So, you picked a solid market niche and you have a great script! Now what? Time to jump right into pre-production? Well…YES!
First, you’ll need funding unless you’re paying for the film yourself. Since this is your first feature film, the easiest place to find funding is through family and friends. Before you start, understand that, of the thousands of independent films produced every year, only a select few make any money at all. You have a market niche and great material, but let’s take the worst-case scenario – your film losses money. Now, close your eyes and picture having to tell your mother, your brother, your best friend, that they lost their investment. If they are okay with that, then go for it. If not, find another source.
For Army & Coop, we used Indiegogo to crowdfund for post-production only. Why? Because I was uncomfortable taking other people’s money for a project that I had no experience leading. However, once the movie was “in the can,” I was confident that we had a good product and I felt better about taking money.
If you are going to crowdfund, understand that you may not raise as much as you want/need. If you have a solid niche market and broad access to that audience through social media and/or email, you may actually reach or exceed your funding goal. I recommend reading the book, Crowd Funding for Filmmakers by John T. Trigonis. It’s the best book I’ve found regarding crowdfunding for movie production.
Once you have your funding, no matter where you secured it from, it’s time to really get to work.
Next week we’ll talk about how to attract a cast (without ever having been to an audition)!
Checkout the Army & Coop Trailer at: www.armyandcoop.com.
Available on Apple iTunes and Amazon Video now!