 to $5000

No disrepect meant; but you're guessing? I'd nail down the budget %100 to be sure of the exact amount needed; and then maybe look at it and say "How can I do this for less or even free?"

No guessing! Make a budget!
 
"Your guessing $4000 to $5000

No disrepect meant; but you're guessing? I'd nail down the budget %100 to be sure of the exact amount needed; and then maybe look at it and say "How can I do this for less or even free?"

No guessing! Make a budget!"

I didn't have a budget then, but I have a budget now. Much more than $4000 though! With post it's more like $7500. Eesh! But I aimed high and hopefully I'll be able to find some crew people that will work for free, that will cut down my budget a bunch, and maybe some of them will have some gear to cut down on my equipment rental budget. It's a four day shoot with a crew of about 9-10. Also I have a cast of 12, and I'm going to do it SAG experimental. So it will add up pretty quick. I'm hoping to raise $1-2 K from friends, family and (my wealthy) employers.

Thanks for the tips, mrblue!
Bill
 
Bill,

Sounds like you're trying to do it right! We do documentary work, but raising money for creative isn't much different in my application.

- As was mentioned above, create a special "treatment" with some grabs, script excerpt and some stills of your talent.

- Shoot one full page of your larger project to the very best of your ability. Cut it and have it available for anyone who expresses interest.

- Don't get into too many technical details unless you're talking with someone who has a clear inherent understanding of filmmaking. Your well-articulated understanding of the production process might come across in another way and overwhelm the uninitiated masses.

- Make different tiers available. Like someone said above, sell $10 "credit placements" to your friends and family. If you can solicit 100 - 250 people this way, you've made some significant money. The one rule we observed about friends and family was to leave them alone once we'd asked.

- We raised $3000 in two weeks doing product placements. Giving the contributor a license grant to use your finished product, appropriate footage and stills from your film for their own marketing will go a long way. We created stickers for our sponsors which were applied to the vehicles that appeared on camera. Unlike family, you have to stay on top of your potential corporate sponsors to get it done - and they see it as a business decision, while family is backing you for very different reasons. Don't make promises you don't want or expect to keep. Surprising a corporate sponsor with more is always better than giving them less!

e
 
One word: Dentists.

I've heard that dentists are usually pretty easy to talk into giving up some money for a film production. Let's face it. They have money. They also spend all day looking into people's nasty mouths. They'll be willing to part with a little bit of money to be a "film producer."
 
Sometimes I wonder bout those guys standing on the street corner with the cardboard sign.... Maybe they are really just raising money for their "film".
 
Thanks guys for your suggestions. All helpful. I love the dentist idea - my uncle is a dentist and I'm totally planning on hitting him up! Here is the email I'm planning on sending to people to solicit funds. I'd love to get any and all feedback regarding it. I'm sending it out soon - today hopefully.

*note to the administrator* - I'm not posting this to solicit funds from dvxusers.

Here it is:

Subject: Bill's shooting a short film!

Hey everybody,

I’m happy to announce I'm going to shoot a 15 minute short film in early May entitled "Convincing Benny." I'm really excited and I think it's gonna be hilarious. I wrote the script with a close friend, Pasha, and he'll star as the lead - he is very talented, and one of the funniest guys I know.

I'm trying to raise money for production expenses. I'll be putting in several thousand of my own money, but I need another approximately $2500 to help defray the cost of producing a four day shoot and feeding a large cast, including a few professional actors (SAG).

If you can give $100 or $50, $25 or just $10 - that would be fantastic. I will also give those who donate over $200 an associate producer credit in the film. All other donators will get a special thanks credit and, of course, my deep gratitude.

Here's the synopsis: Benny is a regular guy who everyone tries to convince is gay. He's hit on by random men, his friends have ridiculous reasons why they think he's gay, even his parents want him to be gay. But when his mother presents a good argument to him, Benny doubts himself - maybe he is gay. So he walks around, completely depressed, trying to hit on guys. It goes horribly. Luckily, he meets the woman of his dreams who sees him for who he really is, and she encourages him to show his true self to his family and friends for once and for all.

Please note: this script is hilarious, but it's also not G-rated. It would probably be R rated for language and sexual situations. It is not graphic, however - there is no nudity.

If you'd like to see any of my previous projects, go to: www. ___.com. Though I'm happy with these 2 projects, I have much higher expectations for this film.

If you'd like to read the script, let me know and I will gladly email you a copy.

To make a donation, you can go to (paypal link) or send a check to 1522 N Formosa Ave. #103, Los Angeles, CA 90046.

Thank you so much! If you don’t feel like donating money, perhaps you could help with the many locations in the script. I need access to a small clothing store, a few apartments, and a house.

Again, thank you so much for your support!

Bill
 
It's not how I would do it, but it is a decent enough email. But I already told you I have never had to raise money for a film. I just know how I would respond to this. If I knew you I would probably give you $10-$25.

Good Luck, let us know how it works out!!
 
Unless you are a non-profit company or have fiscal sponsorship from a non-profit company you can't call it a donation. I know your family and friends wouldn't care, but when most people see the word donation they think tax deduction, and if they were to deduct this you could be facing a felony offense. Call it a gift and you should be fine.

I would drop the associate producer thing. Most people could care less about being an associate producer, and the ones who would be interested are probably going to expect some perks with the title (I speak from experience here). You are better off giving away Thank You credits at the end of the film for $25 a piece. It's easier to have 100 thanks you in the end credits then 12 associate producer credits at the beginning.

You might also consider giving away DVDs of the film to anyone who gives a certain amount.

Now for the bad news, be prepared for disappointment. If you send this out to 100 of your friends and family you would be doing good to raise $500. Make sure you are looking for other avenues for raising money like grants, product placements, in kind gifts of equipment and resources, and other forms of fundraising.

Rob
 
"Unless you are a non-profit company or have fiscal sponsorship from a non-profit company you can't call it a donation. I know your family and friends wouldn't care, but when most people see the word donation they think tax deduction, and if they were to deduct this you could be facing a felony offense. Call it a gift and you should be fine."

Hmm. Okay, thanks. Weird that that would matter, but I'll take your advice and play it safe.

As for dropping the producer title, I'll also take your advice. I was on the fence about it and I was a little concerned people might get the wrong idea.

I have a little more optimism than $500. I work with some wealthy people in the biz who I think will drop in a little more than that. But I guess I'll find out soon enough!

I'm not sure I'd be able to get product placements for a short film, but where can I learn more about grants?

Again, thanks Rob. All very helpful. I don't want to send out an email that is going to create headaches or piss people off or anything. That's exactly why I posted here.

Bill
 
Raising money for shorts films is pretty much impossible. I've spent the last six months trying to raise $3000 for a short film we are shooting this summer and it's be an uphill battle.

There are very few grants out there for film, and most of the ones that are out there are just for finishing funds. Since you are shooting in May you may not have time to get a grant for production monies. Check with arts organizations in your area. Also, many grant making organizations require you have non-profit status, so you might want to look into getting a non-profit company to sponsor you.

Product placements for cash are tough. Sticking to local and regional companies increases your chances of finding something.

Rob
 
You might also want to check with your local community college and see if they have a film or video production department. You may be able to save some moola by getting interns to assist on the project.
 
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