The SHORT!

Guide to Producing

In this book, Charles Merzbacher offers a concise, definitive guide to the

essential skills, techniques, and logistics of producing short films, focusing on
the practical knowledge needed for line producing and overseeing smaller-
scale productions. Merzbacher, a longtime instructor and accomplished
filmmaker, takes producers through every stage of the production process—
from preproduction and planning to the producer’s role in postproduction
and distribution—weaving together best practices with insights from real-life
production scenarios.
Key topics include:

• Finding a worthy project

• Schedules and budgets
• Managing the casting process
• Recruiting and managing crew
• Location scouting
• Legal and safety issues
• Running a production
• Negotiating music rights
• And much more!

An accompanying website—available at theshortseries.com—offers document

templates (for contracts, call sheets, budgets and other production paperwork),
fully-completed paperwork to use as samples, video interviews and more.

Charles Merzbacher has been a member of Boston University’s Film &

Television faculty for over twenty years. As a filmmaker, he has won several
awards for his many short productions. His work has been exhibited around
the world, including at the Sundance, San Francisco, Seattle and Montreal
International Film Festivals. As a media educator, Merzbacher has overseen the
production of several thousand student films and has also delivered workshops
and lectures at other institutions at home and abroad.
The SHORT! Guide
to Producing

The Practical Essentials of Producing

Short Films

Charles Merzbacher
First published 2018
by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
and by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2018 Taylor & Francis
The right of Charles Merzbacher to be identified as the author of
this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77
and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice : Product or corporate names may be trademarks
or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Merzbacher, Charles, author.
Title: The SHORT! guide to producing : the practical essentials of
producing short films / Charles Merzbacher.
Description: New York : Routledge, 2018. | Includes index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2018001269 | ISBN 9780815394204 (hardback) |
ISBN 9780815394211 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781351186551 (e-book)
Subjects: LCSH: Short films—Production and direction.
Classification: LCC PN1995.9.P7 M44 2018 | DDC 791.4302/32—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018001269
ISBN: 978-0-815-39420-4 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-815-39421-1 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-351-18655-1 (ebk)

Typeset in Times New Roman

by Apex CoVantage, LLC
Contents

Introduction: Looking Before Leaping 1

Be Prepared 1
Is There an Audience for This Short? 4
Defining the Producer’s Role 5
The Short Dilemma: Who’s in Charge? 6
Shoebox Redhead: A Textbook Case 8
Terminology 11
Production Management Software 11

1 Getting Down to Business 12

Financing Your Film 12
Television Distribution 13
Government Support 14
The Funding of Student Productions 16
Private Foundations and Commercial Underwriting 17
Specialized Markets 18
Profit Versus Non-Profit 18
Ownership Versus Sponsorship 20
Online Fundraising Platforms 21
Appealing to Friends and Family 22
Setting Up to Do Business 23

2 Preproduction 25
Safety First 25
Clearing Rights to Intellectual Property 26
Copyright and the Public Domain 27
vi Contents

Story Rights 28
Screenplay Rights 30
An Overview of Preproduction and a Timeline 31

3 Script Breakdown 37
What Exactly Am I Producing? 37
Numbering Scenes 38
Measuring Scenes 40
Marking Up the Script: Know the Code 41
Putting the Code Into Action 46

4 Breakdown Sheets 50
Creating Breakdown Sheets 50
How Many Sheets? 50
A Sample Sheet 51
Filling in the Header 53
Some Tricky Details 55
Pushing On 57

5 The Schedule 58
Building the Shooting Schedule 58
Options for Laying Out the Schedule 59
What Has Priority? 61
How Many Days? 64
Taking a Stab at It 67
The Arc of the Shoot 68
The Schedule in Overview 70

6 The Budget 75
The Secrets of Budgeting 75
The Architecture of a Budget 76
Different Kinds of Zeroes 79
Fringes, Per Diems and Other Budgeting Terms 80
Negotiating Rates With Vendors 84
To Buy or to Rent 87
A Budget Template 88
 Contents vii

7 Beyond Budgeting Basics 89

Revealing Details 89
How Food Can (and Should) Eat Up Your Budget 89
Taxes, Mileage and Other Details That Can Break the Bank 91
A Walking Tour of a Budget 92
Stunts and Special Effects on a Budget 100

8 The Crew 103

How Big Is Big Enough? 103
Understanding Departments and Crew Hierarchy 103
Payments, Deferrals and Favors 108
Cutting Deals: From Box Rentals to Favored Nations 110

9 The Cast 112

The Producer’s Role in Casting 112
The Casting Process 112
Hiring a Casting Director 114
Producing Auditions 115
Casting Professionals and Actors From Other Regions 118
Working With the Actors’ Unions 119
Using Non-Actors, Using Friends and Other Special Cases 125
Casting Crowds 126
Performer Releases 127

10 Locations 131
Ask, Don’t Steal 131
Scouting Locations 132
Negotiating and Securing Locations 137
Copyright, Trademark and Fair Use 140
Insurance 144
A Note About Operating Vehicles and Heavy Machinery 147

11 Production Paperwork 148

Before You Roll: The Final Details 148
The Daily Production Schedule 150
Options for Displaying and Sharing Your Schedule 153
viii Contents

The Call Sheet and Other Paperwork 153

Purchase Orders 156
Working Away From Home 158

12 The Shoot 160

Once More With Feeling: Safety Matters 160
Riding the Whirlwind 162
Conceding, Settling, Hanging Tough and Whittling 162
How to Manage Crises and Tiffs (and How to Tell Them
Apart) 165
Revising the Schedule During Production 167
Tracking the Budget Through Production 168

13 Music 172
Kinds of Film Music 172
Music Rights 173
Using Existing Music 177
Production Music and Music Libraries 178
Licensing Commercially Released Music 179
Working With a Composer 181
Temp Track Love 183

14 Postproduction 185
The Producer’s Role in Postproduction 185
Pick-Ups 186
Postproduction Workflow 187
Fixing It in Post: Color Correction and Other Adjustments 189
Mixing and Outputting 191
Budgeting for Postproduction 194

15 Promotion and Distribution 198

The Ladder to Success 198
Distribution Strategies for the Short Film 199
Scarcity Versus Ubiquity 201
The Festival Circuit 202
The Press Kit and Other Promotional Materials 207
Deliverables 212
Online Distribution 213
 Contents ix

