Funding?

I don't know if any of you guys get funding from anyone...but if you do...how do you go about getting it and what kind of people or companies do you or should you get them from?

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I'm funded by a national IT company.

The way it works is, I am director of the company and allocate money out for use on my projects (after a rigourous tax-deductable selection process naturally)

Other successful methods in obtaining funding from third parties include 75% product placement and/or sleeping around/taking drugs with the right people.

Please don't take me seriously. You might get lucky.

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childrens lunch money, all you do is stand outside the school gates and collect it of them when they arrive.

easy money ! im expanding my operation now to cover 200 schools




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who shoots on DVCAM and is proud of the fact

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Public5ylac/files/

Hi,

Blood and Stones come to mind.

Best bet is just to make a video
with the money you have, then use
this to get some funding.

Maybe put your video on 'Exposure
Shorts'?

http://www.wintonfilms.co.uk/

cheers,

andy

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andy winton
(www.wintonfilms.co.uk)

Unless you have a crew and a few films in the can already, I think you will find funding/sponsorship from external bodies very difficult. Even then its difficult.
There are as many ways to fund a film as there are ways to make a film, and people to watch it.
It really depends on at what level you are aiming the finished thing, and what level you are at as a filmmaker.
To be honest if you are asking the question then I expect you will be digging deeply into your own pockets for cash.
That said there are things you can try:
Arts councils, for an or several arts grant.
Business Start up grants.
Write to local companies and just ask - offer them some advertising.
Get a job with spare weekends.
Set up a company and sell shares or get a start up loan.
Rob a bank?
Just ply your movie from door to door in a part of town that has lots of big houses. You might get lucky.
Remember if you are shooting on Video(Yeuch) then it doesnt really have to cost THAT much just be as creative as you can be, you could be amazed at how helpfull people can be, and what they have stored away in attics. Of course if you want much tighter control then money instead of favours can bring a lot of that.

It is expensive, but Im convinced that it doesnt have to be that expensive if you use your imagination.

My path is the Job and spare weekends path. I dont really beleive that I deserve an arts grant - there are plenty of people who need that more than me.

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It does piss me off a bit though, that the lottery funding keeps handing out massive stacks of cash to established Brit filmmakers and they keep making absolute shite that loses money hand over fist. (There was an article on this a while back on www.thisislondon.co.uk that showed that only 1 of the 10 films that had been funded actually made any money)

The lottery commission could spend a tenth of that money and loads of folks like us would be able to make something that we really learn from (who cares if it makes money or not - they are prepared to waste more anyway). Now that would be worthwhile. Then they could spend the rest of the money (The other nine tenths) on some worthwhile cause (Like the Millenium dome or the new Wembly stadium - hahahaha)

Rant over. Cheerio.

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Regards
Stephen Chown
Old Ones Productions

OKay that's all nice and good...but seriously as a younge filmaker what are some possibilites for me to get funding from some place? Maybe bussiness? Grants? Anything?

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I think the reason that all of the Lottery-funded features make a loss (apart from because they're crap) is that it is part of the requirement for Lottery funding that the film MUST get a domestic cinema release (i.e. shown in UK cinemas). This is where the films lost all their money, because it costs a heck of a lot to do a cinema release and the British public aren't interested in seeing British films at the cinema.

Many of the Lottery films made money through video and oversees sales though. The Lottery Commission needs to wake up and realise that only about 1 percent of the films made on this planet ever get shown in a cinema, but that doesn't mean the other 99 percent aren't good films. They should scrap the "theatrical only" rule so that Lottery money can spent on low-budget films for video/DVD release. These films could be made a lot cheaper and therefore are more likely to earn their money back.

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Not to dash your hopes, Mr Cricket, but your chances are next to none. Still possible, but extremely unlikely. Don't let this disuade you from trying though.

As for lottery funded films, I think they could make money on a cinema release if they funded films with commercial potential - instead of the usual dross.

As crass and predictable as the films churned out in Hollywood are, at least they make some money.

The real trick to secure funding and make a success of it would be to find some happy medium between a film of relevance and a film of interest to the viewers.

As it happens, I am working on just one such movie! http://www.hostboard.com/ubb/wink.gif

Later

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Regards
Stephen Chown
Old Ones Productions

[This message has been edited by sdchown (edited September 28, 2001).]