A Message For Filmmakers Who Say "Finance My Film!"

As an independent film production company, it's important to know all your options out their as far as "Where do I get advice?" and "How do I get this in-front of financiers?" I recently had this question posed to me when I was do some simply script coverage work for an entertainment attorney friend of mine (a successful lady who lives in Beverly Hills) after she asked "YOu're in the independent production market...Can you read this for another client of ours?" -And honestly, I was honored to although I have a long road to get my own movie financed...Despite all the tax incentives and production perks I have attached.

What I'm getting at is that, after reading the small production company's script (action-packed, but not "funding great"), I gave my script notes and added the whole "keep at it!" pep talk. This is something that every script writer needs as you really feel like your putting your heart and soul on "the operating table". You get looked at and prodded by some very "heavy-lifters" in the film business if you actually want you film to get made. And as much as the script writer liked my advice, he invariably asked "Would like to know your connections as far as film finance." -Asking this question (from where they are at in the production process) is like stating, "Hey, I'm in my first year of training for the Olympics...Do you think I can talk to someone that can fast-track me to Gold?" In so many words, this is basically what I hear.

Here is the Good News and the Bad News. After taking some additional Entertainment Business courses online, I've learned that you can have a project and you can have plan..But most importantly, you must have a business plan that can accurately "project results" in front of a panel of trained http://cdvca.org which is a community capital investment alliance or more metropolitan companies like Creatis Capital (a company I work with) are all teams of savvy (often ex-Wall Street investors) who know hedge-fund managers and people with serious WEALTH.
professionals...Like judges on an Olympic jury. This being said, there are A LOT of alternative investment options (investment capital firms and angels investors) who want to invest in Independent projects, but they have to be novel and more sociologically ideal than "this is my idea...want to fund it?" Companies and site like

1st Pass of Bad Apple's Business Plan (2014)

Who do we as small independent project-creators get the attention of capital investments firms from the sites that I mentioned above? You have to speak their language and have a business plan. If you don't have the time/money to take the classes or pay a representative (on retainer) to find the funds for you, it helps to have a friend or attorney in the business that can point you in the right direction. But no one is going to do the work for you. What emerging technologies are gaining attention in the entertainment industry? How can you leverage digital and online/SEO marketing materials to get your project out there? It's not enough to have an idea...You need an idea that really sells itself. You can do this by knowing your resources and not only presenting your 4th or 5th full pass of a script, but your A-game (4th or 5th pass) business plan.

If you want investors to notice you, you have to at least show a kernel of something original enough that that can't imagine making the project happen without you.