Conclusion: The Long and the Short of It 215

Appendix A: Script for Shoebox Redhead 219

Appendix B: Budget for Shoebox Redhead 233
Appendix C: Contract Templates 244
Purchase Agreement Template for Acquisition of
Underlying Story Rights 244
Screenwriter Agreement Template 248
Exhibit A 252
Services Agreement Template for Crew 254
Performer Agreement Template for Cast Members 260
Location Agreement Template 266
Synchronization License Agreement Template 270
Master Use License Agreement Template 274
Composer Agreement Template 278
Appendix D: Further Reading 283
Appendix E: Contributor Biographies 285
Appendix F: Glossary of Terms 290
Acknowledgements 301
About the Author 303
Index 304
Introduction
Looking Before Leaping

Be Prepared
Whether it is made for profit or not, a film is always a business enterprise. It
involves contracts, budgets, schedules and personnel. The people who oversee
these aspects of a production are called line producers, though more often than
not they carry other titles. This book will focus on the skills related to what
is sometimes called line producing or physical production as they relate to
short films and videos. The following topics are addressed:

• Financing the production

• Schedules
• Budgets
• Recruiting and managing crew
• Legal issues
• Running a production

While all these issues are central concerns of feature or television production
as well, they frequently require a different approach on shorts. In all cases,
however, line producing is where the rubber meets the road, where we deal
with the nuts and bolts of getting a film made.
The Boy Scouts of America was founded before the Producers Guild of
America. We know this because, were that not the case, the Producers Guild
rather than the Boy Scouts would have as its motto, “Be prepared.” Even so,
while the Scouts may be able to lay official claim to these watchwords, they
remain the unofficial credo of every producer. Throughout this book, we’ll
stress the importance of thinking like a producer. In the realm of media produc-
tion, producers carry crucial responsibilities that require a particular mindset.
This involves a great deal of both tactical and strategic thinking, but above all,
it involves being prepared.
2 Introduction

Pro Tip
“Great producing almost doesn’t draw attention to itself. That’s really what
a great producer is: a great producer is somebody who can create a great
environment where great artists can do great work. When that happens, it’s
magic.”
—Jay Roewe

A talented friend has brought you a proposal. She has a story from her child-
hood that she wants to turn into a short film. She’ll direct; you’ll produce.
Great! But before you raise one dollar, make one call for crew or launch one
promotional tweet, take a deep breath and a big step back. Ask yourself: is this
the right project to take on now? Do you feel passionate about this? Produc-
ing is hard work, and there is little reward in working on an unsuccessful or
(worse yet) incomplete production. So, take a moment to assess the project in
the starkest terms. This is the first step toward being prepared.
Although much of what we’ll cover in this book is equally applicable to
producing documentary or other non-fiction fare, the assumption throughout
this text is that you are producing a drama or comedy that will be scripted and
acted out. That being the case, your first concern is that you have a great story
and that it’s told well—in other words, a killer script. What makes for a killer
script? Consider these questions:

• Does the script have an ingenious central concept or tell a compelling

story? Shorts are different from features in this regard. A short (provided it
really is short) can sometimes survive by wits alone. As YouTube teaches
us every day, a clever idea—even a gimmick—can suffice to hold our
attention for a few minutes. Of course, a fascinating narrative certainly is a
winning asset as well, but take care: not all stories fit the short form, which
leads to the next point . . .
• Does the story work as a short? Again, the rules here are different than
for features. After spending two hours with a group of characters, we feel
entitled to some resolution of their struggles. Conversely, a story that takes
us through enormous upheaval only to wrap everything up neatly in eight
minutes may feel contrived and pat. We often accept and even welcome
a degree of ambiguity and open-endedness with shorts. Fundamentally,
there are stories that, in scope and conception, fit the scale of a short film.
Make sure yours is one of these.
• Is the script finished? Sounds funny even to ask this, doesn’t it? But
many screenplays have very appealing qualities and yet aren’t ready to go
 Introduction 3

before the camera. Are there plot points that ring false? Does the dialog
sound convincing? For reasons that will be apparent as we follow the pro-
ducing path, it’s essential that you go into production with a thoroughly
polished script.

Pro Tip
“I’ve seen a number of times—brilliant short films—that don’t land the end-
ing. So, when judging for the Oscar shorts, we watch this film, and it’s great
and you’re there with the filmmaker, but they haven’t thought about what the
ending is. A lot of times, it comes down to the final shot. We’ve gone on this
whole journey, and they didn’t resolve it.”
—Bob Degus

• Does the script employ the language of cinema effectively? By this, we

aren’t referring to filmmaking terminology. When films work, it’s almost
always because they deliver an experience that is distinct from what can be
found by going to the theater, looking at a painting or listening to the spoken
word. Does your screenplay take advantage of the particular assets of motion
pictures? Does it suggest opportunities for visual storytelling or for the inter-
play of sound and image? Simply put, is this the right medium for this story?
• Is the script producible? The process of making an accurate tally of all the
resources required by a script requires painstaking analysis. This is why
it’s never safe to start bandying about budget figures after reading a script
through once. Even so, as you read a screenplay, you must make a broad-
brush assessment of its production demands and then ask yourself if you
can realistically expect to meet those demands. A twenty-page script that
takes place on an alpine glacier can’t be produced over a long weekend in
St. Louis. Therefore, ask yourself: are you sure that you have the means to
make this project?
• Is funding for the project in place? In the world of commercial film-
making, the team that manages physical production seldom plays a role
in securing financing for a movie. Such distinctions don’t always hold up
on shorts, and as the producer, you may be called upon to help or even
spearhead fundraising efforts. Even if this is the case, you need to enter
into the fray with a realistic picture of the project’s finances. If a director is
planning to make an adventure set in outer space yet has no firm prospects
to back the venture, you should think very hard before attaching yourself
to the project.
4 Introduction

If your screenplay meets the criteria posed by these six questions, it is well
on its way to being a killer script. But before you sign on to the project, there
is one more question to consider, a question that you as producer must worry
about more than any of your collaborators. Because this is so, I’ve given it a
heading all its own . . .

Is There an Audience for This Short?

