GET YOUR FILM, TV SHOW, or WEB SERIES FUNDED!
Be ready for the current marketplace of streaming!
Who should attend:
- Producers, directors, screenwriters, actors and other filmmakers, who are looking to find funding for their feature films.
- Investors contemplating a film investment, who want more clarity on different co-financing options and how film financing structures work.
What you will learn:
Week 1: Financing options and equity funding
Discover the different types of film finance structures. This will enable you to approach a potential investor intelligently.
Part 1. Overview of Film Financing
- Financing in the current marketplace
- Packaging for financing
- Latest developments from the industry (with recent cases)
- Financial planning overview:
- Equity Funding
- Production companies with financing
- Tax Incentives
- Distribution advances
- Crowdfunding
- Grants
- Co-productions
- In-kind products and services
- Completion bonds and budgets
Part 2. Equity Funding
- Making a project appeal to investors
- Creating a business plan
- Where to look for equity funding
You can book this class on it’s own HERE
Week 2: Tax incentives
Learn how successful producers blend different types of government aid, soft money and tax benefits to close the gap on their film finance strategy.
State and international incentives, and applying for them
Which incentives makes more sense for your film?
Rebates vs credits
Cashflowing the credits
Impacts of incentives on your budget
Benefits and challenges of co-productions in financing
You can book this class on it’s own HERE
Week 3: Crowdfunding and grants
Free money did you say? Well not exactly ‘free’ – but grants and crowdfunding finance sources generally speaking are ‘soft’ funds.
- Setting up a successful crowdfunding campaign
- Different types of crowdfunding: Equity vs Rewards
- Overview of available grants
- Applying for grant funding
You can book this class on it’s own HERE
Week 4: Sales agents, banking and distribution
Learn how the money side works from a cash flow and banking perspectives.
- Hiring a sales agent
- Attracting presales
- Pros and cons of presales
- Understanding senior debt and GAP financing
You can book this class on it’s own HERE
WEEK 5: PITCHING
Now that you know different financing options available for films, pitch your project and finance plan with your synopsis, rough idea of budget, and get expert real-time feedback from instructors.
You can book this class on it’s own HERE
What they are saying:
Julia and Jason were notable! I appreciated Julia’s and Jason’s clear, down-to-earth approach to film financing and producing. Julia’s book, Success in Film, the courses in Film Financing, and Producing were the ‘best’ investments I’ve made in gaining the clarity and knowledge of building a solid foundation for my company and film projects.Audra Kelly, Producer
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. Jason is currently working on several TV series with Netflix.
Julia Verdin is a British film producer and founder of Rough Diamond Productions, established in 1994. She has established herself as one of Hollywood’s leading producers with over 30 feature films. 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 the Breaking Glass release 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 has recently executive produced Lionsgate release Born of War, directed by Vicky Jewson, and starring James Frain and Sophia Black D’Elia. This year she has just directed her first film Lost Girls staring Bar Paly, Marisol Nichols and Jamie Harris, and 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.
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; WGA Autumn Stories 2010 winner screenwriter Cynthia Riddle, and director Vincenzo Natali.
Verdin is a top film consultant having provided consulting services on development and production. She also wrote the critically acclaimed book, Success in Film, a detailed guide to funding, making and finishing independent films.
2 ways to attend:
Do you want attend the first class in person and online on other weeks? Or, do you want to attend online on some weeks and watch other weeks on VOD? You have the freedom to attend this course in person, online, or by watching it on VOD without making any prior selection.
1.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.
2.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.
