We hope you are all geared up because Toronto International Film Festival will be well underway in a few weeks. The film festival used to be called the “festival of festivals” due to the fact that it is a collection of films from film festivals all around the world. You will be sat watching a Hungarian documentary and the next film could be an action thriller from Hong Kong. You encounter both rising and established stars. The festival shows upwards of 300 different categories of films due to the overwhelming amount of categories, genres and countries being represented.
Toronto International Film Festival 2018
Whether you are a movie fanatic or simply a star struck tourist Toronto is the place to be in the beginning of September.
The Line Up
The line up will surely excite you with a diverse range as always, Steve McQueen’s white-knuckle thriller, from the director of 12 Years A Slave, comes ‘Widows’ about four women left in a deadly lurch when their criminally connected husbands are all killed.
‘Hidden Man’ actor-director Jiang Wen’s energetic action film about a spy, who on the cusp of the Second Sino-Japanese War, returns to China set on revenge, but finds himself plunged into a high-stakes game of intrigue, love, and scheming.
‘Hidden Man’ Actor-Director Jiang Wen’s Action Film
Felix Van Groeningen’s ‘Beautiful Boy’ chronicles the meth addiction and recovery of a young man (Timothée Chalamet) through the eyes of his pained father (Steve Carell).
‘Beautiful Boy’ Timothée Chalamet & Steve Carell
Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut ‘ A Star Is Born’ reimagines Hollywood’s most enduring story of love and ambition, in which Cooper plays a troubled rock star on the decline just as his lover (Lady Gaga) begins her ascent to fame.
Bradley Cooper’s ‘A Star is Born’ at Toronto Film Festival
These are just a few picked out from a variety of beautiful films being showcased in TIFF this year that should all be in you ‘Must Watch List’ this summer.
Emma Kelly
Manager, Communications ekelly@tiff.net 416-599-8433 ext. 2604
Amanda Gun-Munro
Festival Communications Manager agunmunro@tiff.net
416-599-8433 ext. 3308
FilmBudget.com is the international leader in worldwide film & TV budget and schedule production services. Contact Us
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Why Professional Financial Documentation is Critical to Obtain Film Finance | FilmBudget.com Worldwide | Film Budget Inc.
FilmBudget.com – Provider to Hollywood of Film Budgeting Services
As a film financier, producer, line producer & DGA Unit Production Manager based upon my experience it is critical to have the very best in professional film financing documentation for your movie funding goals. Investors are scrupulous and intelligent as ever before and we are fighting against the fact of a challenging, alternative investment. The key question of “how to obtain film finance” must be addressed by every filmmaker.
Wealthy Investors Read Documents
Wealthy investors are very accustomed to reading extremely detailed and precise financial documentation. They are pitched continuously and understand a quality presentation from one lacking in the important details.
Business proposals are very solid, professional documents. Think real estate, start-ups, manufacturing, etc. Financiers generally have people to review and evaluate proposals. That is their trade, investing in smart endeavors which will make them money. That is what investors do, make money. They want and need to see that a proposal can demonstrate the viability of the project and a thorough understanding of the business fundamentals behind it.
Produced by Jack Binder | Film Budget Inc. & Greentrees Films
Film Proposals Take Many Forms
I see film proposals everyday. Many do not convey the proposition correctly or can be incomplete. Perhaps some elements are interesting, the screenplay, the talent proposed, a source of potential funding, etc., but for a large part they have something in common – they can tend to lack professionalism of the real financial world.
Why? The film business is complicated and success is not easily quantifiable. Some in the film business do not fully understand the business. For example, a filmmaker may think they are in the “great screenplay” business. If I just get a “great” screenplay, nothing else matters!
Nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, a great screenplay is a basic foundation of the creation of a viable film, movie or tv series, but their is much more to the equation.
Likewise, they will have a dream cast list and pictures showing who they think they will get to star in their film production. Nicely packaged graphics, photos and subtitles, elaborating on the virtues of the actor or that actor. Yes, cast is extremely important, but it is not the only factor to be determinative of a movie’s success.
Why Is It So Important to Have Professional Film Finance Documents for Investors?
Ah, now we are asking the important question. Some investors can be swept away in the dream of the motion picture industry, Hollywood, movie stars, romantic locations and the glamour of the show. Some. As I have often said, and remains true, the stupid money left the room on 2008, if not sooner.