Courting an audience isn’t anything to be ashamed of. Indeed, it’s an absolutely
essential part of filmmaking, and the process should start before anything else
gets under way. If you can’t think of concrete ways of attracting viewers to
your movie while it is but a brilliant twinkle in your eye, what makes you
believe you’ll be able to do so once you’ve got a finished film on your hands?
I have seen a number of delightful features and shorts wind up orphaned, never
able to cultivate the audiences they deserved, simply because they had no obvi-
ous attributes that could lure viewers.
In saying this, I am categorically not suggesting that the answer is always
to aim for mass appeal. Indeed, to apply a “blockbuster mindset” to shorts
is to misunderstand the way that most shorts find their audiences. Consider
that staple of feature filmmaking, the thriller. It’s a mainstay of Hollywood
filmmaking, and entire television series (think 24) have been built around the
thriller formula. It may therefore come as a surprise to learn that thrillers are
a pretty tough sell in the realm of shorts. Film series curators and festival pro-
grammers are usually looking for more offbeat material. Meanwhile, on the
more plebian side of the tracks—the world of YouTube and other online media
outlets—folks generally aren’t browsing for ten-minute thrillers. In fact, with
the exception of comedy, they aren’t searching by genre. Instead, they search
for subjects that they’re passionate about.

Pro Tip
“You really need to make a film for an audience. People try to dilute that for
some reason. I think the best thing you can do for yourself as a producer of
a short film is to imagine what the trailer is and to ask: what are your trailer
moments? When people read the blurb or they see the still that’s going to
entice them in to see the movie—you should know that well in advance.”
—Georgia Kacandes
 Introduction 5

So, ask yourself: does your script have elements that people are passionate
about? This could include subjects, themes, actors or music, to name but a
few key attributes. Elsewhere, we’ll explore further the outlets and markets
for short films, but for now, let’s keep things simple and just rely on common
sense as our guide. Apart from just being able to say, “It’s a really good film!”
what will you be able to say about your completed short that will get people to
watch it, and who exactly are those people?
This discussion of the qualities that make a script great or a project viable
is just the tip of an iceberg known as development. Finding and developing a
winning concept for a short could be the subject of a separate book. The degree
to which you should be involved in the development process depends on what
kind of producer you are.

Defining the Producer’s Role

As the opening credits of a feature film or television show roll along, you’ll
notice a plethora of titles involving some variant of “producer” or “produc-
tion.” In addition to plain old producer, you will also find some or all of these
titles: executive producer, creative producer, associate producer, co-producer,
line producer, unit production manager, production coordinator and executive
in charge of production. Let’s examine a few of these professional shingles:

• Executive producer: Usually, this is the person who lines up financing,

completion funds or distribution for a feature. Shorts need funding and
distribution too, so we sometimes see this credit on shorts, but—no surprise—
the persons earning this credit often already have another important title:
Mom or Dad.
• Creative producer: This is a term that is particularly popular in television.
The Creative Producer is the captain of the entire creative team; the series or
production manifests his vision. This title is not often found on shorts.
• Executive in charge of production: This refers to the liaison for the studio
or network that is backing a project. Again, not a title we’ll find on shorts.

This leaves us with a core set of terms: associate producer, co-producer, line
producer, unit production manager, production coordinator. These credits all
refer to people who in most instances are directly involved with the physical
production of a film or series. Complex and ambitious short productions may
have some or (in very rare cases) all of these crew positions. More often than
not, one or two people fill these roles on shorts—perhaps just a single pro-
ducer, or a producer and a production manager.
6 Introduction

Pro Tip
“I prefer other titles like executive producer or co-producer when I’m doing
the line producing job, because I think they’re more descriptive of what the
work really entails, which includes certain creative decisions.”
—Marie Cantin

The Short Dilemma: Who’s in Charge?

In certain respects, the division of authority in the realm of shorts is more
straightforward than it is in the wider world of production. On short produc-
tions, directors tend to make the creative decisions while producers deal with
the practical issues. This sounds simple, and indeed it would be, were it not for
a couple of potential stumbling blocks.
Let’s return to your friend who wants to make a short based on a story from
her childhood. Obviously, this is a personal project for her, one she has been
thinking about for a long time. She can probably see and hear the movie play-
ing in her mind. At the same time, however, she’s smart enough to know that
she can’t handle all the responsibilities involved in bringing this vision to life,
so what does she do? She decides that she will hold onto the creative reins
while finding someone else—you!—to manage the logistics. So far, so good,
but as soon as this division of duties gets tested in the real world, questions
will arise. Let’s say that the story calls for several days of shooting at a high
school dance, with hundreds of teenage extras. As the producer, you determine
that you can’t afford to feed and chaperone that many people, so you propose
changing the setting to something more manageable—a house party. This new
setting doesn’t jibe with the movie the director has playing in her mind, how-
ever, so she is determined to hold onto the big dance at the high school. In such
a situation, who ultimately calls the shots?
The answer to that question very likely comes down to an even more funda-
mental issue: who owns the project? At the end of the process, you will have
a completed movie. A copy of your precious production on a disc or a hard
drive might not feel like much in your hand, but it is something tangible, and
somebody owns it. Naturally, in most cases, ownership goes to the person who
either directly paid for the production or lined up the financing for it. On shorts,
very commonly this person is the director.
This simple fact can cause major problems. You’re worried about not hav-
ing the money to feed and care for all the extras for those days of shooting the
high school dance, but at the end of the day, you don’t hold the purse strings,
the director does. And since she’s determined to keep the scene as is, what
 Introduction 7

real authority do you have to say or do otherwise? It should be apparent how

quickly such an imbalance of power can quickly lead to chaos. The producer
is supposed to be making the logistical decisions, but the director’s authority
trumps that of the producer as soon as those decisions impinge on creative
considerations—as they invariably do.
Ideally, there should be a productive tension between the producer and the
director. In our example, there is an honest debate to be had about how impor-
tant it is to set the story at a high school dance versus a house party. The
producer and director should work through the issue, each person maintaining
a healthy respect for the other’s authority. Naturally, this can’t happen if one
person holds all the cards. It’s possible to avoid this dilemma, but doing so
requires forethought and commitment from both parties. Here are three impor-
tant steps you can take to steer clear of the minefield:

