"How does someone like me get funds in the first place?"

Douglas, this is one of the most frustrating things indie filmmakers have to deal with. It's frustrating because there is no formula for success, and there is no specific advice to give (that I can see) short of what's already been said here.

Here is just one direction you could go:

If you feel you have a great script, then put together a budget for it, or work with a producer to put together a budget. Once you have a budget, you know how much you want to raise to make the movie happen.

At that point, put together a business plan outlining where the money will go, how it will be recouped, and how investors will be paid back.

Then you just start pounding the pavement.
Talk to anyone who may have some money. Pay attention to any indie films shooting in your city, and try to find out who is funding them. That might give you a good place to start. Basically get in front of anyone that will listen to you, even if they say no at least you got the practice. One of the hardest things about raising money is actually asking for it. You have to be able to do it, and do it with confidence.

Personally, I think the plan I outlined above probably works best for feature films raising a more significant amount of money ($100K+).

I've never tried to raise money for a short film, but I imagine it is harder that a feature film. It's very difficult to make back any money on a short (harder than a feature). So I think it's a tougher sell.

The key here is to have a strong script that you believe in, and surround yourself with talented people. I honestly think that getting the money has less to do with your experience and more to do with the potential people see in you.

I have friends who have shot several features, and never rasied a dime from anyone (paying for them out of pocket).
I have another friend who did a few shorts, and then raised $500K for a feature because he was able to sell himself, not just the script.

So, there really isn't one way to get it done.
Yes, a lot of it is luck....being in the right place at the right time. But you have to be ready when opportunity knocks...so just keep moving forward.

As the old saying goes ...
"luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity."

<<<-- Originally posted by Luis Caffesse :
If you feel you have a great script, then put together a budget for it, or work with a producer to put together a budget. Once you have a budget, you know how much you want to raise to make the movie happen.

At that point, put together a business plan outlining where the money will go, how it will be recouped, and how investors will be paid back.

Then you just start pounding the pavement.
Talk to anyone who may have some money. Pay attention to any indie films shooting in your city, and try to find out who is funding them. That might give you a good place to start. Basically get in front of anyone that will listen to you, even if they say no at least you got the practice. One of the hardest things about raising money is actually asking for it. You have to be able to do it, and do it with confidence.

Personally, I think the plan I outlined above probably works best for feature films raising a more significant amount of money ($100K+) -->>>

Luis, thank you very much for your reply. Actually, I do have a budget and a business plan that I put together to secure Fiscal Sponsorship from Film Arts Foundation so those pieces are in play. And the script has been peer reviewed and is "Great!", "Groundbreaking" and "Wonderful", according to those who have read it and like I mentioned, it was selected as the Best Short Script of September. Also, I have been talking with people, foundations, and others who might be interested in funding my film. But I am coming in from the outside and I don't have experience or connections in looking for money, especially for a short. And given my relative lack of experience, people are hesitant. I know the project will be great but the well is dry.

There MUST be a "money seeking" organization of some kind that will find funding for projects they believe in or projects they feel will make money. Someone with connections and the knowledge and experience needed to get money. But where are they?

Your best advice is probably to look at who is funding other shorts and follow the path backwards to the source. I'll try that and let you know how it turns out.

Anyone else have comments or ideas on the subject of raising money for indie shorts?

Thanks in advance,
Douglas Equils
Wild Motion Films

If it is a short film, I really can't see MANY people investing in it. It may be a very good idea, but truth of the matter is--HOW would you make money off it? They don't screen shorts theatrically. At best, I'd imagine you could sell the short off to some distributor that has maybe a compilation DVD of some sort--but even that wouldn't make much money. I can't remember the last time I paid to see a short film.

If it was a feature film, I could see it being a lot easier to raise finances. About me saying you don't need talent at the $500,000 level, that was obviously an exaggeration. You need the talent to convince investors to give you money. You need to convince them that you can and WILL make them money. You have to convince them that you can complete a film. You need to convince them of a lot of things. But overall, if the script is great, I think that is all that matters. Just get word out of what you're doing. Post classifieds, call lawyers, and--I think the best thing to do is find someone to act as an executive producer. I'm sure having someone totally dedicated to raising money for the film would benefit you greatly--of course, they'd have to believe in you first.

Matthew Overstreet

Maybe one possible route is this:
-Produce a short film that is like a mini-version of your feature script. For example, the feature-film Cube came out of the short film Elevator which director made while at the Canadian Film Center* (the CFC may be an exception to film school).

Anyways, you could do a short film and hope it gets film festival success and gets noticed. At those film festivals, be sure to schmooze with (the right) industry people as some of them may be producers who may be able to find funding for your feature-length film.

Production values don't have to be high at all as you are just trying to get attention. Low production values may even be a good thing because people will have lower expectations and will be harder to disappoint (and are setup to be pleasantly surprised).

>>My film is a 30-min narrative short<<

This is 70% of your problem right here. Shorts are not business projects, they're learning/showcasing projects. You will only get gifts and or donations for such a project. There is no money in shorts. Hell, it's hard enough to make money with a feature, much less a short.

Also, people are genrally not that motivated about shorts (cast & crew) like they would be with a feature. While a short might be an OK step on the ladder for YOUR career, it rarely is for others that work on it. If you have any experience doing shorts in the past (which is almost a MUST before doing a feature,) then I would highly recommend you move on to doing a feature.