Videography can be an incredible way to express yourself and your vision, whether you are showing your creative side or something more informative for your audience. Filmmakers understand that it takes a lot of effort to produce such outstanding results, naturally requiring a big budget to complete the project. This can be daunting, especially if you are new to the industry and do not have any contacts. It’s time to explore your options and understand what will work best for your project.
How to fund a documentary
Documentaries are films that are intended to inform or present factual information and evidence to the audience. These can be short in duration to cover a specific topic or much longer to show different perspectives or interpretations of the topic.
The first and most important way of how to fund a documentary is to start with personal funds to get your film started. This method is by far the easiest, as it does not require the burden of debt to a third party. Savings accounts, 401ks, investment funds such as stocks or bonds, credit cards, and loose change from your sock drawer can all give you the first bit of momentum you need to start production. Budgeting your money can give you a better margin as well, allowing a regular source of income to flow to your documentary.
How to fund a webisode
A webisode is a unique way to view content. It is an original piece that is made available to view or download on the internet. It may be a short, or it may be a derivative of a television show; some webisodes are pieces that haven’t been aired but can be viewed somewhere on the internet instead.
You may be interested in learning how to fund a webisode and there are many good options. These do not have the same production costs as documentaries or films and therefore can be more accessible to filmmakers interested in making a name for themselves in this specific niche. Since this will be available online, it makes sense to look for communities that would be interested in your content. Using social media, internet real chat, and email campaigns, it would be very easy to crowdfund this project. Asking for small donations or starting a campaign on a crowdfunding website would allow you to reach a large audience with very little demand on the filmmaker. Once the project starts trending, many more people will become interested and offer to help support you as you look for ways of how to fund a webisode.
How to fund a short film
Short films have a long history dating back to the 1920s but are ever-popular today. The industry standard for a short film, or short, is 40 minutes or less, including all credits. Filmmakers in this niche have an advantage over other production styles because there are more companies and institutions willing to offer help. This will expedite the process in finding out how to fund a short film and get your reels rolling.
The first way is to look into different tax credits that are offered for filmmaking. Tax credits help offset total expense by reducing the amount of income tax that you need to pay. For example, if you are required to pay $5,000 in income taxes, but you are granted a $5,000 credit, your net cost is zero. This is very advantageous as it is saving you money on the back end. This is referred to as soft money. Tax credits can be given by the state that you are filming in because it may bring in revenue in the form of tourism. It also benefits the local economy through lodging, when crew members need a place to stay, and also restaurants, when crew and cast get hungry on set.
With all of these options, it is sure that you will find how to fund your project. Take time to research each option and weigh the pros and cons of them. For bigger projects, it may make sense to use a combination of sources for funding, or even all of them. Be realistic in your needs and keep in mind that it is always better to have more funding available and not need it than to not have enough and need more.