My feature film got greenlit for $5 million by an investment firm. What do I do now?

G

GhostDaddy

A private investment firm greenlit my feature film script that I will be directing, producing and acting in. The project has a 5 million dollar budget. My lawyer is finishing up negotiations with the firm now. The funds aren't available yet but they will be in around 45 days. What do I do now? I want to move forward and start the ball rolling to get into production but this is my first time in this position. I don't want to just sit around and wait for the money. I want to be proactive. I figured out what to do to get to the money. Now that I have that covered I don't know what to do next. I have the script myself and the money. No attached cast, no attached crew. I have a clear vision for production. But I'm not even officially in pre-production. I have met with a well known EP and she is reading it, there is a good chance she will come on board. Unitl that happens and before I get access to funds I can readily use for pre-purduction what can I do and what do I need to do to prepare as well as move things forward? I need all the advice I can get.

Best Regards,


Ghost
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
To GuerrillaAngel : My film is getting funded. I have no access to funds for pre-production yet. I want to move forward and get things ready and going. But I don't know what steps to take or what I should already be getting ready. I understand what I need to do once I have money to use in hand. But I wanted advice on what I can do now.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0 Downvote
You could do some simple pre-production like scouting locations, if you'll be shooting local to where you are.

You could ask for sample work and references from storyboard artists, if you're not doing that yourself.

You could put together a "dream cast" list - who you would see in each role, if budget weren't an object. This will help a casting director (again, if that's not something you're doing yourself) know what "type" you have in mind for roles.

I guess it all depends how much you're delegating to other crew members, and how much you'll be doing yourself. With that budget, you can afford to hire quality people to do much of your pre-pro, once funds are released, or you can save money and do some of it yourself, and put what you didn't spend onto the screen.

Whatever you decide, congratulations and best of luck with your film!

gelder
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
To Gelder: Got dream cast list. Planned on doing location scouting. I'll go ahead and start. I'm delegating and doing a lot. As much as I can put back into what audiences take in sitting in their seats is what I want to do. Thanks for your advice.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Congratulations! Is this just a firm you contacted regarding a potential investment? Must have put together a hell of a presentation :)

I would reiterate what people have said about beginning pre-production. I'd start looking into key crew members, if you're inexperienced an experienced DP would be a great starting point. Once you've discussed shots with him and have a final vision, you could look into storyboarding. If you are using an original soundtrack, look into composers. I think getting your crew sorted should be top priority as every crew member will benefit from finding out about the film early on so they have more time to do what they need to.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
GhostDaddy said:
To GuerrillaAngel : My film is getting funded. I have no access to funds for pre-production yet. I want to move forward and get things ready and going. But I don't know what steps to take or what I should already be getting ready. I understand what I need to do once I have money to use in hand. But I wanted advice on what I can do now.
Click to expand...


I'm by nature skeptical. Have you done a feature before? I'd suggest mentally preparing for things to go wrong (or not as expected) and what you'll do about them. You'll be making these decisions on the fly so planning for these things now is smart and doesn't cost anything. Watch Living in Oblivion and/or some of the Greenlight series will give you a cold water splash in the face to keep you grounded.

Good luck!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Are you involved with Film Atlanta or Get Connected? Both are great resources for finding talent and crew. Let me know if you need a sound supervisor, production sound mixer, and/or boom op.


GhostDaddy said:
A private investment firm greenlit my feature film script that I will be directing, producing and acting in. The project has a 5 million dollar budget. My lawyer is finishing up negotiations with the firm now. The funds aren't available yet but they will be in around 45 days. What do I do now? I want to move forward and start the ball rolling to get into production but this is my first time in this position. I don't want to just sit around and wait for the money. I want to be proactive. I figured out what to do to get to the money. Now that I have that covered I don't know what to do next. I have the script myself and the money. No attached cast, no attached crew. I have a clear vision for production. But I'm not even officially in pre-production. I have met with a well known EP and she is reading it, there is a good chance she will come on board. Unitl that happens and before I get access to funds I can readily use for pre-purduction what can I do and what do I need to do to prepare as well as move things forward? I need all the advice I can get.

Best Regards,


Ghost
Click to expand...
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
An investment firm is giving you $5 million to make a feature and your asking some people on the internet what to do not knowing anyone's background or skill level? To me this all sounds kind of made up. Seems to me like your more fishing for ideas on how to put together your first feature without wanting to say it.

