Is "blueprint method" of financing indies dead?

Randall_Oelerich

Randall_Oelerich

Veteran
Curious if anybody can shed any insight into this; someone the other day told me the blueprint method of financing $1M-$5M indies (action, horror genres) is dead.
http://www.filmspecific.com/public/...ndent-Films-Case-Study-With-Adam-Cultraro.cfm
^^^blueprint method (= state tax incentives, foreign territory pre-sales, deferred payments to director/etc, gap financing; no investors)
Wondering if this is really true and if so what is the current method of financing action/horror indies in that budget range? Dov S / investors financing? I am gearing up to produce my first microbudget feature length indie horror film in 2015 and my goal was to do that to then make a leap to 'blueprint method' feature indies; but if the blueprint method is dead, what is the most common way now for getting financing to make a film? Is it back to finding investors, equity financing?
Thank you all in advance.
 
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I'm gonna clamp on, as I'd love to learn more on this topic myself. I'm going to bet though, folks on this forum aren't as versed and you might have some luck looking at something like:
http://independentfilmblog.com
There are many sites like this as well, but they are pretty steeped in the ways of finance, film markets, etc. I read it religiously and there is new content often.
 
jsolterbeck said:
I'm gonna clamp on, as I'd love to learn more on this topic myself. I'm going to bet though, folks on this forum aren't as versed and you might have some luck looking at something like:
http://independentfilmblog.com
There are many sites like this as well, but they are pretty steeped in the ways of finance, film markets, etc. I read it religiously and there is new content often.
Click to expand...

Looks likes that blog site may also be run by Stacey Parks who runs filmspecific.com; I first learned of the blueprint method of financing on filmspecific from some podcasts by 'Taormina' (who is on dvxuser here also), aka Adamo Cultraro. I notice filmspecific has a webinar on film financing tomorrow, i might sign up on the site for a month to be able to attend that webinar, as i really need to figure out if the blueprint method is dead or if there is another viable alternative method. I had been pinning my hopes on the blueprint method, sigh, need to find out what is the current method or if blueprint still lives.
 
First off, I don't know why you think that this or any podcast is somehow a blueprint of how you should make movies.

Also, I couldn't find Adam Cultraro on IMDB, nor could I find the movie "Corado" which they spend a lot of time discussing in detail. Perhaps I'm spelling them wrong?

I know that Cultraro says that it was listed on IMDB, but that just juxtaposes his statement with fact. Damn facts. Pesky things. They kill so many dreams... Just ask Dick Cheney...

Looking up Tom Sizemore and Johnny Messner on IMDB, I don't find mention of the movie "Corado" in either of their bios. Is it a mistake to try to authenticate the movie discussed in the podcast? Is it bad to assume that the thing being discussed really exists?

More to the point- the most important formula to remember is that there is no single formula.

Each picture is a singe, individual entity.

Even the big Hollywood tentpole pictures are funded one at a time.

Just because Humongous Studio got funding for Oscar Winning Director to make Huge Tentpole Picture with Famous Sexy Actor last year doesn't mean that they can do the same thing with the same director and actor next year. Even if they hire Oscar Winning Writer for the first draft. After all, why should anyone want to go their local multiplex and pay $12-$15 (plus popcorn) to see the same film that they saw last year? Isn't that what Netflix is for? Unless it's somehow related to Lord of the Rings, of course.

Even the most successful indie filmmakers, like Jim Jarmusch or Woody Allen, have to go to their most reliable funding sources one at a time for each picture. Even they can't rely on formulas.
 
Adam I believe on IMDB is under Adamo not Adam and the distribution company that purchased Corrado changed the title to "Badass". Adam has been a really great contributor and resource on this forum as well as on the Film Specific website. To answer some questions above, coming off my 3rd flick as producer and director Arniepix is right there is no specific template, but the million dollar blueprint is not a bad model to start with, it just has many variables that you have to adjust to when trying to finance your movie. What made the blueprint as Adam described in the podcast so enticing was that he was talking about doing it with no private equity. Leveraging state tax rebates with foreign pre-sales and a gap loan to fund the film, it sounds like a great plan, but I can tell you it is a very rough road to try and make happen, especially for new filmmakers. I'm saying new, not "first time" filmmakers because I would venture to say that for "first time" feature filmmakers I feel that the model is impossible without private equity. The first key is attaching bankable cast, which without private equity relies heavily on a director or producer with a great track record of films already under their belt. This is also important for foreign buyers who want to know that the film is going to be finished and delivered to the standards they expect, which for first time feature directors is all but impossible. So I would say if this is your first feature the adjustment to the model would be to shoot a "micro-budget" feature with private equity to use as a calling card. Believe me finding distribution for your film, really helps legitimize you in the eyes of future investors and other sales agents and production companies. If you have a script that is too high for the micro budget treatment, try and find a producer or EP that has films under their belt to help attach cast and private equity. Then use the state tax credits to bring into your budget, or use them to immediately, return to your investor to help minimize his/her risk. Pre-sales are getting tougher and tougher as the same pocket of bankable actors are getting cherry picked over and over again, and it begins to dilute their value, while their rates continue to go up. But if you have a hot script, some start up funds and a solid reputation of getting films distributed, pre-sales are still happening at the film markets, again just very tough for "new"(one or two features produced) to almost impossible for "first time" filmmakers. Making a feature is a very very tough grind, it took me 10 years of directing and writing shorts, web-series, editing television shows to finally lock down an investor for a feature. But since then I've been fortunate enough to direct two more in two years, so once you get momentum it is a bit easier to keep the ball rolling. I'm happy to answer any questions you guys may have and believe me, mine is just one way to succeed in this crazy business, so don't take anything I or anyone else says on any forums or websites as gospel. Good luck, keep grinding and you'll figure out a way to get your stories out there.
-Andy Palmer
 
