Carole Dean – The Art of Film Funding Blog

Carole Dean founded From the Heart Productions in 1992 to help indie filmmakers get their films funded.

In her blog, she shares her knowledge and advice on:

  • Raising Money for Your Film
  • Getting Distribution
  • Manifesting Money and Success
  • Crowdfunding
  • Fiscal Sponsorship

And more with the goal of giving filmmakers the tools to get their films produced.

She hosts the weekly podcast, The Art of Film Funding, interviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film production. She is also the author of The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits.

Recent Blogs by Carole Dean

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Exploring the Rich Landscape of American Documentary

by Carole Dean

As the President of From the Heart Productions, I’ve long been an advocate for the transformative power of independent filmmaking. It’s not just about telling stories; it’s about shaping narratives, challenging perspectives, and fostering empathy.

Independent documentary

So, when I had the opportunity to sit down with Chris White, the executive producer at American Documentary Inc., I was eager to delve into the rich history and mission of his organization, renowned for producing PBS’s award-winning documentary series, POV (Point of View), and America Reframed in partnership with GBH World Channel.

A Legacy of Empowering Independent Voices

American Documentary, founded in the late 1980s by Mark Weiss, emerged from a pressing need for independent voices on American television.

Chris White, reflecting on the organization’s journey, encapsulates its essence: “Hundreds of beautiful cinematic stories being brought to the American public, addressing the issues of our times.” This dedication to uplifting long-form documentary filmmaking resonates deeply with my own passion for storytelling that transcends boundaries and challenges societal norms.

POV: A Showcase of Human Stories

POV stands as the longest-running showcase for independent documentary on U.S. television, completing its 36th season. What sets POV apart is its focus on character-driven, story-centric cinematic experiences that delve into the human condition.

As Chris aptly puts it, “Through our films, you can see all the contemporary issues we’re dealing with.” This approach, centering on human narratives, enables viewers to connect deeply with the multifaceted issues of our times.

America Reframed: Focusing on American Stories

While POV offers a global perspective, America Reframed zooms in on American narratives. Chris notes that while both platforms share similar approaches, America Reframed specifically focuses on stories from the United States, creating a nuanced tapestry of American experiences.

The Role of an Executive Producer: Nurturing Filmmakers and Stories

In his role as Vice President of Programming and Production and Executive Producer, Chris wears many hats. He serves as the public and curatorial face of POV, actively engaging with filmmakers at festivals, pitch forums, and industry events.

His journey from intern to executive producer underscores his profound understanding of the filmmaking process and the importance of fostering emerging talent.

Embracing Diversity and Innovation in Documentary Filmmaking

Chris emphasizes the importance of diversity and innovation in documentary filmmaking, encouraging filmmakers to experiment with storytelling techniques and embrace diverse perspectives.

This commitment to amplifying underrepresented voices is evident in their partnerships and initiatives, such as the Diverse Voices Project, aimed at supporting emerging BIPOC filmmakers.

Paving the Way for Short Form Nonfiction: POV Shorts

The emergence of POV Shorts, now in its sixth season, highlights the organization’s adaptability and commitment to showcasing the best in short-form nonfiction. By providing a platform for shorter narratives, POV Shorts enables filmmakers to convey powerful stories in condensed formats, further expanding the reach and impact of documentary filmmaking.

Empowering Filmmakers and Engaging Audiences: The POV Engage Initiative

Beyond airing films, American Documentary prioritizes civic engagement through initiatives like POV Engage. By collaborating with a vast network of organizations, they facilitate discussions, panels, and educational programs, transforming films into catalysts for dialogue and action within communities.

Looking Ahead: Sustaining the Documentary Ecosystem

As American Documentary looks to the future, Chris outlines their goals of sustaining the documentary ecosystem by increasing support for filmmakers and expanding co-production opportunities. By nurturing emerging talent and amplifying authentic voices, they aim to continue enriching the landscape of independent documentary filmmaking.

My conversation with Chris White reaffirmed the profound impact of independent documentary filmmaking in shaping our understanding of the world. Through compelling storytelling, diverse perspectives, and community engagement, organizations like American Documentary are not just documenting history—they’re actively shaping it.

As filmmakers and audiences alike, let us continue to champion the power of storytelling to inspire change and foster empathy in an ever-evolving world.

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers.

She is creator and instructor of Learn Producing: The Ultimate Course for Indie Film Production.  26 classes which will teach indie filmmakers how to produce their films.

She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionShe is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits

 

Ten tips for creating a vision board for your film and seeing your project come to life before your eyes, in your mind, and on the screen.
 

by Carole Dean

From a recent interview in The Hollywood Reporter with 2024 Oscar nominee Sterling K. Brown.

Hollywood Reporter: Was an Oscar nomination or winning an Academy Award on your actor vision board?

Sterling K. Brown: I would say so. 

I want to dive into a powerful tool that can truly transform your filmmaking journey and elevate your career: vision boards.

As someone deeply invested in nurturing indie talent and fostering creativity, I believe wholeheartedly in the magic of manifesting our dreams through visualization.

Vision Board for Filmmakers

Picture this: you’re sitting in a cluttered room, surrounded by scraps of paper, scribbled notes, and a myriad of ideas swirling in your head.

You’ve got a passion project brewing, but you’re feeling stuck, unsure of how to turn your vision into reality.

This is where the vision board steps in to work its wonders.

Now, you might be thinking, “Isn’t a vision board just a collage of pretty pictures and quotes?” Well, it’s so much more than that. A vision board is a tangible representation of your goals, aspirations, and deepest desires.

It’s a visual roadmap that helps clarify your intentions and keep you focused on what truly matters.

Here are ten tips for making a vision board for your film:

Film Aesthetic Collage:

Include visuals that capture the aesthetic and mood you envision for your indie film. This could involve color schemes, textures, and images that convey the atmosphere of your project.

Character Inspirations:

Feature images or descriptions representing your characters. Find actors, real people, or even fictional characters that embody the personalities and traits you want to portray in your indie film. 

Location Scouting:

Add pictures of locations or settings that align with the backdrop of your indie film. This can help you visualize the environment and set the tone for your storytelling.

Storyboarding Elements:

Incorporate elements of your storyboards. Include sketches, visuals, or snippets that represent key scenes or sequences in your film.

Genre and Style Indicators:

Use symbols, words, or images that signify the genre and style of your indie film. Whether it’s drama, comedy, thriller, or a mix, make sure your vision board reflects the essence of your project.

Budget and Resources:

If applicable, include images or notes related to your budgeting and resource needs. This could be representations of equipment, funding sources, or potential collaborators.

Film Festival Goals:

If submitting to film festivals is part of your plan, feature logos or images associated with those festivals. Visualize the achievement of screening your indie film at prestigious events.

Collaborator Images:

Showcase images or names of potential collaborators – cinematographers, actors, producers – to manifest the collaborative aspect of indie filmmaking.

Quotes and Inspirational Words:

Integrate motivational quotes, affirmations, or words that inspire you. These can serve as constant reminders of your passion and commitment to your indie filmmaking journey.

Distribution and Audience:

Include symbols or visuals representing your goals for distribution and reaching your target audience. This could involve logos of streaming platforms, audience reactions, or successful indie film examples.

Remember to arrange these elements in a way that feels intuitive and visually compelling to you.

Your vision board should serve as a source of motivation and focus, aligning with your aspirations for your indie film.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: “But Carole, I’m a filmmaker, not a professional collagist!”

Fear not, for creating a vision board is as easy as 1-2-3. Simply gather your materials – a corkboard, magazines, scissors, glue – and let your intuition be your guide. There are no rules here, no right or wrong way to do it. Trust your instincts and let your creativity flow freely.

And remember, a vision board is not a one-and-done exercise. It’s a living, breathing entity that evolves with you.

As you progress on your filmmaking journey and your goals shift and expand, don’t be afraid to update your board accordingly. Think of it as a visual journal of your growth and transformation.

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers.

She is creator and instructor of Learn Producing: The Ultimate Course for Indie Film Production.  26 classes which will teach indie filmmakers how to produce their films.

She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionShe is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits

 

/ Carole Dean Blog

Crafting Success: Inside The Film Festival Doctor’s Winning Strategies

by Carole Dean

 

Dr. Rebekah Louisa Smith is an award-winning film festival strategist and founder of The Film Festival Doctor.  They are committed to securing film festival screenings, winning awards, and earning positive recognition within the film industry for their clients. Currently, Rebekah’s company has helped win more than 2,000 awards for its clients and has supported nearly 850 creatives across the world.

Rebekah said, “I help filmmakers get their film seen in the right festivals by creating a very streamlined and targeted strategy for their film. Every festival strategy and campaign is bespoke to the film that we’re working with. Nothing’s the same. Every client has different goals and different budgets and different types of films. We create the right kind of plan for each film.”

Filmmakers normally come to me when the film is close to completion or fully completed and they say, look, we’ve made the film, what do we do with it? What festivals do we send it to? How high can we aim? And we solve those problems by finding the right festivals for their film to achieve their key goals.”

 

Aligning goals with festival selection  

Goal setting for your festival run is crucial as it’s important to be in alignment with what you want to achieve and decide if the film can achieve it. The most common goals she discusses with filmmakers are, do you want to get it into Sundance, Slamdance, Cannes, Berlin, Tribeca, all the key festivals? Or do you want to qualify for the Oscars or BAFTA or are you more keen for exposure and networking?

You want to ask yourself, is your film strong enough for the top festivals and awards? If it’s not, there are other festivals that can help you get the film seen and achieve your goals.

This is a very important process. The Film Festival Doctor gives honest feedback based on years of working with festival programmers. They will not say it has potential for top tier festivals if it does not. They give you an excellent constructive critique and explain if the film can potentially achieve the filmmakers’ goals. They take into account if it is possible for Sundance, Tribeca, and Cannes, they do a very detailed plan and timeline. If it’s a no, then you decide if you want to use plan B. If so, they will detail and curate that plan for you.

 

Personalized festival strategies for every film

Plan B will be festivals a tier below which will still be a good fit for the film. What’s the key goal here? Why do you want to get into those festivals? Most of the time filmmakers want a lot of exposure and access to the right kind of networking. Rebekah wants to get your film seen by people in our industry and your peers.

Setting goals is a priority because I know that I’ve talked to many filmmakers and they have totally different goals. Some of them simply want to promote themselves. Some say they want people to see their film and recognize their talents.  Some people want to change belief patterns. Some just want the film to be seen for educational purposes. Some want to find distribution.

Once you have firmed up your goals then Rebekah and her team will “unpack the film.” Let’s pretend it’s a horror short film. The question is, can it break out of the horror genre niche, or will it do better to stay within its niche and thrive on the genre festival circuit?

The benefits are you may meet the right kind of people to build long term relationships with and get the right type of exposure.  She really wants you to receive appreciation for the film and win awards. She says, “We give each film a thorough and detailed look.” And the reason is because Rebekah and her colleagues have an excellent background in film festival programming. They bring a fresh pair of eyes to the film. They know what kind of festivals to choose for each one.

Every filmmaker gets this very specific and very targeted outline for their film festival strategy.

 

Leveraging short films as visual business cards

If the goal is about promotion for themselves like a short film, Rebekah considers this short film as a “business card,” she says it is a “visual business card” showing what they can do as a director, writer, actor, DP, sound, etc. It is showing what the filmmakers can do and can show that with bigger budgets this filmmaker has the talent to make a feature. So, the festivals to go to that can help them achieve that goal of networking and promo in the right way will be festivals that have a large industry presence and a big filmmaker presence. A lot of festivals can be more like local communities, with local audiences that don’t work in the film industry. On the other hand, a lot of them can be very filmmaker focused which is good for connecting with the right kind of people.

 

Selecting festivals with industry presence and networking opportunities

Rebekah and her team look at different perspectives when they are putting your strategy and list of festivals together. They base decisions on their personal programing tastes from their years of experience curating festivals. They know what films their contacts like and what their individual tastes are. They know what kind of stories these programmers like, what kind of executions they find interesting, and what kinds of themes they like. This is where their knowledge pays off for filmmakers.

Some festivals are heavily focused upon LGBTQI+A. Some on women filmmakers, some on filmmakers which are within the local area of say New York, Miami and LA etc.

 

Researching previous winners and nominations

Part of the planning process comes from The Film Festival Doctor staff researching what kind of films win at these festivals by looking at the previous winners, nominations, and what kind of categories they have. Obviously, all festivals are different. They don’t have the same kind of awards or the same kind of programming techniques. Their decisions are based upon long-time knowledge and knowing where best to position your film.

 

Academy Awards submission strategies

To submit to the Academy Awards, there’s two ways you can submit to the Oscars. With a narrative feature, you must do a limited theatrical run release 1 screening for 7 consecutive days, which requires screening your film in theaters that are Oscar approved in one of six U.S. cities (L.A., N.Y., Chicago, Miami, Atlanta, or San Francisco).

For documentary features, live action short films, animation & documentary, you can apply to the Oscars by doing a release theatrically in an Oscar approved theater in one of those cities in the US. Or if you win an Oscar qualifying award at an Oscar qualifying festival, then you can submit. You may need advertising and a PR film to help.  Rebekah will advise you on all of this.

 

Budgeting for festival expenses and The Film Festival Doctor’s services

What are the costs for your festival budget? Festival fees may run from $1,500 to $2,000.00.  Rebekah’s services begin at $800.00. She suggests you put $3,000 minimum for your festival expense.

Their strategies are global.  They are familiar with all of the key international festivals and can strategize for you all over the world.

I am impressed with her staff’s knowledge.  They are living all over the world and specialize in creating film festival strategies.  You may want to talk to The Film Festival Doctor and learn more about the possibilities you have to get your film seen on the circuit.

Rebekah says, “I’m proud of all the films I represent. I am proud of every single one of them because they’ve all been seen on the circuit, they’ve all achieved their goals, and everything’s been what they wanted. It is not always a linear journey for results to come in, but they’ve got there in the end.”

 

Learn more at www.thefilmfestivaldoctor.com

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers.

She is creator and instructor of Learn Producing: The Ultimate Course for Indie Film Production.  26 classes which will teach indie filmmakers how to produce their films.

She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionShe is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits

How to use the screenwriter’s definition of a story to create a good story structure for your documentary

by Carole Dean

Karen Everett is one of the world’s leading documentary story consultants. Her company, New Doc Editing, has pioneered ways to tailor screenwriting principles to non-fiction films. She has helped filmmakers structure captivating documentaries for PBS, HBO, Sundance, and other top film festivals. 

 

 

On my recent podcast, The Art of Film Funding, I asked Karen what is a good story structure?

A Character Driven Documentary

Karen said she follows a screenwriter’s definition of story. A good story is normally about someone who wants something badly and that something is difficult to get.  And in this world, we call this a character driven documentary with a three-act structure, a beginning, a middle and an end.

In act one, we meet the protagonist and learn something that throws their world upside down into chaos. That’s called the catalyst, or the inciting incident.

What comes out of their desire is their quest, it is the story we’re telling. Karen says it is important to include in your script narration or in an interview what she calls “a protagonist statement of desire.” This is where the protagonist says in one or two sentences exactly what they want. This should be punctuated with sound effects or music to guide the viewer to the narrative arc.

Tips from Aristotle

Karen notes we use the three-act structure from Aristotle, which has been used in all kinds of art forms. We are adapting it for a nonfiction format.

The protagonist’s desire should be something important like finding a cure for Alzheimer’s. This first act is where you introduce me to your characters and begin your character development. This act one is 25% of the film.

The second act’s focus is on how difficult it will be to achieve the goal and we see many obstacles in their way.  This is where a lot of drama happens, and it is about 60% of the film.

In The shortest act, which is act three where the protagonist either reaches or does not reach his objective.

Plot Driven Vs. an Idea Driven

That structure adopted from Aristotle is a plot driven documentary as opposed to an idea driven. This idea driven film is an essay style documentary.  People often start those by posing a thesis statement.

This type of documentary was radical 20 years ago.  Karen mentioned An Inconvenient Truth as an example. That was Al Gore’s hypothesis, and he spent most of the film proving it. For this type of film, you start with a thesis statement. Then, through most of the film, you’re finding arguments to bolster your notion.