Film investment took on a new format following the crash of Wall Street amidst the sub-prime mortgage crisis and the resulting credit crunch on the world financial system. First off, at the time one of the biggest sources of private equity for the independent film sector, and the Major Hollywood Studios off-balance sheet financing, was Hedge Funds. Well, these instruments of cash accumulation were hit very hard and you could hear the sound of hedge fund money being sucked off the streets of Sunset Boulevard and beyond throughout the entertainment industry.
What Do Investors Need Then to Invest In My Movie?
Even better question. Due to the above, the evaporation of capital and combined with the word-on-the-street reputation of film investment entailing a good amount of risk. Filmmakers often put together the most urgent paperwork required to get their film into production, the financials. They google, ask a friend, hire an editor to put together some nice graphics and video, etc.(or do it themselves) but they tend not to grasp the simple fact: Investors invest in a Finance Plan. Not your dream nor your lovely presentation of your dream.
What Do Film Financiers Need?
Standard materials for a sophisticated film financier, investor, producer, executive producer, studio executive, independent production company partner or development manager to evaluate a production for investment include:
A professional film budget (or tv budget & tv series budget) created by an experienced film and television line producer or production manager, and
A professional film finance plan, created by a veteran producer, attorney or consultant with extensive experience in the value chain and route to market for a film or tv product.
These are the two basic documents which will determine whether your dream movie idea gets made or not. The rest is nice, fun, interesting and great that you spent hours and hours of time and money upon, but they generally will not be the determinative factor in the decision for the savvy investor.
What is So Important About the Film Budget?
The film budget (or tv budget, tv series budget) is the roadmap to how an investors money will be spent. Created by and industry veteran, experienced professional with substantial track record, the film budgeting is the critical factor in determining the cost of the film production and where the money will go. (There is a wealth of description of the film budget on the main page and accompanying pages of FilmBudget.com
Why Does a Filmmaker Need a Film Finance Plan?
The Film Finance Plan is at the mercy of the film budget. For one, nothing can make sense to an investor, bank, lender, film tax credit or film tax incentives government official without the movie budget that explains the expenditure of the funding; how it is spent, when it is spent and for whom and for what it is spent upon.
A quality film finance plan details the sources of potential funding, how and when it enters the filmmakers working environment, and how it gets out. The most important question a financier wants to know is: how do I get my money back. The second most important question is: When. The finance plans answers these questions in great detail. From the investment finance sources, to the quality of the product under consideration (the bells and whistles and dream concepts) to the detailed route-to-market, marketing plan, distribution plan, projected revenue, evidence upon the projections, collateral, debt, bank and other lending institutions involved, film tax credits and production incentives. All of these factors go into the determination for the investor if this product is a worthy investment for their sacred money, with the understanding, the first rule of investing is – Don’t Lose Money.
FilmBudget.com is the International Leader in Worldwide Film Budgeting & Scheduling, Film Finance Plan and Film Tax Credits Services. Founded by veteran Major Hollywood Studio & Independent Film Producer Jack Binder whose credits include: ‘First Reformed’ (Ethan Hawke), Reign Over Me (Adam Sandler), The Upside of Anger (Kevin Costner), Man About Town (Ben Affleck), Londinium (Colin Firth), The Search for John Gissing (Alan Rickman) and many others.
Contact Jack here for a free consultation and custom quotation on film budgeting, film finance plan and consulting package services.
The Berlin Film Festival and European Film Market aka Berlinale
The Berlin Film Festival and European Film Market will take place this year from February 13-23, 2025. World reknown as one of the most prestigious film festivals in the independent film festival circuit.
The European Film Market (EFM) is likewise a hallmark event on the film finance, film production, and distribution calendar. The EFM stands out as the major film market between AFM in November and Cannes Film Festival’s Marche du Film in May.
Berlinale Cinema
International Film Production and Distribution – EFM
As the international film production and distribution industry expands throughout the world, the importance of the Berlin Film Festival and European Film Market has increasingly become a more important event in the global movie business calendar. Filmmakers make the annual trek to Germany for the awards, acknowledegment, publicity, networking, and to land a broad distribution deal.
Films in Competition at the Berlin Film Festival
As with other film festivals, the Berlinale has at its forefront the In Competition films presented each year. This year brings about twenty films to the Competition section of the festival. Details of the Competition films can be found on the Berlinale website Competition page. Each film presented in this part of the festival enjoys a red carpet arrival for their screening, elevating the glamour and awareness for the films director, stars, producers, and potential distributors.