I could be wrong and you may certainly have $5 million dollars at your disposal. If you do, and you don't know about starting pre production then I feel very sorry for your investors, because you are in for a huge wake up call. Good luck.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
To Brooksy: I'm not fishing. I'm a TV star I just stepped away from L.A. for a couple years because my father got sick. But I found myself and God opened a door for me with my film. I figured out how to get money from investors. Not fishing, it's just my first feature. I've done reality T.V stuff and been in movies but were everything is taken care of for you. This is a brave new world for me. Right now I'm kind of in limbo. No EP on board yet, can't lock down my line producer till I have cash in hand. I understand what I have to do when I have cash to move and have a very clear vision. I just want to be proactive and not sit and do nothing. I can't go to the people I'm working with and say hey what do I do now. So asking strangers on the internet seemed like a good idea.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Hire yourself a composer... :D

Seriously though, a quick google search for "preproduction checklist" turned up a ton of things that might be of use for you. I'm not sure what would benefit your film the most, but can't hurt to have a look! Best of luck with your film, and congrats on the funding!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You're a TV star so you know how the business works.

No offense to anyone here, but there are few here who have
the experience and background you do. You can offer more
information about how the business works than most people
here.

GhostDaddy said:
Unitl that happens and before I get access to funds I can readily use for pre-purduction what can I do and what do I need to do to prepare as well as move things forward? I need all the advice I can get.
Click to expand...
You should enjoy the free time. Until you have the funds you
should do nothing. Relax, take a little vacation, take long walks.
The very worst thing you can do is start the ball rolling until the
money is available. You're a working actor - you are a star - you
know that sometimes even the most sure deal falls through. If
you were to make any promisees now or even start talking as if
you had the money in hand and something happened with the
deal it would hurt your overall credibility.

So relax. There will be a lot to do once the money is available to
you. The "ball" will roll so fast you are going to wish you had a
moment to slow it down and take a breath. Add two extra weeks in
your pre-production schedule to get yourself up to speed. With
money in hand you will be able to find the support you need in
less than a week.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Great news Ghost. Congrats and good luck. I have no experience with this and really like what directorik said, sounds like he knows what he's talking about.

Don't over look getting a good Producer - preferrably an experienced one, if this is indeed your first time going at this. Once you take that break that direcorik suggested you need to get some experienced, quality hands to help you. If you can afford them, get people with some experience - a DP with some projects under thier belt and familiar with the tools you will have at your disposal, a really good AD who will know how to manage your set and production, and a really good Producer to amoung other things. help you work on your budget. $5 mill sounds like a lot and is a lot but that stuff can evaporate pretty quickly when it comes to making a feature. The budget - the business end - tends to get over looked but it is key to make sure you don't zap through your funds with a lot of movie to go.

Also don't focus on pre-prod only start thinking about post - editing, color correction, sound, etc. All important and I would try and get affordable experience hands in those areas. This all will be laid out, up front, in the budget. If there is anything I must emphasize in all of this it is this - YOUR BUDGET. Did I fail to mention your budget? LOL.

Good luck, Ghost, and have fun. Your the director of a feature, man - a feature with some cash to spend. Don't try to wear too many hats, surround yourself with talented people and be tactful in getting your message and vision across. Don't let the experienced guys hijack your vision but also know that you need their experience - become the collaborator-in-chief. We're all rooting for you. I know you'll be mad busy, bt keep us up to speed from time to time.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Good luck directing, producing, and acting in your first $5 million feature. Acting while simultaneously directing can be hard! I can't imagine doing it with that much money riding considering this is your first time in that position. Woofta. As many said, use that money and bring together a lot of talented people to help bring this project to fruition. Good luck!! :)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I have to say I'm with Brooksy. I'm sorry to hear about your dad's health, and I hope he's doing better. I'm glad you've found God too. I've been looking for him all my life and not a trace anywhere. (sorry, couldn't help myself)

You are a TV star, and an investment firm just approved $5mm. You have never directed or produced. If that's the way the business works, I suppose I'm at the wrong end of it.

I used to work for an investment firm that was thinking about setting aside a fund for movies. The entire fund being considered was less than $10mm, over a number of years. And the owner was a billionaire. And the fund being considered was not a standalone fund. It would piggyback with other funds.

I just find it difficult to believe that one investment firm is putting up the entire sum for your project. If it is a $50mm project and they're putting up 5, I'd be more inclined to believe it. If your contention is that they are putting up the entire sum, well, I don't know what kind of investment firm this is. It just doesn't work that way. Investment firms by nature, like to share risk, with other investors. They don't like being lone investors, unless they're buying you out completely.

Anyway, good luck with your project. You should talk to your lawyer. Nobody can give you more sound advice.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
directorik said:
You should enjoy the free time. Until you have the funds you
should do nothing. Relax, take a little vacation, take long walks.
The very worst thing you can do is start the ball rolling until the
money is available. .
Click to expand...

I agree. Until you have the money, you don't have the money. Don't jinx yourself.
If it was me, I'd be doing a lot of fantasy casting in my head. That's all.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top