At the end of the film, you say now we’ve proven it. This film could also start with a central question like who killed the electric car? This gives us several culprits who were all behind the killing of the electric car, General Motors or was it the battery technology or was it the executives or the consumers? You have those questions to answer yourself at the end of the film. 

You should feel that you’ve learned something purposeful from this type of documentary.

A Paper Edit 

In idea driven films, many people make a paper edit. Karen says she likes to have at least a one-page outline that identifies the central question or the central thesis. It then lists the ways that we’re going to examine this thesis, this idea.

At the end, we have meaning so the viewer walks away with a sense of “Oh, I’ve not only learned something, but I’ve also learned something useful.”

Karen explains once you have that list of plot points; let’s say you have four items that are obstacles and the protagonist is facing, you look at those closely and say, ‘I have a lot of ideas, so which plot point best relates to this idea?’

Now, use the plot points as a springboard for opening a discussion among the characters or the experts on an idea that you want to explore in a character driven documentary.

How to Start the Opening of a Documentary Story

I asked Karen to tell us how they start the opening of a story. I find this is most important to grantors and to viewers. Where do you begin?  She replied, “Yes, the opening is so important you should be trying at least a dozen different openings.

Personally, I believe it’s the most difficult part of a documentary to edit. I’ve heard people say that. So here are a few things to keep in mind for the first 20 seconds:

  1. Make sure you’re using sound and video that looks and sounds stellar. You must have high production values because research shows that the first thing the audience notices is not what the film is about but how it’s made. And they will make judgments immediately if the footage is dark or the composition is wobbly or even more important than video the audio is scratchy. Do not start with this type of material unless it is highly compelling.
  2. You need to hook the viewer in the first 20 seconds. You might use a crazy image. You might pick a bit of a conversation or start with humor. The thing that works most of the time is to come up with three or four very good one sentence sound bites that are emotional, like, how could they let them do that? And use a voiceover or a related music theme. You need something that captures the theme of the film. What works well here are superlatives, meaning the first or the best. Like, what was the first surgeon general to recommend we stop smoking. It’s just a statement from an interview somewhere that you put at the beginning. And when you have four or five of those, they can build on each other. So how could they let this happen? This could follow that statement and it generates two things. One is a sense of excitement about the conversation, and two, we began to get an understanding of the content of the film.
  3. And certainly, by two minutes the viewer should basically have a sense of what the film is about. Establish the film storytelling grammar. In the first two minutes you want to reveal a few of these and by seven minutes you should ideally get those off the ground so that the viewer has a sense that this is not only an interesting film, but it’s artistic, it’s cohesive, it’s using a recurring motif.
  4. Once you have introduced all of this within the first 7 minutes, you use these different looks and sounds periodically throughout the film.

Free e-book “Documentary Editing”

Karen Everett is offering a free e-book on documentary editing which is filled with 27 chapters that include:

  • Organizing Folders and Sequences
  • Launching and Editing a Character-Driven Documentary
  • Pacing With A Doc Plot Map
  • Editing An Essay-Style Documentary
  • Editing Trailers, Sizzle Reels, and Fundraising Samples
  • Multiple Protagonists and Subplots

“With an insider’s love and knowledge of documentary form, Karen Everett takes us into the beating heart of documentary filmmaking. Filled with useful references and possible scenarios, her book ‘Documentary Editing’ will be of enormous help to those of us who have sat in front of our unmade films and wondered how the hell we were going to move forward.”  Robb Moss, Harvard Film Professor

Click here to get your copy. 

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers.

She is creator and instructor of Learn Producing: The Ultimate Course for Indie Film Production.  26 classes which will teach indie filmmakers how to produce their films.

She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionShe is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits

Platform provides creators, including filmmakers, with the infrastructure to raise capital from a community of investors

 

by Carole Dean

Read Ezell, Director, Venture Partnerships and Fundraising at WeFunder, shared an insightful overview of his company during our most recent Everything You Wanted to Know About Film Funding Webinar

It’s clear that Wefunder is not just a platform for raising capital; it’s a tool that can help creators engage their communities and democratize the fundraising process.  That includes being used as a fantastic fundraising tool for filmmakers.

WeFunder

Understanding Wefunder’s Core Purpose

WeFunder was founded over a decade ago, and its inception was closely tied to the passage of the Jobs Act in 2012, which allowed for the crowdfunding of investments from unaccredited investors. Since then, Wefunder has worked with thousands of founders and funded a wide range of projects, including over a hundred film and entertainment projects.

At its core, Wefunder operates by enabling creators to accept small investments from a large number of individuals, breaking down the traditional barriers to capital access. This means that filmmakers no longer must rely solely on a few wealthy individuals or institutions to finance their projects. Instead, they can tap into a broader pool of potential investors.

Building and Engaging Your Community

One of the unique aspects of Wefunder is its emphasis on community engagement. Read mentioned that the first group of people filmmakers should approach is their existing community—friends, family, fans, or enthusiasts in their niche. Building and mobilizing this community is key to launching a successful fundraising campaign. Once you have your initial supporters, they can help spread the word about your project, significantly increasing its visibility and chances of success.

Another significant advantage of using Wefunder is the ability to publicly promote your fundraising campaign. This is a departure from the traditional fundraising model, where soliciting investors was limited to accredited investors in closed rooms. Wefunder allows creators to leverage social media and other platforms to reach a wider audience. Moreover, once you have some initial backers, you can enlist them to help promote your campaign, creating a grassroots marketing effort.

Investment Options and Syndicate Structure

The flexibility of fundraising structures on Wefunder is another noteworthy feature. Filmmakers can choose to offer revenue sharing, equity, or future equity in their film project, tailoring the investment terms to suit their specific needs. This flexibility allows creators to align the investment structure with the unique aspects of their project.

Wefunder also simplifies the process of handling numerous investors. Instead of dealing with individual investors, all the investors on Wefunder’s platform are part of a single syndicate. The project leader or founder selects a trusted person to lead this syndicate, streamlining communication and administration.

So, why should filmmakers consider using Wefunder? Firstly, it can help raise capital more quickly, especially if you already have a community of supporters. Secondly, by engaging a broad community of investors, including your fans and enthusiasts, you can potentially create a dedicated army of advocates for your project. These backers are not just providing financial support; they become emotionally invested in your success.

Benefits of Using Wefunder for Filmmakers

Moreover, Wefunder allows filmmakers to maintain greater control of their projects. By distributing ownership among a larger group of smaller investors, you avoid the risk of a single major investor exerting significant influence over your creative decisions.

However, Read emphasizes that using Wefunder for fundraising is not a passive process. It requires effective communication, storytelling, and the ability to persevere in the face of rejection. While having an existing community is advantageous, creators who hustle and pitch their projects passionately can still achieve success on the platform.

Wefunder is more than just a crowdfunding platform; it’s a powerful tool for filmmakers to engage their communities, democratize fundraising, and maintain creative control over their projects. It offers flexibility in fundraising structures, the ability to publicly promote campaigns, and access to a vast community of potential investors.

So, for filmmakers looking to finance their projects and connect with their audiences, Wefunder is a valuable resource to consider.

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers.

She is creator and instructor of Learn Producing: The Ultimate Course for Indie Film Production.  26 classes which will teach indie filmmakers how to produce their films.

She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionShe is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits

How to use repetition and the magical words “I am” to manifest your success

by Carole Dean

In our biweekly Film Funding Class for our fiscally sponsored filmmakers, we cover books on the power of your mind.  Currently we are studying Project 369: The Key to the Universe: Evolved Consciousness by David Kasneci. It is an excellent book and I highly recommend it for filmmakers.

manifest your success

Writing your manifestation out as an affirmation is a proven way to achieve your goal.

The Power in the Two Words “I Am”

This book suggests you can create your future by writing manifestations that you want to achieve. David suggests that you begin with the two magical words I am and finish with what you want to achieve.

Here are some examples you could use:

  • I am an award-winning filmmaker.
  • I am a successful director.
  • I am an award-winning producer.
  • I am receiving large donations weekly.
  • I am winning grants.
  • I am most successful with my crowdfunding campaign.

David says that success comes through repetition. He wants you to write your I am many times a day. He believes that all limitations are illusions that happens when you think, this doesn’t work!!!! That is an illusion!

He says this because he has seen people be very successful with writing and believing you can manifest your future daily.

Creating a Manifestation Book

David wants you to get a manifestation book where you start writing your affirmation. Your goal is to believe your affirmation is true. Your affirmations and your manifestations should be interchangeable.

Belief is the key element in this process. The fact that we can believe anything we want is an important asset in the creation of your future. This is the critical step. Understanding that you can believe anything you want, and with enough focus and intent, you can achieve it.

Writing your manifestation out as an affirmation is a proven way to achieve your goal. You must overcome the naysayer within you. Belief is the key to creating your future. We learned in our class when we discussed Napoleon Hill’s classic book, Think and Grow Rich. He starts out telling us that your faith and your belief in yourself are critical to achieving the future you want. You must believe in yourself and your film!

It’s the power of the mind. We have this infinite power within us. Acknowledging this power and using it to improve our lives is very important now, above all other times when the world seems to be upside down.

The Power is Within You

We cannot lose sight of our own internal power to achieve what we want.  Ther are things in the outside world causing strife for everyone.  But that is not going to affect your success in any way, that is the outside world. With this practice, you’re working on your inner world, which is where creation begins. This is where you want to focus. This is where the power is, inside you.

Start with what is it you want. Do you want to finish the film you’re working on? If so, what’s the first thing you really need to focus on? Take that and start working on it through the following steps:

  • Choose what you want to achieve.
  • Choose a time limit to achieve it. That is month day year.
  • Make a commitment to give yourself time to do the things that will bring this desire into our third dimension.

This becomes your To Do List. It is important that you focus on this list. This movement along with your belief and your faith in yourself will create your success.

The Way to Achieve It is to Feel It and See It

Now is when you start writing. Please find a blank book.  Amazon sells them and they’re at your local drugstore.

Get a book and start writing what you want to achieve. Use what David is suggesting, writing the I am affirmation continuously to achieve the manifestation of your affirmation.  Those that believe they can become the ones that achieve their affirmations.

We’re back to the old saying from Henry Ford, “if you believe you can, or if you believe you can’t, you’re right.”

David also says that since our feelings create our beliefs, it is how we feel about what we write that helps us manifest.

We know that feelings are powerful. Feelings and emotions attached to what you write will help you manifest 10 times faster.  As you write your affirmation you want to feel that it is true. You want to feel that your affirmation exists in this very moment.

Child-Like Belief Creates Miracles

You want to pretend like you did when you were a child, that you are living with the affirmation completed that it is true, and you already have it.

These are things that will bring your affirmation into this reality faster because belief is the key.  Emotions heighten belief.  They are the power to supercharge your thought process and bring it to this dimension.

As you start to write with feeling and belief, your brain starts to create millions, possibly billions of new neural pathways. This is one reason that your affirmations work.  The brain is creating pathways that help you believe and achieve.

Meditation Connects You to Your Source of Power

David also suggests that your meditation will deepen your connection to the universe and the source of it all.  

On the first page of From the Heart Productions website, there is a free meditation that I wrote and Claire Papin did the voice over. Please use this meditation. It is exactly what you need to get you into a relaxed state where you can take your goal and see and feel it completed. Please check it out.

“As you begin to imagine and feel the fulfillment of your desires,” David writes, “you will realize you need nothing outside of yourself. You will realize your inner world is the cause of it all.”

I truly believe this. However, the only way for you to believe it is to use this information to create your future. Start with something small and obtainable.  There is power in completion.  You need to be successful with this, just once and then you will realize that the powers are within you.

This success will remove insecurity and fear.

We Each Have this Magnificent Ability to Create our Future

We need only to focus on our affirmation intently.

“This journal should only be used as a tool to detach yourself from all things external and satisfy your desires by feeling the possibilities within you,” David explains.  “Learn to use your personal power.
Realize that there is no power outside you.”

This is one heck of a statement. I’ve never looked at it that there is no power outside you.  It is all inside you. “This is where everything begins and ends.”

Put Your Attention on Your Intention

He is saying that we have total control over our future.  That once we begin to focus on our future, we can achieve it.

And he’s making sure we understand that the act of writing by journaling what you want as a way we can use our power to achieve our future. That truly comes from our belief in ourselves. Knowing what we journal can happen. Our belief is what brings our desires into this reality.

He also proposes that you meditate to get closer to the source for advice, guidance, and information.

This is all available to us free, this is one of the greatest parts of life.

I have been meditating since 1974. It is a wonderful way to solve problems and refresh your body. Every organ in your body gets a rest when you meditate 15 minutes to 20 minutes a day. Meditation is a great way to center yourself and move forward with your objectives.

“Your feeling is the secret that decrees a thing,” David writes. “Do what feels best, how it feels best and when it feels best. You are the creator.”

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers.

She is creator and instructor of Learn Producing: The Ultimate Course for Indie Film Production.  26 classes which will teach indie filmmakers how to produce their films.

She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionShe is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits

by Carole Dean

 

Melinda Raebyne, Stories of Us, and Ellos Gritan Libertad, is a filmmaker who “is able to give voices to the voiceless and, through her films, allows her audience to hear those voices loud and clear.”

Melinda is the Manager of Meaningful Movies Project or MMP, a non-profit organization that assists neighborhoods, groups and individuals organize, educate and advocate using the power of social justice documentary film and relevant conversation to build positive and meaningful communities for a more just and peaceful world.

The Role of Meaningful Movies Project (MMP) in Social Change

MMP, has around 20 different groups throughout the northwest and beyond. And their mission is to use social justice documentary films to bring communities together and to engage, encourage and support open conversations and look at ways to improve and move forward.

Example, how can we come together as a society and grow a little closer to peace? I think that is through understanding issues and being open to hearing other sides to issues.

MMP looks at giving a voice to many different topics. They have been working with inclusion and diversity from its inception in 2003.

Empowering Neighborhoods for Positive Transformation

If you have a social justice film that you would like to screen to communities, go to https://meaningfulmovies.org and send an email.  Melinda will answer you. She has a film review committee who watch your film and get back to you with information on how to share your film through their community.  Most of her groups are still doing online screenings through zoom and some are now opening in person screenings.

Example, MMP is attached to an environmental group in Las Vegas who want to look at environmental issues films from a wide spectrum.  They can put you in contact with this organization. Melinda stays with you and helps as your manager to find and negotiate with them.

Some of the current films they are screening are Love in the Time of Fentanyl, Bring them Home, about our veterans and The Call we Carry about Firefighters.

Depending on the content of your film, Melinda and MMP will connect you with the organization that has an audience for your film.

These screenings are normally free to the viewer and the communities work out a fee with the filmmaker.

I highly recommend Melinda and MMP for your social justice film screenings. 

You can listen to the full interview here:

 

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers.

She is creator and instructor of Learn Producing: The Ultimate Course for Indie Film Production.  26 classes which will teach indie filmmakers how to produce their films.

She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionShe is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits

by Carole Dean

 

The Nudge Podcast is an excellent place to learn about behavioral science used in marketing.  Filmmakers need to know as much as possible about how and why people react to marketing techniques.

The Nudge Podcast recorded a brilliant episode on filmmaking trailers. They said that in 1913 the first trailer was shown after movies at Lowe’s theatre, hence the name trailer.

Surprisingly, it was not for a film but for a Broadway play called The Pleasure Seekers. Soon after that the National Screen was created to do much of production work including creating the trailer from the 20s to the 60s.

In the 60s, filmmakers like Kubrick and Hitchcock started to create their own trailers. In the 70s, Spielberg created his brilliant trailer for Jaws which was a milestone.  Jaws overtook The Godfather at 59 days in the theater, breaking the highest grossing film record in North America. Nudge says it was the trailer that drove the demand with statements like “Jaws, see it before you go swimming.”

This success changed the movie industry and convinced producers the key to a box office hit was a good trailer.

 

What makes a good trailer?

At the end of the 70s a young filmmaker premiered his first film called THX 1138. This was a futuristic film with everything new and different and it was a complete flop. The young filmmaker decided to create a new and better movie rather than drown himself in misery.

He researched storytelling to find the keys to a good old-fashioned story.  Studying The Hero With 1000 Faces, he realized that there are striking similarities in hero’s myths.  He found that these are shared across cultures because they are part of human development. 

