Wow, great! How so, just checked indigogo and it was a little short haha? Curious, as we all want the same thing!
Yeah, it was a little short lol. But what it did exceptionally well was to gain the attention of all three of our final investors, who upon meeting with us and seeing our business plan, all signed on immediately. Our first meeting with investor one, we got $24k. Then our first meeting with investor two we got $276k, and our first meeting with investor three got us our additional $100k. It was crazy. My producers did their homework, and put together what ended up being a rockstar business plan, that not only impressed me, but our investors as well. All of the investors were incredibly impressed with the trailer, given how little time we actually had with our cast and crew to pull it off (12 hours total, over 5 days between Sept. and Oct.). The one from L.A. is actually getting us a couple known actors for some nice little cameos, which is just awesome! Can't say who yet, as we've narrowed it down to six possibles, but you would definitely know them.
Something big to note, we managed to get everything we wanted (and then some!) without, I repeat, without having to give up ANY creative control. I have final cut, we can distribute as we see fit (although they do have some nice connections we would be stupid not to pursue), we keep our talent etc. I could not ask for more.
Biggest advice I can give anyone seeking funding is know the business end of this adventure. Write up a stellar business plan so your potential investors know exactly how you plan on recouping their money. Comparisons are fine, but be real. Show winners AND losers. Be up front that they could absolutely lose everything they put into this. And do NOT use Paranormal Activity as one of your comparisons. That is, let's be honest, a once in a blue moon kind of occurrence, and is too unrealistic to be used as a valid comparison. There's a ton more to a solid business plan besides comparisons (which really only were 3 pages of a 26 page plan), so don't get too stuck on that. Research the business. Know exactly which theaters you plan on putting the film in (talk to them and find out about deals, costs etc.). Know which fests you'll submit to. And finally, include your marketing budget in the budget. I know, I know. That's not how it's done. But ALL of our investors said they loved that we included that, because too many films get made and then have no money for marketing, so they sit and go nowhere. Our marketing budget is $45k, which is very nice for this size budget in an indie film, and that is part of our budget. That gets us HDCAM versions for digital projection theaters, it pays for a lot of festival fees, it pays for radio spots, print ads and pays for the theater costs to get it shown.
I can say without a doubt this is a total dream come true for me, and my crew. Now the real pressure starts
