Expert: Phil Nemy - 10/14/2008

Question
Hello, My husband wrote an awesome screenplay, and he would like to get it filmed the play the lead. He's a young 50's, tall, handsome and he's done lots of small skits. Where can he get more training in being filmed, for character dev., and what should he do in order to market the script to investors? We have a good line producer who will be doing the budget. Is $100,000 enough to make a decent film? Thanks a million for your help!

Answer
Krista,

Thanks for writing. Let me take your questions one at a time. First, I don't know where you live so I can't be very specific about where to get training. But he should look to the Universities and colleges in his area to see if they offer extension courses in filmmaking and screenwriting.

As far as raising money from investors, without any name actors in the film, you're going to have a tough time raising money. People go to see movies because of the name actors that appear in it. That's what interests an investor to invest in the film, because with name actors in the lead roles, the investor believes that the film is more marketable and therefore more apt to provide a return on his investment. If your husband intends to play the lead, he's taking away a prime opportunity to cast a name actor. As a result, most investors aren't going to be interested. My suggestion is for your husband to seek investment from friends who know him and want to help him, from family members, from co-workers, etc. You can also take out a 2nd loan on your house and use that money towards the making of the film. It's cheaper than putting the filmmaking costs on your credit cards.

Is $100k enough to make a decent film? Yes. Good films have been made for less. It all comes down to how much in-kind donations you can receive from vendors, locations, etc. Your budget can also be helped by using crew who will work for free or for very little money, and actors who will agree to deferment of their pay.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

Phil