Contact The Center for Independent Documentary- Filmmakers Workshop for event and ticket information.
Domestic & International Film Financing Tutorial
With Sandra Schulberg
June 18 & 19 from 6-10 pm BOTH NIGHTS
A special CID filmmakers workshop in collaboration with the Alliance for Independent Motion Media members and partners. This event is made possible in part through the support of the John and Abagail Adams Art program of the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
This tutorial will be taught by Sandra Schulberg (sschulberg@aol.com), one of the pioneers of international financing for independent movies. Ms. Schulberg has been active in raising money for independent productions and nurturing indie filmmakers for more than 20 years. From 1998 to 2001, Ms. Schulberg worked as Executive Producer for the private German media fund, Hollywood Partners, and structured its financing in a slate of films (including the Oscar-nominated movie QUILLS, starring Geoffrey Rush and Kate Winslet), all of which involved multiple international production partners. From 1989 to 1996, she served as a senior executive of "American Playhouse," the PBS drama series, charged with raising funds from abroad. During the last three years, she served as Senior Vice President of its movie production subsidiary, Playhouse International Pictures. Her production credits include SHADOW MAGIC, UNDISPUTED, THE LAST YELLOW, WAITING FOR THE MOON (Sundance Grand Prize winner), I'LL TAKE YOU THERE, SHIMMER, ROOSTERS, WILDROSE, BELIZAIRE THE CAJUN, NORTHERN LIGHTS, ALAMBRISTA. Additionally, she was involved in the financing and marketing of more than a dozen Playhouse films, including SAFE, I SHOT ANDY WARHOLL, ANGELS & INSECTS, THE MUSIC OF CHANCE, AMATEUR, SIMPLE MEN, etc., and she helped Barbara Kopple to raising finishing funds for her non-fiction feature, MY GENERATION. She has been a key figure in helping to create worldwide markets for independent films as founder and former president of the Independent Feature Project (IFP) and as creator of the IFP Market. In 1980, Ms. Schulberg co-founded the niche film distribution company, First Run Features, which is also still operating today. She was one of the first nominators to the Sundance Institute's Filmmakers Lab, and served on the Sundance Festival Advisory Committee for 5 years. She also served on the Board of ITVS (Independent Television Service) for 3 years, during which it created a new world affairs satellite channel, Link-TV, in cooperation with Internews. She served as a founding director of the New York Documentary Center and its Docfest film festival. In 1994, Ms. Schulberg received the IFP Spirit Award for her contributions to independent cinema. Her movies have been showcased and have won awards at film festivals throughout the world. She does a limited amount of private consulting to assist both experienced and fledgling producers.
Session I: Domestic Film Financing
Combining For-Profit and Nonprofit Monies
▪ How a movie qualifies for tax-deductible contributions
▪ Understanding the notion of "mission" under non-profit law
▪ Appropriate use of a fiscal agent
▪ Obtaining a PRI, a Program-Related Investment, from a foundation
▪ Development loans from private individuals
Key Elements of a U.S. Investor Offering
▪ Determining the right financial instrument and when to form it
▪ What your offering plan tells investors
▪ Synopsis
▪ Cast/Crew Bios
▪ Chain of Title
▪ Summary of Talent Agreements (producer/writer/director)
▪ Production Budget & Schedule
▪ Financing Plan
▪ Deal Structure (description of investment units for sale and ROI)
▪ Marketing & Distribution Plan
▪ Risk Factors & Disclaimers
Session II: Foreign Film Financing
International Co-Production
▪ Official "treaty" co-productions
▪ Non-treaty co-financing
▪ Tax-driven funds
▪ Regional economic funds
▪ The key Co-Production Markets
Foreign Sales & Distribution
▪ Principles of pre-sale financing
▪ Selecting and contracting with a foreign sales company
▪ Structuring foreign sales and foreign distribution agreements
▪ The role of collection agencies
Session III: Project-specific guidance from Sandra Schulberg
During the final session, on the second night, Ms. Schulberg provides specific financing guidance for each participant's current feature project (whether fiction or non-fiction), applying her sense of the domestic and international opportunities and illustrating how they might be combined where appropriate. This aspect of the Tutorial has proved to be extremely useful and popular. It is conducted publicly, so each participant gets customized guidance but also learns from the discussion of the other projects.
Light refreshments will be available.
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