3 Core Lessons I Wish I Knew Directing My First 'Short' Feature Film
& Film financing for beginners.
Hi there! This is a short filmmaker’s series, detailing my adventures, lessons, and tips I learned directing my film In This Season!
Today’s post is about film financing and includes some resources for those of you looking to get started!
If you fancy, my Create (Pop) newsletter is an extension of this blog. It’s a creative source of mindfulness, inspiration, and strategy I’ve picked up along my creative journey.
Now, let’s dig in!
The Call…
I'll never forget the day I received a call asking me to direct this project.
When I got the call for In This Season my excitement and enthusiasm for the creative endeavor immediately said yes! However, the idea of financing for the production brought a bit of pause.
Before In This Season, I had a couple of shorts under my belt and felt pretty confident about my skills in cinema. But, when the opportunity for In This Season came along I realized I needed to learn how to scale cinema.
This isn’t to say I hadn’t budgeted for shorts before but these shorts were on a shoestring budget and dealt with a few cast/crew members.
In This Season needed a similar execution but on a larger scale.
The world of financing for filmmakers is a scary one. If you're starting filmmaking it can be hard to know where to go or which platform is trustworthy. My producer decided the best route for In This Season would be to self-finance.
Always know that’s a route you can take and here are some finance sources that can help you bootstrap your way into production. I’ll be using these in my upcoming projects.
GRANTS
Grants can be an excellent source of income for film funding. Grants and fellowships can help with different phases of production and film distribution.
Just a note, to read each grant carefully before you apply as some may have more strict regulations than others.
Where do I find grants as a beginner?
If you're thinking “Where do I find grants for filmmakers as a beginner?” I’m taking a moment to post a shameless plug about my site Black Monday Works.
The Watering Hole page is routinely updated with news on grants, fellowships, and any jobs hiring.
As far as other sources, here are some databases and newsletters dedicated to posting about grants for filmmakers and creatives:
Now moving on to a tricky one:
Crowdfunding
Crowdfunding is always spoken about but l feel it can be intimidating knowing where to start. What I’ve learned is that crowdfunding begins with that, the crowd around your film.
My biggest tip is to begin the buzz around your film pronto. You can extend your campaign to those outside your friends and family, by blogging, posting, or sharing on any platform you feel best about.
There are examples of filmmakers doing this on LinkedIn, Substack, Instagram, and Facebook. It’s simply about getting the word out there and there are strategies to get going.
I know crowdfunding will be a huge part of my next project and as my journey continues I’ll be sure to blog about it here!
The Odd Job a.k.a Self Finance
As a creative working an odd job to pay for a project is nothing new to us but how to self-finance a film is.
Whether it’s freelancing, your 9-5, a part-time gig, or what have you, self-funding a production is a skill as old as time and can bring incredible rewards.
My biggest piece of advice on this is to be extremely diligent when it comes to delegating your money.
Allocate expenses to where you’ll see your money go furthest and budget for unexpected needs. Also, don’t bite off more than you can chew.
If you need to budget and pay for a shoot per weekend that’s fine. If you need to break it down to a day once a month that’s fine too.
Filmmaking is a journey and we’re on our path. Put your focus on bringing your creativity to life and the rest will take care of itself.
Are there other filmmakers reading that have something to add? Leave a comment and let me know!
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