This was very useful in helping me realise the actions I need to take. I absolutely have to start focusing more on strategy, audience and pitching. I need to remember the importance of production development.
Development Phase. Where your idea comes from, what are the most relevant things to have in your pitch.
The creative team. Development budget. Development timeline. The script.
The idea – notions of what that idea has to be. What people are looking for. Understand genre and tone. Through line stylistically and thematically – the narrative of what you are as a creator.
What kind of storyteller you are – What are you asking? What is it? Who are you?
- Connect with communities – engage with regional funders etc.
- Set in a world which is real but there is something surreal/ magical/ fairytale like about them, that is the link. You have to think about the future and ask ‘what is your voice?’ – Fiona Lamptey.
- www.fruittreemedia.com/about
- Film package and financing. Script to budget phase – realities of finance. Casting. Types of finance – soft money – equity. Finance plan.
- Funding and Finance opportunities – Film4, Film London, BFI, BBC Films. Competitions.
- Look at your themes and approach companies and corporations who deal with similar ideas – not necessarily film companies.
- Structured schemes such as Microwave – all funding structures the process.
- Need to make your first short film by yourself because funders will look at history and portfolio as a point of reference.
- Use Movie Magic Budgeting software – templates for budgeting.
- Read the script, break down the script elements (how many characters, how many locations, special effects).
- Use Movie Magic Schedule to breakdown the schedule and plan the timeframe.
- Independent film making vs Studio.
- Very important to have collaborative conversations and references so you are able to place your film within where you predict it to land. Use IMDB.
- Pitching – what do you offer? what problem does it solve? why can you solve it better than anyone else can? what is your ask? Research – who is your audience? what are you going to ask them for? what do they think about the world? Pitch Deck – Slides. What is your product and service? What problem do you solve? Why do you solve it better than anyone else (USP)? Marketing materials – something that explains what you do / how you work? etc
- The release stage. Distribution plans. Film festivals. Marketing and release strategies.