Hey guys...

I need advice about funding my first film. Do I go to companies and ask for them to fund it? What do they get in return, what's in it for them? I am aiming a little high I think, and I know I can't cover everything myself, there's no way! Please help

you ask anyone and everyone. you should get a lawyer to help you draw up papers and what not.

you set up a limited liability company and write down the investors, and usually the deal is that whatever money the movie gets, they get the money first until they are paid back. but if they know there's very little chance of money being made, pretty much they're just giving you money.

well, contemplate what you need money for. is it for equipment? is it to pay actors? how much do you need to raise?

in the past, i've asked everyone and anyone. hell, one year I spent about 900 dollars I got from graduation. After not really feeling moral, I realized that I don't like asking people for money, especially when I could just as easily earn it myself and use any money made from a project I do to buy myself something nice rather than pay someone else back.

now, what I do is film a wedding or a party, or do VHS to DVD conversions. I can pull in 2000 for a wedding, making about 1700 of that after paying my other two camera men. VHS to DVD is two hours worth of work for each tape, making 20 dollars each hour. I also do tech support, software design and graphic design. If you've got the equipment and the know how, you can make the money and not have to worry about paying anyone back. I work 50-60 hours a week sometimes, but when I come home with 4 thousand dollars in checks, It's worth it. That's a GL2, or a lighting rig, or another editing machine.

Unfortunately I am not at the point where I am being paid for my films yet. I still have WAY too much to learn at this point! lol I was thinking about asking a local public school system to fund it, or perhaps MADD or such, b/c it is a drunk driving film. Do you think they would fund it in exchange for cheap copies to give to people running their programs? Is this a worthwhile suggestion...?

You might need to make some kind of rough demo version first or something. Since we have the advent of DV, it's much easier to show someone what your ideas are and not have it cost you a ton of money.

Again, what kind of equipment do you have? Your friends? Why don't you guys watch some wedding videos, get the idea of what is necessary, and start shooting.

Drunk driving film? Well, if this is some kind of PSA, then you could prolly just go door to door and collect cash like its a public service...which it would be, if its a PSA. What kind of film is it? If nothing else, check out your family roots and see if you have any distant relatives that are rich, then find them and ask them for money.

LOL Rich relatives?! I wish... I have an analog camcorder at present, and it's pretty old. It does the job, but not well! I am hoping to use a friend's mini DV for the film. I wanted to rent a Canon XL2 but that's WAY to expensive- 70 dollars a day was the cheapest I could find, and that was the XL1 I believe. I have absolutely NO sound equipment or lights. The one thing I do have going for me is my editing software. I have Onnacle Studio Plus. Not Premiere Pro, but I like it and it was relatively cheap compared to others. lol What's PSA? I don't know if I'd like to go door to door because what if I fall short on funding and nothing ever comes of the film? All their money would be like, wasted and I'd feel guilty! Besides, I have no company backing, just my independent film. Who is going to trust me enough to give me money in the first place? No one is that trusting anymore. (sadly enough)

lol Wow, I totally messed that spelling up...I meant Pinnacle Studio Plus. It's version 9. Kill, you are from Norman Oklahoma? Sweet, my friend Matt works there and he is into film also! He is more into animation, but his bro is into film.

Wow, i've been gone a while, so i think its a little late for a reply. But oh well.
Well, Jackiepants, its nice to see that I'm not alone here in the hole that is Norman Oklahoma. I'm afraid I don't know a Matt, but I'm sure he's around here somewhere, I work up at the Channel 18 studio during the school year, so I bet he's around there. Considering its been over two weeks since I last posted on this, how's the film coming, is it even happening? Oh, yea, and a PSA is a Public Service Announcement. Which is why I said you'd prolly be able to go door to door saying your doing it for a public service...which you would.

hmm...well yes it is still going to happen, but I abandoned the funding part. Alot of my friends are helping in any way they can, including building a device for tracking shots and making light stands. It'll be cheap but hopefully it'll still turn out okay. I am making a trailer now actually- this week! I have off of work a few days so I figured it would be a good time to do it! That way I can test the effects I need and see if Pinnacle will be able to do what I need it to. I'm actualy really phsyched up! I have a police officer, a squad car, and a person to host the party for the movie. Alot of stuff is really coming together! The promo is a huge step, too- it'll make me feel like I am finally getting to start. I am working on mapping out particular shots for each scene right now. I figured that would make my life easier, knowing exactly who and what I needed and at which times.

Yea, Matt works in a big three sectioned company of some sort...a weather section I think is what he said. His dad works in the company too. Right now Matt is doing some Auto Cad stuff, which is awesome! He's so lucky to have a good job that soon! He doesn't really like it though. I guess it would be hard ot be 19 in a company of thirty year olds... lol