From this he created Star Wars. Lucas now took a familiar tale of a hero’s journey and mixed it with space travel and science fiction.  This mixture worked.  His trailer was created to tell a tale that would connect with viewers.

The trailer says, “Luke Skywalker was just a farm boy until he received a mysterious message from a Princess.” Notice they’re not saying that this is a Sci Fi movie.  Lucas is selling this as a brilliant story, one we can all relate to.

The Nudge says that this is the result of mixing novelty plus familiarity. Something new with something we understand and know.

 

Mixing the new with the familiar.

The film is based on existing templates that audiences recognize in standard adventure stories, but it is based on a new and novel world.

“Help me, help me” begs Princess Leia in the trailer. 

This is just what we are familiar with from childhood when parents read fairy tales. A princess is in distress and a farm boy bravely accepts this opportunity to rescue the princess!

Back then, George Lucas did not know that a familiar story mixed with novelty had hard scientific evidence that proves this is the perfect mixture for successful marketing.

Researchers tested this in printed ads. They put familiar brand logos like McDonald’s and Heineken in new and novel areas in printed ads. Sometimes you would see a logo at the bottom right or at the top of the ad but instead the researchers moved the logo to new areas in the middle to the right, to the left or in the very middle and the result with these subtle changes led to a 20% increase in the subject’s preference for the brand.  The participants in this marketing research did not notice the differences. But it was putting a familiar name with something new.

Food marketing is done the same way.  Watch and you’ll see they are introducing the avocado to go with the old familiar toast you have for breakfast.  Notice how they are putting new food items with old familiar ones to entice you to try them.

Nudge also used the trailer from the recent Academy Award winning film Everything, Everywhere, All at Once.

This film starts by telling the story of an overworked, middle-aged mom in a failing marriage before they tell us about the novel element of the multiverse.

In the trailer, they say, “Mrs. Wang, are you with us? I am paying attention now. You may see only a pile of receipts, but I see a story. I can see where this story is going.”

And then the trailer says, “I’m not your husband. I’m the universe. I’m here because we need your help.

Does that sound familiar? Yes, of course. It’s just like Princess Leia asking for help. This is mixing the novel with the known familiar story.

As Robert McKee says it’s all about story, story. story.  Now with the information from tested marketing strategies, we realized that the way to make a successful, money-making trailer is to mix the novel with the comfortable. The novel, something unique and exciting, with something familiar which is something that we all recognize and feel comfortable with.

 

Leaving something unknown is a key to a great trailer.

Nudge explains that watching a trailer and feeling that you’ve seen the whole movie will quickly put you off the film. Leaving something unknown he says draws people in. The phenomenon is often referred to as the Zy effect, named after the psychologist Ulner Zy.

In the book, Blindsight, Zy focused on studies of memory. They found that when students are given a task of memorizing a list of words and are interrupted halfway through by another task, they remembered the words far better than if they’d been able to complete their memorization without being interrupted.

It goes back to the feeling when you leave something unfinished, you want to complete it. You seem to be desperate to finish it. That is human nature.

Notice how we have been taught by Netflix and other streamers that after you watch something auto play starts to open the next episode or another film. They show you that you have not finished all the series or here is another film, meaning you are not finished. 

Johnson and Gruman at Marvel Cinematic Universe have the highest grossing film franchise with 26 billion in sales. They trigger the Zy effect through their trailers and their post credit scenes. These foreshadow future films hinting at what’s to come leaving the story unfinished and triggering the Zy effect.

 

Trailers using known dates to project releasing your film.

Have you noticed that movies announce they are coming to cinemas by holidays or seasons like spring or fall? This is a tactic that is used on purpose. There is something called The Fresh Start Effect which suggests we’re more likely to do something if we say we will do it on a significant date. This could be New Year’s Day, Easter Sunday, or the beginning of spring. Nudge says that The Fresh Start Dates don’t just encourage behavior, they can change behavior.  This was proven through much research.

 

Time is running out!

Scarcity is also an important ingredient in marketing. I know it’s an important part of film funding. This is why crowdfunding works so well because you have a scarcity of time to reach your goal, you have a deadline and that initiates action.

Richard Shotten in his book Choice Factory found using scarcity in his trailer was successful.  He found that by telling people the date films would stop airing caused 36% more people to watch the movie. This is because scarcity kicks in. People act when a resource is scarce.

Have you ever looked at what’s leaving Criterion this month? Of course, we all look to see what we are going to miss, and we watch that first. This is scarcity at work.  This is also great marketing.

There are only five tickets left for my premier! Sign up now.

Using behavioral science for trailers can help highly creative independent filmmakers compete with the giant film marketing budgets.

 

You can listen to the full podcast by Nudge at https://www.nudgepodcast.com/podcast/episode/483a6f51/the-secret-psychology-behind-movie-trailers

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers.

She is creator and instructor of Learn Producing: The Ultimate Course for Indie Film Production.  26 classes which will teach indie filmmakers how to produce their films.

She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionShe is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits

by Carole Dean

 

Sky Bergman

In the world of filmmaking, the journey from concept to the silver screen is a complex and multifaceted process. One critical aspect that often determines a film’s success and reach is its funding and distribution strategy. In a captivating interview on the Art of Film Funding podcast, Skye Bergman, an accomplished photographer, and director, delves into the intricacies of her directorial debut, “Lives Well Lived,” while sharing her insights into securing funding, navigating distribution channels, and connecting with audiences. This article offers a detailed exploration of Bergman’s interview, shedding light on her experiences, strategies, and valuable lessons for aspiring filmmakers.

 

The Genesis of a Documentary

Sky Bergman’s journey into filmmaking began with a personal passion project inspired by her grandmother’s remarkable life. The seed for her documentary, Lives Well Lived, was planted during a series about her grandmother’s cooking called “Kachina Nana.” Bergman’s desire to portray aging in a positive light led her to interview 40 individuals aged 75 and older, amassing a collective life experience of 3000 years. This diverse group became the cornerstone of her film, serving as role models for vibrant and fulfilling lives in the later years.

 

Crafting the Narrative

One of the most intriguing aspects of Bergman’s approach was her meticulous crafting of interview questions. Drawing upon her academic background, Bergman engaged with experts in social sciences, honing her questions to capture authentic and diverse perspectives on aging. Through a montage of interviewees, even those not prominently featured, she seamlessly wove a tapestry of shared experiences, resulting in a rich and comprehensive narrative.

 

A Festival Premiere and Distribution

Premiering at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, “Lives Well Lived” gained initial recognition and momentum. However, Bergman’s journey did not end there. Her strategic decision to partner with Ken Isen, a distributor and festival programmer, played a pivotal role in the film’s theatrical release. By retaining control over specific rights, including community and educational screenings, Bergman empowered herself to generate income for future projects while maintaining her artistic vision.

 

The Power of Community Screenings

Bergman’s advocacy for community and educational screenings proved instrumental in extending the film’s impact. Leveraging relationships and networks, she secured a plethora of screenings, engaging diverse audiences and sparking discussions around aging and living life to the fullest. Her creative strategy of offering sponsorships to organizations lacking funds showcased her resourcefulness and commitment to spreading her film’s message.  If the nonprofit wanted to screen the film she gave them the time and opportunity to find sponsors and then promoted both in the screening.

 

Nurturing Relationships and Expanding Reach

Bergman’s success underscores the significance of nurturing relationships within the film industry. Her proactive approach to attending conferences and engaging with potential partners not only secured screenings but also facilitated valuable connections. By showcasing teasers and behind-the-scenes insights, she generated enthusiasm and anticipation for her film, enabling her to broaden her network of supporters. This way she made sales of the film to convention attendees and created virtual screenings that were sometimes priced with her or without her.

 

Navigating Distribution Channels

Skye Bergman’s journey into the world of distribution was marked by strategic choices and a deep understanding of her target audience. Partnering with PBS Plus provided her film with a broader reach, while her engagement with PBS distribution facilitated various platforms, including Amazon and iTunes. Bergman’s insightful negotiation, where she retained certain rights for community and educational screenings, demonstrated her commitment to both financial sustainability and meaningful engagement.  She did not put her film on PBS for three years during which she was able to use the lucrative virtual distribution window for many screenings.

 

Crafting Successful Underwriting

Bergman’s approach to securing underwriting for her film involved more than mere solicitation. By identifying synergies between her project and potential sponsors, she forged meaningful partnerships that went beyond financial contributions. Bergman’s research into similar films and reaching out to like-minded filmmakers served as a blueprint for identifying potential sponsors and underwriters.  She reached out to filmmakers with similar films, and they shared beneficial information willingly.

Skye Bergman’s podcast interview unveils a treasure trove of insights into the world of film funding and distribution. Her journey, from a personal passion project to a nationally recognized documentary, serves as a beacon of inspiration for filmmakers navigating the complexities of bringing their creations to a global audience. Through strategic networking, community engagement, and a deep understanding of her audience, Bergman’s story is a testament to the power of perseverance, creativity, and a genuine connection with the stories we tell on the big screen.

 

You can listen to the full interview here:

 

 

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers.

She is creator and instructor of Learn Producing: The Ultimate Course for Indie Film Production.  26 classes which will teach indie filmmakers how to produce their films.

She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionShe is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits

Don’t Let the Naysayers or Lack of Money Stop You From Pursuing Your Dream

The most important thing I can give you is a lesson I learned early.

Back in the 70’s, I created a multi-million-dollar a year sales company with an investment of $20.00 (from my grocery money) and a good idea.

intentional class separating the wheat from the chaffIf I had let money or the naysayers stop me, I would have never created a $70 million a year industry consisting of buying leftover, discarded, what everyone called waste “short ends” of film stock.

Those who insisted it would never work didn’t know that there were thousands of talented independent filmmakers, desperate to make their features and documentaries, that needed every penny available to get it on the screen. These budding producers and directors snapped up the “short ends” at a fraction of the cost of new Kodak stock, made their films, and started a revolution in filmmaking.

My greatest asset was the fact I knew I could do it.

I never doubted that I had a good idea. I found ways to make it work. I needed cash to buy film stock so I would find where film was available for sale. I’d buy it on a handshake, and then sell this same film using the money from the incoming sale to pay off the purchase. In the beginning, I can remember days when I had the seller in one room and the buyer waiting to pick it up in another room!

This idea developed into three productive sales offices in NYC Film Center Building, Hollywood and downtown Chicago. I managed all three of them. I ran this business for 33 years until I had almost 10 million dollars a year in sales.

Why only 10 million? Because I hired a VP from ABC Television News Division as an advisor and he said that “Getting over 10 million a year in sales was very hard.” I found that to be true. But, now I know that this information of hitting a wall at $10 million was his experience. Unfortunately, it became my belief and then the outcome.

Please be careful of what you hear and what you believe.

Remember, when listening to other people, that what they are telling you is not your experience, it is theirs. The universe could have something different in mind for you. You must know you can create a better outcome for yourself with your belief.

Discern what is fact and what is belief.

What do you believe you can do? Think about that. Can you make this film? If yes, then what’s the actual budget you need? Can you raise that much money?

Consider, are other films made with that budget? If the answer is “yes” then it’s a fact that this amount has been raised for other films, right? So, it must be your belief that says you can’t do it because it is a fact someone else has raised this money and made a film at this place in their career.

Work from this principal to separate belief from fact. Work from fact, not your own belief system. That’s something you created early in life probably from your parents or society. You may have unconscious programming to overcome and you can do this by separating fact from belief.

Your belief in yourself and your film are paramount to production and completion.

You must know that you can raise the money to make you film and then you will find a way. Turn your filmmaking creativity into funding creativity. All that talent you have you can use to find ways to fund your film.

That includes finding high net-worth Individuals or investors for features to using funding parties, grants and donations for docs. Have fun with it. Look for lateral ways to fund your film and your distribution.

You have the talent, it’s a matter of believing in yourself and the quality of your film.

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-profit that offers fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers. She hosts the weekly podcast, The Art of Film Funding, interviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionShe is also the author of The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.

by Carole Dean

 

The Rise of Angel Studios: An Audience-Driven Film Company

There is a similarity happening between what Angel Studios is doing and what Peter Broderick is teaching. Angel studios have four men who are all technically educated and are running a brilliant company online using all new innovative technology.

They created a filming studio, and they created their own online platform to raise money for their film. Then they created another branch called Angel Investors to give you money to make your five-minute torch film to enter the Angel Studios financing program.

They want you to create a five-minute video to apply. They call it a torch. They take this from the creator of the Statue of Liberty, Bartholdi. To raise funds to build the statue, he built the torch first. With this metal display of the partial statue, he was able to fund the Statue of Liberty, which they say is the first crowdfunding campaign.

Angel Studios are very smart in using the audience to choose the films that they want to see.

 

Peter Broderick’s Audience Focused Filmmaking Approach

Peter Broderick is teaching you to go find your audience. Does this sound familiar? He wants you to go to conventions covering the content of your film. He shares successful examples of filmmakers with films on whiskey, on forgiveness and on loneliness who successfully did this.

One film about loneliness found their audience while making the film. They kept them interested in the film by entertaining the audience. They created quizzes for how lonely are you? They found and engaged their audience and raised money from the audience & their strategic partners while they were in production.

That’s using your crowd to fund your film. Rather than using the crowd funding platform like Angel Studios is doing, you’re getting right to your audience and corporations at the convention who make money off this audience.

 

Successful Examples of Direct Audience Engagement

Your audience and potential corporate partners will be at conventions and when you start working with your audience these corporations will find you. Peter Broderick in a recent seminar for Keith Ochwat, shared information about a company who had a whiskey film and they talked to a film festival about screening their film on the streaming platform. The film festival offered the filmmakers a split of the income if they brought their film to the festival and screened it for the filmmaker’s audience and the festival’s audience. Since the filmmakers had worked hard to create their own audience they decided against this agreement.

Instead, they wrote a story about their whiskey documentary and sent it to Forbes knowing that Forbes advertisers were whiskey and cigars, and their market was wealthy people. Forbes liked the film and promoted it with an article and drove people to the filmmakers crowdfunding which helped them tremendously.

Because of this Remy Martin read the article and they got involved. They paid the film makers $25,000 for some screenings. This worked well and Remy Martin paid another 25,000 for screenings. This also worked well for Remy Martin, and they gave these film makers a contract to do their Super Bowl commercial. What a step up for the filmmakers! Since they signed an NDA, they could not tell Peter Broderick how much they made for this commercial. 

As it turned out, it really was a good move for the filmmakers not to take their work to the festival but to reach out directly to their own audience. This is what Peter Broderick calls, “the new world of documentary distribution.”

 

Greenlighting Films Based on Audience Participation

Here are my notes from Neil Harmon, co-owner of Angel Studios from a recent conference.

No one at Angel Studios can green light a film. Everything is done by the crowd.  The crowd chooses their favorite films and that’s how a film gets made. In other words, the audience is choosing which films get made. That’s a unique way to green light a film.

To submit a film to Angel studios you need to create a torch. That is a 5-minute trailer that tells you the story of the film. You need to put your own money into this and if you don’t have the funding you can go to www.angelacceleration.fund, and they will take a percentage of the film and loan you the money if they like your product.

 

The Power of Test Screenings and Audience Reviews

Once you have the torch, you submit that with $50 to Angel studios. They then let the crowd decide if they like it or not. If the crowd likes it and it is one of the top scoring films, then Angel studios will fund it by crowdfunding.

They will also release it by crowdfunding for the P&A through their list of people who want to see more Christian films. He said the people that invested in the film, The Chosen were paid back 120% and that they are getting ready to pay back the investors in Sound of Freedom 120%.

Angel reiterated what the distributor Udy Epstein told us just a month ago that it is all about test screenings. Once the film is finished, they ask their crowd to screen the film and get feedback. Then they make changes, they screen it again more feedback more changes until they get excellent reviews.

 

The Audience as the Ultimate Rotten Tomatoes Score

They say that the reviews they’re getting from their crowd are the same as you’re going to find when the film is released from Rotten Tomatoes. It’s the same people, it’s the audience who is choosing Rotten Tomatoes scores and Angel studios are smart enough to figure that out and use it as their form of knowing when the film is ready to release based on scores from the audience.

