Transistor Films
New member
The title says it all. I've been on here for awhile but never really posted much. I'm trying to work on a full length but don't know how to get financing for it. Thanks
How do I get financing for an indie
- Thread starter Transistor Films
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ProfessorU
Veteran
The easiest way is to get a job and save money. Most people won't have more faith in your projects than you do.
If you don't have a reel of accomplishments, I suggest making movies first and raising money second. I guarantee that your movie will always cost as much or more than the total you have available to spend.
If you're serious about getting a modest amount of funding for a project like a social issue doc, you might want to apply for grants. If you're a student you may find a fellowship or something similar.
If you have a lot of friends that want to be supportive and a small set of fixed costs, you might try microfinancing and giving them each a producer credit. You'll probably only raise a few hundred this way.
If you don't have a reel of accomplishments, I suggest making movies first and raising money second. I guarantee that your movie will always cost as much or more than the total you have available to spend.
If you're serious about getting a modest amount of funding for a project like a social issue doc, you might want to apply for grants. If you're a student you may find a fellowship or something similar.
If you have a lot of friends that want to be supportive and a small set of fixed costs, you might try microfinancing and giving them each a producer credit. You'll probably only raise a few hundred this way.
dougspice
Veteran
The only worthwhile answer: any way you can.
Whether you know industry people, have a rich unkle, are able to sell a thousand people on giving you a thousand dollars each... it doesn't matter. There's as many ways to do it as people who have done it... and almost as many books/blogs/etc on the how and why behind it.
The other answer worth a damn: have a great script.
Whether you know industry people, have a rich unkle, are able to sell a thousand people on giving you a thousand dollars each... it doesn't matter. There's as many ways to do it as people who have done it... and almost as many books/blogs/etc on the how and why behind it.
The other answer worth a damn: have a great script.
David G. Smith
Steak Knife Member
First thing to do is tap into your multi-million dollar trust fund, "Shaaaaa!!!" Oh, you are like the rest of use, and ain't got one of those... Well now, time to get creative. The standard formula is to set up the investment into your movie as a private investment offering (with the requisite legal paperwork) and go out and pitch potential investors to give you money to make your movie. Yep, that is as hard as it sounds. The above posts are right. Until you developed a track record, doing the investment model is a pipe dream. Do what every you can to make films and develop your skills, work everyday at writing, and developing your movies and pray a lot. What I am doing right now is putting every penny I can away to get enough to do a simple feature script I have, Uber guerilla, and of course, when I am done, I will submit it to Sundance and win the hearts of all the most important critics and will be caught in a bidding war for the distribution of my film. After that, Peter Jackson, Jack Nicholson and I will party in Aspen, and I will live happily every after.
Yeah, right. Do what ever it takes to do what ever you want to do. There are no formulas any more. Good luck.
Yeah, right. Do what ever it takes to do what ever you want to do. There are no formulas any more. Good luck.
Barry_Green
Moderator
Read "Rebel Without A Crew" to find out how one guy did it (sold his body to a drug testing lab for a month, being a human guinea pig)
Watch "American Movie" for another example.
I would say that the extremely vast majority of microcinema filmmakers get the money by some combination of savings, mom, dad, mastercard, and visa. This can get you up to maybe $20,000 or so.
For a low-budget film (under $300,000 or so) there are other methods, such as that employed by the Coen Brothers (setting up a boiler room and calling every investor, doctor, dentist, stockbroker, or any other wealthy person they could find, and not letting them off the phone until they either invested, or squealed a name of someone else who might), or the path the Raimi brothers and Bruce Campbell used, which is similar to the path that Napoleon Dynamite guys used -- make a killer short, and use that to convince folks that you can make a profitable feature. You'd better be good, you'd better know the law, and you'd better have a rock solid plan for getting them their money back.
For a "real" budget, you'd better be quite established and have distribution already arranged, at which point you can solicit investors through a private offering prepared by an experienced entertainment attorney, and ideally you should know some megawealthy individual who can host a fundraising house party for you; that path can raise $10 million or so.
Or, write a killer script that wins top prize at a major screenwriting contest such as the Chesterfield or Nicholl or even SXSW or accepted at the Sundance lab, and then use those accolades to secure an agent to shop the script around, and if a bidding war erupts, attach a contingency that you must be the director. That can kill the deal, of course, but if it doesn't, then you'd get a big paycheck, plus a budget from a studio to make the picture.
Watch "American Movie" for another example.
I would say that the extremely vast majority of microcinema filmmakers get the money by some combination of savings, mom, dad, mastercard, and visa. This can get you up to maybe $20,000 or so.
For a low-budget film (under $300,000 or so) there are other methods, such as that employed by the Coen Brothers (setting up a boiler room and calling every investor, doctor, dentist, stockbroker, or any other wealthy person they could find, and not letting them off the phone until they either invested, or squealed a name of someone else who might), or the path the Raimi brothers and Bruce Campbell used, which is similar to the path that Napoleon Dynamite guys used -- make a killer short, and use that to convince folks that you can make a profitable feature. You'd better be good, you'd better know the law, and you'd better have a rock solid plan for getting them their money back.
For a "real" budget, you'd better be quite established and have distribution already arranged, at which point you can solicit investors through a private offering prepared by an experienced entertainment attorney, and ideally you should know some megawealthy individual who can host a fundraising house party for you; that path can raise $10 million or so.
Or, write a killer script that wins top prize at a major screenwriting contest such as the Chesterfield or Nicholl or even SXSW or accepted at the Sundance lab, and then use those accolades to secure an agent to shop the script around, and if a bidding war erupts, attach a contingency that you must be the director. That can kill the deal, of course, but if it doesn't, then you'd get a big paycheck, plus a budget from a studio to make the picture.
filmman
Veteran
Excellent question, Transistor~
Barry Green gave you the best well-healed advice so far, and you should accept it with grace if you know what's good for you
Most of us didn't know this starting out and we had to suffer our way through to this stage of affairs; you're smart for asking for advice regarding financing before you made your first feature.
Now comes the bad news -- LOL. There is always the bad news; you've already been given the good news -- marketing lingerie: just kidding -- Barry's advice.
The bad news is that you can't do it the way somebody else did it; most likely it won't work for you. You have to find the way that works for you.
Barry Green gave you the best well-healed advice so far, and you should accept it with grace if you know what's good for you
Most of us didn't know this starting out and we had to suffer our way through to this stage of affairs; you're smart for asking for advice regarding financing before you made your first feature.
Now comes the bad news -- LOL. There is always the bad news; you've already been given the good news -- marketing lingerie: just kidding -- Barry's advice.
The bad news is that you can't do it the way somebody else did it; most likely it won't work for you. You have to find the way that works for you.
Transistor Films
New member
thanks alot everyone. i'm actually doing the whole sell my body to the drug testing thing. that's a good thing living in pittsburgh. they always have very random drug and what not tests going on. so hopefully i live through it to start this project. thanks everyone for your inputs and hopefully start working on this project soon.