Okay, so you’re an indie filmmaker (you better be, otherwise why are you here, other than to look at my handsome face?)…
You’re sitting on a script that’s ready to go; a script you’re feeling very passionate about that, but sadly, you just CAN’T advance into production as you have no financial backing.
Believe me, I know how that feels.
Aside from your family and friends, it’s nearly impossible to meet your production costs without help. We’re here to talk all about sponsors — as well as a list of articles we’ve compiled that we believe hold invaluable information for filmmakers.
CHAPTER 1: Sponsorships and the Psychology Behind Dealmaking
“Simply put, a sponsorship is when a company invests its resources into your project. Those resources could be in the form of money, the products or services they offer, or a combination of both.” –Ron Dawson, Dare Dreamer Magazine
Sponsorship deals are give-and-take. Companies are only going to invest in your film if they see a benefit in doing so.
- This is talked about further here. The article also contains a list of pointers for new filmmakers, including how to go about building a platform.
First, you’ll need to consider what your film/festival has that could be of value.
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- Wild Apricot identifies this as ‘asset analysis’. I highly recommend you read the rest of this article if you’re interested in advice from a marketing expert.
- This is another article you should check out before starting your hunt for sponsors. It’s essentially a list of ways your project can be financed; these terms are important to know if you want to appear professional.
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CHAPTER 2: Pitching to Prospects
By now you know what you need — and can express this clearly — as well as have an idea of what you might have to offer to any potential sponsors.
Now you’re going to have to search for companies where your type of film/festival belongs. The ones who make it on your list should be researched thoroughly; you’ll want to know who they’ve sponsored in the past, as well as have an idea of what they might want.
Next comes pitches and proposals. Whether these happen in person or over the phone/email, here are some articles that will prepare you:
- This No Film School article shares pitching strategies. In addition, here is one from the same site that may prevent you from making some of the common pitching mistakes (written by us, thus consequently sacrosanct).
- Here you’ll learn how to write a properly-formatted pitch email. In relation, this article gives you advice for follow-ups.
We have a video listing eight things you should include in your film pitch.
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CHAPTER 3: Sponsorship Proposals: Formatting, Content and Language
Proposals are another thing. They contain a language that will help those who take the time to learn it appear professional. Your content is everything, but the way it is formatted should be treated with the same level of importance.
- This is an excellent article covering sponsorship proposals.
- While there may be some overlap, these 2 articles provide additional tips and are worth your time.
- Here is one more from LinkedIn.
Sick of reading? Here are some videos:
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- Kim Skildum-Reid covers the basics of sponsorship proposals.
- TIFF’s Brooke Duval explains how they go about writing proposals.
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CHAPTER 4: Event Sponsoring
Seeking sponsorship for a film event is different. You’ll likely have more opportunities to show off a company’s brand. You can invite a spokesperson from said company, so that they can communicate directly with potential buyers. While some may find that too intrusive, it is helpful to think about when considering the opportunities events pose.
Keep in mind, do NOT renounce events merely because you’re a filmmaker and you don’t plan on hosting an event anytime soon. Instead, think iftologically about how you can apply Event Sponsorship to your film. For example, perhaps you host a mental health event since your film is related to mental health, where at the end you screen your trailer building hype and even announcing pre-orders.
- This one is about the art of finding companies who will be interested.
- Here are 9 steps to getting a sponsor — each of which is strengthened by other posts referenced.
CHAPTER 5: Real Life Examples
Here are a few stories — three established filmmakers, one Foundr employee — of sponsor hunts. We hope you find these as inspiring as we did.
- Here is a video of Zeke Zelker sharing his experiences finding sponsors
- Merete Mueller and Christopher Smith give you advice for when approaching corporate sponsors in this video
- This Foundr article is great as it recounts an employee’s approach to getting sponsors in first-person. The writer raised $50k in sponsorships alone in one month.
- The below is a video on how a small time filmmaker turned first time festival head and managed obtain sponsors totaling 5-figures
[media_video teatime_video_unique_id=”8c1c3caa29fcfb4f5eba68e2a2f06c02″ teatime_video_url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v‹´›x2UmbuyTPD0″ teatime_video_size=”{‹²›video_size‹²›:‹²›size_fluid‹²›,‹²›size_fixed‹²›:{‹²›width‹²›:‹²›640‹²›,‹²›height‹²›:‹²›320‹²›}}” _array_keys=”{‹²›teatime_video_size‹²›:‹²›teatime_video_size‹²›}” _fw_coder=”aggressive” __fw_editor_shortcodes_id=”f365bfe72153dec93603706992df715f”][/media_video]If you like this article, then share it. Because sharing is how we’re going to change this industry.