Doesn’t that sound like a simple way to find and fund films?  It’s the audience who chooses and funds them.

Angel studios say they have over 100,000 Angel investors and these are the ones who are choosing the 60 projects a month that come in. The audience is looking for and focused on finding good stories. Stories the audience likes. That’s how they green light a film. They get the audience to watch the “torch” and vote on it.

 

Green Lighting Films Based on Audience Decisions

They do not want to see the script.  They do not want to hear a pitch.  Films are funded only from torches. You need to pay to create a five-minute story of what your film will be.

You must put your money into a torch then submit it with $50.00. If it is rejected, you can rework the torch and resubmit it, they don’t care how many times.

They ask the crowd to watch the film and decide if they want to fund it. The question they ask is, is this a story that amplifies the light? Do you feel empowered when you see this story?

They want you to feel that the film you are watching is a story that is true, honest, noble, authentic, admirable. This is how you decide. They are working from the wisdom of the crowd. They chose the animated film Wingfeather and they raised the money by crowdfunding. They greenlit the film from a torch film.

They work by audience decision only. I think it is a magnificent way to run a company.

 

“Pay it Forward” Movement: Audience Contributions to Expand Film Access

The Shepherd was selected to become the series The Chosen which brought in over $100 million. Now the Sound of Freedom has brought in over $100 million. The theaters love this. This is a crowd pleasing film and it fill up the theaters.

Angel studios are trying something new which is called “pay it forward.” The Angel studios are working with the theaters so that when you see the film and you are touched by the content you can buy a ticket for someone in America or any country in the world. The theatre will give your ticket to someone who doesn’t have the money or might not see the film.

The audience is doing this. They are so touched by the film they want to give other people tickets. It is a pay it forward movement. Angel Studios set up an agreement with theatres in countries all around the world.

 

How Angel Investors Choose and Fund Projects

Angel asks the audience, “Do you want to be part of stories at amplify light?” That’s what they ask you. They rely on the wisdom of the crowd to make decisions. It’s a collective effort. The Angel Guild chooses the films, and you can join that through Angel.com.

They have built a community around filmmaking. This is a brilliant way to create films. They are totally separate from the studio system. They could end up making more money than the studios because they know they have a hit before they even greenlight the film.

 

Looking to the Future: The Audience as the Heart of Film Industry Success

Studios are still wondering if they will make money on a film.  Angel Studios knows they will make money and pay back their investors. They said that was a major goal. They know going into the theatres that the investors are the audience for the film. These are the same people who want to see the film.

Angel studios went to CinemaCon to pitch movies to theatres. They said theatres loved their Christian films. The theatre said it’s wonderful that you’re bringing us films that the audience loves.

This is filmmaking by the audience for the audience. You may want to read Peter Broderick’s brilliant bulletins or go to Angel.com and learn more about it. 

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers.

She is creator and instructor of Learn Producing: The Ultimate Course for Indie Film Production.  26 classes which will teach indie filmmakers how to produce their films.

She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionShe is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits

by Carole Dean

 

Corky Kessler on the Art of Film Funding Podcast with Carole Dean

Corky Kessler

Our award-winning podcast, The Art of Film Funding is dedicated to exploring the world of film financing and tax incentives for filmmakers. We recently interviewed the renowned entertainment lawyer Corky Kessler. He is directly responsible for shepherding the tax law 181 and helping to create the new tax law 168. The purpose of this interview was to determine how and when you use these lucrative tax laws created for features, theater, and documentary filmmaking.

Currently Corky Kessler works at Filmojy, whose mission is to support film makers by providing guidance and funding for movies in the United States under section 181 and 168.

 

Grandfathering under section 181 of the U S Tax Law

To use section 181, you need to qualify and you must meet specific requirements. Corky explains you need a screenplay, summary budget, one day of photography with dialogue, and investor’s documents. Once you have these you can be grandfathered under section 181 for life. That way you can shoot whenever you get the funding, there is no expiration date.

Corky says the best countries for film shoots with attractive incentives are England, France, Germany, and Canada. This is where Corky and FILMOJY can help filmmakers with presales and navigating the process of shooting in these countries.

The highest state rebates currently are New Jersey, New Mexico, Georgia, and Louisiana.

 

Understanding section 168 versus section 181

Corky informed us that section 168 and section 181 under the US tax law are both beneficial. Section 181 offers more advantages for filmmakers with budgets of 15 to 20 million. Section 168 has certain limitations and requires timely action for maximum benefits. Your benefits are reduced by 20% for each year you don’t screen your film. The law says that investor’s write off happens when you put your film in service and Corky says that means when you screen it to an audience.  168 requires that you screen the film in the year you make it to get 100% write off and each year that passes you lose 20% of that write off.  Section 168 has no upper limit; it can be a $100 million budget and you still get your U.S. tax law return.

 

Raise 25% of the funding and get the balance with tax and state credits.

Corky gave an example of investors who are 35% taxpayers. With the 181 they can get a 35% reduction on their taxes.  Now when you shoot in one of these states with 40% rebates New Jersey, New Mexico, and Louisiana, you can guarantee your investor’s that they are covered by $0.75 on every dollar spent. There is no other business in which you can do this. You’ve got 75% of your investment back before you even start and if you can get presales, you can get 100% back.

For more questions on this subject, you can call Corky at (312)925-2110. Tell Corky that you read this blog or heard our interview, and he will take good care of you. He’s one of our great film funding, tax specialist attorneys in the film industry.  Corkykessler@aim.com 

You can listen to the full interview here:

 

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers.

She is creator and instructor of Learn Producing: The Ultimate Course for Indie Film Production.  26 classes which will teach indie filmmakers how to produce their films.

She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionShe is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits

by Carole Dean

 

 

Roberta Grossman

In a world where storytelling plays a crucial role in shaping our understanding of different cultures and identities, it is essential to ensure that diverse voices are heard. Roberta Grossman, an award-winning filmmaker, and co-founder of Jewish Story Partners, is on a mission to transform the landscape of Jewish storytelling in film. In a recent interview, she shared insights about the organization’s purpose, its impact, and the future of Jewish storytelling.

 

A New Narrative for Jewish Stories: Jewish Story Partners, founded two years ago by Roberta Grossman and Caroline Resco, is a non-profit production company with a clear mission: to support filmmakers telling Jewish stories or stories with Jewish content. However, their vision goes beyond the traditional narratives often associated with Judaism. Grossman emphasizes the importance of representing the vast diversity within the Jewish community, encompassing people of different races, classes, and origins. By encouraging a broader range of stories, Jewish Story Partners aims to foster pride in Jewish identity while making a uniquely Jewish contribution to global culture.

 

Supporting Filmmakers and Films:  In just two years, they have awarded 72 grants, amounting to close to $2 million. Their dedicated staff of seven individuals focuses on fundraising and providing support to filmmakers, helping them navigate the challenging process of bringing their visions to life. By offering funding from the development stage all the way through post-production, Jewish Story Partners plays a vital role in priming the pump for filmmakers and encouraging the creation of high-quality documentaries.

 

Criteria and Funding Opportunities: Jewish Story Partners takes a generous approach in defining what constitutes a Jewish film. Their website showcases a diverse range of films they have funded, highlighting the breadth of stories they support. To be eligible for funding, a film must explore, expand, or deal with some aspect of the Jewish story, broadly defined. The producer or director needs to be based in the United States, but collaborations with international partners are welcome.

In addition to their regular grants, Jewish Story Partners has introduced Reprise Grants, which allow films that have already received funding to return for additional support. They also plan to initiate Educational Impact Grants, focusing on films that have the potential to create meaningful change and reach broader audiences.

 

Emphasizing Excellence and Reach: They are committed to supporting films that demonstrate excellence and have the potential to reach audiences globally. While filmmakers don’t have to be Jewish themselves, the organization ensures that the films they fund reflect a high standard of quality and hold the potential to spark conversations and contribute to social change.

Roberta Grossman and the team at Jewish Story Partners have built a dynamic platform for filmmakers to tell diverse Jewish stories and explore various aspects of Jewish identity. Through their generous grants and ongoing support, they are creating opportunities for filmmakers to bring their visions to life and reach a global audience. As Jewish storytelling continues to evolve, Jewish Story Partners remains dedicated to expanding narratives, fostering pride, and celebrating the rich tapestry of Jewish experiences in all its forms.

 

Listen to the Full Interview on Blog Talk Radio 

 

You can learn more about Jewish Story Partners at www.jewishstorypartners.org.

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers.

She is creator and instructor of Learn Producing: The Ultimate Course for Indie Film Production.  26 classes which will teach indie filmmakers how to produce their films.

She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionShe is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits

Direct to your audience: Building a documentary distribution strategy

by Carole Dean

Keith Ochwat from Show and Tell and Peter Broderick gave an incredible workshop. They talked about golden opportunities in the new world of distribution. They work exclusively with documentaries. And what they’re talking about can also be used for shorts and scripted films because it is about connecting with your audience.

Keith starts out by saying if your plan A is to go to a festival and make a deal to sell your documentary, you’re in for a rude awakening.

 

Sundance’s disappointing sales and streamers’ changing preferences.

This is not happening in today’s world. Peter Broderick wrote a bulletin telling us that Sundance did not sell any documentaries this year.

He covered the changing landscape of what the streamers are purchasing, and this caused people to get upset so Peter took this opportunity to explain what is happening and how documentary filmmakers should be looking at the new world of distribution in the future.

Peter told us that in 2019 lots of films were sold at Sundance and 53% of them were directed by women. The festival seemed to proclaim it was the beginning of the golden age of documentaries. But this year 2023 there were no sales at Sundance and of the international docs in competition there was one sale so that is startling. Streamers bought nothing.

However, they brought their own films. They brought all celebrity doc films that the streamers found easy to sell and non-controversial. The films the streamers bought in previous years were of no interest. What they’re financing now are safe, commercial, and mainstream.

Many of the films screened at this year’s Sundance would have been sold in previous festivals but not this year, it’s changed that fast.

To sum it up, there was no interest in political films in terms of acquisition. There was a film about Harvey Weinstein and one about Elizabeth Holmes and both sold or were financed by the streamers. But not this year. What happened was a shocking, depressing change.

Peter says that most festivals have little or no impact on distribution, of course there are always exceptions. One reason to go to a festival is to see your film on the big screen and in a theater. Another reason is to get a laurel for marketing.  Peter says two laurels are enough.

Going to film festivals will not find distribution for you. There may be other reasons to go to a festival, perhaps to enjoy the city they’re in, to meet other filmmakers and to network. Just be honest and realize you’re not going to get a distribution deal.

It’s time to understand that festivals are not essential for selling your film or making money.

Now we’ll get into Peter’s new world of distribution. He said I wouldn’t spend more than 10 percent of my time on festivals, and I would put 90% on conferences. You need to design a customized festival strategy based on your distribution strategy and your goals.

 

Reduced acquisition of documentaries.

You need to know that not only has Sundance gone as a sales outlet for documentaries, CNN is gone! They’re not acquiring docs, they’re making their own. Showtime is gone.  HBO is in the quicksand of Max and it’s dissolving and disappearing in some way. The fact that HBO’s been a brand that was built over the years and has a great following doesn’t seem to matter at this point.

People are not going to movie theaters to watch documentaries anymore.  This change happened during COVID.

What we see in theaters is superheroes. I looked at a list of independent films listing the gross this year and the first independent film was 31st on the list so those other thirty above it were all from studios.

 

Streamers new narrow focus.

The steamers have gone as a distribution source for independent documentary films.  The streamers told one filmmaker we’re only interested in true crime, celebrity, and music. That’s a very narrow market.

And there’s one other possibility if the film has tremendous international appeal and if the film falls into the buckets as stated in Variety, which is crime, food, music, and sports you might have a chance. If you’re not in one of these buckets in terms of acquisitions they’re not going to take your film seriously so narrowing the categories is a real problem. Realize when you say celebrity that means that the subjects are instantly recognizable to viewers. And they must appeal to people not just in the US but in Brazil, Japan, and other places.

The algorithm tells Netflix if you have a market in that country when they put your product in their computer. This is how they decide if your film fits their audiences.

Most film festivals show diverse films that are innovative, politically driven, and provocative, pushing boundaries. However, the distributors are not interested.

If you want to make a commercial film that’s highly accessible, easily promotable you might get this financed but you would be a director for hire. It would not be something that you’d dream up on your own.

 

The impact of international appeal and specific content categories.

One filmmaker summed it up and said, “the need for celebrity and star driven projects with enough reach to be watched in Brazil and Canada” is what streamers want.

Peter shared a story with us about festivals being virtual and how it has greatly expanded the audience for people that want to see good docs coming out of a festival.

Example, Edward Snowden was going to do a live festival with Q&A remotely in one room and this room had 620 seats. The festival decided that they really wanted it to go virtual and said this way 2000 people can watch it.  They did. After that another 90,000 people watched it so think about this. You are expanding your viewership and reaching a huge audience through international virtual screenings, and you don’t have to be at a festival to do that.

Peter says it’s not that there will be less documentaries because you will see documentaries on Netflix and Amazon, but they will be much narrower in content.

And he admits that independent films are not working in theaters right now. He believes that the mainstream of content is online rather than in theaters. Netflix recently said that they’re not looking to do projects that reach 2 million people, they want projects that reach 20 million people. That’s their current thinking, that’s how they want to curate their content. And maybe have the same amount or fewer titles which reach more people across broader geographies.

Peter says it’s a tough reality to swallow this shift and know that the old world of documentaries is not coming back if the streamers are in control.

 

Building core audiences.

He said we must get into the reality of what’s happening and look at new ways to market and fund our films and that is you want to sell direct to your audiences.

If you have core audiences, then that’s who you need to start with. You can reach out to them while you’re making your film and connect with them before it’s finished. They can give you useful feedback. That’s very important because Udy Epstein, the owner of 7th Art Film Distribution told us how important it is to keep giving audience screenings and getting feedback and making changes before you release your film.

Do not rush to get your film into a Film Festival, it will not benefit you. Audience response and guidance will give you a better film every time then you will be accepted in film festivals. Put the time and effort into audience screenings for feedback.

Udy said you need to do a lot of screenings before you release your film and don’t apply to festivals until it is in excellent shape, and you have very good audience feedback. He also shared that he is going to many less festivals than he did before. This is the new way. The distributor will let you come direct to them. It is a lot cheaper when you approach them directly.

 

Building relationships with your audience and partnerships with corporations.

Keith & Peter shared a film called Water of life. They did a successful crowdfunding campaign and raised $80,000. The documentary was about Scotch whiskey and prominent distillers in Scotland. They built a big e-mail list from their crowdfunding, and they brought on some large partners in their audience.

The filmmakers did a couple of focus group screenings and then they were invited to come have their premiere at a festival.  The deal was the festival would give them a split from the ticket sales. The film team was expected to do quite a bit of promotion and send their personal list of donors and fans to the film festival. In other words, they had to give their audience to the festival people and then split the income. They decided to take a risk and do it themselves.

Bravo for them! They made a difficult decision to skip festivals altogether and do a virtual event.

 

The success of Water of Life documentary film.

They did not hire a PR team, but they emailed Forbes magazine which had advertisers of Scotch whiskey & cigars and an audience interested in whisky. They reached out to Forbes who read their information and watched their film. Forbes wrote an article that said the film was great. And linked it to their virtual event where they made $13,000 in ticket sales. They kept every bit of it for themselves.

One of those partners in the virtual room for their premiere was Remy Martin and they sponsored a series of whiskey club screenings for around $25,000. This made the film makers very happy. Then, Remy Martin sponsored another series of events six months down the road. 

During this time, the filmmakers built a good relationship with Remy Martin who ended up hiring those two filmmakers to do their Super Bowl ad and signed an NDA, so they never said how much they made but it was a good career step-up for them.

The most important part of Peter and Keith’s teaching is to show you how to get away from the gatekeeper and make your own decisions to move forward. You need to find your audience and if that is at a convention then that’s the best place for you to go.

Frances Causey is a From the Heart sponsored filmmaker. She has been working with Peter Broderick for many years and follows his advice. She has done exceptionally well with all her documentaries. She says, “it is a lot of trouble, and it is costly, but it does pay off.” Going to conventions, finding your audience, and then taking the product direct to the market.  This is her priority over film festivals. She may go to a few festivals, but her focus is direct to her audience.

