Funding a $10,000 Student Short Film?
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This question is in and of itself another reason why going to film school is insane. When you have to spend $10,000 for a class project that's just one more reason to choose another major. Or just move to Hollywood and start working. No degree required.
This is the second smartest thing that has been said in this forum over and over again, yet it is among the most ignored advice of all time.
Aside from indirect/overhead costs, some cost none at all.
A fair article on differentiating direct from indirect costs: http://www.rafcammarano.com/content/cost_effects_it_enabled_projects.aspx
Is this the train station short from the other thread, or some different project entirely?
Yes, I can easily make a film that cost no money right now, but at what cost? I know that the most important part of a good film is a good, solid script. But without things like proper equipment, actors, and what not, the film can suffer.
I know I have to write a script with the resources I have, and I know that I can never get everything I want when it comes to finances, but my goal isn't to just make a film, it is to make a good, professional quality film, and settling for a zero dollar budget isn't gonna help that.
I realize that $10,000 is to much for me right now, but my goal in film making is to always step forward with each film, in all aspects, and sometimes that costs money.
The original point of this thread was to get peoples advice on how to fund films. I respect everyones opinion and am appreciative of everyones advice, but I want to make clear that the purpose of this thread is to get advice on how to better fund films, not on how to avoid spending any money on a film.
I've been making films for almost no money for a while now, and I'd like to be able to kick up things up a little so I can afford things like better equipment and talents. Thanks.
Rayw: It was originally the train station film, but I scrapped that when I realized it would cost way too much money.
I know I have to write a script with the resources I have, and I know that I can never get everything I want when it comes to finances, but my goal isn't to just make a film, it is to make a good, professional quality film, and settling for a zero dollar budget isn't gonna help that.
I realize that $10,000 is to much for me right now, but my goal in film making is to always step forward with each film, in all aspects, and sometimes that costs money.
The original point of this thread was to get peoples advice on how to fund films. I respect everyones opinion and am appreciative of everyones advice, but I want to make clear that the purpose of this thread is to get advice on how to better fund films, not on how to avoid spending any money on a film.
I've been making films for almost no money for a while now, and I'd like to be able to kick up things up a little so I can afford things like better equipment and talents. Thanks.
Rayw: It was originally the train station film, but I scrapped that when I realized it would cost way too much money.
There are different methods for funding films.
First is to determine exactly how much you need and exactly
for what. Clearly if you need $10,000 the way you find the
money is going to be different than if you need $100,000.
Or if you need $2,500.
You are the one who mentioned $10,000 so you got advice
on a $10,000 short film. It's nearly impossible to find funding
for a $10,000 short film because a short film will not make
any profit or even return the investment. So you have to fund
that yourself - it will be a total financial loss. It will be great
experience and a creative success so the funding comes from
you and people who believe in you as a person.
You can make a very professional looking short for $2,500. And
that amount of money is much easier to raise from friends and
family. So your question about how to fund films is entirely
dependent on how much you need and for what.A $10,000
feature at least has the possibility of returning the investment
and maybe even a little profit - which expands the "how".
Thank you. What is your opinion on crowd funding for short films? I've seen short films that have gotten $25,000 funded purely from crowd funding, I've also seen short films that couldn't even get a couple hundred dollars funded from crowd funding. How do you successfully crowd fund, in your opinion?
Prior to initiating a successful crowdfunding campaign you should have already cultivated a rather substantial following, like tens of thousands of views per month or week of your business, project web page, youtube channel, or blog.
Researching ten projects on each of the following pages (20 projects) spending two hours researching each project (40hrs total):
http://www.kickstarter.com/discover/categories/narrative film/most-funded?ref=more
http://www.kickstarter.com/discover/categories/narrative film/successful?ref=more
Break 'em down.
Figure out how the magicians did their tricks.
EDIT:
This applies to crowd funding, as well:
Another EDIT: Check out The Disappearance of Alice Creed.
A very nice low budget film, three characters, handful of locations, good story, well executed.
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Crowd funding is a hard road for sure. I'm going to make it on my modest campaign ($2500) that ends in 2 days (we sit $295 dollars short), but it has been beyond stressful, disappointing on many levels, and not anything I hope to have to repeat anytime soon.
