5: Funding
- Page ID
- 164524
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- Gain an understanding of your feature's Business and Production Plan.
- Learn how to create a Film Proposal for your feature.
- Explore ways to finance your film.
- 5.1: The Business Plan and The Production Plan
- Films are expensive endeavors. They are risky investments. Once a film is finished, there is no guarantee of a return on investment (ROI). You must do more than graduate film school to get financing. You will have to figure out how to pay for your movie before getting to production.
- 5.2: The Film Proposal
- While the Business Plan and Production Plan provide valuable overviews of the film company's structure and overall intent, the Film Proposal serves as the immediate resource for the current project. It should disclose every useful aspect to guarantee successful shoots.
- 5.3: Grants
- Films, away from a class assignment, are expensive. Students have relieved from purchasing expensive gear because many film and video classes have cameras, lights and maybe even a studio on campus. Thankfully there are numerous organizations which will provide help in funds and mentorship to develop video skill sets for both students and experienced filmmakers.
- 5.4: Fellowships
- There are hundreds of fellowship programs which provide funds and support for filmmakers and other media artists and journalists. Some are narrowly defined while others have a "no strings attached" policy to the use of funds. Fellowships generally offer research, study, or a community-based initiative. All fellowships offer mentorship and access to influential organizations. The largest fellowship awards are in the tens of thousands dollars and last anywhere from a few weeks to a full year.
- 5.5: Other Funding Avenues
- There are a few other approaches to finding help producing a film. These ideas may take a little creative effort to accomplish. It always starts with either a clear production plan, a production bible, a business plan, or some other documentation that you are serious about completing a project.
- 5.6: Film Festivals
- A section on submitting a final feature to film festivals may seem misplaced on a chapter about film funding. This aspect of distribution may help filmmakers produce their features however. Successful films help to propel creators to future projects by the recognition they acquire from past projects.
Thumbnail: Pixabay License; Gerald Altman via Pixabay