Great, so now you have a producer and you. A team of two is twice as strong as a team of one. Unfortunately, it's not strong enough. Little do many people realize, that while producers are producing and writers are writing (and directors aren't directing yet, that's for sure), no one is getting paid. Why? Because there's no budget yet! Everyone at this point works for free. Only people who you start with will do this. I should also remind you of what sometimes isn't as obvious as it should be: we all need to make money to live. So many people just stop there. I need money to eat, therefore if I'm not getting paid for my own project, my project isn't an option. Wrong! Wrong, wrong, sooo wrong! There are ways. These ways can suck, but there are ways. So how does one survive the journey? I can at least tell you how I am.
I worked in production for about three years. Seventy-five percent of that time I was waking up at 12 noon and waiting for that next phone call. It works when you're living at home, but once rent enters the picture... forget it. And even if you're lucky enough to be working on a set as anything, it's not only mentally and physically draining, but it's even harder when it's not your own project. Don't get me wrong; working on sets can be really fun. When you love making movies, there's always great stories and experiences and people you meet. It reminds me of how I sometimes feel after seeing an amazing film that moves me in the theater. Holy crap, that was great!!! Holy crap, why am I not making my own damn movie?! I can do this! It's a wonderful and horrible feeling but it's a good feeling to get; it keeps you hungry. So what can you do while you try to get your project off the ground? Anything! I consider myself really lucky for finding my way into post-production and actually doing okay. For years, while always having my project in the forefront of my mind, I worked in shipping, then making dubs, then assistant editing, and finally editing. And I like editing a lot. But obviously, it's not for everyone. Find a job you can at least tolerate. If it's creative, that's even better. If you're a writer like me don't ever stop because you have a regular job. I have real psychological issues when it comes to this... I can't stop writing. It's kind of weird to most people, but I seriously will go nuts if I don't write for a long enough period of time. I'm sure there's a few other disturbed people out there who understand.
So this startup money isn't for you or your producer, it's for the other people who are doing what they love. These are the key positions for your film. We call this money "development money," and it's essential to the start of any film. If no one's heard of you, money always helps people listen in this business. And who can blame them; they're surviving the journey too!
At this point we have some start up money saved up (a helpful, supportive family is always a plus, but not everyone is that lucky). Now using it to make a great short film is actually a pretty good idea too, but I'm assuming we're ready for the feature film leap of faith. Might as well jump out of a plane after a parachute hoping you'll find it, strap it on, and pull the ripcord in time. So I've learned it's best to use as little money as possible for your feature. In my case, my trusty producer sought after another producer that could help us out. What does it take to find this person? Hope he/she likes your script too! But the difference now is this is someone you didn't know before... and this new person knows things you and your producer probably don't know. He/she may know more people, open more doors, and come up with new ideas. This blog was her idea! Still hold on to the development money, though. You'll spend it before you know it.
So anyway, suddenly I found myself with two producers. A team of three is much better than a team of two, right? And guess what, suddenly we have a team. I find my odds already getting better. But the obvious is still an issue. The three of us combined don't have millions of dollars to spend on our movie. If we did, we'd already be shooting. So how do we find someone crazy enough... or actually genius enough, to put all their faith in a first time feature director? This is without question the hardest part of getting the film made. And this is the thing... the big secret in the business, for whatever reason, is where to find these risk-taking investors. It's a big mystery. Production companies, film finance companies, just darn rich people who love film... they exist, but they're hard to find. What happens when you find a potential financier? Unfortunately, strength of script isn't enough... people with money always ask for the same thing, and it'll cost you. Get ready for the all powerful catch 22 of filmmaking...
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