Film Funding: How to Raise $100,000 for Your First Feature Film

Welcome to Movie Mentor where I share with you tools and techniques for making your first feature film.  Today I want to show 5 ways to raise $100,000 to make your first feature film.  I’ve successfully used all of the fundraising techniques I’ll be sharing with you today, as have many of my colleagues, and together we’ve raised millions of dollars for our various projects over the years.  

And if you're interested in watching my two videos on this subject, then please click these links - PART 1 and PART 2.

I know that raising money for your 1st feature film can seem daunting.  You don’t know where to start and how to go about it.  This blog is going to be one of many on this topic….so I've got you covered.

Now, the techniques I’m going to be talking about are not gimmicks or get money quick schemes.  Film fundraising takes time and effort and you’ve got to have project that you’re truly passionate about.  In fact, passion is one of the things investors and supporters look for!

I also know that fundraising can be particularly challenging for creative people.  We think….I’m the artist and I don’t want to be sullied with the commerce part of this business.  As artists and filmmakers, we put so much time into developing our craft that we often turn a blind eye to the business side of moviemaking.  And whether your want your 1st feature is to be a financial hit or not, it still takes some money to make a movie.

 In today’s blog, I’m going to cover 5 ways to raise money for your 1st feature, but I also want to mention that I’ve created a free ebook called “Feature Film Fundraising Starter Kit”.  And in it, I go into much more detail about dozens of fundraising techniques and strategies.  It’s a totally free ebook and I’ve put a link to it here.

Okay, let’s jump right in!

The Pitch Deck

One of the primary tools you’ll use in fundraising is a pitch deck, which is basically a 10 - 20 slide presentation that you’ll present to potential investors.  Your “pitch” will last about 10 to 15 minutes, and highlight key aspects of your film project.  

Another way to think of a pitch deck is an abbreviated version of a business plan for your film.  Potential investors want to know that you’ve thought in detail about the business side of your movie, and your pitch deck shows that you’ve done that.

The point of the pitch is NOT to get someone to write you a check at the end of your presentation.  The goal is to get someone to say “This sounds like a project I’d be interested in, I’d like to learn more…”  That’s it.  Think of your pitch deck as a “resume” for your film.  It’s designed to get you an interview, not to get you the job offer. 

I was raising money for a feature film a number of years ago, and right after I gave my pitch to a room of potential investors, I had one of them come up to me right afterwards and tell me they wanted to invest $100K in my movie.  This was early in my fundraising career and I was super excited.  I thought WOW, he’s ready to write me a check…well the fact of the matter was that it took a couple more months of negotiations and back and forth with his lawyer and CPA before I got the $100K check.  He gave me the money, but he had to first do his due diligence on me and the project.

Let’s go through the basic slides you will need to include in your pitch deck

Summary - This is a one slide summary of your film project.  It contains the key bullet points that you’ll be addressing in the rest of the deck.  If you’ve ever written a business plan, this is like an executive summary….but short.

Logline - This slide contains your logline, which is a one or two sentence summary of your screenplay that conveys the premise, and also adds an emotional aspect that hooks the reader.  It is usually composed of the main character, the set-up, and the central conflict. Examples of a longline would be:

BACK TO THE FUTURE: A young man is transported to the past where he must reunite his parents before he and his future are no more.

JAWS: When a killer shark unleashes chaos on a beach community, it's up to a local sheriff, a marine biologist, and an old seafarer to hunt the beast down.

Production Team - Highlight the key members of your creative team on this slide, and why they’ll do a great job making this movie.  Include the person’s name, position on the film, and a few career highlights.

Cast - Cast is one of the most important things investors consider.  There is a famous quote from Harrison Ford.  When he was asked why he never appears in low budget movies, he replied “because when I’m in a movie it’s no longer low budget.”  The bigger the actor, the bigger the budget.

For filmmakers making their first feature film, you’re probably not going to have an A-list, or even a B-List or C-List actor in your film.  Don’t worry.  Get the best actors you can, and highlight why they’re the best choice for your film in these slides.  And if you haven’t cast already, then showcase who you realistically HOPE to cast.

Distribution Plan - It’s important before you make your film that you know as much as possible about your audience and how you’re going to reach them, i.e. your distribution plan.  Your distribution plan slide could include a festival strategy, potential buyers, self-distribution strategy, theatrical or VOD release plan, etc.

Comparables - Pick three (3) films that have been financially successful that are similar to your film in terms of genre and budget.  Create a slide that highlights these films with some basic financial information.  These “comps” will show an investor how successful your film could potentially be.

The Investment - In these one or two slides, explain the budget, how much money you’ve raised already (if any), and how the investment works, i.e. “X” number of points for “X” dollars.  It is also helpful to show potential return on investment (ROI).  ROI includes the amount of time it will potentially take for someone to get their money back PLUS profit.

Crowdfunding

Within the last 10 years, crowdfunding has become one of the most popular ways for first time filmmakers to raise money for their feature film.  A whole hour long video could be given on crowdfunding, and if that’s something you’d like me to go deeper into, then please write a comment below.  That said, I want to highlight a few key points:

Platforms

There are three main crowdfunding platforms filmmakers use - Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and Seed & Spark.  Though each platform has it’s pluses and minuses, they all operate in similar ways.  Seed & Spark is the newest kid on the block, and the only platform specifically designed for filmmakers.  My suggestion would be to explore each platform website and see which one fits you and your project best.  I’ve put links to each platform below.

There are two main tools you will use on these platforms - a short video describing your project and the giveaways you will give to the people who support your film.

