Producing Low Budget Films

Your goal as a filmmaker or producer is to make your project more financially attractive to investors over everyone else presenting projects to them. What many filmmakers and producers don't know is that there's a "sweet spot" in a film budget range that will help you raise funds successfully and get the ROI your investors are looking for. Setting the budget for your feature film below $2 million opens up a variety of options for you to be able to attach the talent you're looking for, the distribution you need and make your investors money. But first, you have to understand the financial blueprint to get you there.

For many independent film producers and filmmakers, approaching financiers and securing financing for your project presents one of the biggest challenges in the entire filmmaking process. How do you build your team, bring in development funds, attach name talent and work with rebates, sales estimates, and distribution to attract financing, all while compiling a plan to mitigate your financial risk? It can be overwhelming for a producer, especially given the ever-changing landscape and the increasingly competitive nature of independent film.

Susanne Bohnet is a producer who has worked on hundreds of films under $2MM. She was previously heading the U.S. office of Equity Pictures (Equity Pictures has been the second largest film fund in Germany). During her time with Equity Pictures, the company's annual investments grew from USD $30 million to USD $200 million. Prior to managing funds with Equity Pictures, Ms. Bohnet was S.V.P. of Taunus Film in Germany, where What Women Want (starring Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt) became the company's most successful Hollywood endeavor generating over $300 million of box office and ancillary revenue. Susanne has worked on countless productions under $2MM and is here with the Stage 32 community to share her knowledge. 

Through this webinar, you'll receive the tools to approach your film from the investor's point of view so you can not only get the money you need for your project but, most importantly, how your investors can get that money back with profits. You'll be able to build a team around your project that will make investing more attractive and assure you don't make mistakes when you go after funding. You'll know the type of funding available to you and how to approach the investors attracted to and interested in every kind of financing. You'll dissect how to get agents on your side to attach talent to your project and how to work with attorneys. You'll also know the most effective distribution options for this type of film budget.

Give yourself the competitive advantage to understand the investors you need to approach, how to approach them, how to get talent attached, and, ultimately, how to get your film made, distributed, and profitable, so your investors return again and again!