• Put some skin in the game: Though parents make wonderful executive
producers, they may not be able to finance an entire production on their
own. This is where you come in. Even if you raise only a portion of the
overall budget, bringing in those last dollars can make a crucial difference,
and this can translate into clout. I once supervised a student producer who
was working with a particularly headstrong director. The producer man-
aged to secure several thousand dollars’ worth of film stock—an in-kind
grant that permitted the project to go forward. You can be certain that the
fact that the producer reeled in that free footage gave his views added
weight.
• Set up a joint account: Imagine this scenario: the producer has lined up a
church as a location. The congregation is only seeking a refundable $500
deposit—a great deal! Unfortunately, the producer can’t seal the deal with
a check because all the production funds are in the director’s account. In
the world of features and television production, such a situation would be
patently absurd—a producer who can’t spend money?!—yet it happens
all the time on shorts. As we have already indicated, keeping all fiduci-
ary control on a project in the hands of the director doesn’t just produce
logistical bottlenecks; it virtually assures that the producer is relegated to
the status of glorified gofer. The easiest way to avoid this web of problems
is to set up a joint bank account for which both director and producer have
check-signing privileges. This may seem an obvious and simple step, but
in fact it can be one of the hardest points to negotiate. For many young
filmmakers, an ambitious short production is the costliest undertaking of
their lives. They may have spent years lining up the money needed to
make this project—and now they are going to put it into someone else’s
hands? Well, yes! Genuine collaboration requires a degree of letting go.
Complicating matters, however, is the fact that sometimes our nightmares
8 Introduction

come true. Consider the case of a film student I knew who got a fellow
student to agree to produce her senior film. No sooner had she transferred
all the funds for the production into the producer’s account than—poof!—
it was all gone in a cloud of cocaine. Yes, despite having been friendly
with the producer throughout her years in college, the director was una-
ware that he had developed a devastating drug problem. After hearing this
harrowing tale, I started advising filmmakers to parcel out funds to their
partners in thirds, just as you might if you were paying a house painter or
a landscaper: a third up front, a third at the start of production and a third
as editing begins.
• Draw up an agreement: When you sign on to produce a film, there is a lot
of goodwill in the air. As the doctors say, this is perfectly normal. Never-
theless, you mustn’t let all the bonhomie prevent you from nailing down
the specifics of your job, and there is no clearer and safer way of doing
this than putting it all down on paper. Make a list of responsibilities for the
producer, director and any other key partners. Who has final say on hiring
crew? Who keeps the production on track, especially when you need to
make up time or recoup money? Write it all down, then go through this
list point by point with your partners. When you believe that you are all
in accord, write up an agreement that commits you all to abiding by these
roles. Have everybody sign the agreement. If this makes you squeamish,
get over it. In my view, forcing partners to take a hard look at their jobs is
a step well worth any passing discomfort that the exercise might cause.

Whatever you do, don’t ignore this issue. In studio productions, tussles between
directors and producers are the stuff of legend, but in reality, such produc-
tions chug along like well-oiled machines in the great majority of cases. Why?
Because there is a clear delineation of the rights and responsibilities that apply
to each position. When the terms of these assignments become less clear-cut,
as they inevitably do on shorts, it’s necessary to redraw the lines of authority.
Consider this your first official job as the producer.

Shoebox Redhead : A Textbook Case

Throughout this book, frequent reference will be made to Shoebox Redhead,
a short film that was written and directed by Matt Lawrence. Matt made this
short as he was completing his graduate degree at Boston University, where I
was his faculty advisor. When I started to work on this book, I knew I would
need a case study that I could return to as I guided the reader through the vari-
ous stages of producing a film. I could have created hypothetical plans for an
unproduced script, but it occurred to me that there was a key advantage to
working from an existing production. There is always a wide gulf between the
 Introduction 9

idealized film we plan on the drawing board and the movie that actually gets
made. The old saying tells us that “only a fool learns by experience,” but surely
it’s far more foolish not to learn from experience that is available to us at no
personal cost. By using Shoebox Redhead as a case study, I realized I could
give the reader the best of both worlds—both the “textbook version” of how
things should be done and some insight into what really happened.
In my teaching career, I have overseen several thousand short productions.
Given all those potential examples to draw from, there are two principal rea-
sons I selected Shoebox Redhead as the specimen we would dissect. First,
while there is no such thing as a typical short film, as I got to observe Shoebox
Redhead evolve from a first story pitch to a finished movie, I found that this
project had a great deal in common with many other productions in terms of
its scope and complexity. Second, while I certainly believe that there is much
we can learn from our failures, it’s very hard to lay out a path toward success
if we have no positive models to follow. Shoebox Redhead is a great guide in
this respect in that, although its cast and crew went through their share of mis-
adventures, the film that emerged from the experience was highly successful.
It toured on the festival circuit for a couple of years and even picked up some
awards. But don’t take my word for it: you can check the film out for yourself
on Vimeo or by locating the link to it on the website associated with this book,
theshortseries.com.
As we go through the steps of preparing Shoebox Redhead for production,
we’ll refer frequently to the script, which can be found in Appendix A. Here is
a summary of the story:

The demise of his relationship with ex-girlfriend Jacki has left Matt (played
by Matt Lawrence) profoundly depressed. Determined to help him move
on, best friend Ryan (Ryan Conrath) accompanies Matt to a garage sale,
where he convinces the sellers to accept a box containing the last vestiges
of his shared life with Jacki. At the garage sale, Matt finds a shoebox filled
with an old Polaroid camera and an assortment of snapshots, all featur-
ing Mandi, an alluring redheaded woman. Matt buys the shoebox and its
contents. When he and Ryan test the camera moments later, they discover
that it has magical properties. For example, when Matt takes a picture
of Ryan, a clown appears in the photo in place of Ryan. Even this fanci-
ful and miraculous development fails to lift the pall that surrounds Matt.
Spooked and angered by the clown apparition, he tries unsuccessfully to
return the camera to its previous owner at the yard sale. Driving home,
Matt and Ryan are startled to discover Ira (Rob Ribera)—the very clown
who had appeared in their Polaroid test shots—handing out burger sam-
ples at Big Top Drive-In. When interrogated by the two young men, Ira
professes to know nothing about how he ended up in the photos. Playing
10 Introduction

the role of paranormal sleuth, Ryan takes Ira’s picture. This time, in place
of an image of Ira at the drive-in, the Polaroid produces a view of a bench
at a seaside amusement park. Ira identifies the location in the picture as
Rigby Pier, a nearby attraction. Abandoning his job in favor of exploring
the unfolding mystery, Ira joins Matt and Ryan as they head to the pier.
Once there, Matt takes a snapshot of the same view of the pier seen in
the previous photo. Out pops a Polaroid picture that does indeed show
the pier, only now Mandi, the redhead seen in the shoebox photos, has
magically appeared on the bench in the picture. Matt again reacts to this
uncanny incident with bitter disbelief. His sour response provokes Ryan
into confronting him about his bilious mood. Finally forced to face his
demons, Matt owns up to his despair. He takes a seat on the bench where
Mandi appeared. Ryan takes his photo, and in the image that emerges from
the camera, Matt can be seen, seated next to Mandi the redhead. In a final
twist, when Ryan looks back to the bench, he finds that his forlorn friend
has disappeared. Their adventure complete, Ryan sets the shoebox and its
haunted contents adrift in the ocean waves. He and Ira drive off, presum-
ably to explore more of life’s mysteries together.

