Hello!
I have a question about fincancing. I have recently been hired by a producer to help find investors. I get front title credit as executive producer and a 5% finders fee. He wants me to basically cold call dentists and doctors. Now so far this hasn't been working since most dentists and doctor have receptionists that screen their calls. This is his first feature film but he has produced magic instructional videos and has done some production assistant work on another indie feature. We already have a cast and crew lined up pending successful funding as well as a possible "big" name. The only problem is I don't really know how to approach people or who to approach to invest in a first time film maker. I was wondering how you all have raised capital for your films. This is a feature that is intended to be released nation wide as well as be submitted to festivals like Sundance and the like. The budget we are looking at is $500,000 with the first $300,000 being for production and the rest for P&A. The film is a magic based crime drama sort of comparable to The Prestige only modern day and different plot points.
I haved heard of filmmakers going door to door but am not really sure how to go about doing that. Your advice would be greatly appreciated.
Jamie
www.thehandisquicker.com
www.thehandisquicker.com
The Evil Dead was financed using Dentist investors. I could be wrong but I think they created a presentation and invited groups, by mail, to see it. Inviting them to invest with a lot of the facts and figures in the mailing to entice them. Apparently dentists have a lot of money and everyone would like to have a taste of fame.
Of course that was in 1980 or so. Things might have changed with a dentist office in every other mini-mall.
RJSchwarz
RJSchwarz
Cold calling is a numbers game. But you were hired because
you already knew that and you were willing to make (potentially)
thousands of calls.
Door to door? Haven't head that one. I guess if you pick the
right neighborhood....
Of course you are aware that soliciting investors is strictly regulated
by the SEC. A $500,000 investment package for a film project has
a lot of limits put on it to protect both the investors and the production
company. But you're following all those rules and have made the
proper declaration to the government so I'm just stating the obvious.
And maybe offering something that some people reading don't
already know.
quote:
Originally posted by PixieStyx25
I was wondering how you all have raised capital for your films.
The first few where self financed. Not exactly "self" financed but you
know what I mean - friends and family put up what little money was
needed.
Once I got into the five figure range I found financing through personal
contacts. That isn't regulated by the SEC so I didn't have to file with
them. But when I got into the six figure range - and it's only three films
with that budget - the financing was handled by a person much like
you. An experienced Exec Producer who knew all the restrictions of
the SEC law and had connections with money people.
One of the things we did was exactly what RJ mentions. We held a
"pitch meeting" where the project was presented to accredited investors
in compliance with the SEC.
It worked.
How are you getting abound the SEC regulation when cold calling
dentists and doctors?
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The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)
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The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)