GaryinCalifornia said:
The only way to get any presales or gap funding is that you have to have a well known star... and those are or will not be in the micro budget range...There should be a whole long thread here on Adamo Cultraro's film... http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2149571/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1
looks like the title was changed to Bad Ass...
Click to expand...

As I understand it Adam's model, which uses the blueprint method (used widely throughout hw), also relies on the genre being action or horror, and if action then certainly a male protagonist. So a combination of one of the two genres (if another genre all other things being equal then likely equity financing needed), budget $1M-$5M+, attached name (lower A-list or upper B-list) talent(s) [thus the need for that budget; then you financing using presales through distributors and state filmmaking incentives, and some gap financing, and perhaps a little equity financing. Drama, Comedy, Mystery... forget about using the blueprint method the film will have to be funded by equity financing, and thus I suspect the abundance of seminars and books on how to lure investors into losing their money in film investing, lol. I like the blueprint method because I like writing horror and because the method will not require me to kiss arse seek out people to risk their hard earned money. And as others have said it will not work for a first time filmmaker, it requires one prove one can produce a feature film with all the deliverables, etc.; so I need to first get a microbudget indie under my belt (any genre but it will be horror so I stand the best change of getting my budget back).
 
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In Adam's interview he says Corado was a ($350k film) and later Cultrano presold Tactical Force, a $3 million film.

Adam says he would never use the method he used for Corado again, its way too much work and BS. He found that pre-sales was just easier all around. 1.) its not your money, you don't have to raise it, but you do need to be a good "talker". i.e. Adam worked in SALES for 10 years pre qualifying people for millions of dollars of purchases in a business. So he knows how to answer questions carefully that are being asked. If you can listen to his part 1 and part 2 interviews with Stacey Parks you will see what I mean. He says if you can't sell stuff by taking, find someone else to do it for you. It's a BIG part of the game.

Regarding this "blueprint method" you are talking about - I think you need to be carefully labelling any film making strategy with blanket titles like "blueprint method". For one it can mean different things to different people , so if Joe tells you "ah the blueprint method doesn't work anymore" how do you actually know what his definition of "blueprint method" actually means?

There is no such thing as a single "blueprint method". Just like a blueprint for a house or condo is designed, so is a blueprint for film. Don't think that there is just "one way" about it. The interviews with Adam hosted by Stacey are actually called "The One Million Dollar Blueprint" and what they discuss in part 1 and part 2 interviews (only available to paid filmspecific members) is basically IF you were to set out to make a $1 million dollar film, how would you go about doing it.

In a nutshell, Adam says you do a pre-sale. But obviously a pre-sale will not come to you easily and there can be a variety of factors that can help you get there.
 
Like any template you should be creative and add the necessary steps that apply to YOUR situation, especially being as distribution and funding has dramatically changed (and is still changing) since Adam first documented his experience. What worked for him may not work for you. I tried his method about three years ago and got some pretty solid traction and feedback with distributors and some studios. I did not do exactly what he did but used most of his tactics in terms of initially contacting the studios, etc. as well as my approach in what I said and how I presented myself. My biggest hurdle was having a reputable producer as part of my team who had legitimate credits in the game with large scaled projects.
 
Attaching a more experienced producer is (can be) one of the best ways to get traction with your film indeed.

In your case, how did you manage to find/attach one?
 
I actually just sent the script to the production company and the director of development liked the writing and the story concept. Long story short this particular producer was interested in putting my action thriller in their slate and they already had a deal with Screen Gems at the time in place. Before they pitched it to Screen Gems one of the comedy's in their slate took off and they decided that is all they wanted to focus on going forward (and they still are). I don't really care for comedies too much and don't write them either unfortunately :(
 
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