EFM Kicks Off In Berlin
& my new film dropping on BET+
With the European Film Market (EFM) kicking off tomorrow, new packages and financing announcements are at a fever pitch. And I’m seeing some BIG BIG package announcements which can feel intimidating if you’re a smaller indie, trying to make your way in the world, scream into the void of major agencies to get actors attached, and then ultimately attract financing. But don’t let these announcements discourage you!
Just keep your head down and keep putting one foot in front of the other….
BUT! These announcements don’t change the reality that big packages loaded with A-list talent and directors are what attracts financing the quickest. In fact, these packages get snapped up fast.
There’s other ways to go about attracting financing though and I want to touch on a few of those ideas today.
* Funding Strategies Playbook*
While my Funding Strategies Playbook course is in full swing, next week we’ll be going deeper on the Equity component of Finance Plans. This week is all about Tax Incentives. If you want to join us, you can learn more and register here.
Impact Funds
If your film has a social message have you looked into Impact funding? I’ve now made a handful of films in this space and even Ava DuVernay turned to impact funds for her latest film Origin.
A film I produced last year Kemba will be dropping on BET+ next week and was partially funded by organizations dedicated to the cause of prison reform.
The beauty of financing part of your budget with donor contributions is that the metric for success if much different than a ‘for profit’ venture like investing in a film. For non-profits and organizations funding social causes, they just want to see their message get out there.
And we’ve done that in spades with Kemba. I’ll unpack the distribution strategy another time but suffice it to say all our stakeholders are incredibly happy with the exposure a major media outlet like BET can provide.
Brand Sponsors
This is a tricky one but I’m starting to see the light a bit on a few of my projects where I’ve been able to bring on sponsor funds towards a budget by guaranteeing a certain level of distribution that is in fact open to everyone (aka ad-supported models).
There’s obviously entire film budgets covered by brand funds but what about looking to small and medium sized businesses to fill in holes on smaller budgets rather than trying to go after the big corporations which have huge walls up and are difficult to get past gatekeepers?
Plan on seeing more of these types of deals announced in the future as production companies of all sizes look to alternative funding models for their projects to get them off the ground this year.
Circling Back To EFM
I’ve always said, one of the greatest ‘hacks’ around any film market is the fact that you can read about the deals being done and packages being announced and unpack how you can mirror the same, even on a smaller scale to fit a lower budget. So don’t let the opportunity of a film market pass you by, even if you’re following along at home. You can generate lists of actors that are selling, and the sales agents who are actively involved in selling similar films to yours, as well as financiers coming on board in partnership. If you have any questions about this process, just let me know below.
What about you - what funding models are you exploring for your projects these days?
Let me know in the comments section below and I’ll talk to you again soon…
Stacey
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PS: Want to work together one-on-one? Check out our new Consulting services page here and fill out the questionnaire to get started.
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Yes, yes, yes to the EFM "hack." A work of genius. Thank you.