Financing / Crowdfunding

Insane offer.

Hey Edward, you like a true communist offering to everyone on this site (only on that site?) the same deal. Be a little bit more creative. Offer stock and bonds portfolios, munis would go like hot cakes.

A suggestion as a fellow screenwriter. The book "BANKROLL"--How to finance your independent film by Tom Malloy.

Hello everyone, sorry it's been ages since I signed in to Stage 32 but for some reason I didn't get notifications that people have answered my questions so pardon the lack of response on my part. Well there's tons that have happened since I posted the question. I've actually written and produced a short film earlier this year, it's now on IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6985322/ Filming was done in April and now about to launch a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for post to get us to cross the finish line. I figure nobody is going to help you make your dream, you've got to do it yourself. My hope is this short film will enable me to convince financiers to fund the feature :)

The truth is, Ruth even for your first feature you have to put your own skin in the game too and come up with the funds too. Good luck.

Having done a bit of crowdfunding myself, I think it comes down to two things. The first is presentation. You have to be able to present yourself in a way that gathers trust from people, and in return they will more likely give you the support and funding. The second is if you are able to gather that trust via the potential people see in your project, then it will be easier for you to get publicity through other people sharing your cause and generating traffic to your page and videos. This is once again done by presentation.

Richard Thrift 1 hour 20 minutes? Not really METRO NYC. But any suggestions you need just post a thread. Also I suggest you get an @imdbpro page account. Best $21.75 a month you will spend.

IMDb Pro page is not on my top priority list, having fun and making films is.

Hey Richard, there's a LOAD of great resources online that you can read through to find out more about crowdfunding. Filmmakers that I've known to run campaigns favour IndieGoGo and they have a lot of guidance to get you going - https://learn.indiegogo.com/marketing-crowdfunding-field-guide-a/

One of the best ways for crowdfunding -- look at what has worked from other campaigns. Not just their kickstarter pages, but where else they have a media presence. As crowdfunding continues to age, people have higher expectations of what they are looking for before they invest, and tastes and priorities change over time as well- so benchmarking against successful campaigns for a similar type of project is always a great place to start.

That Uncle that is in the hospital, shortness of breath...ask him. AND DON'T CALL HIM A PRODUCER. BAD BAD BAD.

From what I have been hearing about over and over these days, niche marketing is the way to go. Find the niche of your film, attach a product to it, and have those selling that/those product(s) invest in your film. And if you decide to go the crowdfunding route, a niche that catches people's attention will still be key.

Thanks, Joshua Beasley that helped.

Hello to everyone! I am author of a haunting, remarkable, and an inspiring spirit-lifting humanitarian memoir titled FRIENDSHIP: A True Story of Adventure, Goodwill, and Endurance. My true story takes place in the Hollywood film "blood diamond" region of Sierra Leone. I am absolutely convinced that people who have seen the BLOOD DIAMOND movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio, and investors who invested in that film, will be very interested to invest in my true story. Where do I obtain a list of the marketing products / companies names who invested their products to the BLOOD DIAMOND movie?? I am also looking for a screenplay writer to adapt my book to a film or documentary, feature etc.. www.francismandewah.com

I agree with Josh here, unless the short is intended to sell a larger feature it's going to be hard to attract any money. At all. You can usually find interested people that would be happy enough to work on a great project and have another line on their CV.
You need to ask what you need the money for, right? If it's an expensive scene, write around it. Change the location. That's part of the fun of making films!

D. Nose around in the school's administration. If you pitch it as a teaching proposition, it generally falls under their wide mission statement umbrella.

Doug, so in order to gat a tax deduction using students from a Com Collage, University or High School I would have to pitch me being a teacher and make the short film as part of the school curriculum? Is that something done often? Seems almost shady. Do you have personal experience doing this?

D, I don't think that you would need a teaching certificate but the school may need a certified teacher on board your project. Also, most communities have Public Access Television stations that fall under the 501c3 umbrella (often in conjunction with a school.)

Contact The Film Collaborative, they have also a distribution arm that will consider your finished film. Best luck

Find a fiscal agent. That's a non-profit that will act as your sponsor. Then he can donate the money to them. You will end up falling under their charter and you should be making the film for them to exploit, not yourself, but that's how you get around this.

Hey Connor, we actually have access to a UN grant for a short time more that you may be interested. Not sure if you are still looking for funding as this post is 3 months old. Also, I will be in Vegas tomorrow if you wanted to meet up. IM if interested. Thanks

"BANKROLL"- How to finance your Independent Film" By Tom Malloy

Bankroll is great. Have you considered finding the investors/producers involved in similar projects (genre, budget, etc). Check producers credits.