Get Your Film Into Production
If you would like to get your film into production, contact Producer Jack Binder, the Founder of FilmBudget.com Worldwide regarding a film budget, film finance plan, film tax credits consulting, and one-on-one Producer Consulting programs.
Facts On the Difference Between Big Budget and Low Budget Filmmaking | First Hand Experience From an A-List Producer, Line Producer & DGA UPM
Sometimes you go back to your roots and venture into low budget filmmaking as an A-List producer. Having just done that I share some facts that emerge as key differences between big film budget and low budget filmmaking.
Time
The biggest difference is time of course. Time is money and crew time is even more money. What a large film budget allows the filmmaker is the time to prep and shoot.
Prep Time
Prep time is critical in filmmaking of any scale. “It’s all in the prep” is a common catchphrase and it could not be more true. Quality prep time is absolutely fundamental. I always say, “if you see me running around like a chicken with my head cut-off on the set, I messed up months ago!” But I don’t say messed!
A truncated prep (preparation) period can be very problematic as everyone is rushed to do their work in time for filming. The best deals require space and research, as the time required for negotiating and weighing options vastly effects the value and cost savings which can be achieved.
Shooting Days
Shooting Days are the key to a quality production as well. The more time and money you can allot to more shooting days will not only make the director more confident and able to achieve the goals of the production, it likewise affords the actors their space to create their performance.
As film budgets have decreased due to market constraints producers and directors have been required to reduce the amount of shooting days as a way to keep the budget down. The upside is we are getting more adept to shooting faster however the downside is it demands an extremely fast paced film production period which can be hampered by a likewise reduced prep period.
Stars of Films Produced by FilmBudget.com Producer Jack Binder
Locations
Locations are another fundamental area the demonstrates the difference between big movie budget productions and lower budget indie films. With more funding both time and expense can be used to obtain the best locations with ideal situations. On the contrary, low budget indie film production calls for getting by with less production value (unless the producer and director are extremely adept at mitigating this downside) and support areas.
Often it is easy to acquire a great deal on a location – via a friend, relative, colleague, etc.,however it’s often the hidden costs of support areas that comes back to bite the movie budget. Site support areas are often overlooked. These items include: Artist Holding areas, catering area, location production office, the “vanities” – Hair and Make-Up Stations, Wardrobe Department, Art Department and of course Locations and Parking!
This is especially true in major cities, where parking is at a premium. Finding parking for the film crew in a big city is one of the most difficult aspects of indie filmmaking. Cities insist in their permitting that crew cars are not on local streets. Renting a Lot is expensive. With a large film budget and more resources this is not an issue nor a concern. For low budgets, it’s a nightmare! One key takeaway lesson is to find all of these support areas simultaneously with your “free” location. You just might realize it was not as free as you expected!
Transportation
The Big Boys
Of course this all depends on the question of transportation, ie. Vehicles & Drivers. With the big Hollywood style productions, a fleet of very large vehicles with every amenity known to man can be found. This includes luxury gyms for the major movie stars, vast catering dining kitchens, vanity trailers and motorhomes, large grip and electric trucks, honeywagon production office and restroom facilities.
The Rest of Us
On a typical low film budget independent film though, this is certainly not the case! Any vehicle is a luxury, from Cube Trucks, passenger vans, personal cars, picture cars and Art Department Vans. Likewise the number of Drivers is limited which likewise puts a limit on production equipment vehicles. The upside is not having the requirement of closing down an entire city block to park the circus of mobile production vehicles. The downside is you must find everything you need within your location or nearby production support space. This can be quite costly although not as expensive as renting all of those vehicles and finding space to park them. We’re not even addressing the fuel to move them around!
So here are some of the perils, pros and cons of the big budget film and the low budget independent.
Get it In Writing! Notes From an A-List Hollywood Film Producer
One of the most important reasons film and television deals fall apart (and many things in business and life) is due to people do not get it in writing. I have seen so many deals go badly due to this one most prominent factor. Whether your are a producer, director, actor or screenwriter – you need to understand that this is the way things will go wrong most often.
A Verbal Agreement is Not Worth the Paper It’s Printed On!
