Money, how you can get some?

M

MakeshiftKnight

Active member
Hey, guys,

I've been trying to film an idea for a spec Dominos commercial for the past two months, and quite recently I've ran into a brick wall. While I've managed to secure professional actors, a great location, the owners of my great location keep telling me that I'm going to need some form of insurance to cover everyone on the crew in case someone gets hurt.

So my question is how have you guys gotten funding for your previous films? I realize with a short film or a feature, you could connect with someone about the topic of interest in the film, but in all honestly who is really going to be interested in giving me money to make a Dominos commercial other than Dominos themselves.

Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks

Nick
 
I'm attending school so saving isnt really an option. I have a hectic schedule as it is, so getting a job isnt an option either. I'm just curious is how can you get people to actually invest money in something. People always want to say just go out and get investors, but where are these investors? Anyone have a list, haha.
 
Design your spec spot so that the in-store footage is motivated to have a hand-held, grainy look, then shoot it undercover. Spend your money on the food shots - great lighting, slo-mo for the cheese-pull, etc.
 
the funny thing is that we don't even need a store to shoot it in. We just need a house, but for some reason all the people I talk to about using their house are really worried one of the crew will get hurt and they'll get sued. People aren't even willing to work with us on this issue. It's not like i plan on shooting off rockets in their backyard or something.
 
yeah shoot it undercover, or just tell them its a small student project that you're doing for fun. As soon as you say you're a professional then you'd better be prepared for this sort of stuff, you can be a pro but sometimes its better to let people think that you're not. Can't u shoot this at your own house?
 
Normally I would but currently I live in a condo, and the whole scene wouldnt really work well here. I approached the people stating I was a student, I even came with a professional letter explaining my situation and wearing my school id badge, but still that wasnt good enough. I realize i could tell them I would sign a waver, but anyone in film knows a waver doesnt do ****. So I could attempt that but if I fail I'm not sure what the other options are. Honestly I'm really just looking for info on how to get someone invest in something like this.
 
MakeshiftKnight said:
Honestly I'm really just looking for info on how to get someone invest in something like this.
Click to expand...
Investors are not philanthropists, they are looking for a return on their investment.
No one is going to invest in a spec spot. Why would they? What's in it for them? Spec spots are never sold. They are used to pad the reels of aspiring directors. Dominos has an ad agency that handles all of the branding and marketing for the company. No doubt they pay huge sums of money to the agency. By asking for investors you're assuming that Dominoes will pay money for your idea. Nope. Not a even a penny. If you have a great idea the agency will gladly rip off the idea and produce the spot with a production company of their choosing. And you're left standing out in the cold. You can't sue them for stealing your idea because you can't afford an attorney. The people with the money, the investors, are smart enough to know that there's no return on investment with spec spots. However, if you gave them a pitch for a direct to DVD horror film that involved an evil pepperoni pizza that eats New York then you might get a few takers. Otherwise find a way to finish your spec spot without spending a lot of money.
 
Alright that was more of an answer I was looking for I guess.

Just curious though but how do people normally get funding for things like shorts? I head about shorts people distributed, but what markets are there really for shorts.

Also, anyone ever purchase insurance before for a shoot. Whats the price like just for liablity for one day?
 
The insurance you're asking about is called production insurance. All production companies carry some form of production insurance. These are annual policies that cover injury, loss of equipment, failure to complete a project, etc. The last time I checked the minium coverage was around 2 mil. It is was it is, the cost of doing business.

Here's a link that will help explain production insurance:
http://www.ifp.org/experts/expert.php?id=14
You can also google "production insurance or entertainment insurance" for more information.

Regarding funding, funding is hard to come by and I'm guessing those who have the inside track aren't ready to give away their secrets.
 
MakeshiftKnight said:
...Honestly I'm really just looking for info on how to get someone invest in something like this.
Click to expand...

People with business plans raise investment. It takes a lot of research and hard work to produce a proper business plan. A proper business plan will also tell you if your business idea is worth pursuing or not.

An investor wants to know:

1. What is the business concept?
2. How much investment you need?
3. What is the return on the investment?
4. When can they expect that return?
5. Why you will be able to deliver that return?

These five points need to be answered in the first page of your plan, (the Executive Summary). The rest of the plan is all of the supporting information. It will contain a list of your team and their bios, a marketing plan, an operational plan, and the financial plan.

If you don't have a compelling argument in your executive summary, most prospects won't bother reading the rest.
 
That was exactly the type of answer I wanted. Perhaps I should've asked my question differently but the end result was the same.

I'm gonna try and see if I can get on my schools insurance rate 100 bucks a day rate, and if that works I guess I'm just gonna have a to save up a little bit of money to get this done.

As far as the commercial goes though, as much as i call it a spec commercial besides doing it for me demo reel, I was planning on pitching it Dominos down the road when it was finished. We have access to all the lights at our school, SAG actors, and much more such the prduction vaules willl surely be high enough for commercial application, but I am quite worried pitching it will only result in them stealing the idea.
 
Like others have posted... no one is going to give you money to make a spec spot... because like others have said there is no return investment for investors.

You did say condo.... so sounds like your away from home... if your parents are close shoot it at their house.... use actors from the school acting program.... why pay SAG actors...

Look make the spot with what you have... not what you want it to be... I'm sure their are a lot of people on this forum who looked at what they had and made it work and came up with some really great stuff...
 
Yeah, I'm at school now, so home is a couple hundred miles away. So shooting there really isnt an option. As far as the SAG actors, I hadn't planned on paying them. The only person who is actuallly a SAG actor who was going to act in it was one of my teachers. He's been in numerous national commercials so I figured he would be an obvious choice.

So basically here are my options. I can either shoot it at my condo, or on my schools backlot. Theres a house on the backlot but the problem arises that the house has no yard. Pavement is the only thing sitting there in front of the house. It's kinda biazarre even the driveway has lines for people to park. How is that supposed to be realistic?
 
For a short, would should your target investors be? Also, what sort of returns are there for shorts? I know you can get distribution through itunes if you get selected to appear at sundance but what else is there?

craigbowman said:
People with business plans raise investment. It takes a lot of research and hard work to produce a proper business plan. A proper business plan will also tell you if your business idea is worth pursuing or not.

An investor wants to know:

1. What is the business concept?
2. How much investment you need?
3. What is the return on the investment?
4. When can they expect that return?
5. Why you will be able to deliver that return?

These five points need to be answered in the first page of your plan, (the Executive Summary). The rest of the plan is all of the supporting information. It will contain a list of your team and their bios, a marketing plan, an operational plan, and the financial plan.

If you don't have a compelling argument in your executive summary, most prospects won't bother reading the rest.
Click to expand...
 
Also, you can't pitch spec commercials. I'm not trying to get down on you Makeshift but a spec is for you to get work, nothing more. I'd be nervous that you're going to use the dominos logo and brand but just don't post it/publish it and you should be fine.

There's a good book called FROM REEL TO DEAL that I recommend friends read when they want to make a movie/film. It'll cost you around ten bones used and it'll save you a ton of money.
 
Short films are calling cards or to put on your reel. The only real market for them is film festivals. If your film is great you may win which puts another feather in your cap, or sometimes a cash prize. But you have to pay your dues. It is a lot of hard work if you don't have any money (which sounds like your situation). All you need is a great story a bunch of half-way decent actors a video camera and then you need to beg borrow or steal to get it done. It is very difficult but it can be done. There is no magic bullet.
Good luck and never give up.
A.G.
 
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