For the filmmakers with no viable IMDB credits and track record in the industry - friends and family is the only real option. Then "Bankroll" and the others similar books would make more sense. Otherwise it's uphill battle and 10 years plus in the development.

It's been six months since you posted this, Nathaniel. What's the status of this project?

Try IndieGoGo, and launch a campaign

You're a little short on specifics, Matt. I'm guessing you're referring to cast and/or crew and either SAG or the IRS. You also seem to be assuming that everyone would want or need your particular service.

https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc420.html
Are you saying that I'll help on your short if you'll help on mine?
Lawsuit waiver? Against what type of legal action? Any document is worth the money you have paid to craft it and the money you can afford to spend in court defending it.

I'm wondering if I can pay in through blockchain Erik A. Jacobson , do I have to report it to the irs? it's future capital. like just swag really? can I pay actors in swag if they accept the part?

JD Hartman no not at all. Im wondering if there would be any legal entanglement if I paid with altcoin at they are pretty high growth holdings over time, like bonds.

a 1099 is about all i would have to do then...thanks

Good interview. Thanks for posting.

Thanks for posting... makes you wonder how anyone gets ahead in this business.

Ha! I don't need to like someone to work with them. Keep it professional. Show me da money! I got a script, a reel, produced movies, references, and imdb star meter higher than Dolph Lundgren

Hey Petra! Have you contacted any of the national organizations fighting human trafficking (Polaris, OCTIP, etc.) ? They usually have lists of people looking to promote awareness and get active in the cause. Their supporters = your sponsors. I worked with a girl who got caught up in a ring of traffickers and she actually ended up working with organizations that were fighting this and she went to many fundraisers and conferences to raise money for this cause. I would think reaching out to these organizations could get you contacts and funding. Just my two cents worth. Good luck!

Petra... you might try googling organizations that are active in fighting human trafficking and present your project to them. Better yet, bring a girl along with you victimized by this in the past or tape her story in a hard-hitting 2 minute video.

Another option: Go to IMDBPro.com and check the thank you list in the credits for donors or investors (also Exec Producers) of recent trafficking films like Caged No More or Priceless.

Steven Harris Anzelowitz Suggestion on 2 books to buy 1)'BANKROLL' by Tom Malloy--How to finance your independent film, 2)'FROM REEL TO DEAL' By Dov S-S Simmons.

Have you already looked into registering with SEC under Regulation D?

Paulette, I have not but I will right now. Steven, thank you for the reading suggestions!!

Let me know if you need assistance with this. It's not as mysterious as it looks, but every state is different I suppose.

Check this website out. https://www.sec.gov/info/smallbus/secg/formdguide.htm. Soliciting investors is a regulated business. To be exempt from these regulations you apply for an exemption. There is an 8 page form to fill out online, and it must be filed online. Then print a copy and trot it down to your state securities compliance office. It's nice to have an attorney do this, but it's the old chicken and the egg syndrome. You need the lawyer to get the money, but you need the money to get the lawyer. At least by filing you will have complied. When you raise your necessary capital, by all means throw as much money as possible at the feet of the best entertainment attorney you can afford.

Hi Erik, yeah the Lawyer was our first choice only because we wanted to be super safe and we need a contract made between the two of us. We are good friends before this project and we want to still be good friends after this project. It's a way to keep us from ruining our friendship and partnership in the process. We just looked into the Library of Congress and it seems to be that we're going to go with that decision instead of the lawyer. I have to still discuss it with the author, but I am going to put my screenplay through there. Thank you so much.

Very good idea to draw up a contract. That's what my brother and I did before we started work on a script together, and I drew one up with a friend of mine before I brought him onto my web series as a co-writer. Best to have an agreement on paper with your signatures on it.

Hi Stavros, thank you for your information. I thought that it would be copyrighted once the book was complete, but a Publisher and a couple other people told us to get it copyrighted before sending it out to get it officially published. My friend wrote the book and I adapted the book into a screenplay. We're working on the contract so that it will be on paper that she has granted me the rights to pitch the screenplay. We're going to be submitting to the eCO so that way we cover all ends of copyright. She will be owning the copyright to the book and I will be owning the copyright to the screenplay. We're looking for funds to be able to pay the fee of the Publishers/beginning expenses of turning it into a movie.

Kyle, thank you. Yes, her and I definitely want to have an agreement on paper. I've gone into another project with an acquittance once and it ended badly when we didn't have the agreement written down.

Hi Kiara, You can contact the US Copyright Office directly yourself. You don't need an attorney for this step. Just follow their instructions.