Learn from top financier Viviana Zarragoitia, VP of Three Point Capital - exclusively through Stage 32!

Get access to exclusive handouts including sample budgets, packages and collection account management statement, sales sheets, sales agent contracts and distribution agreements

PLEASE NOTE: Although this exclusive Stage 32 class is no longer live and the teacher is not available on email, we highly encourage you to do any assignments to get the most out of the educational experience.

Over recent years, the independent producing model has shown that films budgeted between $5-$10 Million can not only make a considerable return on investment, but also serve as a launch pad for its creators and win critical acclaim. Take some examples:

• CODA was made for $10MM and won the best picture Oscar.
• MOONLIGHT was made for $5MM, grossed over $65MM worldwide and won the Oscar for Best Picture.
• SPLIT was made for $9MM and grossed over $278MM worldwide and continued to propel James McAvoy and Anya Taylor-Joy as global stars.
• BRUISED was made for $10MM and sold to Netflix after premiering at The Toronto International Film Festival
• PIECES OF A WOMAN was made in this range and sold to Netflix after premiering at The Toronto International Film Festival
• GET OUT was made for $5MM, grossed over $250MM worldwide, won the Oscar for best Screenplay and launched Jordan Peele into the elite entertainment stratosphere

Knowing how to raise money intelligently for films and projects with budgets between $5MM-$10MM can be your calling card toward taking the next step in elevating your film career. Simply put, if you understand the strategies and methods to help your investors see a return, you get to keep those investors time and time again. And those investors can, and usually do, bring more investors with them if they're happy. While everyone says that raising financing is the hardest aspect of filmmaking, it's not impossible, and in fact can be well within your grasp, especially with the right guidance and education.

Viviana Zarragoitia is the Vice President of Three Point Capital, one of the entertainment industry's top financiers that specializes in senior lending on film and television projects. Through Three Point, Viviana closes the financing on every film that the company is involved in. She has been involved in the financing of over 100 independent films, and worked with such producers as Cassian Elwes (DALLAS BUYERS CLUB), Rob Barnum (MARGIN CALL), Anthony Bregman (ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND), James Schamus (BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN), Aaron Gilbert (JOKER), Kimberly Steward (MANCHESTER BY THE SEA), Nicolas Chartier (THE HURT LOCKER) and Kevin Frakes (HEREDITARY), among others. Before Three Point Capital, Viviana worked in accounting at Millennium Films and Bold Films, as well as in the finance division of Lionsgate, where she oversaw the preparation of multi-million dollar film and television distribution deals. Viviana has seen it all when it comes to film financing and knows intimately well how films in the $5-10MM range can find success.

In this advanced level and intensive on-demand 4-session class, Viviana will comprehensively teach you how you can finance your own film in the $5-10 million budget range. In Session 1 she will provide an overview of the different types of film financing available to you. In Session 2 she will focus on using tax credits, soft money, and grants to help fund your project. Session 3 will delve into equity, pre-sales, gap, and sales agents. Finally Session 4 will look at waterfalls, recoupment and navigating collection accounts.

Along the way, Viviana will provide exclusive and valuable handouts that you can take with you for your own projects, including:

• Sample Budgets and Packages
• Sales Sheets
• Sales Agent Contracts
• Sample Collection Account Statement
• Example Distribution Agreements

Praise For Viviana:

"Viviana was personable, professional, interesting, interested, and a wealth of knowledge and useful information. I will take every opportunity to learn from her. She was patient and polite with every question and always clear with what she knew, what she thought, what she believed, and what she didn't know. She painted pictures and delivered facts, outlining the paths she has seen successful producers take while still encouraging all to pursue their art with a greater knowledge of the business and understanding of the challenges and potential pitfalls."

-Randy G.

"As someone who was totally new to the world of film financing, trying to learn about the process by myself was intimidating to put it lightly. Viviana clearly explains the film financing process step-by-step and demystifies the complex, bespoke nature of pre-sales, tax credits, sales agents, and so much more. I feel infinitely more confident in my ability to produce a film thanks to this class. I give it the highest possible recommendation for any independent filmmaker looking to finance their film and take their projects to the next level."

-Sean R.

"Viviana has a tremendous depth and range of knowledge about film financing and she was happy to share everything she knew. Thanks to her loose, attentive style for the class, it ranged far and wide, and she answered a lot of people’s questions whether they were general or specific to their own projects. And I feel like there was value for all of us in even the most project-specific questions."

-Randy V.

Session 1 – Overview on Types of Film Financing

• Equity, Gap, Tax Credits, Bridge, Debt, Pre-Sales
• Debt Financing – Bank and Private Lenders
• Working with Banks
• Equity – Private Investors
• Completion Guarantors
• Tax Credits
• Budgets
• Q&A with Viviana

You will have an assignment after this session

Session 2 – Tax Credits, Soft Money & Grants

• Types of Incentives and How to Access Them
• Domestic & International Tax Credits
• How to Monetize Incentives
• Effects of Tax Incentives in the Entertainment Industry and Locally
• How to Decide on a Jurisdiction – Creative and Financial Elements
• Q&A with Viviana

You will have an assignment after this session

Session 3 - Equity, Pre-Sales, Gap, Sales Agents

• Pros & Cons of Pre-Sales and how it affects recoupment
• Handout: Sales agent contract – discuss fees and commissions
• Working with Pre-sales when taking a senior loan from a Bank
• Domestic & Foreign distributors – distribution rights
• Film Markets
• Q&A – 30 minutes at the end

You will have an assignment after this session

Session4 – Waterfalls, Recoupment, Collection Accounts

• Participants and Participations
• Profit Centers And Distribution Expenses
• Collection Account Management Agreement – Role of CAMAs in Independent Film Industry
• New Media/Streaming/Revenue Effects in Terms of Budget and Film Financing Models
• Q&A with Viviana

PLEASE NOTE: Although this exclusive Stage 32 class is no longer live and the teacher is not available on email, we highly encourage you to do any assignments to get the most out of the educational experience.

All levels of producers (advanced, intermediate and beginner) looking to learn how to finance a film between $5MM-$10MM.

All levels of filmmakers (advanced, intermediate and beginner) looking to learn how to finance a film between $5MM-$10MM.

All levels of screenwriters (advanced, intermediate and beginner) looking to learn how to finance a film between $5MM-$10MM.

Actors looking to looking to learn how to finance a film between $5MM-$10MM.

Praise For Viviana:

"Viviana was personable, professional, interesting, interested, and a wealth of knowledge and useful information. I will take every opportunity to learn from her. She was patient and polite with every question and always clear with what she knew, what she thought, what she believed, and what she didn't know. She painted pictures and delivered facts, outlining the paths she has seen successful producers take while still encouraging all to pursue their art with a greater knowledge of the business and understanding of the challenges and potential pitfalls."

-Randy G.

"As someone who was totally new to the world of film financing, trying to learn about the process by myself was intimidating to put it lightly. Viviana clearly explains the film financing process step-by-step and demystifies the complex, bespoke nature of pre-sales, tax credits, sales agents, and so much more. I feel infinitely more confident in my ability to produce a film thanks to this class. I give it the highest possible recommendation for any independent filmmaker looking to finance their film and take their projects to the next level."

-Sean R.

"Viviana has a tremendous depth and range of knowledge about film financing and she was happy to share everything she knew. Thanks to her loose, attentive style for the class, it ranged far and wide, and she answered a lot of people’s questions whether they were general or specific to their own projects. And I feel like there was value for all of us in even the most project-specific questions."

-Randy V.