How to Finance Your Short Film - Budgets, Pitch Decks and Attracting Investors
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Webinar hosted by: JT Mollner
Director (Official Sundance Selection 'Outlaws & Angels')
JT Mollner is a feature film director with his latest film "Outlaws & Angels" becoming an official 2016 Sundance selection and released theatrically by MGM/Orion. Mollner's Writer/ Director credits include "The Red Room" (2008), "Henry John and the Little Bug" (2009), and "Sugartown" (2011); all 3 award winning shorts that played the festival circuit and have now been acquired by Shorts International for worldwide distribution -- a rarity in the world of short form cinema. JT has directed numerous commercials and music videos, most noteworthy being a spot for Lincoln MKS that aired during the Grammy Awards in 2011. In 2015, Mollner made an impact by presenting screen legend Dee Wallace (America's Mom) in the against-type role of a drug addicted, chain smoking bad girl in his 16mm short film "Flowers in December" - inspired by the gritty, "blue collar dramas" of the 1970's. His debut feature film, "Outlaws and Angels", Produced by Rosanne Korenberg (Half Nelson, Hard Candy) and Chris Ivan Cevic shoot in late 2015 and was based on his own original screenplay. It's has been described as a brutal, ultra-realistic home invasion drama set in the old west: Peckinpah's "Straw Dogs" meets "Lolita".JT is a proponent of celluloid image capture and has partnered with Kodak Motion Picture Film and Panavision on multiple projects.After winning multiple awards at Hollyshorts Film Festival, JT became a Jury member in 2012 and has remained ever since.Mollner's production company, "No Remake Pictures", is committed to injecting original, unique, and sometimes controversial stories into a market saturated with remakes and safe, formula fare. The company (an advocate of real film stock, and not digital) is a proponent of practical effects over CGI and VFX. Full Bio »
Webinar Summary
Not only are more and more film festivals accepting short films, but festivals dedicated to nothing but short films have become more popular than ever. Additionally, more managers, agents, and producers are looking to short films to find untapped talent and new ideas. So many successful filmmakers today, from Christopher Nolan to Damien Chazelle, have used short films as a calling card to showcase their skills and show the world that they were ready for the big time. But shooting a quality short film means raising some financing.
And for many, this can be challenging.
One thing that many creatives avoid when putting together a short film is everything that goes into the business end. From determining and compiling a true and realistic budget, to being able to tell your creative and financial story within a pitch deck, to thinking about a distribution strategy and recoupment plan well before shooting, there is so much to think about toward getting investors in your corner beyond the creative.
Allow us to help you by showing you everything you need to know so that you can attract investors looking to get behind you, your unique vision and your work.
ABOUT YOUR STAGE 32 EDUCATOR
JT Molner knows a thing or two about raising funds for shorts and feature films. Although JT is a writer and director, he's been deep in the trenches in raising funds for his projects leaving no stoned unturned and nothing to chance. After raising financing for many successful shorts which caught the eyes of producers and talent, JT rolled up his sleeves and helped his producers raise financing for his first feature film, Outlaws and Angels, which was originally shot as a short film as proof of concept. The feature became an Official Selection at Sundance and was sold to Orion Films. He will teach you everything he's learned from his decade of raising financing for his short films and other projects.
And, as an added Bonus you'll receive a pitch deck from JT's film OUTLAWS AND ANGELS which started as a short film proof of concept, and went on to be made as a feature, being selected as an Official Selection at Sundance and selling to Orion films!
PRAISE FOR JT'S TEACHINGS:
Holy clarity! I've made so many mistakes along the way. Every short film has seemed like a struggle not worth reliving and now I understand why. These wounds were self inflicted. Thank you, JT, for not only (kindly) setting things straight, but for opening my eyes. I can't wait to get started on my next project.
- Manford C.
What You'll Learn
- Determining Your Budget
- What to expect if you are working within specific budget ranges.
- Under $1,000
- $1,000-$10,000
- $10,000 +
- What to expect if you are working within specific budget ranges.
- How To Put a Pitch Deck Together
- What always needs to go into a pitch deck?
- What should be kept out
- CASE STUDY: JT’s pitch deck for his film OUTLAWS & ANGELS
- This pitch deck will be available for you to download
- Private Investors
- How to identify investors that will be interested in your project
- What motivates investors?
- How to tailor your pitch to make investors want to work with you
- 3 Detailed examples of investors you can approach that are within your reach
- Crowdfunding
- Indiegogo vs. Kickstarter
- How to make your crowdfunding campaign work from pre-campaign to launch, during the campaign and after it’s complete
- Incentives that will work for you and your investors
- Distribution and recoupment
- Self distribution vs. traditional distribution
- Responsibilities to keep in mind for both the investor model and crowdfunding model
- Q&A with JT
About Your Instructor
JT Mollner
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Reviews Average Rating: 5 out of 5
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Nadejda Kolpacoff Very instructive, I particularly appreciated his tips for crowdfunding. Made a first short film last year, and planning on making a second one as a proof-of-concept next year following some of his advice. -
Philip Nelson Haven't had time to watch the Q&A yet, but everything leading up to that is very good. Lots of ideas I wouldn't have thought of, as well as details on how to execute those concepts, not just an overview. I would have liked to have seen the difference between the Feature and Short pitch deck, but otherwise I highly recommend this. One of the few webinars I've watched that is actually well worth the money. -
John Raucci JT is a good teacher and very personable. He's very direct and presents a good foundation for raising money. I'm in the process of shooting my first short film and this webinar was very helpful.
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