I highly recommend both Keith and Peter. You can learn more about Keith Ochwat and Show&Tell at www.showandtell.film and Peter Broderick at www.peterbroderick.com.

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers.

She is creator and instructor of Learn Producing: The Ultimate Course for Indie Film Production.  26 classes which will teach indie filmmakers how to produce their films.

She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionShe is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits

Since its inception, the foundation has provided over $2 million in grants to more than 70 projects.

 

by Carole Dean

Rogovy Foundation

Founded in 2015 by Hugh Rogovy, the Rogovy Foundation has established itself as a significant contributor to the future of our planet. With a primary focus on education, civics, and the environment, the foundation supports various projects, particularly documentary films, that aim to educate, inspire, and enrich audiences. Since its inception, the foundation has provided over $2 million in grants to more than 70 projects, showcasing its commitment to fostering a successful functioning democracy and promoting access to information.

 

Unveiling the Power of Documentary Films

Hugh Rogovy recognizes the crucial role of the fourth estate in a democratic society, where the freedom of the press is instrumental. He believes that documentaries have the power to captivate and engage a wide audience effectively.

By combining visual storytelling with critical thinking, documentaries can educate and inspire viewers, making them an ideal medium for the foundation’s mission. Through its support for compelling documentary projects, the Rogovy Foundation aims to contribute to the betterment of society.

 

From Bravery to Triumph: A Transpacific Journey

Losing Sight of Shore is one of the remarkable documentaries funded by the Rogovy Foundation which follows the incredible journey of four courageous women who rowed across the Pacific Ocean from America to Australia. This gripping film takes viewers on an emotional rollercoaster as they witness the hardships and triumphs of the team. The captivating storytelling and visual engagement of the documentary led to its quick acquisition by Netflix, demonstrating the foundation’s commitment to promoting impactful films.

 

Unveiling Elder Abuse

Another groundbreaking documentary funded by the Rogovy Foundation is The Guardians. This investigative film exposes the systemic abuse of elderly people in Las Vegas, Nevada, where vulnerable citizens are robbed of their life savings. By shedding light on this cautionary tale, the documentary raises awareness about the need to protect and empower the elderly. Through in-depth case histories, the film reveals the disturbing realities of the guardianship system, not only in Las Vegas but in jurisdictions with similar rules.

 

Promoting Excellence through Grant Applications

They receive around 600 applications annually for grants, making the selection process highly competitive. To ensure quality submissions, the foundation has identified specific criteria and red flags that they consider during the evaluation process. One key aspect is the log line, which many filmmakers fail to construct effectively. A concise and attention-grabbing log line is essential to capture the interest of the foundation.

Additionally, applicants are encouraged to thoroughly review the foundation’s website and guidelines to avoid common questions and misunderstandings.

 

Understanding Audience Impact and Distribution Strategy

For a documentary to be considered, it must not only entertain but also engage its potential audience. The Rogovy Foundation emphasizes the importance of selecting subjects that resonate with viewers and present them in a compelling manner. Filmmakers are also expected to have a well-thought-out distribution strategy, considering platforms like Netflix or Hulu for national exposure. Furthermore, non-English language films are welcomed, provided they include English subtitles.

 

The Role of Fiscal Sponsors

The Rogovy Foundation suggests that filmmakers seek fiscal sponsors, as it simplifies the funding process. Fiscal sponsors act as intermediaries between the foundation and the filmmakers, facilitating tax-deductible funding. By partnering with reputable fiscal sponsors, filmmakers can receive financial support more efficiently. The sponsor handles the transfer of funds while retaining a small fee. Notably, the Rogovy Foundation recommends From the Heart Production as one such fiscal sponsor.  Detailed information regarding this process can be found on their website.

 

Collaborating with Investigative Journalism

Extending its support beyond documentary films, the foundation has been partnering with the Center for Investigative Reporting and their radio show, Reveal. This collaboration aims to amplify investigative journalism efforts in the visual realm. By providing additional funding, the foundation assists in the development and advancement of journalism-focused documentary projects. Future partnerships with other newsrooms are also being explored, further expanding the foundation’s impact in the visual world.

 

Investing in the Power of Documentary Films

Established by Hugh Rogovy, the foundation continues to make significant strides in supporting documentary films that educate, inspire, and enrich society. With a focus on promoting democracy, access to information, and progressive values, the foundation has funded impactful projects, ranging from awe-inspiring transpacific journeys to exposing systemic abuses.

Through a rigorous grant application process and emphasis on effective storytelling and distribution strategies, the Rogovy Foundation empowers filmmakers to create documentaries that make a lasting impact on audiences worldwide. As the foundation expands its collaborations with investigative journalism platforms, its reach and influence continue to grow, reinforcing its commitment to a better future for all.

 

You can listen to the full interview here:

 

 

You can learn more about The Rogovy Foundation at rogovy.org.

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers.

She is creator and instructor of Learn Producing: The Ultimate Course for Indie Film Production.  26 classes which will teach indie filmmakers how to produce their films.

She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionShe is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits

How to Use AI to Build Your Audience for Your Documentary, Feature, or Short Film

 

by Carole Dean

 

AI to Optimize Video Content

I had an enlightening interview with Patrick Martin on the Art of Film Funding Podcast. Patrick is an AI expert, and the Co-Founder and Head of Technology and Development for AIFocus.net.

Patrick has been helping us at From the Heart Productions to stay ahead of the curve with AI technology, and to understand how these innovations can help filmmakers.

In the first half of the interview, Patrick walked us through a system to use AI to help optimize YouTube videos to reach more traffic. YouTube is an important platform for filmmakers to build their audience by sharing films, clips, trailers, interviews, and a wide range of other supplemental.

Patrick’s process uses three different technologies, Otter.AI, ChatGPT, and vidIQ,  to determine the best keywords and to write descriptions for videos that will achieve high visibility on YouTube. This same process can also inform us of the best topics to focus on for future videos based on what people are searching for. There is another program he discusses called DALL-E which can be used to improve your video content. I’ve taken the highlights from that interview to prepare this guide.

Otter.ai: Accurate Transcripts for Video Content

The first step is to get an accurate transcript of your video or audio. Patrick says “there’s a system called Otter.ai that is 99.9% accurate, especially if you train it, meaning that you give it a lot of the same speaking voice, that will provide you with a complete transcript just by uploading the video. So now you’ve got a transcript that’s extremely accurate.” The Pro Plan is about $17 a month for everything you need.

ChatGPT 4 and 3.5: Choosing the Right AI Tool

“Now you can take that transcript and off you go to ChatGPT. We recommend that you get yourself a paid account. It’s only $20 a month, but that gives you access to both ChatGPT 4 and 3.5. What’s the difference between the two? 3.5 is a bit like a regular horse, and ChatGPT 4 is like a racehorse. It goes faster, and it wins more races. But if you don’t know how to ride a horse, don’t jump on a racehorse first.”

Multi-Prompting: Boosting Efficiency with Context-Specific Questions

Regardless of which version of ChatGPT you use, Patrick says you’ll be faced with what’s called a ‘prompt engine.’ The prompt engine is a very important thing because it’s not just going to give you a simple sequence of answers like Google. It’s going to do work, real work.

“What we want to do,” Patrick pointed out, “is to put that transcript from Otter.AI and cut and paste that right into ChatGPT. Then ask it to provide a set of long-tailed keywords.

“A long-tail keyword is a combination of keywords. It’s a fancy way of saying, well, here’s a sentence with two or three keywords in it.  80 to 90% of search is governed by these long-tails, meaning there’s lots more variations of combinations of keywords than there are single keywords. The great majority of traffic comes from long-tail keywords.

“ChatGPT will spew out 15 short sentences of long-tail keywords. What we’re really doing is called multi-prompting. That means start by doing one thing and obtain a result. We’ve taken an audio tape, and now we have text of a transcript. We then take that transcript from the AI and off we go to GPT4, which is much more of a large language model.

“Now what we’re doing is we’re going to get another artificial intelligence, and this is one that anybody that’s on YouTube should be using, because they’re pretty much a monopolist on this. They’ve got all the data, and it is called vidIQ.”

vidIQ: Leveraging AI to Identify Low-Competition Keywords 

vidIQ is a different type of AI. It’s an AI that is looking at all the data that is flying around in YouTube, and it’s saying, well, we’ve got access to all this data, and we can tell what keywords are highly competitive.”

We talked about some search terms that might be appropriate for From the Heart to use for our videos as examples.  But the same principles will apply to whatever your film is about.

“For example,” he explained, “‘movie making’ is a highly competitive keyword that has 500,000 people looking for it. It’s extremely high competition. So, the likelihood of ever getting a top position for anything you post is virtually zero, and you’ll be on page 96, with no traffic.

“If on the other hand, you ask for terms that are less competitive for argument’s sake, film funding for documentaries, you happen to be making a documentary. So therefore, you are looking for ‘film funding for a documentary.’ Well, we see there’s not that many people looking, maybe 2000 or 3000.

“The amount of competition, meaning the number of people that are competing with you for that term, is low. Well, that’s important to know, isn’t it? So now you can take the results that ChatGPT 4 has given you, all the long-tail keywords that are associated with the transcript, and you can put them into vidIQ and test which of those keywords are effectively low competition with a reasonable amount of traffic.”

What we’re trying to do here is find the “low-hanging fruit,” which are the “keywords that I can actually get a top three, top five position and really get some traffic for people that are interested in what I am doing.”

Crafting Powerful Titles: Combining Human Intelligence with AI Insights

Now, you can use your human intelligence to create a title for that work. “These types of technologies use traditional skills. You must be able to construct a meaningful, important title for your video once you’ve got the information on what is likely to be the low-lying fruit. Using your existing skills as a writer, screenwriter, editor, or as a designer, all of these tools are now available to speed up the work and to produce a quality of work that’s much higher with much less time.”

I’ve also found that ChatGPT is a great tool for coming up with titles as well. I put my transcript in the prompt, and asked ChatGPT to create a title and to optimize for the long-tail keywords I wanted to focus on. It came up with some terrific options. 

Writing Video Descriptions and Chapter Segments with ChatGPT

The next step is to put our title and transcript back into ChatGPT and ask it to come up with a good video description for YouTube. It will come up with some great keyword-rich text that will help your visibility. The other thing you can ask ChatGPT to do is to divide the video transcript into chapters or sections if your video is structured that way. It can help you come up with titles for these chapters as well.

“What we’re doing is called ‘prompt engineering,’ which asking very specific questions in a series to get very important information.”

DALLE: Creating Compelling Images and Avatars for Videos

Another thing you can do with AI to improve your videos is to use DALL-E, which allows you to create images from prompts. So, you can say “’give me a hobbit living in an oak tree,’ and it’ll produce a hobbit in an oak tree for you. There are other operations with AI that will then take that hobbit in an oak tree and create mouth movements for speaking for 10 or 15 seconds, realistically just sort of Disney standards of talking with what I would call a ‘locked off shot.’ No moving cameras, just a locked off shot, somebody facing camera or a hobbit facing camera.”

“Then you put in the text, and then the Hobbit will say, ‘I’m a hobbit that lives in New Zealand.’ And those are the technologies that are also extremely useful in certain important categories, such as news releases and all the various things where avatars are now being used by the BBC, Microsoft, and everybody else.”

Democratization of Data: Harvesting Your Own Insights from Google

“Google became the biggest advertising agency in the world. Most people think of Google as a search engine. No, it’s, it’s an ad agency cleverly disguised as a search engine. That’s what it is. Everybody’s interested in Google, but Google’s only interested in itself because the more times you look at Google, the more money they make.

“And so, from that point of view, yes, they give you lots of free stuff, and AI has been used on everyone for the last 10, 15 years. They have been using AI to gather as much data on human beings that are using Google system as is humanly possible so they can sell it to advertisers. So, you know, if everybody’s worried about the government and having information on you, well, I’m not worried about that at all, but Google is another matter.

“The democratization of data has begun, and now the big boys are being forced to give up their data. So, to a certain extent, the work that we do is allowing businesses like yourself and other businesses that we work with to harvest their own data from Google, which Google allows you to get.” There are many types of data that can be gathered from Google. Patrick gave the example of “how many people found you by searching a map.

“A lot of people look at the map, they don’t look at search. And so with all these variations of how people found you, what did they do? Did they come to you with a train? Did they come to you with a plane? Did they come to you by driving? And how did they get there? And what did they do when they arrived? And so on and so forth. All that data’s available that every business, every school, every university can collect that data from Google. Very few do, but those that do tend to excel.”

Navigating the YouTube Landscape: Building Consistency and Subscriber Base

“Having your own YouTube channel and putting your flms and marketing yourself is the way of the future. If people are interested in your specific subject, whatever that may be, then they will subscribe. And the key is consistency.”

“90% of the traffic that you’re going to get is not going to come from search. It’s going to come from suggested videos.What is a suggested video? Well, first of all, let’s look at what most people do when they make a video. They don’t do anything other than upload it. And then they say one sentence or two sentences about it, and there it remains collecting digital dust until it disappears, because nobody’s watching. It gets 50 views or 60 views.”

“The reason that it’s important is not for you or for the person watching it. No. It’s important for YouTube to keep you looking at the ads. That’s why we’re here, right? To watch the ads. We’re not here to do anything else other than watch the ads. Google is not concerned with the content. It’s only concerned with whether the content is interesting enough to keep you watching on YouTube.”

“So, you’ve got a bunch of keywords such as ‘documentary filmmakers and funding’. And you then look at the top of that particular keyword, ‘documentary film funding.’ And what do we see here? We see lots of old videos, two years old, three years old, five years old. What does that tell us? It tells us there’s no competition, and we’re more than likely to get a top three position because of a very important term.

“That’s another lesson to be learned here. Recency. It means “when was this published?” Because the only thing Google is really interested in, if you really want to succeed on them is “am I a consistent publisher?” Being a consistent publisher means putting out a couple of videos at least a month, and some people are putting out two and three a day. They don’t have to be long. It can be 10 minutes, 15 minutes.”

“The point is that consistency builds up what we call channel authority. And what does channel authority confer? It confers reaching for the higher fruit. So at the beginning, you can only go for keywords that are relatively low competition, and maybe not so many people looking for them. After you’ve got your channel authority in whichever niche you happen to be in, then you can become visible with those more competitive keywords.”

Conclusion: Embracing AI to Optimize Your YouTube Success

AI is here to stay, and we must embrace these technologies to stay ahead of the curve. There are wonderful tools here to help us to get our film and our voices to a much bigger and more engaged audience, and I encourage all of our filmmakers to take the time to learn more.

Listen to the entire podcast in the link below:

 

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers.

She is creator and instructor of Learn Producing: The Ultimate Course for Indie Film Production.  26 classes which will teach indie filmmakers how to produce their films.

She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionShe is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits

“Good interviews don’t make good trailers; good stories make good trailers.”

by Carole Dean

In my first blog about my interview with Michael Torres on The Art of Film Funding Podcast, I shared his wisdom for creating successful film trailers. In this blog, we’ll go more in depth into best practices for conducting documentary interviews, and how to incorporate those into film trailers.

Michael is a talented filmmaker, editor and teacher, and considers himself a lifelong student. He combined his love of history and storytelling with his passion for metaphysical studies to create art that uplifts, inspires, and unites.

His first Installation, The Gods of Puerto Rico is a 12-part documentary series on Afro Puerto Rican revolutionary Pedro Albizu Campos and his quest for Freedom. Michael has created content for Fox Sports, Spotify Studios, The NFL Network, ESPN, and YouTube Originals. When he’s not in production, Michael is a teacher of metaphysical studies and meditation at the Agape International Spiritual Center in Los Angeles. 

Michael has also been a friend of mine for many years. He was also a student in my Intentional Filmmaking Class. We were very fortunate to have him as a guest!

Plan in advance.

Documentarians often choose to include excerpts from their interview in their trailers. However, sometimes filmmakers just hope that the interview will produce good content for their trailers without planning enough in advance.  This is not the best approach.

“If you’re hoping you capture what you need for your trailer,” Michael explains, “then you haven’t articulated a vision for yourself and your film, right? You need to be intentional about the stories you want to tell.