For all its detail, this synopsis manages only to cover the facts of the story,
while failing to capture its charm. Shoebox Redhead might be called a fairy
tale for grown-ups. As with any good fairy tale, the spell cast by the narrative
depends on its characters treating whimsical events with the utmost serious-
ness. I provide this summary as a ready reference for character names, settings
and other story elements to which we will return again and again, but please
don’t let this serve as a substitute for taking a few minutes to read the screen-
play. That time will be well spent, as it will provide you with a much firmer
grasp of the material that we will be dissecting in the pages that follow.
Apart from the script, most of the documents related to Shoebox Redhead
that I will share in this book are files that I have created as if I were producing the
short. So as not to give the impression that I had any real role in producing this
fine film, I have given the producer the name Alan Smithee, a pseudonym more
commonly used by directors seeking to take their name off a work. The full
documentation related to the production—both the idealized “textbook” ver-
sions and the real-world records—may be found at theshortseries.com.
Throughout the text, you will find sidebar passages. Some of these are iden-
tified as Shoebox Diaries. These segments offer commentary from the cast and
crew of Shoebox Redhead about what actually went down on that production.
These observations reveal how both human nature and Mother Nature played
roles in determining how the film got made. The talented folks involved in
Shoebox Redhead have since gone on to work on many other productions,
including feature films and television shows, and some of their observations
 Introduction 11

reflect that broader perspective. Another set of comments are labeled Pro Tips.
These notes come from veteran film producers. You can find information on all
the contributors to these sidebar entries in Appendix E. It is my hope that, by
assembling a chorus of voices to augment and at times challenge my approach,
you’ll come away from this book with a comprehensive understanding of the
producing process. In some instances, the Pro Tips and Shoebox Diaries entries
have been lightly edited for readability.

Terminology
Filmmaking has its own lexicon. In this strange terminology, a cookie is not
for eating, lights come with barndoors and an ordinary clothespin can hide
behind the opaque nickname C47. Even a common word like coverage can
have unexpected meanings. Not everyone will come to this book with the same
level of fluency in this language, so I have provided a glossary in Appendix
F. As demonstrated in this paragraph, if a term that is defined in the glossary
appears in the text, its first appearance will be noted in boldface.

Production Management Software

There are a number of software packages that streamline and optimize the
production management process. These include Movie Magic Scheduling and
Movie Magic Budgeting, Gorilla film production software and Showbiz pro-
duction software. Should you buy one of these software packages? It depends.
If you are already certain that you want to pursue a career as a production
manager or producer, then go for it. The sooner you start to acquaint yourself
with one or more of these programs, the better, and fluency with production
management software looks good on a résumé. On the other hand, if you are
just trying on the role of producer for size, you might wait. Software isn’t like
fine wine; there is no advantage to owning it if it’s just going to sit on the shelf.
No matter how you decide to proceed, be advised that the paperwork dis-
cussed in this book was created using standard word processing and spreadsheet
programs. Templates and sample documents in common file formats (.pdf, .doc,
.xls) can be found on the SHORT! Guide website, theshortseries.com.
Chapter 1

Getting Down to Business

Financing Your Film

Before you start worrying about how you are going to pay for your movie, do
yourself a favor: read the rest of this book. By the end of it, you will have a
detailed understanding of the factors that determine a production’s budget. In
truth, you can only get an accurate picture of a project’s budget once a number
of important variables, from production format to cast and crew size, have been
nailed down. This is why it is risky to talk in terms of a “typical budget” for
a short film. I have overseen shorts that ranged in budget from a few hundred
dollars to over $60,000. The great majority of productions have fallen within
the range of $6,000–$12,000, but it would be foolish to therefore assume that
$9,000 is a meaningful average. With experience, you will develop an ability
to estimate budgets based on a couple of read-throughs of the script. Neverthe-
less, it will remain the case that every film’s financial requirements are unique.
The production of a short film could serve any number of aims. It could
help you develop your skills as a storyteller. It could be a calling card, a way
to show the world what you can do. It could be a very effective vehicle for
galvanizing support for a cause. There are plenty of good reasons to make
short films, but making money is probably not one of them. The avenues for
generating revenue are few, and even these scant opportunities are often more
like mirages than real sources of income. Let’s examine some of the claims that
people make for turning a profit with a short film:

• “Look at all these fabulous prizes!”: Every week seems to bring the
announcement of another short film contest, and some of these competi-
tions offer cash prizes. In the great majority of cases, however, there are
stipulations regarding either the nature of the content (e.g., entries must
promote a particular product) or the conditions under which the produc-
tion must occur (e.g., the well-known 48-Hour Film Project and its many
imitators). We will take a much closer look at the film festival circuit in a
 Getting Down to Business 13

later chapter. For now, suffice it to say that relatively few give cash awards
to shorts. It’s worth keeping an eye out for those that do, especially when
they pop up at smaller, less competitive events, but predicating your film’s
success on its winning cash prizes at festivals is like using the lottery as
your retirement plan. Not only are the odds against you, but you’ll also
spend a fortune on festival entry fees chasing those elusive prizes.
• “Our movie will go viral and we’ll live off the online ad revenue!”: Many
believe that the ascent of YouTube, Vimeo and other online video sharing
sites are fomenting a new golden age of short film, the last such epoch
arguably being the advent of the music video almost 40 years ago. The
good news is that the internet is indeed a game changer: it provides us
with an immediate “frictionless” portal to a worldwide audience. The bad
news is that relatively few filmmakers have proven adept at making smash
online video hits, and unless your videos attract millions of eyeballs, you
won’t be able to support your filmmaking habit with the profit-sharing
schemes that are presently out there. A sizeable gulf separates the multi-
tude of popular and widely viewed online movies from the few shorts that
genuinely go viral and generate revenue.
• “We’ll cut a distribution deal!”: Since the advent of feature films back in
the silent era, there has never been much of a market for the theatrical distri-
bution of shorts. Should a distributor approach you about your movie, by all
means see what they have to offer, but don’t expect to walk away with more
than $500. Much independent distribution is moving away from traditional
venues and focusing on online platforms and streaming services like iTunes,
Netflix and Amazon. To date, stand-alone short films haven’t found a home
in that market. When we discuss marketing strategies later in this book,
we’ll consider ways that producers of shorts might venture into growing
the business of streaming content, but under even the sunniest of scenarios,
revenues returned through online distribution are going to be modest.

I recognize that none of this is sounding very rosy. Actually, there are certain
instances where a short film can make money—or at least not lose money.
Let’s examine them individually.

