Wednesday, August 27, 2008

RE: Film Financing


To follow up on the topic of financing, the current issue of MovieMaker (Issue 76, Vol. 15) has a good article on the subject. The author, Cole Drumb, outlines a strategy for using credit cards. Basically he says that with a lot of discipline and vigilance you can use credit cards to finance a film without ruining your life in the process. My friend Chance is a big fan of credit cards, but I do want to stress that if you aren't on top of things (like Chance) you can really screw yourself over. For the few credit card success stories, I've also heard of failed marriages and haunting debt.

In the second half of the article, Drumb comes up with a simple strategy for using your immediate network of friends and acquaintances to find potential investors beyond your immediate network of friends and acquaintances.

It's a short and practical look at two methods of financing that your average aspiring filmmaker can actually employ.

Unfortunately I can't find the article on line, but this just gives you another excuse to buy the issue with that gorgeous photo of Ben Stiller on the cover.

1 comment:

Chance Shirley said...

Yes, I did one feature totally on a MasterCard and my second one with a MasterCard plus money recouped from the first feature. But I also worked a decent-paying day job that whole time (and have had a wife with a day job for the second movie).

So, though I love the MasterCard (the limit on that thing is sick at this point), the missus and me have done a pretty good job of paying it off every month or two using our day job money.

Having said all that, I look forward to reading the Movie Maker article.