“During interviews you will get surprises and hear things to take you somewhere else. But the clearer you are about what you want and need from an interview, the more success you will have.”

Stories make good trailers.

Michael also gave some advice about a common pitfall for using interviews in a trailer. “I’m speaking from experience with this one, with my own film. Good interviews don’t make good trailers, good stories make good trailers. And so you might have this kick ass interview, the person is brilliant, but did they tell you a fantastic story?”

What he suggests you want to do instead is to use the interviews to craft a compelling story, not just give information.

“I think there’s a lot of prep that goes into preparing to film something for a trailer or do those initial interviews. I’d say research, research, research. Once you know who you’re going to interview, maybe they’ve been interviewed before, maybe they’ve been on television, maybe they have a blog post.  Read an article that they’ve written, but understand how they communicate, and what their point of view is.”

Michael highly recommends conducting “pre-interviews” to prepare. “I love the world of Zoom and what that’s opened for us. We could do these pre-interviews on Zoom, and I’ve used Zoom interviews in trailers or bytes from Zoom interviews in trailers.

“That’s something you may not want for your finished piece, but to help you get these ideas down, I think that’s important. Then it’s taking that and really being clear about what it is before you sit down to talk to someone. Then you can have a real conversation. Then you can genuinely and sincerely be an interested listener and confidently know what that person can give you.”

Reduce your costs and do out of town interviews with Zoom.

Zoom is a great benefit for low budget documentaries. In many cases, I believe that footage from Zoom interviews is often good enough quality to include in a trailer, or sometimes in the documentary itself.

Michael agreed.

“I think we’re in a time,” he said,  “where with our willingness to engage with social media that we don’t need to shoot an interview (on a Red Camera) necessarily. There’s a tolerance for low resolution video.

“There’s an intimacy that you get on a Zoom call that you don’t get in a standard sit-down interview… You’ve been on a Zoom call, you’ve been on the other side of that call. It’s not foreign to someone. So I think you get them to be a little more comfortable in a Zoom environment than you would in a three light setup and with a small crew under a hot light.”

This is so true! It’s not uncommon for someone you’re interviewing to have never been on a professional set or filmed with a professional crew and camera before. They might be nervous. They are more relaxed on Zoom. They’re in their home where they are comfortable, which can help you to get a very up close and personal conversation.

And of course, you’ll also save a lot of money without having to travel or hire a crew. This can be crucial if you are still raising funds or in early development for your film. You can get the interview you need for a trailer without spending anything.

A “chicken or egg” situation.

Michael expanded that “you can always go back and refilm that interview… now knowing exactly what you’re going to get, or having a better sense of what the subject can deliver. I think this is going to be a consistent feature in documentary going forward… the lower quality Zoom video camera, phone footage and things of that nature.”

Filmmakers often find themselves in a “chicken or egg” situation. They need to raise the $15,000 or so to make the trailer, but they need to have the trailer to raise money! Using Zoom interviews can help create that initial funding trailer when funds may be limited or nonexistent.

Furthermore, it shows that you are very creative by being able to get such great content over Zoom, and that you are resourceful for being able to create a compelling trailer for a minimum amount of money. 

During your interviews, you must listen for the sound bite that will make the film or trailer move forward. Sometimes, this requires asking the same questions two or three different ways to get the response framed in a way that works.

To tell your story, ask leading questions.

“Some people will probably not like this,” Michael suggested, “but I tend to ask leading questions. I’ll pepper in a piece of the answer in my question, and then I’ll also be very clear with the person I’m interviewing that I need them to mirror back to me the question that I asked.

“So, for example, if I ask you, what’s your favorite color? I can’t do much as an editor if you just say ‘purple.’ But ‘my favorite color is purple’ just conveyed a piece of information. So, it’s being clear about the answer you want, and then figuring out ways to ask questions to get it.”

Learn Adobe Premiere or Final Cut

Once you have your interviews and other footage you can use for a trailer, the next step is to organize it and select the best clips to create the trailer. Michael recommends taking the time to at least learn enough editing on Adobe Premiere or Final Cut to create an assembly of your footage. You can learn everything you need on YouTube in a day.

Michael considers that “then you’ll be a proficient enough editor to assemble, to take an interview apart and break out bites and things of that nature just to play with it and begin seeing how it strings together.

Get interviews transcribed

“But I’d say even before that,” he suggests, “you want to take your interviews and get those transcribed. That’s a really important tool and resource for me. I lean on my transcripts and I try to cut on paper as much as I can before I start cuttingin the program, because I only get to see this a couple of times with fresh eyes. I only get to experience it a few times.

“And so I want to take it as far as I possibly can on paper and work with the producer or director that I’m working with to really get a tight outline.  Knowing that once we start editing, that outline may go out the window. We might fall down the rabbit hole and it leads to somewhere else, but we’ve set an intention and we’re moving towards that intention. Now that we’re on that journey, we can allow it to take us where we want to go, but first we’ve set a destination.”

Rev.com is excellent for automatic transcriptions.

Michael and I both recommend using www.rev.com to create inexpensive transcriptions of your interview footage.

He considers it “a great resource. You could take your interview, you upload it, and minutes later you have a transcription. One thing I will just remind listeners is please, please, please get the time code, on your transcriptions. It really helps speed up the process when I know 10 minutes and 13 seconds is where I’m gonna find that bite versus listening through the interview to find it.”

I highly recommend you take a moment to view the trailer that Michael created for his Albizu docuseries at www.whoisalbizu.com, where you can also learn more about the project.

In case you missed it, please make sure to check out my first blog about my interview with Michael Torres (Insert Link Here). You can also listen to the full interview on Blog Talk Radio. You can learn more about Michael Torres at www.mtorresproductions.com.

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers.

She is creator and instructor of Learn Producing: The Ultimate Course for Indie Film Production.  26 classes which will teach indie filmmakers how to produce their films.

She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionShe is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits

 

How screenwriters can use psychology to develop characters and scripts more effectively

by Carole Dean

I had a truly fascinating interview on The Art of Film Funding Podcast with Dr. William Indick. He is the author of the book Psychology for Screenwriters: Building Conflict in Your Script. (Published by Michael Wiese Productions, the same publisher for my book, The Art of Film Funding).

Psychology for Screenwriters

 

William earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology in 1993 and his Ph.D in Developmental Psychology in 2001 from Cornell University. An active screenwriter, author, screenwriting consultant, William is also an Associate Professor of Psychology at William Patterson University where he teaches courses in media psychology, psychology, and film.

Writing psychologically complex characters requires a deep understanding of human behavior.

In his book, Dr. Indick uses his years of study and experience to convey this to the readers in a way that doesn’t require them to have a Ph.D in Psychology. He does this by sharing insights from brilliant psychological theorists, such as Freud, Young, and Adler, and teaches you how to apply these principles to screenwriting and character development. The book can be a wonderful guide and inspiration for writers at any phase of development of their script.

“The psychological theories that I apply to film,” Dr. Indic explained during our discussion, “are basically just explorations of human behavior. Each model tries to understand what makes us tick, and by understanding that, we can predict what someone may or may not do in a given situation.

“We’re trying to figure out what are these characters will do once we put them in the specific scenario that we’re developing. Their actions tell us more about their character than anything they could say about themselves, or any type of voiceover narration can tell us about the characters. “When we’re looking at the screen, we, the audience, are looking at behavior and analyzing behavior like psychologists.”

“The best tool we could have is the models that psychologists created for understanding behavior.”

I think this is such a valuable insight from Dr. Indick. There is already a wealth of information from expert psychologists that writers can draw from to make the challenging task of character development easier. This book does a terrific job making these theories and principles easily accessible to the writer, who may not have a background in psychology at all.

I asked Dr. Indick to speak on how these psychological models applied specifically to development.

“Using these models,” he responded, “that do predict human behavior based on an understanding of what this person’s personality…can generate new ideas.

“If my character is having, say, an identity crisis. Well, what did Erickson have to say about identity crisis? And what would Erickson predict? Meaning what would this person do to express their identity conflict? You might find what people they seek to help them? What new behaviors or new ways of dealing with conflict will this person adopt?

“Once you understand the model and how it works,” he continued, “there are different ways that you can express conflict in this character through their behavior or through their dialogue. And that frees you up from having to explain what’s going on in the character’s head with giving voiceover narration that literally tells the viewer what the character is thinking.” 

That is something that I know Robert McKee would appreciate. He wants information through action and short dialogue.

Creating dark and psychologically complex characters from shows such as The Sopranos and The Wire.

I find a character like Tony Soprano fascinating. He plays a killer who is a terrible person, yet the audience becomes engaged with him and connects to him. We want to understand what makes him tick. I found that the more I watched and tried to understand how he would handle murder and mayhem one minute and then deal with his family life, the more engaged I became.

Dr. Indick explained that we are “looking into his character, seeing how evil he is, yet also wondering, why am I so interested in him and why am I sort of connecting with him? So, we’re questioning the character, which makes us question ourselves, but then at the same time, the character is questioning himself and his own morality and his ethics and his basic identity and character.”

He believes that the reason we watch anything, “whether it’s a show or a movie, we’re trying to learn something about ourselves. We do that by watching other people and we can learn some extreme things about ourselves by watching other people do extreme things.

“So that’s the benefit of film as often it is a virtual reenactment of life that we could view and learn from, but not actually have to go through mistakes and do some horrible things.”

That certain air of mystery.

He talked about the fact that developing psychologically complex, and therefore more engaging characters, requires maintaining a certain air of mystery about them. It’s not as interesting if the character is predictable or if their motivations and actions are surface level. The most interesting characters, in a way, are puzzles for the viewer to solve.

“When a character does something that is inexplicable and is fascinating for the viewer,” Dr. Indick told me, “ then what the writer needs to do is keep it explicable by explaining exactly what’s going on.  But keep the mystery there and reveal little by little through action and dialogue what’s going on and why they’re doing this inexplicable thing.

“We all love mystery stories because we like to figure out the mystery for ourselves. When you give away the mystery in voiceover narration in the first five minutes, then you will lose the audience. The audience has no mystery to solve and therefore they’re not interested any longer.

“Mystery keeps us tied into the plot and tied into the character. Confusion pushes us away, but mystery leads us in. The screenwriter has to master treading that line between confusion and mystery. The plot must never be confusing, but the characters should always be somewhat mysterious.”

You can find Dr. Indick’s book at mwp.com/product/psychology-screenwriters-building-conflict-script-2nd-ed. It’s an invaluable resource.

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers.

She is creator and instructor of Learn Producing: The Ultimate Course for Indie Film Production.  26 classes which will teach indie filmmakers how to produce their films.

She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionShe is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits

 

Called the earth’s heartbeat, harmonizing your life with this electromagnetic phenomenon will help you achieve success

by Carole Dean

Scientists tell us that there is an increase in electromagnetic frequency and energy occurring now.  In this era of information, they suggest that anything not aligned with the advancement of this emerging consciousness is being brought to light. This heightened energy is being experienced within both humans and nature, generating a sense of excitement.

Schumann Resonance

UCLA studies show that when pitching projects or ideas or making presentations, people are reading you from your energy.

The history of peace gathering projects, an initiative or event aimed at bringing people together in a spirit of harmony, unity, and non-violence, shows how best to harness that energy.  Studies, including those by the Rand Corporation, showed that If people had meditated with the energy and emotions of peace, unity, and oneness, without physically doing anything, that unified community can produce results 70% of the time.

Those results include an immediate reduction of crime, warfare, and terrorism by an average of greater than 70%.

Think about it! That means that if all of us are meditating daily with the intent to live in a world that is peaceful, with no terrorism, no wars, that as a unit we can achieve this.

The heartbeat of the earth.

Physicist Winfried Otto Schumann had a hypothesis of a resonant frequency of 7.83 Hertz for the earth that is now accepted and which now bears his name.  The Schumann Resonance was established by measuring global electromagnetic resonances generated by lightning discharges in the ionosphere. It acts as a background frequency influencing the biological circuitry of our mammalian brain.

People think of this electromagnetic phenomenon as the earth’s heartbeat.  Ancient Indian Rishis, often called “the scientists of Hinduism,” referred to this as OM or the incarnation of pure sound. It also happens to be a very powerful frequency with brain wave entrainment and it’s associated with low levels of alpha. It is this range of brain waves that allows us to get beyond the analytical mind and into the subconscious.

This frequency has been associated with high levels of suggestibility, meditation, increased growth hormone levels, and increased cerebral blood flow.

The earth’s frequency and the brain ‘s frequency have very similar resonances.  Our nervous system can be influenced by the earth’s electromagnetic field.  Perhaps this is why getting into nature often provides a calming effect to all of us.

People unconsciously read your body language.

Researchers at the HeartMath Institute discovered that when an individual’s heart rate is in a state of coherence, or harmonious rhythm, it radiates more coherent electromagnetic signals into the environment. This can be detected by the nervous systems of other people as well as animals.

The heart generates the strongest magnetic field in the body, and it can be measured several feet away. This provides a credible explanation for the fact that when someone walks into a room you can feel or sense that individual’s mood or state of independent from their body language.

This is what UCLA professor Mehrabian found when he did his research on pitching projects or ideas or making presentations.  He says people are reading you from your energy.  They are reading you from the influence of your voice, your eye contact, your posture, your entire presence, and he measured how it affects the recipient.

For filmmakers this information is important for you to know and understand so that you can connect with potential donors and with other industry people to help you make your film.

This information from Professor Mehrabian’s 55-38-7% can help filmmakers in many ways.

He says that 55% of the decision-making process is based on how you handle your body. Are you proud of yourself?  Are you confident?  Do you belong here? Are you comfortable among wealthy people?

Are you carrying yourself with good posture? Do you look people straight in the eye? Are you comfortable talking to people? When you sit, are you facing them and are you present and relaxed?

38% of the decision-making process is your voice and how you sound. For pitching a project, you should be excited, you should be at the top of your game with your very best pitch totally memorized. I want you to have your film’s pitch as part of your DNA so it is very easy for you to deliver.

The balance of 7%? What is that? That’s how much the content of your pitch matters. Can you believe it?  93% of the decision-making process for presentations is based on your voice and your body language and only 7% is on what you say.

Now you understand why I was so thrilled to find this research by the HeartMath institute on the Schumann resonance.

First connect to your heart for others to like and trust you.

HeartMath Institute’s research explains how beneficial it is when an individual’s heart rate is in a state of coherence or harmonious rhythm.

If you’re going to a gathering where you’re pitching people, sit in your car for a few minutes before you get into the event.  Or,  take a walk in a quiet place. Focus on peace, love, and unity to bring your heart and mind into the Schumann Resonance.  Fall into that perfect resonance of coherence with the earth. Focus on 7.83 hertz as a frequency to balance your body and create coherence in your body and mind.

This will put you in a wonderful place to be heard and felt and seen as the carrier of important information.

Now when you begin to pitch your project you are at one with your heart and with your Schumann resonance. People will believe you; people will understand you and they will fully support you.

When you are felt by the other person, they will be more apt to believe and trust you because you are totally coherent in your being.

You will have reached a state where the energy coming off you is congruent with the earth’s energy, it’s the relaxed supportive natural energy of the planet.

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers.

She is creator and instructor of Learn Producing: The Ultimate Course for Indie Film Production.  26 classes which will teach indie filmmakers how to produce their films.

She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionShe is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits

 

A high-quality film trailer is crucial for independent filmmakers to win grants, build an audience, and attract investors, donors, and partners.

by Carole Dean

Creating a film trailer is a very specific skill, a unique art, and science. The trailer not only has to tell a compelling story, but it also has to show that this filmmaker knows how to tell it in two minutes.  It needs to have three acts that are energy driven by music.

Film trailer

Michael Torres is a talented filmmaker and editor with whom I had the pleasure of interviewing for The Art of Film Funding Podcast. He shared his wisdom on how to create a stunning film trailer.  And we learned best practices for finding a film trailer editor.

I can speak from experience with our own Roy W. Dean Grant that a stellar trailer can be a deciding factor in which films we select as finalists and winners.

Creating your trailer is a discovery process.

“It seems like such a catch 22, right? You have to show the film so that someone gives you permission to make the film,” Michael explained.

