How To Write a Business Plan for an Independent Film - 3/7 Project(s)
Next up in my 7 part series on writing a business plan for independent film, we’ll be taking a deeper look at the project(s) section of the plan. The projects section of the plan is the most creative section, as it talks about the creative work that you’re seeking to finance. That being said, it breaks those creative elements into their basic business points. This section should be no more than a page if you have one project, and no more than 2 pages if you’re looking at a slate.
GENRE
Genre is a huge part of marketing any film. It essentially categorizes your film into what interest groups you’ll be marketing. This subsection should focus on the genre of your film, as well as who you expect the film to appeal to.
For more information on the concept of Genre in Film as it pertains to distribution, check out this blog.
RELATED: WHY GENRE IS VITAL TO INDIEFILM MARKETING & DISTRIBUTION
PLOT SYNOPSIS
This is as it sounds. It’s a one-paragraph synopsis of your film. When you’re writing it, keep in mind that you’re not telling your story, so much as selling it. Make it exciting. Make it something that the person reading the plan simply will not be able to ignore.
BUDGET
This one should also be self-explanatory, list the total budget of your film. It would make sense to break it into the following categories. Above the Line, Development, Pre-Production, Principle photography, post-production, and producer’s contribution to marketing and distribution.
The last part is to acknowledge that while the distributor will be contributing a large amount to the marketing and distribution costs of the film, it will not be the sole contribution, and you as the filmmaker will likely have to contribute some amount of time and/or money to make sure your film is sold well.
RATING
This section talks about your expected rating. Say what you expect to get, what themes you think will cause the film to get that rating, and how that will help you sell the film to the primary demographic listed above.
MARKETABLE ATTACHMENTS
Did you get Tom Cruise for your movie? What about Joseph Gordon Levitt? Or maybe Brian De Palma came on to direct. If you have anyone like this (or even someone with far less impressive credits) make sure you list that you’ve got them. If you’re in talks with their people, list it here too.
Related: 5 Reasons you Still need Name Talent in your film
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY STATUS
Finally, you’ll need to list the intellectual property status of your film. By this, I simply mean is the concept original? Is it based on anything? Did you acquire the rights to whatever it’s based on? If you optioned rights, when does the option expire? If you optioned rights, who is the original owner of the rights?
Writing a business plan that can actually raise funding is a lot more than just using a template. If you want a leg up you should check out my free resource pack which includes a deck template, a free e-book, digests of relevant industry-related content, delivered to your inbox once a month, and notifications of special events and other announcements tailored to the needs of the filmmakers I work with.
You should know that I’ve written a few dozen business plans for filmmakers, some of which have raised significant funding. If you want to talk about it check out our services page.
Thanks so much for reading! You can find the other completed sections of this 7-part series below.
Executive Summary
The Company
The Projects (This Post)
Marketing
Risk Statement/SWOT Analysis
Financials Section (Text)
Pro-Foma Financial Statements.
