Finding film investors is probably one of the most common challenges faced by every filmmaker. Part 3 of our "How to Make a Movie Mini Course" discusses how to find and approach film investors, key information you need to disclose to them and how to convey their payback and return on investment in a way that sets you up for the ultimate film funding success. For our complete guide to investor outreach, see Film Investor Outreach & Fundraising.
Here we outline several methods to help you identify the best movie investors for your project as well as some tips on how to best approach and pitch those potential investors to increase your chances of success.
- How to find Film Investors
- How to approach Investors
- Disclose, disclose, disclose
- Investor payback
What Filmmakers Should Know Before Approaching Investors For A Movie – by Paul Sidhu
- Do not approach film investors until after you have a budget, script and business plan.
- Be prepared to show you have some "skin in the game" – you’ve raised some money before presenting your investment
- Contact everyone you know, especially those with a passion for your topic. Make sure EVERY contact is personalized to the exact person or company to which you reach out.
- Tell them you would love if they would be a part of your project and ask them to take a look at your business plan and provide you feedback.
- If you are just learning how to make a movie, expect 10-20% of those you contact to be interested.
- Investing in a feature film is very risky and different than investing in other types of industries. However, there can be huge tax incentives for investors – all addressed in our Film Business Plan Tools & Templates.
- An attorney should help you with this and will teach a lot about how to make a movie.
- Always mention the unique film industry risks in your communications with potential investors.
- Our Film Business Plan Template includes pre-written and formatted Film Investment Risks, a description of the Film Industry and Example Investment Opportunity Descriptions
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Film Funding: Finding Sponsors
(start @ 2:10 minutes)
- Be clear on the business deal
- Make sure the subject material of the movie fits with the mission of the sponsor. Businesses will consider the protection of their brand more important than you retaining creative control.
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How To Find Film Investors | Filmmaking Tips
- Most short films do not make their initial investment back
- Try not to accept investor money for a short film, especially if it’s your first short film.
- Our Film Financial Projections Template walks you through analyzing your film, movie production costs and easily allows you to add financials directly into your Independent Film Business Plan.
- Our Business Plan Template includes pre-written and formatted Film Investment Risks, Example Financial Notes and Descriptions, along with valuable information on the financial aspects of how to make a movie.
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How to Make a Movie Mini Course
