Want to raise money for an independent film? Elements may be your ticket to success, but you have to do things differently from those who are already established when things get tough. Here, I show how the people around you can help you raise money during preproduction, and market your indie film once it’s made. Enjoy!
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April 2012, I sat in at the UT film production class. I was new to town, and professor Richard Lewis was one of the few teachers who let people to audit classes. One day, Professor Lewis spoke about attached elements.
Want to make a great film, one that gets in theatres? You need attached elements.
-A great script
-A Producer
-An A-list actor
-A director
Those are elements.
Why?
Each of these has a reputation. People know A-list actors and directors for their previous work. Moviegoers know who they are, and will often pay to see a film just because they are involved.
Producers have standing. When you see a Jerry Bruckheimer film, you know what kind of film you are going to see, and what qualities you can expect. It will be an action film – big stars, a few explosions, a love story, and a few funny one-liners.
A few strong elements can increase your chance of a successful film. What’s more, you have a greater chance of getting it made in the first place.
That is how producers make movies.
Indie filmmakers can benefit from what content marketers already know – everyone can spread an idea.
Today, a production assistant can have a blog with 10,000 followers. A grip can also be a writer whose work may not yet hit the NYT bestseller list, but has a decent-size audience.
A casting agent could host events with other actors and agents at a Mexican restaurant every second Wednesday of every month.
You may not convince Judd Apatow to make your film just because a blogger likes the idea, but it can help you if you’re making an indie film.
Say you’re raising money for a project on Kickstarter, and there are three DPs who can shoot demos and teasers for your project.
Should their ‘platform’ and power to spread the word about your film be a factor in which one you hire?
What if you asked this question to everyone you worked with?
What if, out of a hundred people, you found ten with a platform of some kind?
If three can help you raise money, and all ten can spread the work at film fests or to drive online sales, how much better off could you be?
Maybe this advice is ahead of it’s time – most people don’t have platforms, aren’t marketers, and don’t draw an audience.
But most aspiring filmmakers fail, so why leave any stone unturned?
Can you work with someone with a platform who can help you promote/ distribute your next project? Let me know in the comments.