What's the best way to raise 10 grand quickly for a feature?

H

Hutchman

Active member
Kickstarter? The bank? Friends and family? Government agencies? The private sector? My own pocket?

I want to shoot a feature on the gh2 and have written it to be shot on locations I can get for free. Most of my cast who are experienced actors will do it for free, but I can't get the actors for the leads together at the same time unless I pay them a grand a week, which seems fair enough. It'll be a 4 week shoot so that'll take me to 8K, plus some royalty free music and catering.

I think for Pi they got friends and family to invest a grand each.

What do people suggest for funding? Any personal experiences would be welcomed.

THANKS
 
Rule number #1 about making a movie, never use your own money.
Rule number #2, see rule number #1.

Network. Rub elbows with doctors, lawyers, people who are in the black and need to unload some of it for tax purposes. A lot of folks out there will to toss out a few thousand. But you have to network and brand yourself. Have a good demo reel. Have a solid script. Get yourself out there.
 
Hutchman said:
Kickstarter? The bank? Friends and family? Government agencies? The private sector? My own pocket?

I want to shoot a feature on the gh2 and have written it to be shot on locations I can get for free. Most of my cast who are experienced actors will do it for free, but I can't get the actors for the leads together at the same time unless I pay them a grand a week, which seems fair enough. It'll be a 4 week shoot so that'll take me to 8K, plus some royalty free music and catering.

I think for Pi they got friends and family to invest a grand each.

What do people suggest for funding? Any personal experiences would be welcomed.

THANKS
Click to expand...

Just a tip: if you're making a film for $10k, the first thing you're going to regret is giving 80% of your budget away straight off the bat to something that can be got for free. I'm not encouraging you to NOT pay people who work for you, but honestly at the $10k level you're going to find yourself wishing you'd ordered off the value menu at McD's instead of a Big Mac, because that extra buck could'a gone toward another pair of triple-A batteries for the shoot.

As for raising the funds, I like Sad Max's idea. You can buy a decent ski mask for $5 or $10 at Walmart. Or you can knit your own and save the buck. <wink>

(Has anyone here actually ever gotten a few G's from doctors, lawyers, dentists?)
 
8K of 10K to actors? Hmmm. I think the first thing you should do is hire a better producer!!! xD Hahaha.

Just messin'... kinda.

Raise it through IndieGogo or something like that, or sell off things that you do not need. Just don't forget that shooting is only 20 percent of the battle, the other 80 comes before and after you've wrapped picture.
 
Kholi said:
Raise it through IndieGogo or something like that, or sell off things that you do not need. Just don't forget that shooting is only 20 percent of the battle, the other 80 comes before and after you've wrapped picture.
Click to expand...
Also don't forget that actually making the film is only half the battle. You also need to create screeners, apply to festivals, make posters and just SELL the damn thing. You could spend 10 grand doing just THAT.
 
Depending on where you live there are subsidies, tax incentives and grant programs. Even though ten grand is a small budget, you may find some of them applicable.
 
you can live by the rule "never use your own money", and in turn you will never make a movie. I'd say do what you gotta do, if you need to max out the cards or sell your car do it.
 
Reminded me of something someone told me once:

"You know how you make a small fortune with film making? Start out with a big fortune!"

:)
 
Well - i don't know where ya get the ten grand from - i wouldn't worry now about post though now - get it in the can - one thing at a time. 80% of the job is not post as some one says here - i've made 3 indy features i never found that the case. a ten grand budget and actors asking for 8 of it - id get other actors personally. You can pay them something but a grand a week for a no budget film? Do these actors have any kind of names that might help getting the film noticed by festival programmers? First feature I presume - then of course you use yer own money - what else ya gonna do with it? Good luck!
 
Thanks for the responses guys, very valuable.

Kholi, I was wondering why you recommended Indigogo when you used Kickstarter? Is it because you get the money raised regardless of whether you reach your total or not?

I've got enough money in the bank to pay for it out of my own pocket, but I also have a wife and twin babies, so I'm a lot more cautious about how I spend my money (hence the gh2 rather than renting Red)

Any more suggestions would be most welcomed., thanks.
 
IMO you'll be overwhelmed you've undercosted it. 2K for the last bit? .. have you worked at this level before? These days you'll need 2 or 3 ski masks and your car.

Cheers.
 
Hutchman said:
Kickstarter? The bank? Friends and family? Government agencies? The private sector? My own pocket?

I want to shoot a feature on the gh2 and have written it to be shot on locations I can get for free. Most of my cast who are experienced actors will do it for free, but I can't get the actors for the leads together at the same time unless I pay them a grand a week, which seems fair enough. It'll be a 4 week shoot so that'll take me to 8K, plus some royalty free music and catering.

I think for Pi they got friends and family to invest a grand each.

What do people suggest for funding? Any personal experiences would be welcomed.

THANKS
Click to expand...
Did you get the funding ?
 
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