2. Introduction
Creating movies or films for the big screen is and always will be an
enormous undertaking, these extensive projects take years of planning
to accomplish and therefore cost a lot of money. Major Hollywood
blockbusters pump millions into them to create a masterpiece for the
viewing pleasure of you and I.
There are many different ways of raising money for films of movies, in
the PowerPoint below I touch on 6 different ways, ranging from large
corporations to small public based methods. Each of the 6 topic areas
share some similar interests and some dissimilar, however the end goal
is always the film or movie.
3. Banks
• Banks and building societies can lend money to a movie or film production.
However, as with any loan, the company involved don't see the artistic or cultural
ideologies of film making and focus heavily on the economic growth of the
developing project.
Pros
• Can fund any project.
• They don’t get involved, they only supply the funding for the project.
Cons
• Can be a long and laborious process •
Very persistent about the economic growth and make sure it would make a large
amount of profit
• Usually have large interest rates Examples: Bank of America, American Express,
Barclays and Nationwide.
4. BFI (British Film Institute)
• This is a national government-funded institution or body that contributes to all sections of movie or film making from development
and casting to distribution and sales. They fund any genre of movie or film however they always consider whether the concept will be
popular over a wide range of audiences. However different things must be taken into account regarding how they distribute funding.
Pros
• Fund a variety of genres of movie or film.
• Has sufficient funds to fund any movie or film.
• Encourage and reinforce creativity and artistic flare.
• Offer help at all stages of movie or film production.
• Help both experienced and new movie or film makers.
Cons
• A screenwriter and producer must be working on the film when they apply for funding.
• The movie or film must fall under the BBFC 18 certificate.
• Biased toward movies or films with British based themes.
• They will only fund a project if they believe it can appeal to a large audience.
5. BFI (British Film Institute) Film Funding
• • Funding for UK based films or movies comes from the BFI (British
Film Institute) which will have £30 million in lottery funds by 2017.
This money is invested in films and movies across a wide variety of
genres and can help take a simple idea onto the big screen. •
• If I was in need of funding from the BFI I would contact their team
directly either via email or phone to inform them about my project
and see if I am eligible for funding. This process may take up to and
between 6 to 8 weeks. I would do this because they provide feedback
on how to improve and develop as a creative film or movie maker and
they are a company that aims to be as helpful and transparent as
possible.
6. Film or Movie Studios
• Large companies are known for funding films or movies, these companies make investments in
films or movies very similar to the way in which banks do as they want to gain economic benefit and
publicity.
Pros
• Can invest almost any amount of money to a film or movie project.
• Can aid employment opportunities for those who are part of the studio with the production.
• Help with imagining pieces of the film or movie.
• Have varying degrees of experience meaning they can help with almost all parts of the film or
movie.
Cons
• Can be quite controlling over ideas and methods, making the film makers deter away from the
original intentions
• Own rights for the film meaning the film makers might not benefit enough economically from
their film.
7. Charities
• Charities only usually fund short films for obvious reason. They also fund documentaries
and/or advertisements bringing awareness to a specific issue the charity is directly involved
in or wants to resolve.
Pros
• A Straight forward way of getting funding if similar views are shared.
• Smart way of gaining interest and positive publicity from the public.
• Charities don’t strive for profit and thus small projects can take off as bigger companies
wont invest in projects with less economic promise.
Cons
• Can be very controlling over creative freedom as they want to get their views across.
• Can’t offer a large amount of money to the project for obvious reasons.
• Has to meet very specific criteria.
8. Private Individuals
• This is when an individual invests a significant amount of money to a film or movie
project to potentially gain publicity or economic wealth from the project.
Pros
• Can offer a large amount of money depending on their interest.
• Can add creative flare to a project and even become more significantly involved.
• Quicker and easier than other processes.
Cons
• No interest is gained in audiences.
• Can be overly controlling within a project and start micro-managing it without realising.
• If a celebrity invests in a project then a large amount of the money will go to them rather
than the producers and directors.
• The more money the private individual invests in the project the more they will expect in
return.
9. Crowd Funding
• This is a common way of collecting money for film or movie project. This process involves multiple
individuals donating a small amount of money which eventually becomes larger and larger. In the
end the crowd funding will come to the target amount of money for the film or movie project.
Pros
• Allows for creative and independent production of the film as the funding party has no secret
agenda.
• Popularity and advertisement as there is already a strong fan base.
• Straight forward way of getting funding.
• Usually can find individuals who are interested in the ideas.
Cons
• May be hard to gain recognition for your film as it may not be sponsored by big companies.
• Has to appeal to a wide enough audience to make sure it can actually be funded.
• Perks and benefits have to be given to entice the funders e.g. some economic return.
