An independent film production company is a business that creates independent feature films. Technically speaking, an independent feature film is any film not made by any of the major Hollywood studios – Warner Bros., NBC Universal (which includes the Comcast Corporation), The Walt Disney Company, Paramount, Viacom, CBS Corporation, News Corporation, Fox, or Sony (which includes Columbia Pictures, MGM, and United Artists).
Major Studios
Source:Sterling, J. (2015) Independent Film Production Company Formation & Financing Basics. Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/independent-film-production-company-formation-basics-sterling-esq- (Accessed: 10 May 2016).
Tip 2 - Create a business plan for your films
Nothing guarantees success more than a good, solid business plan. Decide what it is you want to do and how you are going to do it. Line up a team. Make a budget and schedule. Get an idea of who is going to fund it and how the money is going to return to investors.
Tip 3 - Raise some funds
There are several different ways to raise money depending on your business plan.
Essentially, a major studio differs from an independent production company in that it has all of the following:
(1) Its own production capacity;
(2) Its own studio lot;(3) Its own financing capabilities; (4) Its own distribution and marketing capabilities.
Generally, with independent film production the filmmaker retains artistic and budget decisions concerning the film. However, if the film obtains studio distribution, the major decisions in the production will be subject to the approval of the studio.
Independent Film Production Financing
The filmmaker should utilise a combination of financing. A filmmaker should not try to finance a film alone. The old saying is the filmmaker should use “OPM” – Other People’s Money. However, that is not totally accurate. Nowadays, the filmmaker is likely to put in some of his or her own funds toward the financing. This shows faith in the success of the production company and the film project.Source:Sterling, J. (2015) Independent Film Production Company Formation & Financing Basics. Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/independent-film-production-company-formation-basics-sterling-esq- (Accessed: 10 May 2016).
How to Form Your Own Production Company in the UK - 5 Tips from Elliot Grove, the founder of Raindance.
Tip 1 - Create a legal entity for your film company
In the UK it's blindingly simple to set up a company.
- Choose a name: do a quick google and IMDB search to make sure no one else has already grabbed it. If they have you need to change it.
- Register and form the company at Companies House. It's so easy to do now, but if you need advice, why not choose one of the short Raindance Basic Legal Contract courses. These are live in London and Toronto. You can also take them online.
- Get registered for local taxes.
- Get a bank account.
- Get a website - making sure you have the url of your name. You can search web names on Whois.com.
- Register your social media profiles: Twitter, FaceBook, Instagram, Pinterest. Make sure these profiles are available in your company's name too. Start getting followers and likes.
- Create your own YouTube channel and start getting subscribers.
Tip 2 - Create a business plan for your films
Nothing guarantees success more than a good, solid business plan. Decide what it is you want to do and how you are going to do it. Line up a team. Make a budget and schedule. Get an idea of who is going to fund it and how the money is going to return to investors.
Tip 3 - Raise some funds
There are several different ways to raise money depending on your business plan.
- Take your business plan to one of the big production companies, or even a studio.
- Apply for government funding like the UK's BFI.
- Partner with a producer in another country who will bring local public funds to the table (co-production).
- Get money from a brand (product placement).
- Find an angel investor.
- Launch a crowdfunding campaign.
Tip 4 - Assemble your team
Any production company of note has 4 key personnel. In your start-up phase you will deliver many if not all of these key roles yourself. As you grow and develop, and as your social media profiles kick into gear, you will start getting swamped with work, and you will need help.
- Head of development
- to find and assess scripts. - Head of production
- to make sure the films are created on time and on budget. - Head of post-production
- someone to navigate the technical thrills and spills of the edit, and make sure the long list of film deliverables are met. - Head of film sales and distribution
- an increasingly key role. This person will supervise crowd-funding and self distribution in addition to the traditional sales routes.
Tip 5 - Film distribution
Embarking on a filmmaking career without a clear distribution strategy is a terribly bad decision. Digital technology advances have democratised the filmmaking process - anyone with a very few quid can make a film. This has flooded the market with inferior products meaning traditional distribution routes are choked with so-called product driving down prices. It's really not difficult to set up a film production company WITH distribution. It's just hard work.
Source: Grove, E. (2015) Starting Your Own Film Company - 5 Tips. Available at: http://www.raindance.org/starting-your-own-film-company-5-tips/ (Accessed: 10 May 2016).
Main Roles
Director This role varies tremendously from project-to-project, but, in general terms, a Director has creative control over the project from when he/she comes on board until the project is completed.
Producer
This is a hard role to define because there are so many different aspects to being a producer and each Producer is different (especially when it comes to making a short film). But, put simply, a Producer is where the buck stops on money, organisation, the team and rights.
Heads of Department
There are no hard-and-fast rules about how many crew members you need, but there are some heads of department that will make your life a lot easier:
Line Producer - ensures that the film comes in on time and on budget.
Director of Photography (DOP) - in technical charge of how the film is lit and shot.
Production Designer/Art Director - in charge of the production design helps create the style of the set. On low budget films these two roles are often merged.
Gaffer - chief lighting technician.
1st Assistant Director (1st AD) – runs the set according to the needs of the director.
Editor – cuts the film together.
Production Manager – organises everything and everyone on set.
Sound Recordist – in charge of everything to do with recording sound.
Additional Crew Members
Depending on the scale of your production, you may also need:
Focus Puller – in charge of focussing the camera.
Clapper Loader – loads the camera, takes care of the stock and records each take.
Location Manager – finds and secures locations.
Grip – looks after all the equipment for supporting and moving the camera while shooting (tracking, cranes etc.)
Continuity/Script Supervisor – makes sure everything seen on camera is consistent from shot-to-shot.
2nd Assistant Director (2nd AD) – helps the 1st AD, particularly co-ordinating actors to and from set.
3rd Assistant Director (3rd AD) – is the 1st AD's right-hand person. He/she is always on set and often co-ordinates the runners.
Boom Operator – holds the boom, ensuring that the microphone is as near as possible to the actors without being in shot.
Sparks - lighting technicians.
Costume Designer – designs, purchases, and manages costumes.
Hair/Makeup Designer – designs, and usually executes, hair and makeup.
Production Co-ordinator – works under the production manager to co-ordinate the smooth running of the set .
Storyboard Artist – works with the director to create a shot by shot storyboard of the action to be filmed.
Stills Photographer – takes still images of actors and crew for publicity reasons.
Assistants and Runners – needed in every department - the more hands the better.
Source:
BBC (2008) Film Network - Film Making Guide: Cast & Crew. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/filmmaking/guide/production/cast-and-crew (Accessed: 10 May 2016).
http://www.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-film-industry-companies-june-2015.pdf
