This uncensored confession of an independent streaming sites producer is being shared with readers that want to be in the entertainment business, are in the entertainment business, or are fascinated by the entertainment business that thrives outside of the glitz of celebrity. I am only one of many independent movie producers that work hard to make movies to feed their creative passion and pay their bills. Producing indie movies is always frustrating and extremely thrilling at the same time.
One the most frustrating jobs of any movie producer is finding film financing to produce an independent film that does not have known actors attached to the project. You are asking movie investors to back a project written by an unknown screenwriter that has no bankable celebrities attached, and that is being visually guided by a first time director or one with limited credits. That is a tough sell. The world is fascinated with celebrity and film investors are no different.
You can have a dynamite script, talented unknown actors, film director with vision, and your desire as an independent movie producer on your side, but without some kind of hook chances of finding film money will not happen. I have found myself in that position as a producer of independent entertainment. What did I do?
Honestly, as a producer I knew without stars attached to a project I had to include visual elements that would translate to worldwide audiences. I kicked up the violence, sex, and nudity aspects because they fit with the two projects I was producing. Both screenplays were written to realistically depict strong subject matters, human flaws, and graphic content based on characters that lived lurid lives.
Whatever type of project you have there is going to come a point, unless you are independently wealthy, where you are going to be confronted as an independent movie producer that you are going to have to compromise on what will be shown in order to get film investor backing. In one case I had an interested movie investor tell me flat out that she wanted the project to have a European film nudity flavor. She read the script and knew it well. The on-camera nudity and sex scenes should be tasteful, but hot in her opinion to appeal to an international audience of buyers and not only US viewers. I assured her that I would and she invested with her boyfriend.
The lesson learned is to always find different hooks for your movie that makes it attractive to the film investors you are pitching for funding. It could be a film investor is passionate about something that can easily be folded into the screenplay to appeal to them. Talented screenwriters, independent movie producers, and film directors are masters at being able to work in a plug or scene for specific investors. To me it is just like product placement done in major studio movies, but at the indie level it is a more personal pitch to individual movie investors.
Once an independent movie producer secures film financing for a project there is a rush that is indescribable. Each producer has a different reaction. That euphoria and high quickly disappears because now it is time to go to work. You are already exhausted from the grinding money hunt and then all stages of production begin. Next thing you know problems start to develop on set that can range from technical issues to cast and crew difficulties. Now you are thinking, “I am screwed!” As the independent movie producer it is your ass on the line for the money invested to complete the film.
