Getting Film Funding

Blue Velvet is largely considered to be one of the top if not the top independent film from the 1980s. It was 120 minutes and written and directed by David Lynch. Before Lynch received independent film funding for his movie, he was reportedly turned down by all the major film studios. Dino de Laurentiis finally started a production company to get behind Blue Velvet and produce and self-distribute.

One of the most successful independent films of all time is Pulp Fiction. This film had a 8 million dollar budget and was written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. The film earned over 2 hundred million dollars worldwide!

The Blair Witch Project made a shockingly high profit at the box office considering it was only made for 25,000 by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez. It was bought by Artisan for $1 million the first night it screened at Sundance! It made more than 200 million dollars worldwide. These directors initially didn't need to get funding for a film because their start up costs were so low, they likely just covered it on their own credit cards or donations from family members.!

Raising Arizona is one of the most popular independent films from the 1980's. It was made by The Coen Brothers. After the Coen Brother's first film was successful they easily received the independent film funding for Raising Arizona.

Another really successful indie film was My Big Fat Greek Wedding. This was a very unusual success story because it was a romantic comedy. It was the fifth highest grossing movie of 2002 and was nominated for an Academy Award! Usually the romantic comedy genre does not produce such massive success stories.

So why does the box office year after year turn over whole new slate of romantic comedies when only two romantic comedies have been considered massive box office successes? How does any filmmaker get funding for a film, if its pretty much guaranteed to make less money than other films of other genres. In my opinion, the main reason that romantic comedies keep getting made is that romantic comedies are cheaper to produce than other genres. Therefore, it is easier and perhaps quicker to turn a profit on these films. That is why these films continue to receive independent film financing

Once a filmmaker has thrown together thousands of dollars behind making a film, he or she owes it to the film and the film funding sources (yes, even if it's a guy with a credit card and dream) to spend a few hundred dollars on printing materials that look genuinely nice. These items can make a real difference. Getting back to The Blair Witch Project for a moment, that film was notorious for creating a buzz with innovative marketing. The filmmaker generated a fake website documenting the horrors of what they claimed to be a real life story about kids getting killed in the woods. independent movie distribution.

The scripts and screenplays I enjoy most are the ones that have an edge and don't exactly fit into the reality we typically see. For example, some of my favorites scripts are Tim Burton's Big Fish and the screenplay for The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. These definitely don't fit into the "write what you know" paradigm. I believe for these types of scripts it is easier to receive independent film distribution

If you survey the successful directors of indie films, most went to film school where they made a wide variety of shorts practicing their craft.

Remember, above all getting that "calling card" project under your belt is critical before you actually obtain independent film distribution. If you haven't gone to film school the process of making the first one or two shorts will also teach you what you need to know so that you are speaking the same language as that producer who can make your scripts into a reality. Talk is cheap, show that "would be" employer or funder, to think of it a different way, that you can do the job. Anyone can talk.

Many independent filmmakers who have gone on to make successful independent films, did put their first films online on a site like youtube. More and more putting videos online has become commonplace for rising independent film directors and producers especially when searching for independent fim financing

Go ahead and apply to a few of the big festivals, but remember that the bulk of your festival submission dollars should go to the smaller festivals that have less competition. Four or five awards from smaller festivals may not get you signed to a three-movie deal; however, it may help get you into the big festival you were initially aiming for in the first place. Be sure and let those big festivals know that you screened at the smaller festivals. It will definitely help. Additionally, if a programmers or audience members take a personal interest in your film at a smaller festival it can make a difference in the long run. You want other people running around championing the values of your film whenever possible when later funding a movie.

There is no clear path to getting one's film selected. However, in general it helps to have good press materials, noting any awards that you may have received and/or screening at other festivals. These commendations can make a difference in getting into other festivals or receiving movie production financing This, obvious but easy to overlook point, can really make the difference as it tells the festival director that your project has already been given a stamp of approval by another festival somewhere in the world.