Television Distribution
The prospects of getting a short distributed via television stations or networks
vary considerably by territory. In the U.S., arts-friendly networks such as IFC
and Sundance have shown sporadic interest in shorts. Public broadcasting
affiliates occasionally air short film series, and the PBS network has at times
14 Getting Down to Business

incorporated shorts into its programming. The sums paid by these outlets are
relatively modest—think $500—and keep in mind that distribution deals tend
to be exclusive, so whatever you get paid by a channel or network is very likely
to be all the money you will make from cable and broadcast.
In the rest of world, the situation can be more promising. In Europe, for
example, governments still exercise—directly or indirectly—considerable
influence over television outlets. In the classical model of the state-run televi-
sion channel, programming isn’t as formulaic as it is with commercial televi-
sion. Shorts are often used to fill out an hour or to provide a break between
longer offerings. State-funded channels pick up shorts from the international
marketplace, but they may also have a mandate to encourage and support
indigenous filmmaking. In such cases, channels acquire movies by commis-
sioning them outright or by partnering with state-run film funds. In either case,
the deal was more or less the same: in exchange for providing funding, the
channel gets the right to show the finished film. Sometimes a state-run film
school is involved. While he was a film student, the French filmmaker François
Ozon made many short productions with funding from regional and national
television channels. He continued to receive funding from these channels as he
embarked on his professional career.
By now, this trajectory has been followed by several generations of film-
makers. As with so many government programs, subsidies for film production
have been cut back as the media economy has become globalized. In most
countries, state-funded channels now must compete with privately held net-
works and streaming media platforms. This undercuts the comfortable hege-
mony of state-owned media. Nevertheless, particularly in smaller countries,
producers should check with their public and private television networks to see
what sort of funding exists for shorts. Don’t be surprised to learn that support
and distribution schemes come and go, running for a few seasons before being
axed or replaced.
As for hawking your short in the international television market, remember
those hardy short film distributors? Some of them also act as foreign sales rep-
resentatives. For a percentage of gross receipts, these agents will sell your film
in various foreign territories. You won’t make much money selling to any one
territory, but if you can find a home for your movie in lots of small countries, the
fees can add up. Even so, only the rarest of short films recoups its cost this way.

Government Support
In many countries, the notion that the state should support the arts is an article
of faith. Before you rush out to buy a ticket to that Shangri-La where you
need only ask in order to receive funding for your film, please understand that
support for the arts—and perhaps especially for the costly process of making
 Getting Down to Business 15

movies—is always intensely competitive. Government funding for filmmak-

ers does exist on many levels in various parts of the world, but it is impos-
sible to generalize about the nature of that support. For example, it is wrong to
assume that larger or richer countries are more generous than smaller and less
advantaged ones. Nor can you draw a neat correspondence between political
philosophy and state support. Government funding may be easier to come by
for emerging filmmakers in Bulgaria than it is in China, despite the latter’s
enormous economic power and nominal adherence to communist principles.
Actually, sometimes smaller nations are more entrepreneurial when it comes
to supporting media makers. Sticking with Bulgaria as an example, some of the
governmental grants are simply aimed at getting people to come and shoot in
the country—you don’t even have to be Bulgarian to apply.
While the nature and degree of government support varies widely around
the globe, some common themes turn up from country to country. For instance,
art and film funding often isn’t only or even primarily offered on a national
level. In many cases, more plentiful and generous support can be found on
the regional or local level. In the United States, where government funding
for the arts is notoriously scarce, town arts councils can be open to supporting
a favorite daughter or son. Tapping into these local funds can be easier than
wringing support from federal programs such as the National Endowment for
the Arts, where short filmmakers must compete against the heavy hitters of
independent cinema. In the United Kingdom, although there is a film fund that
is administered on the national level by the British Film Institute, another large
provider of funding, London Calling, is focused on supporting filmmakers in
(can you guess?) London. There are also regional arts councils in the United
Kingdom that have been instrumental in supporting filmmakers early in their
careers. The same can be said of the film offices in some of the cities and prov-
inces of South Africa. In Norway, filmmakers are encouraged to seek funding
from their hometown arts councils, where the competition is said to be less
severe than in the bigger cities. The moral of this story is that you shouldn’t
make assumptions about the existence or extent of government underwriting
for media production in your area. Furthermore, as Dorothy learned after visit-
ing Oz, sometimes the best support can be found back home.
A number of media and arts grants require that awarded funds be admin-
istered by fiscal sponsors. This is especially true in the United States. In
exchange for a small percentage of the grant funds, a fiscal sponsor safe-
guards and vouches for the legitimacy of the grants collected. This system may
sound like a legalized form of money laundering, but its purpose is to ensure
that grants go to the purposes for which they were awarded. Many local and
regional arts organizations provide fiscal sponsorship for filmmakers.
In the United States, it is quite common for film grants to awarded only once
editing is under way. The rationale behind such “completion funding” is as
16 Getting Down to Business

follows: filmmaking is such a complex enterprise that not a few great movie
ideas end up stillborn. By insisting on funding only productions that are well
on their way toward completion, the funder ensures both that the film will
come to fruition and that a certain level of quality is attained. Of course, this
stipulation leaves many producers with a Catch-22: they can’t qualify for com-
pletion funds because they don’t have the money needed to get their project in
the can. Grants for completion funding do exist on the international stage as
well. In Argentina, a state-backed film fund runs a contest each year to provide
funding for postproduction on features and shorts. That said, in many coun-
tries, grants are not restricted in this way, or they might be targeted toward a
different phase of production. As an example, the British Film Institute admin-
isters grants that can be applied toward the initial development of shorts. The
takeaway: when applying for grants, read the guidelines carefully to determine
if there are restrictions on the kinds of activities the funding can support.