Too many business people and artists most certainly, wish to rely upon the good will of the other party that they can depend on a deal coming through in the end. So often you will trust the person, a colleague, a friend, a family member, a reputable industry icon. Regardless of this assumption, things very often Do go wrong and this assumption falls to the wayside. People disagree on what was agreed, what was said, how much they said they would pay, how long it would take to pay/complete/deliver/assist, etc. Get it in writing!
Always Consult An Attorney
An attorney is critical in venturing into a business deal. This is true for the film industry as well as business in general. Lawyers know the law, contracts, what is an agreement and what is not. An Entertainment Attorney is invaluable in saving you time, money and the heartbreak of a deal gone downhill.
An Email Can Be a Contract (or proven to represent an agreement)
On the contrary, a filmmaker (and business people in general) must be careful what they agree to in an email or letter. Written words matter and can be used at such time as a case is to be made on what was agreed between two or more parties. If you promise it in writing, you may be held to it. That’s why you want it in writing if you mean it and you wish to be in agreement. Ideally the other party will confirm your correspondence back to you, securing more protections.
On Screenplay Options & Purchases
This is an area of particular importance and urgency. As a producer, not having the rights secured to IP you wish to proceed to production with is a major faux pas! One must Not proceed on an assumption that a screenwriter will agree to terms at a later date. Likewise, as a screenwriter one must not assume the producer will come to agreement on terms that you will find acceptable.
People Change Their Minds
No matter how good their intentions, now matter how good of a person someone is, things change, people change, events change. Once you have a written agreement, these situations can be addressed under the terms of the agreement, or negotiated externally to a contract as otherwise required.
Both Parties Benefit in a Win, Win Deal
A good deal is a deal where both parties “win”, the ol’ “win, win”. It’s great to be trustful but it doesn’t get you far in the real world of making deals. Get it in writing!
Good luck in filmaking!
Jack Binder – Film & TV Producer – Visit Jack’s Producer Credits Page – Click Here
Why it is Critical to Obtain a Professional Film Budget & Why Who Creates Your Matters As a Reflection Upon Yourself the Filmmaker & Your Team
Major Hollywood Studio Line Producer Jack Binder
Your film budget is critical for success and a reflection upon you, the filmmaker and your team. A professional movie budget is critical to obtaining film finance, production and distribution for your film.
Film Budget Factors Impacting Your Film Finance
In the world of film finance and movie production the figures are more significant then ever. The details and reliability of the figures created in your movie budget by a veteran line producer are critical to the success of the film you are setting out to make.
What is often not appreciated is the compounding nature of those numbers which can lead to make the financing elements largely in error.
As the basis for the funding equation which goes into the packaging of the equity, pre-sales, debt and gap financing elements to finance your film, your movie budget is enormously important in that it be accurate and all inclusive.
Likewise the quality of the line producer’s credentials, associations and experience a filmmaker chooses to engage to create their budget lends significant value to your film stature, finance plan and the funding package overall.
The importance of having a film budget and schedule created for your screenplay for potential buyers is widely known and accepted in sophisticated film finance circles. So much so, that it is the first question asked when a project is submitted: “can you send us your budget?”
FilmBudget.com is the international leader in worldwide film budget and schedule production services, and creates accurate and proven film budgets for filmmakers.
First Reformed Produced by Jack Binder & Killer Films
What Are the Advantages of Creating a Film Budget?
The benefits leading to your script being picked up by someone having already been budgeted and scheduled, the advantages are numerous. For one, putting forth the effort to create a film budget and shooting schedule for your film production immediately sets your script ahead of the ones whom have not taken this key step.
Knowing the cost of producing a film is critical to obtaining financing and distribution. Being able to articulate to an interested party how much funding will be required to produce a film enables them to make multiple decisions which they would not necessarily be bothered nor able to entertain with a screenplay alone, for which one presumes they might receive literally thousands.
Additionally, this effort and resourcefullness demonstrates initiative on the part of the writer/producer/director to ascertain the fundamental fact of the film production: the cost to produce the film.
Further to this point, knowing the cost of the film production overall and where it will be shot, aids in determining what film tax incentive amount the filmmakers might expect to receive from local government institutions, funds, grants, etc. Knowing the budget of the film enables a buyer to be able anticipate what type of foreign sales (advances) they might be able to expect as well.
This all leads to potential purchasers to able to figure what amount of equity, or hard cash, will then be required on their part, or their financiers, to proceed to produce the film.