Ask yourself: "Would I donate $10 to someone I do not know
so they can make a movie?"
Ask your friends: "Would you donate $10 to someone you do
not know so they can make a movie?"
Some people do - donate money to someone they do not know
so they can make a movie - so ask yourself what would it take
to get YOU to donate. If you can figure out what it would take
to get YOU to donate money to someone you don't know then
you will have a decent model to get others to do the same.
I suspect you will find what ray says to be the general norm - if
you already have a following some of them will donate. If you
don't then you will be among those short films that couldn't even
get a couple hundred dollars. Do you think your friends and family
will donate?
Well I did donate $10 to people I didn't know, but I guess I kinda did know them through association because my friend was a set designer on their film. My family and friends would probably donate, I don't know if that would be enough though. The problem with crowd funding is deciding how much to set as the amount you need funded, because if it isn't 100% funded you get nothing.
Couple of my recent observations, which are of course anecdotal and may not apply in other situations.
You must have a few big donors. The odds of even getting to a modest amount like $2500 from $25 and less donations is pretty slim unless (as noted) you already have a large fan base of some type. Of my current $2205 total $1500 is three $500 donations. One from an old band mate now doing well in business, the other two from local business people who owed me a favor. One of them I had shot a TV commercial for him at basically "cost" with a "One day I'm going to ask for a favor in return" understanding. When I called it in, he delivered.
Family helps as well. About $125 came from my family. Nieces, nephews, etc...
A couple hundred bucks came from (real life) friends.
The rest came either from strangers who just found it on kickstarter, people I know through Roller Derby, and people I know on the web including a couple folks here at Indietalk.
You must have a few big donors. The odds of even getting to a modest amount like $2500 from $25 and less donations is pretty slim unless (as noted) you already have a large fan base of some type. Of my current $2205 total $1500 is three $500 donations. One from an old band mate now doing well in business, the other two from local business people who owed me a favor. One of them I had shot a TV commercial for him at basically "cost" with a "One day I'm going to ask for a favor in return" understanding. When I called it in, he delivered.
Family helps as well. About $125 came from my family. Nieces, nephews, etc...
A couple hundred bucks came from (real life) friends.
The rest came either from strangers who just found it on kickstarter, people I know through Roller Derby, and people I know on the web including a couple folks here at Indietalk.
That was my point. You donated because your friend was the
set designer of the movie. I didn't narrow my question down
to ONLY the director. People will donate to people they know.
People who know you will donate - people who know the lead
actor will donate - people who know your DP will donate.
In general people do not donate if they don't know anyone
involved. You don't. Your friends don't. Your family doesn't.
I don't.
This is also the problem with regular funding.
I see so many people including the cost of equipment (often
half of the total budget) in their funding request. Don't get me
wrong - I understand where they are coming from; like you,
they want better equipment to make their movie. But from the
funders POV adding $5,000 to $8,000 to a budget so the
filmmaker can BUY equipment isn't good business. Yes, the
filmmaker will be able to use that equipment for other movies,
but the people financing the first one get no benefit from paying
for that equipment.
Very often when crowd funding it's better to rent equipment for
$3,500 than to buy it for $8,500.
If funding a movie was easy...
It costs $500 for a 2 week rental of a camera shooting in 4k.
Don't know where you'd need 5,000 let alone 10,000.
What 4K camera can you rent that cheap? Around here a pretty bare bones Epic package goes for about $1000/day. Certainly not the ONLY 4K package out there, but probably the most common one. You'd be lucky to find an HVX200 renting for $500 for two weeks.
Out of St. Catahrines, you can rent a RedOne camera shooting in 4k for $85 a day....
I had no idea that existed. You win the internet.
Well, the way P.T. Anderson did it, he dropped out of film school, used the tuition and got some bucks from friends that worked at PBS.
Depending on what state you live in, there are many many grants out there for first time filmmakers, student filmmakers, special interest groups... try to get a good writer to help you with grant writing. You will be asked to show some type of work, even if it is not a film (music video, student piece...).
Try to think of every special interest group possible that may relate to your film. There is a lot of money out there for filmmakers. It takes time and dedication to find it and get it.
Try to think of every special interest group possible that may relate to your film. There is a lot of money out there for filmmakers. It takes time and dedication to find it and get it.