The Funding of Student Productions

A significant portion of the short films made around the world is produced under
the aegis of an educational institution. Before going any further on our tour of
film financing, we should take a moment to consider the special status of student
shorts. Being a student filmmaker has its pros and cons. On the negative side of
the ledger is the fact that students are not always eligible for government grants.
In the United States, this is a common restriction on the state and federal level.
In the United Kingdom, full-time students are generally not eligible to apply
for the various regional grants, even though some of these schemes are open
to applicants as young as 16. The reasoning behind this policy is that students
already receive special support for their productions, either through their home
institution or through educational initiatives funded by the government.
The degree and nature of financial support provided to students in film schools
and media programs varies enormously. Many schools provide support chiefly in
the form of equipment. In Argentina, film students don’t just have access to cam-
era, grip and lighting gear; they may also receive in-kind contributions toward
postproduction services and materials for distributing their finished films. Time
for yet another vast generalization: in many smaller countries, admission to the
national film school (and there may be just a single, state-funded institution) is
harder than winning the lottery jackpot. In these cases, students selected for the
program are provided with an exceptional level of support, including direct fund-
ing. At the Norwegian Film School, for instance, students can receive support for
their productions to the tune of $50,000—and this is in addition to support the
school provides in the way of gear and services. Keep in mind that this support is
provided to an elite cadre. Furthermore, funding that is on par with professional
productions usually means students are expected to pay their cast and crew at
professional rates. In the commercial realm, $50,000 goes fast.
 Getting Down to Business 17

Private Foundations and Commercial

Underwriting
In the United States, the arts rely very heavily on private philanthropy. This
tends to be less true elsewhere. There are, however, plenty of exceptions to
this generalization, and foundations exist in many countries, funded either
by wealthy patrons or corporations, that are open to supporting budding
filmmakers. Some organizations are very mission-driven, supporting media
projects that advance conservation, medical research, addiction recovery
or whatever fits a particular foundation’s core purpose. Smaller countries
with large expatriate communities sometimes have philanthropic societies
overseas that encourage younger citizens to make films in or about their
homeland. As with government support, it’s essential to read the fine print.
If you are a student producer, you don’t want to waste a weekend filling out
a grant application only to discover that the foundation involved doesn’t
fund student work.
When it comes to seeking support for your production, remember that
money isn’t everything. You may find that companies in your region are will-
ing to provide in-kind contributions in lieu of a direct monetary outlay. This
support could consist of professional services, supplies and equipment, such
as time in an audio mixing suite or a free camera rental, but it could also take
the form of prop loans or train tickets. Not surprisingly, you’ll find that com-
panies are more motivated to provide goods to productions in places where
they are trying to make inroads into the local media industry. A film lighting
company looking to drum up more business in China might set up a team
of young Chinese filmmakers with a nice light kit. Some companies take a
commercial or patriotic interest in developing the local media production
community. Due to its scenery, workforce and low costs, many international
companies shoot in South Africa. This business has allowed many South African
rental houses to be quite generous in supporting local filmmakers with dis-
counts and donations.

Pro Tip
“If you’re receiving money from somebody who’s underwriting a produc-
tion, sometimes you won’t get it in one lump sum. Sometimes you get a
certain amount on signing the contract, a certain amount on the first day
of production, then a certain amount on wrap or the rough cut deliv-
ery. And then you usually get the final check when you hand in all your
receipts.”
—Corinne Marrinan
18 Getting Down to Business

Specialized Markets
There is one domain where shorts remain a viable business, and that can be broadly
defined as “educational filmmaking.” This category encompasses all manner of
issue-driven motion pictures—everything from films used in driver’s education
classes to shorts shown in Sunday school. Believe it or not, entire companies
have survived by making shorts for use in lifesaving, EMT training and childbirth
classes, and there are filmmakers who have sustained fairly robust careers making
shorts documenting psychological research or ethnographic studies.
Since we have said that we would focus on dramatic films here, such non-
fiction subjects may seem irrelevant, but in fact even the fiction filmmaker
can sometimes find funding for a story that addresses an important topic. A
producer might approach an advocacy group for support in making a drama
about brain injuries in sports, or he might take that same idea to a company
that makes sports helmets.
Issue-oriented films can sometimes secure better distribution deals than are
generally available for shorts. I recall a film about a family coping with an
alcoholic mother. In truth, it wasn’t a great movie. The acting was stiff and
the story predictable. Nevertheless, the film got a distribution deal and slowly
but surely made a small profit. There are a few organizations out there that
provide support for the relatives of alcoholics, and these groups have hundreds
of chapters that meet regularly. Meetings often include an icebreaker activity.
A short film serves this purpose perfectly—hence the interest in this otherwise
undistinguished project.
The connections that can be made between worthy causes or important top-
ics and your movie idea might surprise you. I know a young filmmaker who
made a beautiful short about an old woman who spent much of her time lost in
memories of playing music as a child. It was only well after the filmmaker had
completed the production that she realized that it could be read as evoking the
experience of Alzheimer’s disease. Had she made that connection earlier, she
might have sought funding for the production up front from a foundation that
supported Alzheimer’s research. It’s certainly worth thinking about tie-ins like
this as you start your search for financing. Is there an element in your story that
might be connected to some “bankable” topic?

Profit Versus Non-Profit

In certain respects, an enterprise that generates profit must be treated dif-
ferently from a non-profit model. For one thing, the nature of the support
you are seeking is different. If you expect to make money, you start out
by looking for investors; if you don’t expect to make money, you look for
donors. These are very distinct propositions, and each deserves to be exam-
ined individually.
 Getting Down to Business 19

Investors want to know how their investment will grow. This means that you
must provide them with a business plan, a document that explains why you
think your idea will make money and how profits will be distributed. Whole
courses in business school are devoted to the art of writing a good business
plan, but here is a quick rundown of the elements that are often found in a plan:

• A summary of the project: This is the written equivalent of what is often

called “the elevator speech.” It is a brief, compelling statement of the
scope and goal of the undertaking.
• A synopsis or script: Because the profit potential for any short film is limited,
it’s rare that producers seek investors for a single short production. Usually,
there is a larger enterprise involved, such as a series of shorts or a short that
will serve as the basis for a feature. Prospective investors may very well want
to read scripts, but unless the page count is minimal, you shouldn’t include
screenplays in the business plan. Instead, include a synopsis or synopses.
• A timeline: A schedule detailing the stages of the project from preproduc-
tion to division of profits.
• A budget: A detailed and realistic projection of what the project will cost.
• Case studies: Examples of similar endeavors that have been successful.
Sometimes this can include comparisons with ventures that aren’t directly
related to filmmaking. For example, if you had some model for monetizing
short productions that relied on social networking, you might make com-
parisons to other social networking start-ups that you consider relevant.
• Biographies: Short summaries of the accomplishments of you and your
collaborators.
• An explanation of how profits will be divided: This might sound straight-
forward, but it can be tricky. It may be possible to simply divide the spoils
according to percentages of overall investment, but even then, some ques-
tions arise. At what point does a project become profitable? A business
might appear to be “in the black” on paper, but if there are ongoing opera-
tional costs, determining when management can afford to pay back inves-
tors gets complicated. Then there is often the fact that not all investors
are created equal. Suppose you, the filmmaker, are unable to put up much
of your own money for the project. How will you get reimbursed for the
sweat equity you have put in? Or suppose you have raised 80 percent of
your investment but can’t find that last 20 percent anywhere. You might
have to sweeten the deal to attract those last partners. This could involve
setting up a different class of investors. For example, you might ensure
that these final investors are paid back before anyone else sees a return
(this is referred to as “last money in, first money out”). See how compli-
cated this becomes? How are you going to explain to those stalwart souls
20 Getting Down to Business

who ponied up for the first shares in your venture that they must wait for a
return on their investment while some Johnny-come-lately gets paid back?

