Have you figured out how much your film will cost? There is always the credit card route if it's not too expensive. The other option is go for DV instead of film and pay your cast and crew in IOU's and food. It still takes money but far less.

RJSchwarz
San Diego, CA

My company occasionally funds movies. Here?s what we look for:

1 - a marketable script. Not a script the writer is convinced is great, but a script we think will make a marketable, sellable product.

2 - a complete, well researched, reasonable, line item budget. Not just a top page, but a line by line budget that includes every single expense.

3 - a track record. The filmmaker asking me to invest my hard earned money in such a risky project as a movie MUST show some previous experience in making and completing a movie. It doesn?t have to be a feature - even several shorts is fine as long as they are finished. And good. An award or two - or even acceptance into a major festival is fine.

4 - a well thought out plan. Not what you HOPE will happen but a realistic plan based on research. I would love to finance (or make) the next ?Open Water? or ?Blair Witch?, but I need to be reasonable. Where is it likely that the movie will end up? What is its potential market? How have similar movies fared in the market place.

pongluver - how many of these four things have you done?

And have you actually contacted every potential investor in a 200 mile radius? Seriously? Every one of them?

Getting people to invest in a movie is tough - as you have found out. Having done your research and presenting it well is half the battle.

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The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)

I got 1,2, and 4.
As for regular production cost i'm fine with volunteers and and handouts. Its mainly the equipment i'm having trouble with. Also Yes, i have talked with everyone who would allow me and got a couple warnings to stop or legal action would be taken too. I wish that was a joke. The track record that i lack has amazingly enough not at all been the problem, i live in south eastern georgia. And although several notable films have had production here or with in an hour of here (Glory, Jungle Book, ForresT Gump) most investors dont see it as a viable option in this area regardless. So yeah its hard to sell people on the "possibility" of making money. As far as the plan, and the next blair witch, hyping a film with the internet which is a major plan of mine has scared some investors who think that is a waste of time and effort. Which poses a problem for me because that was going to be my main focus for promotion. People, teenagers especially, spend more time on the internet than watching tv now so hit popular websites and get advertising space, build hype, make them want to see it. My budget has been reworked to stretch every penny about 20 times to make it more reasonable to investors. Its there but needs to be cleaned up again. But sorry i have nothing to show you, no short films, no awards, nothing. I currently am in the middle of rewriting the script, to try and make it more marketable to investors, so its funny you brought that up, although i believe i can sell anyone on it.....except for investors obviously. That doesnt discourage me however because youger kids wll like it (16-25) thats where its aiming at. So dont worry i wont be offended with a sorry nevermind reply. I'm used to it you get it a lot when asking for 15-30 thousand dollars with no experience, degree or diploma of any kind.

You should really start out by making low budget short films. Nearly all successful directors started out by doing this. If you are any good at making films then this should be easy for you to do. You have to prove yourself first before anyone is going to take you seriously. If you can't even afford some cheap equipment, go to University and get a film degree. You can use their equipment and get an education at the same time. Good luck.

PS. Stay away from film school, it is a major rip off.

Since this is your first film, dont wait for an investor. Save money, do a car wash, garage sale, or just ask for money for your next holiday. Just make the movie. Ask somebody if you can borrow their camera, even if it isnt a great camera. Make the "poor mans" steadycam. Use a wheel chair for tracking shots. Just make crap out of nothing. this is what i think everybody on this forum has done in teh early part of their film career. It may not sound like a pretty way to make it but if you wait for a investor and good conditions it might take a long long time for it to get done. This way next time you are looking for an investor (three or four cheaply made films later) you can say "well i havent had an investor before but i have made some films with what equipment i could make or get my hands on" this will always show and investor that you truly have a passion. Plus this way you have started a track record (a weak track record but its better then none, as you have found out). Unfortunatly welcome to the world on beginning and low low low budget filmmaking. Dont worry it will get better. Not to mention it is always cool to try to create a new piece of euquipment yo uhave found in your garage.

"Anyone who has ever been privileged to direct a film also knows that, although it can be like trying to write 'War and Peace' in a bumper car in an amusement park, when you finally get it right, there are not many joys in life that can equal the feeling." - Stanley Kubrick