“I really do think it’s an opportunity to conduct experiments with your film to find out what the visual language is, to find out what’s working, what’s not working. I think you can get insights into your film in this trailer editing phase because you’ll learn a lot about yourself and your material in this process.”

Trailers are not one size fits all, and there are different kinds of trailers for different purposes. A sizzle reel is very different than a funding trailer.

He described a sizzle reel as “anything from 30 seconds to two minutes. You want it fast paced, you want it to have a three-act structure, and clearly communicate an idea. I think a sizzle should be the vibe of your film, or the spirit of your film. This is really what you’re trying to articulate. What does this film feel like?”

A grant, such as the National Endowment for the Humanities, may ask you for a 15-minute excerpt from your film. For Michael, “that is really an exploration of how you intend tell the story. You need to explain, what is the film, what are the elements of the story, and then taking a complete scene and laying it out from A to Z and stringing together sequences.”

What’s the story?

Michael said that regardless of the format or length of the trailer, “I want that element of a reel right up front. And whether it’s a sizzle reel or it’s a funding trailer, in that first 30 seconds or so, I really want whoever’s watching this to know what this film is about, why we’re making it, who the main characters are, and what it is we’re trying to convey. And then we can get moody with it. But I want to answer those questions right up front.

“So, whether it’s a 30-second sizzle, a two-minute film trailer, or a 15-minute demo, we want to excite the viewer and leave them in a place where they want more. We want to tease them, so to speak.”

While it may not apply to all film genres, Michael believes all trailers should also typically convey what is the central conflict of the story.

Following the A,B,C’s

The progression a successful film trailer must include, what Michael refers to as he “A, B, C of the trailer.”

“It’s the opening, the middle and the end, the act one, act two, act three, there must be movement,” he explains. “If I’m introducing a character, there should be a change in that character. Meaning, by the end they are different from the person I met at the beginning.”

As a grantor, I look for the trailer to catch my attention in the first five to ten seconds. One of the things I don’t like is when the trailer starts with 10 to 20 seconds of titles.

A funding trailer should not have long credits at the beginning.  I am here to listen to an engaging story.  People must realize that grant judges are watching one trailer after another after another. It’s just how they do it, so to stand out over the rest, engage me with the first frame!

The faster you tell me the story, the more you engage me. We fund stories.

Tell me a “Sticky Story” that I can remember.

Michael agreed that the trailer needs to draw you in immediately. “I want a splash of cold water as soon as I step in. You don’t want to bog down the opening with your five second animated logo and a 20-second moody drone or anything like that.

“Because I don’t know what I’m watching. I want to engage with the viewer as soon as humanly possible. So, I use an inciting line, or an image, or a scene or a moment that drops me into what this film is about, what the essence and the vibe is, that’s what I really lead off with.”

For me, one of the most important parts of a trailer is to convey a “sticky story.” This is a story that the viewer can easily remember and wants to share with others. I teach this in my Intentional Filmmaking Class. I recommend a book called Made to Stick by Dan and Chip Heath, about why some ideas survive, and others disappear.

Something emotional, something credible, something shocking

They found what is most important is something emotional, something concrete, something credible, and something shocking, and tell your story around this. The reason is because almost everyone you’re going to ask for money has a significant other, mother, brother, or someone with whom they will discuss your film.

When that happens, they are now pitching your film. Your job is to make sure they get the essence of the film in your pitch or in your trailer, and something shocking, concrete, credible and emotional create “sticky stories” people can remember.

“That’s about the attention span you’re gonna get from someone too,” Michael concurred. “You may have this brilliant treatment that lays out every beat of the story, but if I can’t kick it to you in an elevator and you understand it, or understand it in two minutes, then I’ve lost you.”

I also recommend, if possible, to make different trailer versions for different purposes. One way to do it is called ‘Cover Your Bases.’ This is to get a 10-minute film trailer, a five-minute trailer, and a two-minute. Those seem to be the ones that are asked for the most if you’re going after grants.

I don’t have a time limit on my trailers, but I like a three-to-five-minute trailer.

How to find the right trailer editor?

I also spoke to Michael about his recommendations for finding the perfect trailer editor. Michael said “word of mouth is probably how I’ve gotten 99% of my work and it’s also how I go about finding editors. I want to work with people that have been recommended.

“You’re getting into a relationship when you’re bringing someone on to work on something that you love. So, I think it’s important that you vibe with the person. Just as important as their work, is how comfortable you are working with them. Giving and getting feedback means you really want to be with someone that you trust and can be vulnerable around.”

Working with an filmmaker

About his process as an editor, Michael wants “to know everything I possibly can about the film, but even more so why they’re interested in making the film.

“I really want to understand why it’s important to them and what the feeling is they’re trying to communicate. How do you want the viewer to feel about your subject after they watch this trailer? My focus is always on the quality, the feeling, the tone that we’re trying to communicate.”

The big question is, with so much content to choose from, how does an editor decide what goes into the trailer?  Michael looks for the most interesting things he has.

“So, it’s the scenes that already work, the low hanging fruit, that’s working. What do I know if I match this piece of b-roll with this interview? Sometimes it works and it conveys a message. I’m not working linear necessarily. I’m not starting at the beginning and ending at the end.

“I’m taking everything I have that I know works, building that, and then starting to find ways to connect them.”

You may want to read part 2 where we speak in depth about conducting interviews for documentaries, and how to incorporate these interviews into trailers.

Listen to entire podcast in link below:

Podcast is also available on iTunes, Stitcher, Goodpods, and Blogtalkradio

You can learn more about Michael Torres at www.mtorresproductions.com.

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers.

She is creator and instructor of Learn Producing: The Ultimate Course for Indie Film Production.  26 classes which will teach indie filmmakers how to produce their films.

She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionShe is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits

Through their initiatives, the Catapult Film Fund aims to nurture unique voices and stories that might otherwise go unheard

by Carole Dean

I had the honor of interviewing Megan Gelstein and Theresa Navarro from the Catapult Film Fund on my The Art of Film Funding Podcast.

Catapult Film Fund

The Catapult Film Fund was launched in 2010 with the intent to support documentary filmmakers with development funding at the earliest stages. Catapult offers early funding and mentorship to propel films forward and supports filmmakers with authentic voices who tell stories with integrity, creativity, a cinematic vision, and a strong perspective.

The fundamental idea was to provide funding for documentaries at a stage where there was very little support.  At this point of development, filmmakers often had no proof of concept, sample, or trailer.  Catapult is dedicated to supporting nonfiction filmmakers with critical early stage funding and mentorship to launch distinctive, story-driven, and cinematic films

“We look for filmmakers who are envisioning a film that asks really engaging questions and embraces the language of cinema. Whether or not they’re clear on the exact forward motion of the story, at its core we’re looking for great stories with great characters.”

Catapult offers two primary grants, the Development Grant and the Research Grant.

The Development Grant is Catapult’s flagship program, launched in 2010. These grants are $25,000 in non recoupable grant funding and are designed for, “filmmakers who have a clear sense of the project that they want to make, they have access to their characters, and they’re pretty well ready to go.”

Catapult takes a personal approach with the filmmakers they support. Megan went on to say that the “we look at the application as an opportunity for us to get to know the filmmaker, and then ultimately for the filmmaker to get to know us.”  Catapult staff serve as ongoing advisors and advocates for supported filmmakers, sharing industry knowledge and introducing them to members of the film industry who can fund and provide meaningful guidance for their work.

Catapult Film Fund reviews applications for the Development Grant in two rounds per year. The first round is open from January – mid February, with  final decisions by June. The second round is open from June – mid July.  They make final decisions by early  November. The Development Grant is open to domestic and international filmmakers and,  “our final annual slate tends to have an equal number of domestic and international filmmakers,” said Megan.

The Research Grant is the newest expansion and expression of Catapult’s commitment to providing support when it is riskiest to give and hardest to find. Launched in 2021, the Research Grant was designed specifically to help filmmakers in early stages of development for their projects, when filmmakers don’t have all the questions answered, when their projects are not yet fully “buttoned up.”  It was created to support filmmakers whose projects are at an earlier stage than would be required to be eligible for the Development Grant.

The Research Grant awards a combination of $10,000 of non recoupable grant funding and six months of professional mentorship. It is open to US based filmmakers only. 

Through this program, a cohort of filmmakers with projects in the research stage will be selected by Catapult staff and the Catapult Advisory, which is made up of experienced filmmakers and industry members. Selected filmmakers will receive funding and participate in a six-month mentorship program, which will include peer support and one-on-one mentorship from both Catapult staff and members of the Advisory.

Listening to the director’s voice.

Rather than focusing on the importance of the subject matter of the film, their priority is to get to know the filmmaker and their unique take on the subject. 

“One of the key bits of advice that I might give to a filmmaker thinking of applying to Catapult,” Megan pointed out, “is we are really interested in hearing your particular voice and understanding your vision as a filmmaker.”.

“I think we have a pretty good sense of what the key issues are that filmmakers tend to gravitate towards. So as opposed to highlighting, the urgency of climate change, kind of fair more towards how you as a director want to tell that particular story.”

Expand your creativity in a supporting environment.

About the mentorship aspect, Megan believes that “especially in the research stage, it’s such a prime opportunity to take risks, to think of different ideas, to hear other people kind of weigh in on what you’re trying to do, and that can accelerate that path of thinking.”

The application window opens for the Research Grant once a year in October, and final decisions are made by January.

I asked about the application process and what they are looking for from their applicants.

“The process of applying both for the Research Grant and for the Development Grant are very similar,” per Megan. “The application can be found on our website at catapultfilmfund.org.

“The questions are pretty straightforward and it’s not too difficult of an application. Mostly, we’re asking for generally who those filmmakers are, what their background is, and what they’re interested in. It’s not necessarily tied to a particular project. We don’t ask for a super buttoned up log line, but we do ask for general ideas of what you’re thinking of.”

Rough Cut Retreat

In addition to the two grants, Catapult offers another very unique program called the Rough Cut Retreat. Theresa explained that the program “is a partnership that we run with the True/False Film Festival and CMP (Community, Media and Philanthropy – also known as Chicago Media Project).

“Every year, for five days in the summer, we invite five film teams who have a project at the rough-cut stage. Essentially, we also invite five experts from the industry. Sometimes these are editors, sometimes these are directors, sometimes these are film executives who have a lot of experience of giving pointed feedback on a project at a particular time.

“This is really a chance to be in community, to be in nature and to really have dedicated time and conversation around your project that is both with structured time including screenings that are dedicated to your film with folks who are giving feedback for your particular film, as well as time where people can just be together, sharing meals, maybe sitting by a river or at a swimming hole and naturally, organically, conversation can arise.”

Applications for the Rough Cut Retreat open in March, and decisions are made by late May or June. The retreat takes place in late July.

We are so lucky to have the Catapult Film Fund. This is a terrific resource for non-fiction filmmakers in early phases of development. I highly encourage filmmakers to consider applying for their supportive grants and programs. You can learn more at catapultfilmfund.org.

You can listen to the entire interview in link below.    

The Art of Film Funding Podcast is available on iTunes, Stitcher, Goodpods, and Blogtalkradio.   

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers.

She is creator and instructor of Learn Producing: The Ultimate Course for Indie Film Production.  26 classes which will teach indie filmmakers how to produce their films.

She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionShe is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits

The Redford Center is one of the only non-profits in the U.S. dedicated solely to environmental impact filmmaking.

by Carole Dean

I had the opportunity to interview Heather Fipps from the Redford Center for The Art of Film Funding Podcast. Heather was an amazing guest and this was one of the most important interviews we’ve done on the show.

I wanted to share some of the highlights from the interview, and let you know the incredible work the Redford Center is doing to support filmmakers making films about protecting the environment.

Redford Center

Roy W. Dean Grant winner “Impossible Town”, a documentary concerning toxic contamination threatening a community, was also a recipient of a Redford Center Grant. The world premiere will take place on May 26th at Mountiainfilm Festival in Telluride.

The Redford Center has been instrumental in driving the environmental movement for almost two decades. It was co-founded in 2005 by Robert Redford, and his son James Redford. It is a non-profit organization that advances environmental solutions and promotes awareness through filmmaking and storytelling. It’s one of the only non-profits in the U.S. dedicated solely to environmental impact filmmaking.

As the Program Manager at the Redford Center, Heather cultivates opportunities for environmental filmmakers, produces impact media projects and campaigns. She is also a filmmaker and producer of multi-platform stories. She is the co-founder of the Hollywood Climate Summit, an annual conference for cross-sector creative industries to build a coalition of climate conscious storytellers.  It is supported by Netflix, Paramount, NBC Universal, and more. We were very fortunate to have her as a guest!

An environmental middle school program

The Redford Center has supported over 150 film and media projects with grants and other services. All in all, they have dispersed more than $12,000,000 to support environmental film projects. They have produced three award-winning feature documentaries and more than 40 short films. Their Youth Stories Program, an environmental curriculum aimed at middle school classrooms, has led to the creation of more than 550 student films.

Heather gave some insight into the environmental films and projects The Redford Center is supporting.

“The Redford Center has funded stories of people doing work to care for our earth, change the way that we live, show our relationship and connection with nature, participate in community activism, advocacy, and really take up action, in moments where it can feel like we’re overwhelmed and there’s nothing we can do.”

Redford Center has two grants for environmental stories.

“We’re telling stories of people who are doing something and who are centering and prioritizing the impact that these stories can have,” explained Heather. “So, we are not only telling the story, but pushing out resources, and connecting with organizations who are doing this work daily.

“We are advancing and shifting the conversation to an attitude of we still have work to do, we’re in it, and we’re building resiliency and courage to face the many diverse environmental crises that we are facing worldwide.”

She went on to explain that The Redford Center tries to focus on stories that are going to advance the conversation to people who may not feel invited into the conversation yet.

There is perhaps no more important issue facing our planet today than our environment. With film being such an important medium for advancing environmental protection and action, many filmmakers in this field are faced with a surprising lack of resources and support.

Heather shared that “we have found in our landscape mapping a stark gap of funding for environmental films, particularly independent environmental filmmakers. There are only eight grants available globally that are regularly available for filmmakers telling environmental stories specifically.

“The Redford Center provides two of those eight grants. Whereas at the Redford Center, that is explicitly what we support consistently… these are the stories that we need to help us make sense of our rapidly changing world, give us hope and solutions and resilience in this time of rapid change that we’re going to need to undergo together.”

Impossible Town was funded by both From the Heart Productions and The Redford Center

Impossible Town, one of our Roy W. Dean Grant winners, was also a recipient of a Redford Center grant. The film, by filmmakers Meg Griffiths and Scott Ferris, documents toxic contamination threatening a community which leads to an outbreak of cancer, and the efforts to relocate and seek justice for the citizens of this town. The Redford Center not only provided funding for the film but continued to stay in touch and support the film throughout its development.

Heather describes The Redford Center Grants program as “a two-year program where the film projects that we support have an opportunity to let us know how they’re doing in their first year, what their impact goals are, and what it will take for their film to reach the finish line.

“And we’re so thrilled to support them with second year funding, which is something that we do through our grants program. We funded (Impossible Town) in 2020 and 2021. We are in very good touch with our filmmakers. We’ve also had the chance to write some articles about the film and their story.”

Bringing filmmakers together to share information and resources.

This is what truly sets the Redford Center apart. Not only do they support the underrepresented niche of environmental filmmakers, but go above and beyond to create a community of support.

“We’re trying to build community,” Heather clarified, “and not just with the capacity that we have on our staff, but really bring filmmakers together to connect with one another, and be cohorts and mentors to each other.”

The Redford Center Grants program supports documentary, feature films, and docuseries. It runs on a two-year cycle. They do not have an open call this year but will have one next year.

You can visit their website and subscribe to their newsletter at www.redfordcenter.org to get the first announcement of when the next open call begins. The grant supports projects for up to two years. The first award is a gift of $20,000 toward the project, with several different bespoke in-kind services they offer.

She described how they “plan a grantee story summit where we invite all of our grantees to come and meet with our Redford Center advisors, which is an advisory board of just incredible filmmaking and climate and environmental experts who coach these filmmakers on tools for success for their project and provide them with different levels of resources.”

At these summits, they also check in with grant winners from the previous years to see where their films are –at and what their impact goals are, and to potentially give them additional funding, sometimes in a substantially greater amount.