This last item demonstrates why profit-sharing schemes must be very clearly
and carefully spelled out. The hot water you can get into by mishandling your
investment strategy isn’t limited to hurt feelings or even legal challenges. Cer-
tain missteps can actually bring down the wrath of the government. Though
it may not seem like it if you watch late-night infomercials, there are laws
protecting the public from unfounded promises of quick windfalls. It is also
illegal to take a shotgun approach to seeking investors. In other words, you
can’t simply go out on the street and hand copies of your business plan to pass-
ersby. All of this is to say: don’t try to do this on your own! If you are setting
up a production as part of a business venture, make sure you have the advice
of a reputable and experienced entrepreneur, and get a lawyer to review any
documents you draw up.

Ownership Versus Sponsorship

Should you choose to produce your movie as a non-profit venture (as is likely),
you mustn’t think this absolves you from any responsibility to your backers.
After all, without the lure of profit, why would anyone give you money to
make a short? Mom and Dad may support you unconditionally, but don’t be
surprised to find that even dear Aunt Liz or Cousin Josh need some tangible
reason to back your project. Here are some points to consider:

• Your project as worthy cause: You are more likely to find funding if you
can convince your backers that you are telling an important story. This
might mean that your screenplay tackles a pressing issue, but it could also
simply be the case that you believe fervently in the project’s artistic aims.
A great producer can turn even the most abstract ideas into selling points.
• Your project as tax shelter: If your production is officially constituted as
a non-profit venture, contributions to it may be tax deductible. This isn’t
as simple as declaring yourself to be working on a non-profit basis. You
must work with an official non-profit organization that can vouch for your
status. This is another area where those arts organizations that serve as fis-
cal sponsors can be of use.
• Your project as ego booster: There can be a coolness factor to being asso-
ciated with a film production. Moreover, most people like seeing their
names in lights. Therefore, the simple promise of either an acknowledge-
ment in the film’s end titles or (for the right price) a more substantial credit
can be a real incentive. For a more detailed understanding of how such
quid pro quos work, read on.
 Getting Down to Business 21

Online Fundraising Platforms

These days, many people raise funds for their productions through online plat-
forms like Kickstarter or Indiegogo. If you plan to use one of these services,
be sure to read the terms of use carefully, as the rules vary from site to site.
Crowdfunding can be a powerful tool for harnessing grassroots support. It gets
us away from the model of relying primarily on wealthy patrons and lets us
tap into passions of people in every demographic. A friend of mine was seek-
ing to direct a short based on Orson Welles’ infamous War of the Worlds radio
broadcast from 1938. His online fundraising campaign came to the attention
of an enthusiast of early radio programs—a complete stranger. The director
struck up a correspondence with the man, and he eventually made a substantial
contribution to the production.

Pro Tip
“The fastest way to raise funds is to identify those groups of people who
have an emotional investment in your project and the theme of your film.
When people are invested emotionally, they do everything in their power to
assist. Also, always ask for a donation from people you yourself contribute to
financially on a regular basis.That could be your landlord, your hairdresser or
the local liquor store around the corner.”
—Klaudia Kovacs

The greatest misconception that anyone can have about crowdfunding is that
it mechanizes the fundraising process, turning the messy and arduous business
of asking for money into an algorithm that does all the work for you. While it’s
true that these funding platforms let you cast a wider net, successfully tapping
online social networks requires tremendous tenacity. For starters, you need
to build that network of contacts, and these shouldn’t just be names or e-mail
addresses; whenever possible, you need to establish a relationship. You also
need to be relentless, creative and multifaceted in your outreach to prospec-
tive supporters. In our spam-clogged world, it need hardly be stated that just
sending out an e-mail blast or two won’t get the job done. Try to meet pros-
pects face-to-face, call them up or invite them to fun events aimed at engaging
people in your project.
People are primarily motivated to donate money to films either because they
are passionate about the project (the subject, the story) or because they believe
in the filmmakers. Most online campaigns offer a ladder of enticements for
22 Getting Down to Business

contributors, but these offers are rather like a MacGuffin in a thriller: they
help propel the action forward, but they aren’t the heart of the story. The chief
reason to use a tiered system for soliciting contributions is to motivate people
to give at a higher level than they might if left to pick an amount on their own.
The rungs of the ladder for a short with a budget of $10,000 might look some-
thing like this:

• Extra: For a contribution of $50, the backer receives a DVD of the com-
pleted movie, invitation to a private screening and acknowledgement on
the production’s website.
• Supporting Role: For a contribution of $100, the backer receives all the
benefits provided at the Extra level, along with a clever keepsake (perhaps
a prop from the film) and a thank-you in the film’s end credits.
• Leading Role: For a contribution of $500, the backer receives all the benefits
provided at the Supporting Role level, along with an invitation to a reception
following the private screening and a special thanks in the end credits.
• Associate Producer: For a contribution of $1,000, the backer receives all
the benefits provided at the Leading Role level, along with an associate
producer credit.
• Executive Producer: For a contribution of $5,000, the backer receives all the
benefits provided at the Leading Role level, along with an executive producer
credit that will appear in the opening credits and on all flyers and posters.

Think of this scale of support as a starting point, not a model to be blindly cop-
ied. Every worthwhile project has some special quality. Tailor your offers to the
elements that set it apart. T-shirts and decals still have their place in the realm
of promotion, but if you can come up with more original gifts and induce-
ments, you’ll get more attention and have something to talk about. Remember,
the object itself is always less important than the meaning people attach to it.

Appealing to Friends and Family

Regardless of whether you are trying to set up a business venture or trying to
produce a single short on a non-profit basis, chances are that many of your
backers are going to be friends or family members. For that matter, as we have
established, even if you get an associate or new acquaintance interested in your
venture, these people are only going to back you because they feel a genuine
connection with the project. All of this is to say that you are asking for money
from people with whom you have a relationship. Don’t forget this fact—it’s
your ace in the hole!
If you aren’t in regular contact with a prospective backer, you should reach
out to them before asking for their support. How would you feel if a long-lost