Discover how to secure the money & resources you need to make your independent film !
With the dismantling of the 10BA Scheme in Australia, and the minimum threshold of the new Producer Offset set at $1 million, now more than ever are many independent film and television producers wondering how to get independent Low- to No- Budget projects financed.
Not only for Producers of Under-$1million films, but also suitable for No Budget films, indy tv projects and internet content producers, award-winning veteran independent filmmaker Ron Brown guarantees that this intensive One Full Day Workshop will deliver to participants a wide range of proven strategies and introduce refreshing new approaches to financing the independent project.
A 100% satisfaction rate for the July 18, 2009 Melbourne Workshop !!
"Great workshop. Love your passion !" Melinda Kalac "A one-day course that is well worth the cost - definitely value for money" Nicola Farrell "Ron continues to deliver invaluable and insightful information and strategies in clear and effective executable steps" Justin Bechtold "The whole workshop was very informative and knowledgeable" Arati Lakhani "Ron is a well of information, experience and advice" Susan Yagnik "Excellent knowledge of film and television" Reid Harrison "Clear and concise with lots of experience and examples" Stelios Kokotos
A 100% satisfaction rate for the August 15, 2009 Sydney Workshop !!!
"Over the course of this workshop I went from sceptical (not knowing anything about Ron) to sold, as it became clear his credibility, experience and silver tongue meant I was in very safe hands. As a Uni of Sydney BA Media & Comms graduate it was outstanding. I learnt more here today than I would in one whole semester at uni for a gazzilionth the cost" Clare Matuska "Great information, a lot in one day!" Brendon Fehre "It was fantastic! Very practical information well presented. Extremely useful for Producers who are looking for funding options" DeJay Vi Nguyen "Ron was charismatic" Jason Walsh "Ron was very personable, with lots of on the ground stories to back up his points. Great, and I would have liked two days!" Pete Colquhoun "The greatest workshop I've ever been to, really. Very very exotic ! Ron cut to the point. Thanks Ron, it's a great experience" JoJo Ma "A wealth of knowledge and engaging." Michelle Cotterill "Very informative and inspiring" Tony Murden
The techniques he will share in this Workshop have been used by Ron Brown to produce three highly successful international TV series (Cooking With Kurma, Tiny Delights and Chefs of the Great Hotels) and two movies, Let Me Not (2007, Nine Network) and Suite For Fleur (2009, currently in post).
Participants will take away a complete understanding of the process of
successfully funding independent film and television projects without resorting to government
hand-outs. Brown has not received a penny of government money to
finance his projects in his entire 35-year career.
Be truly independent, even of the government funding agencies !
Where does your project sit in the wide range of genres, audiences and markets? Is it commercial, art-house or a personal film? What are the implications for funding, production and distribution? Merely having no money doesn’t define your film. Hugely successful films have been made for nothing (Mad Max, Blair Witch) and vast fortunes have been squandered on obscure personal visions (The Last Movie, among many others). Understanding and developing the strategy for your project is paramount to it’s success at any level of funding. And ultimately, it’s about finding an audience, the best audience, irrespective of budget. I'll explain in detail the success strategies for each category.
Chicken Or Egg – Budget or Script?
So how should the budget be determined? Should you write the script and then cost it ? Or should you be realistic about your resources and then write to those parameters? We will look at the pros and cons of both approaches to determine your best course of action.
2. How To Determine What Your Film Will Cost
There are many ways to skin a cat, the old saying goes. Should your budget be defined by cash, by resources available to you, by free goods and services you can muster, by deferring payment till another day? What are the pros and cons of each of these, and how can you make the best fit of all the possibilities? We will examine each in turn and in detail to help you realistically determine your best costing strategy. 3. How To Set The Budget – A Philosophy
While your budget doesn’t determine the outcome or viability of the project in attracting audiences, it certainly sets the agenda for it’s production. Too much reliance on freebies or deferment can cause enormous headaches, but walking past sponsorship or product placement opportunities can mean raising far more cash than may be necessary or is readily available. Correctly setting the procedures in place for working through the options, and staying sane while doing it, is the basis for a budget philosophy. Get this right and you sleep at night, make a good movie and maximise your resources, get it wrong and you can literally shut down your production when things screw up or cash runs out.
4. Sources of Funds – Your Cash, Your Friend's Cash, Stranger's Cash, Gifts, Trusts, Product Placement, In-Kind Contributions, Rewarding Cast & Crew
The places that you can find money are far greater than you realise. And convincing people to give you money is not as difficult as you think if you know how to approach it. There are literally hundreds of benefactors on your door step, waiting for the right approach. And there are even more providers of goods and services desperate to get their message into a movie. You just need to know how to identify them and then convince them. We show you how, in detail.
There are laws regarding taking money from people, and you need to know and understand them, and operate within them unless you want to make your film in jail! There are also many different ways to secure the money you need, without resorting to the government film agencies. We identify the different streams of funds, the priorities and needs of the funding providers and the best way to document your relationship to avoid problems down the track.
6. Approaching Friends and Family – The Investor Document, Finding Prospects
How do you ask friends and family to participate in your project without begging or seeming needy? How to best present your project to them, how to convince them and how to deal with the on-going relationship over time as the project develops. These are all tricky subjects for most people, especially when dealing with friends and family. We show you the ways to maximise your effectiveness and minimise bad feelings along the way. And yes, you should document the investment as if they were strangers!
7. Approaching Friends of Friends and Strangers – Building the Database
If friends and family are tricky, friends of friends can be worse. At least your family is likely to trust you. But there are many people out there willing to invest in movies if approached in the right way. We teach you exactly how to present your project, pre-qualify your prospects, engage them and close them. We show you database techniques that we use and how to keep track of prospects and their responses. We show you how no doesn’t mean no, and how to turn no into yes.
8. Product Placement – Approaching Companies, The Value Equation, Who To Ask, The Information Memorandum or Proposal, Getting To Yes.
Companies have completely different agendas to people. You need to identify the needs in the case of each prospect. I have raised more than $1million in product placement and branded sponsorship in the past 10 years for projects, and I will show you how. 9. In-Kind Contributions – Locations, Props, Costumes, Equipment, Music, Vehicles, Food/Beverage, Travel, Accommodation, Services.
It’s almost unbelieveable how keen people are to be involved with a movie if you approach them properly, and demonstrate the benefits to them. We show you how to define the best areas for in-kind contributions, how to identify prospects, how to approach them and how to convince them, even after they’ve said no! 10. Cast & Crew Strategies – Cash, Deferment, Points, Combos
There are real benefits to identifying the right strategies for your people. Some are morale-killers, others are not. What motivates cast and crew to join the dream? We’ll show you how to appropriately identify the motivators and to properly reward them so that there’s good will and a great movie in a Lo-To-No budget project context.
Sydney Saturday location: SAE Institute $275 tba , 2010 55-57 Wentworth Ave, Sydney Melbourne Saturday location: SAE Institute $275
tba , 2010 235 Normanby Road, South Melb. Brisbane Saturday location: Qantm College tba , 2010 Level 10 / 138 Albert Street, Brisbane $275 _____________________________________________________________________________ Other ICCAA Workshops coming up conducted by Ron Brown here:
Get A Media Job Melbourne tba, 2010 info at www.getamediajob.net Get A Media Job Sydney tba, 2010 Get A Media Job Brisbane tba, 2010
The techniques he will share in this Workshop have been used by Ron Brown to produce three highly successful international TV series (
