About the film finance crash course:
You need some cash to make your short or feature. This film finance crash course will give you the important basics you will need to get money for your film.
This evening crash course will run through the basic financing tools available for any business, not just the film business. These tax-efficient finance structures make certain states in the US and certain countries very attractive places to raise money for film production. Find out how they work and how to utilise them.
- State/government funding and tax credits
- Private investors
- Pre-sales and co-productions
- Product placement
- Crowdfunding
- New financing options
- Deferrals
Who should attend:
There are two types o0f people who will find this information-intensive evening entertaining and informative:
- Those who are seeking film finance
- Those who are contemplating an investment in film.
This course is also invaluable for writers and directors seeking an understanding of the commercial side of their creative endeavor.
About your instructors:
Jason Piette is a producer and film financier with over 50 movies and TV series to his name, including the $25M The Merchant Of Venice starring Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons; Head In The Clouds ($20M) starring Charlize Theron and Penelope Cruz, (both for Sony Pictures Classics); the $33M Napoleon TV series for A & E in the United States; Perfect Creatures ($11M) for Twentieth Century Fox; independent American features such as Mark Pellington’s I Melt With You for Magnolia Pictures and cult classic, part crowdfunded Iron Sky for Entertainment One.
Before co-founding Disrupting Influence Jason also worked on the $300 million Movision Film Fund. Jason is a graduate of Cambridge University.
Julia Verdin is a British film producer/director and founder of Rough Diamond Productions, established in 1994. She has established herself as one of Hollywood’s leading producers with over 36 feature films to her name. She is best known for producing the Sony Classics release The Merchant of Venice, directed by Michael Radford, and starring Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons and Joseph Fiennes, the Newmarket release Stander, directed by Bronwen Hughes, and starring Tom Jane, Deborah Unger, Dexter Fletcher and David O’Hara, and festival favourite 2 Jacks, based on Leo Tolstoy short story “Two Hussars,” directed by Bernard Rose, and starring Danny Huston, Jack Huston, Sienna Miller, Jacqueline Bisset and Billy Zane.
Verdin executive produced Lionsgate releases Born of War, directed by Vicky Jewson, and starring James Frain and Sophia Black D’Elia and The Least Among You with Lou Gossett Jnr, Lauren Holly and William Devane.
Recent credits include directing and producing Angie: Lost Girls starring Olivia d’Abo, Dylan Sprayberry and MC Lyte. and award winning Lost Girls staring Bar Paly, Marisol Nichols and Jamie Harris.
Verdin also produced The Unwilling directed by Academy Award nominated director Jonathan Heap, and starring Dina Meyer, Jake Thomas and Lance Henriksen. Christmas Survival directed by James Dearden starring Gemma Whelan, Joely Richardson, Julian Ovenden and James Fox and Pursued with Sam Trammell, Molly Ringwald and Paul Sorvino.
She is currently developing various film and TV projects with writers and directors including Academy Award and Palme d’Or nominated writer/director James Dearden; acclaimed festival award winning writer/director Éva Gárdos; Academy Award Nominated director Jonathan Heap.
Verdin has made films in Canada, London, Europe, South Africa and the US and is knowledgeable about all aspects of screenwriting, directing, film production, film financing, festival strategy and distribution. She is a top film consultant having provided consulting services on script development, production and distribution to many filmmakers and production companies. She wrote the critically acclaimed book, Success in Film, a detailed guide to funding, making and finishing independent films.
Two ways to attend:
LIVE ONLINE: Every attendee gets an email invitation for the online classroom 30 minutes before class start times. All you need to do is to click the link provided in that email and watch the class on your computer’s web browser without needing to download any special software. If you are attending on your smart phone or tablet, please download the ClickMeeting app.
VOD: Video on Demand is a great option if you want to repeat what you learned in the class or you didn’t have time to attend the class in person or online. Each attendee gets a Vimeo link 24-48 hours after each week’s class.