So knowing your cost of production sets you and your film apart from others submitting only a screenplay, as one which has made the effort to enable the key factors required to make an informed decision. It also conveys your commitment to getting the film made and willingness to have an understanding of the process of filmmaking, for the budget and schedule is a roadmap to the production.
It is a reflection upon you and your team that you have undertaken to understand how the film will be made by having a professional film budget and schedule created for you by a veteran line producer, for what you will then have, a package, not just a screenplay, to present and they, to investors and financiers.
Contact FilmBudget.com to obtain an immediate quote on our services, which include a finance and camera ready film budget and schedule package, film finance plans and film tax credit analysis and production consulting.
PATRICK CANNELL – EVOLUTION OF A SCORE: THE TRAITOR
Back in December 2016, I was asked to jump onboard a new ship that had taken a rather sudden and drastic change of course.
A Ukrainian feature with a film budget of $1M attempted to depict the horrific events of the Russian occupation of Ukraine during the 1920s. The producers had summoned a renowned Ukrainian movie director in his late seventies to direct the picture, despite the fact that he hadn’t made a film in over 25 years. To the producers significant dismay, after a great deal of time and 80% of the film budget spent on this extravagant production – horses, battle scenes, vintage war vehicles, etc – they realized this was an unexpected sinking ship that they could not keep afloat.
Composer Patrick Cannell’s journey scoring ‘The Traitor’
The producers then asked if Bangkok-based American director Mark Hammond could save the ship from sinking. Nope. But after he encountered an alluring young Ukrainian actress, he came up with the idea to take the remaining $200,000 and create an entirely new feature, a drama/thriller, utilizing the best of the already shot 1920s footage:
1971. Odessa Film Studio, USSR. To conform to Communists Party revisionist propaganda, the KGB studio curator orders a re-edit of a recently completed film, directed by the studio’s iconoclastic star director, depicting the events of Ukraine 1920s ‘civil war.’ The re-editing work is entrusted to a young female editor, a recent graduate of the Moscow Film Institute. However, as her work progress, she comes to understand that despite the risks she must betray the Party to protect the director’s vision, and safe-guard the truth about her country under Soviet Occupation.
They shoot this new beast, and now we’re in December 2016. Time is of the essence, per usual. Mark, with whom I’ve worked before on a few projects, asks if I can bang out the score to this 90 min picture in a matter of days. If there’s a will, there’s a way.
I had 4 days with Mark and Andriy Suyarko, one of the producers, at my lab in Brooklyn, NY.
The first day, we went through the film. We agreed that live instrumentation was crucial to match the caliber of the visuals and sincerity of the drama. Cello, harp, bassoon. I scheduled a recording session at a larger studio nearby for the fourth day.
The second day I came up with a theme. It was time to elaborate on that theme and flesh out the score until the recording session some 48 hours later.
Fourth day – recording the main theme as I wrote it, letting musicians run wild with that theme, experiment freely based on scene and mood descriptions, and finally, playing the most cacophonous, aggressive, violent sounds possible on a cello, harp and bassoon that I would later affect for specific ethereal nightmare scenes.
I then took the goodies from this recording session and sprinkled them, weaved them, mixed them, distorted them, chopped them and built around them with electronic and orchestral sample libraries to produce a score worthy of serving the picture.
A week or so later, I recorded the cellist again along with a female vocalist to enhance certain scenes.
I then realized we had to start the opening montage off with a bang so I got some talented chaps into the same space to bring us into the 1970s with a bit of a modern twist:
Composer Patrick Cannell creates the score for ‘The Traitor’
Had $2,000 for the score from a challenging movie budget. Spent that plus a few hundred out of pocket. Well worth it.
Film, TV and Commercials Composer Patrick Cannell
Patrick Cannell is a working film, television and commercials composer based out of New York City. Patrick remains a much in demand talent due to his natural ability, quality compositions and his independent spirit in approaching new projects.
Jack Binder is an American Major Hollywood Studio & Independent film & television producer (Producer, Executive Producer, Line Producer & Directors Guild of America DGA-UPM) with a career spanning over 25 years.
Jack is currently Producing & financing ‘First Reformed’ starring Ethan Hawke & Amanda Seyfried for Writer/Director Paul Schrader with Omeira Studio Partners Ltd.
Producer Credits