The VIDEO you make for your crowdfunding campaign is pretty straightforward.  The main things to keep in mind are conveying passion and quality.  In your video, express the passion you feel for making your film.  Why is it important, not just for you, but for the world or a specific audience.  You need to give someone a reason to support you and your project.  That brings us to quality.  You’re a filmmaker and you’re asking people to support your film….that means that the little video you make to crowdfunding needs to look professional and polished.  

Okay, so let’s talk about the GIVEAWAYS…on Kickstarter they’re called “rewards”, on Indiegogo they’re called “perks”, and on Seed & Spark they’re “incentives”.  Whatever you call them, these giveaways are one of the most important aspects of your crowdfunding campaign.  If you haven’t been on a crowdfunding platform before, these giveaways are what donors get when they give money to the film project.  For instance: a $10 donation may get you a digital copy of the film once it’s finished; a $100 donation may get you the digital copy, plus a film poster, plus a “thank you” in the film credits; and a $5,000 donation may get you an Executive Producer credit and 4 tickets to the movie premiere.   

You get to choose the giveaways for your film, and my suggestion is that you make them in alignment with your project.  You want a synergy with the things you are giving to your donors and the subject of your film.  Remember to budget in the cost of the giveaways into the amount of money you plan to raise.

Grants

The next way you can raise $100K for your film is grants.  This is most often used for fundraising for documentaries, but I’ve seen it used for fiction films as well.

Grants are typically given by two groups - non-profit foundations and wealthy individuals.  Foundations have specific “giving” guidelines for who and what programs they will fund - poverty, education, social justice, etc.  Wealthy individuals have “pet causes” that they are most passionate about - children, the environment, animals, etc.  When raising grant money, the key is to find foundations and rich folks who care about the subject of your film project.  Now there are some things you’ll need to do in order to be able to raise grant money, the most important having what is called a “non-profit fiscal sponsor” for your film.  There are organizations out there, like SF Film and IFP that specialize in being fiscal sponsors for film projects, and I’ve put a couple of links below for you to check out if this is something you plan to pursue.  

When I started in film, I worked as an editor and producer for social issue documentary films, and there was one Oscar-winning filmmaker who I worked with for many years, and she had a sign on her office door that said, “imagine if you had to beg for a living.”  

Going after grant money can often feel like begging, and you will have to jump through some hoops, but the wonderful thing about grants is that it’s free money.  A regular investor in your film expects to get their money back, plus a return on their investment.  Where a foundation or wealthy patron who give you money only wants to support your film getting made and seen by an audience.

Family & Friends

It’s a fact that the people who will most likely be your first investors are the ones who love and care about you the most - your family and friends.  There is nothing wrong with this.  Filmmaking is a team sport and it’s important to have people around you who believe in and support you!

That said, money and family/friends done always mix well.  It’s important that when you are raising money from the people you know that you be 100% professional.  Treat your family/friend investors as you would any other investor - get them excited about your film project and give them the full pitch.  Have them sign the same legal documents you would a stranger.  Be upfront and honest with them.  One of the best ways to have family and friends support you is when you are running a crowdfunding campaign. 

 This brings me to another really important point that I always tell aspiring filmmakers, and that is to ask yourself “how much money do I think I can raise from the people I know…i.e., your immediate circle of friends and family?”  And be honest with yourself.  Come up with a realistic number.  $5,000…$10,000…$50,000….$200,000, more…?  Whatever YOUR number is, know that it will most likely be the budget of your 1st feature film.  And I don’t see this as a limitation, see it as a liberation.

What I mean to say is that, if the script for your first feature film calls for car crashes, battles on alien worlds, or other things that will cost lots of “moola”, and you don’t think you can raise money needed from people you personally know, then that film project should probably be put on the shelf for now… and you should instead focus on making a less expensive film.  By making this simple change in vision, you are basically guaranteed to raise the money you need to make your 1st feature.  And isn’t that the whole point?

Freebies

 “What can I get for free?”  This is another critical and often overlooked question when raising money for your first feature film.  The more you can get for free, the less money you have to raise.  

These “freebies” are usually listed in the budget as “in-kind” services or donations, and if you put your mind to it, you’ll find that there are a lot of freebies out there you can resource! 

Locations - Crew - Equipment - Costumes - Cast - Food

At the end of the day, you can technically get everything you need to make your movie for free.  That doesn’t mean that you should try.  It’s best to find a good balance.  Sometimes paying a crew member or paying for a location is the best way to ensure quality and that someone will follow through.  It’s easier for a crew member to bail on you if they think they’re only doing you a favor.  Keep in mind that this is your FIRST feature film, not your LAST.  The film world is a small one - meaning that everyone knows everyone.  Develop a reputation as an honest, straight-forward filmmaker, someone who cares about the people they work with, and you will be rewarded with a long career.

Summary

To wrap up, there is no “right” way to raise money for your first feature film.  Every film project is unique and will require it’s own unique fundraising strategy.  If you goal is to raise $100K, then you will use most or all of the techniques I’ve discussed today.   

And one final note.  Fundraising can be done in stages.  You don’t need to necessarily raise the entire budget for film right away.  If you can, great.  But it’s also a good strategy to raise enough for each stage of your production.  Raise money from family and friends to develop your film and get it ready to shoot.  Then use a combination of freebies and money raised from a crowdfunding campaign to shoot your film.  Then finish and distribute your film with a combination of investor funds, using your pitch deck, and maybe grant money.  Whatever combination works for you is the right way to go.

Thank for reading.  Please let me know in the comments below if you’d me to go deeper into any particular area of film fundraising.  And for more detailed information about how to raise money for your first feature film, be sure to download my free ebook, The Feature Film Fundraising Starter Kit from the link here.

 Cheers!