Funding for small budget films

By Aaron.F

Option 1

• The BFI are a charity governed by the royal charter which focus on funding and developing new British talent in the film industry.

• To secure funding all that is necessary is to fill in an application form and apply by the deadlines outlined on their website.

• http://www.bfi.org.uk/film-industry/lottery-funding-development-production (application)

Key datesAutumn 2013Deadline for applications Friday 6 SeptemberLonglist meeting Monday 21 OctoberShortlist meeting Monday 4 NovemberFilmmaker meetings Week commencing Monday 11 NovemberAwards meeting and decisions Week commencing Monday 18 November

Winter/Spring 2014Deadline for applications Friday 24 JanuaryLonglist meeting Monday 10 MarchShortlist meeting Monday 24 MarchFilmmaker meetings Week commencing Monday 31 MarchAwards meeting and decisions Week commencing Monday 7 April

Option 2:

• Crowdsourcing are organisations, part of an online community which source funding for projects by asking for donations from the general public.

• Some example websites include: kick-starters & indiegogo.• Advantage of this method is it is non repayable grant.• A disadvantage of this method is it can be difficult to raise capital as it

relies on a large group of people.

Option 3: Local council

• Local councils will often put money towards a film making, especially if it deals with ethical issues in society or aids the local community in some way.

• To secure funding visit your local council’s website to find out if they have a department that will support a film project.

Option 4: Charities

• Charities will often funds films similar to local councils if it will benefit their charity through either awareness of the charity or the issue they try to support.

• Similar to the council the way to secure funding would be to contact a charity that would be interested about the film e.g. If the film is about animal testing the wellcome trust would be a good choice.

Option 5: Film studios

• There is two ways in which money could be obtained from a film studio.

• 1: selling the rights to the film. If you pitch your idea to a film studio and they like it they may be inclined to attempt to buy the rights to the film. An advantage of this is if they are a large studio you may be given a large budget to work with and also have their vast wealth of connections to help create the film.

Option 5: Film studios

• A disadvantage of this is you would lose some creative freedom as they now have an invested interest in your project and will probably want to edit it to make it more accessible to the masses and make more revenue.

Option 5: Film studios (b)

• 2: A co-operative effort. With smaller production companies in particular they may wish to give you some funding and allow you to retain creative freedom. An advantage of this method is retaining creative freedom and being able to make the film you want to make.

Option 5: Film studios (b)

• On the other hand however with you retaining all creative freedom you are likely to get a smaller investment and will be less likely to use their contacts whilst making the film.

Option 6: Competition

• Sometimes large broadcasters like channel 4 and the BBC will host competitions for new film makers to pitch their idea and if it is successful the channel would aid production and distribution on the channel.

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Option 7: Private individuals

• Another possible way to secure investment would be a grant or even a loan from a private individual. This maybe someone you know or a person with some wealth who would be interested in helping you with your project (the subject has some personal meaning to them or they believe it could be a sound business investment).

Option 8: Banks

• A final option would be to apply for a loan from a bank. A positive of this is it could allow you to secure a larger amount of money if successful than other options. However being a loan it would have to be repaid with interest so unless the film has potential to make a good net profit margin this option would not be feasible for a small film maker.