Short filmmaker grants and opportunities to pitch to audiences and professionals.

The Redford Center also offers a second, unique grant for short films.  It is a pitch opportunity and a professional development opportunity called, Nature Connection Pitch. This consists of a gift of support for the films, but mostly an exposure and professional development opportunity for the filmmakers. 

They get to pitch their short film ideas to an audience and a panel of professional groups that are interested in supporting their short films.  And who also might provide additional resources for them or hopefully development opportunities for them, or distribution.  

This year, participants received awards of $5,000 for their films. Last year had a competitive format where the winning team received an award of $25,000. What a wonderful program!

Learn more about the Redford Center

I thanked Heather for taking the time to share all the remarkable resources they have for environmental filmmakers. This interview was so rich, and what I’ve shared here is just the beginning. I will very likely put out another blog to cover all the resources and insights that Heather shared.

You can learn more about the Redford Center, their grants, and all the wonderful resources, events, and programs they offer for environmental filmmakers at www.redfordcenter.org. You can listen to the full interview on BlogTalkRadio here. It is also available on iTunes, Stitcher, and Goodpods.

From the Heart thanks Heather and the Redford Center for all of the work they have done to support film and to protect our precious environment!

You can listen to the full podcast here:

The Art of Film Funding Podcast is available on iTunes, Stitcher, Goodpods, and Blogtalkradio 

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers.

She is creator and instructor of Learn Producing: The Ultimate Course for Indie Film Production.  26 classes which will teach indie filmmakers how to produce their films.

She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionShe is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits

The answers about how to raise money and create your project are all around you.  Tune in and trust your gut. 

by Carole Dean

Have you ever thought about film funding by using your intuition? It’s one of your greatest attributes and rarely used to its potential. Dean Raiden, in his book The Conscious Universe, concludes after the 300 pages where he explained the rigorous technical methods he used in his parapsychology experiments,  that everyone is psychic. “Get over it, just enjoy it,” he said.

 

 

Realizing How Powerful You Are

Because filmmaking is so complicated, being both a startup business with every production as well as an art form, there are many things you need to learn.

  • I think you must be a paralegal to handle the legal aspects.
  • You need to be able to write.
  • You must learn to pitch your film, that’s acting.
  • You want to memorize the pitch.
  • You need to be a good salesperson to bring in the money.
  • You must be a good writer to win grants.
  • And you have to be a good manager and producer to create the film.

These are a lot of skills for one person, but that is what is required of filmmakers.

So, I am suggesting that you realize that you are connected in some way to a higher source.

Dean Raiden would say that you have extra sensory perceptions that came with you at birth.  And by using this gift, you can enhance your life and create your film faster and better. Because the more you use this ESP, the stronger it becomes.

I know that most of you recognize that you have this inner knowledge.  It is now just a matter of trusting it.  Go along with it, no matter how silly it sounds.  Once you do, you will find that it has a purpose, that it is valid, and the next time that you get the little message you will see how helpful it can be.

We Are All Psychic!  Your ESP is Shared with All of Us

Dr. Deepak Chopra says that guidance and information comes to us through the gap between other thoughts.  That is how it happens to me.  I recently got a brilliant idea while writing the grocery list.  It just popped in between the bananas and the celery.

Sometimes you hear the little voice when you are driving.  That’s great because when you’re driving is a wonderful time to relax and that’s when you get some really good ideas, and you also get good ESP.

There are so many decisions that you need to make daily that have to do with you making and funding your film.  When you begin using this inner knowing, this ESP, it can help you make more reliable decisions.  And you will get “short cuts.”  Yes, you may quickly see how to go from A to Z much faster than you had planned.

We are all psychic.  Once you take this into your consciousness and say OK, I am psychic, you can use your instincts to improve your life and create your film.

Ask and You Shall Receive

Start asking questions of yourself and of the universe.  Give yourself time to listen for those answers. They sometimes come in very strange ways.

I’ve seen the answer to my question on a billboard.  I know that sometimes people start talking to you on another subject, but they answer what you needed to know!  That’s always amazing to me.

Don’t be surprised if the answer to your questions comes in unusual ways.  Normally, your answers come within a reasonable amount of time.

Here’s one funny example.

I decided to give up coffee so I was considering if I should drink hot tea to get off my coffee addiction.

I asked the universe; can I replace coffee with tea?

That very night I went to watch a TV show and within the first 5 minutes this woman had a shock and the detective said to her, “what you need is a nice cup of hot sweet tea! That’s exactly what I needed to hear. Believe me, this works, the universe is listening.

The Answers to Your Questions are All Around You

That’s what we’ve heard from Doctor Joe Dispenza.  He writes that the quantum field, the energy that’s all around us, is a recorder and that it has recorded all the information from the beginning of time.

That means the answers to your questions are all around you. It’s simply tuning into it. Trust your gut feelings, trust your inner voice.

That’s what I want you to please do to enhance your life and put your film on the fast track.

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers. She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionShe is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits

 

 

A remembrance of my talented, irreverent, and irreplaceable son, Rick Dean

By Carole Dean

“I’ll see your bet and raise you $5.00,” I said with my best poker face.  Looking at my two pair and the cards my challenger had showing, I just knew I could win my five-card stud hand.  It was a joy to rake in those chips and in doing so I felt my first contraction.  Rick Dean had decided to arrive just as I was on a winning streak.  The timing was perfect.

Rick Dean

Besides being a wonderful actor, Rick loved to paint

It was late April and, as you may know, you can’t rush a Taurus.  So, he didn’t make his entrance for 24 hours.  My son was born the next evening on April 29th at 9:30pm in Dallas, making him a fourth generation Texan.

When Rick was 2 years old, he and I drove across the country to Los Angeles. We found a home in Hollywood.  I worked all day, so when Rick turned four, I enrolled him in Hollywood Professional School, where children of actors and other Hollywood creators spent the day.

By the time he was five he was teaching the other children math.  When his teacher said he was having trouble reading, I was shocked. She said come to see me and I will show you. In the meeting, she said, “watch this.”  She then asked Rick to read for us and he read about 4 pages perfectly.

Then she opened the book to the middle and covered the pictures.  Now read this, she requested.  Well, he couldn’t!  What happened? She shared with me how astonished she was when she realized he had memorized every word from the pictures. Once he knew the game was up, he got with it and became a good reader.

He excelled at Hollywood Professional school so much that when I put him in public school, they advanced him a year.  I thought that was wonderful, but the principal called me in and made me watch him on the playground. 

He was a year and half younger than the other children, so he was not participating in sports.  She wanted me to put him back a year.  I did not like that idea so we agreed that she would give him an I Q test and we would let that decide.

When I went to hear the test results, she said to me, “His IQ is higher than yours and most people.”  You will have problems with him, she warned me, because he will get bored easily. 

She sent us to a child psychologist whose job was to advise me how to raise a gifted child.  This helped because I learned to listen closely to Rick and to talk things over with him.  He had good insights.  He had great people and problem-solving skills that benefitted both of us.

He learned to play tennis at 9 and he loved school.  He went to Notre Dame High School in North Hollywood and was so gifted in philosophy that they gave him a one-on-one class with a philosophy teacher.  After he graduated, he went to college and hated it. 

While in Notre Dame he was in a play, and he played a woman.  I remember fastening his brazier and thinking this would be the end of acting! Thank God, I thought to myself, he can get acting out of his mind.  Then, he can get on with a law degree and use his tennis skills to get to know professional people.

Rick Dean

Rick and me at Christmas. You can tell by the ornament!

This idea backfired.  He loved the theatre.  He asked to apply for The American Academy of Dramatic Arts and of course he was accepted for two years.

He took acting lessons constantly and thrived on preforming on stage and on camera. He met and fell in love with Cinda Jackson at the Loft Theatre while studying with Peggy Feury and William Traylor.  Sean Penn, Angelica Houston, and Michele Pfeiffer were fellow students. 

Roger Corman found Rick to be a talented actor and included him in many pictures. They included “Nam Angels,” “Heroes Stand Alone,” “Stripteaser,” and “Naked Obsession.”   He also appeared in many great television series such as “Matlock,” “In the Heat of the Night,” “Dragnet,” and many more. 

Later, Rick met Susanna Schulten and they were happy together for many years.

I started the Roy W. Dean Film Grant in 1992 when Rick’s grandfather, the grant’s namesake, passed away.  Rick said to me that creating that grant was the “craziest thing you ever did.”  After 4 years of receiving, reviewing applications, and giving grants to filmmakers, he told me, “That grant was the best thing you ever did.” 

He helped me review submissions.  He read every word and looked at their reels and made notes to share with them.

Together, we made it a point to call everyone who entered and tell them how talented they were. We always found what we thought was their gift and encouraged each of them to keep applying for grants and never give up.  Filmmakers loved to talk to Rich.  He always encouraged them and left them feeling empowered.

We all miss Rick Dean.  Today is his birthday, April 29.

I like to think he is surrounded by angels and creating a script for his next life.

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers. She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionShe is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits

 

 

/ Carole Dean Blog

“Who looks outside dreams; who looks inside, awakes”  Carl Jung

by Carole Dean

Every other Saturday we have a film funding class. We’ve learned that the power of your mind is a major asset in funding and making your film.  I read mind power books for the class and share my understanding of the book with our fiscally sponsored filmmakers.

We are currently working on Joe Dispenza’s book Becoming Supernatural: How Common People are Doing the Uncommon.  You will find that it’s as if he is talking to filmmakers.  There is so much similarity in what he says and what filmmakers deal with on a daily basis.

Release Your Creativity

How Living in Survival Mode Holds Us Back

In his brilliant book, Joe explained that the long-term effect of living in survival mode. 

In time, we begin to thrive on it and we become addicted to stress chemicals. The result is a frenzied state where we shift our attention from one person to one problem to one thing in our environment.  We live on constant high alert because we view our external environment as unsafe.

Because the outer world appears more real than our inner world, we’re addicted to someone or something in our external environment.  The longer we live in this state the more our brain waves move into high beta brain waves which causes us to feel pain, anxiety, anger, impatience, and aggression.  As a result, our brain waves can become incoherent.

Where You Place Your Attention Is Where Your Mind Goes

When the emotions of survival are controlling us, we focus on the external world on finances, terrorism, dislike for your job, and we’ve become preoccupied with what we think could be causing that problem.

When this happens, we’re living in a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Where you place your energy is where your attention goes so if it is on a problem in the external world, you’re giving your power away to someone or something else. And your energy is stuck in the material world, where you are constantly reaffirming your present reality.

What is happening is you are tied to the energy of the known trying to predict the future based on the past. For you to make a change in your life, you need to step into the unknown because that’s where things can change, says Dr. Joe.

The more you live in stress the more you’re trying to affect matter. Matter trying to fight and force and manipulate for an outcome. As a result, everything you want to change is going to take a lot of time because in this space-time reality you must move your physical body through space to create the outcome you want.

Finding Room for the Unknowns

The more you’re living in survival, that’s the first three chakras, the more you’re using your senses to define reality, the more you’re separating yourself from a new future.

Between where you are now and where you want to be is based on how you think and predict it should happen. 

But if you’re predicting then your thinking is based on knowns, there is no room for an unknown or a new possibility in your life.

Let’s say you want a new job so you might take the time to create a resume get online and start looking for positions and go on interviews. Now this requires time.  We all look at time as linear.  So you must project it’s going to take you maybe a week to get a good resume, two or three weeks of research, and then interviews.  After that,  you might have a job in so many months.

All of that takes time because you are matter trying to influence other matter.  There is a distinct separation in space and time between where you are and where you want to be.

Focusing Our Attention Outward

Because we don’t have those things we feel lack and separation, so we live in a state of duality. We want things we don’t have and that’s how we create things.

When we experience separation from our future desires, we think and dream of what we want and then we set about a series of actions to get them. Example, if we’re always under financial stress, we want money.  If we have a disease, we want health and if we’re lonely we want a relationship.

Because of this experience of duality, we are driven to create. And he reminds us we are matter focused on matter trying to influence matter to get money or health, so we’ve established it’s going to take quite a bit of time and energy.

While we’re doing these things like looking for the new job, we are waiting for something outside of us to change how we feel internally.  However, when something in the outside world doesn’t happen or it seems to be taking a long time then we have more lack. 

We feel even more separate from what we’re trying to create and our emotional state of lack, and frustration keeps the dream at a distance further increasing the time for the outcome.

Let’s Talk About Quantum Laws

Quantum inward expression of the laws of nature is an invisible field of information.  It is the energy that unites everything material.

Now this material field organizes and connects all the laws of nature.  It’s a dimension where there’s more time and space.  In other words, it’s a dimension where time is eternal.

We want to get beyond time. We want to get beyond this self and go from the consciousness we have of being somebody to nobody.  OK?

We want to go from the consciousness of something to nothing.  We want to move from the world of the senses to the worlds beyond the senses, stepping into the quantum to create the future we want.

Joe Dispenza’s Walking Meditation

That’s why Joe Dispenza created his walking meditation.  In it, you must constantly give up who you are, where you are, and what you are.  You go into the nothing, into the  world of nothing, feeling nothing. 

It is through this that you can reach the quantum field and move through time and space because in the quantum field everything is unified you are one with the field.  Things can happen quickly.

As we begin to surrender all aspects of self and remove from the external world of people and things and places, we move to the inner world of energy, vibration, frequency, and consciousness. This is where magic happens.

Joe says that when we take our attention off objects and matter and open our focus to energy and information then different parts of the brain work together in harmony.  This unification of the brain is what makes us feel more whole.

Connecting to the Quantum Field

When we do this properly, our hearts begin to open and become more coherent.  As our heart moves into coherence, so too does our brain. Meaning we’ve gotten beyond our body and we are eliminating things that allows us to move to the alpha and theta brain waves patterns.  There we connect with our autonomic nervous system.

When this becomes activated, its job is to restore order and balance causing coherence and wholeness. It is in this state where we begin to connect to the quantum unified field.

The Wye Cottage

Back in the 80s, I had a friend who owned a large 10,000-acre sheep farm in New Zealand. On a visit to see him we were driving down a country road and we slowed down to go over a one-way bridge. On the left side of the bridge was a cottage sitting on a river with the name “the Wye cottage.”

I jumped out of my seat and said oh what a lovely place. I could go there and write a book.  He paid no attention.  He just kept driving we crossed the bridge, went to his sheep farm, and I started daydreaming about that house. I saw myself living in the house.

It had a veranda on three sides with a huge wisteria plant covering most of the porch with gorgeous pink blossoms. I got into the energy of the area.  I felt the peace and serenity.  New Zealand has this feeling you pick up of independence. It gives you a feeling that you can do your own thing.

I went back to the United States thinking I could buy that house and have a wonderful life.  In fact, I thought, I could live there forever. Then I got into the real world and forgot the dream.  But I put it in the quantum field and it stayed and began manifesting.

Making My Move

Fast forward to 2001. I sold my New York & Chicago & LA companies and was looking for what to do with the rest of my life.  In my quiet daily meditations, I started seeing the house in New Zealand as if it was waiting for me. Then 9/11 happened and I decided I needed to have a safe place outside of the United States and the white cottage was no longer a dream but a strong possibility.

I called my friend in New Zealand and said I’m really interested in purchasing the Wye cottage. No, he said there is a sweet couple living in the house. They’re very happy they don’t want to sell but come on over anyway, so I did.

This couple were interested in selling all I had to do was ask. I bought the house I went back to The United States, and I had to wait six months to come back.

What Was I Thinking?

When I got back to New Zealand and looked at the house I was in shock. The inside and outside had not been painted in 30 years. The gutters were falling off the house. It needed a better roof.  It was in a terrible state. There was just so much that had to be done and why didn’t I see that before?

Because I was feeling into the energy and the joy that the house could give me.  I saw the house in the state it became while I lived there.  I loved every minute I spent in that house. It was an early 1900’s Craftsman house that was moved from the city into the country.

I will always believe that my Intentions of living there, my visions of happiness in that house and my vision of growing a garden and becoming part of the community we’re all instrumental in bringing the house to me.

Yes, it took years from the time I saw the Wye cottage until I bought it but that’s because I put imitations on when I could buy it.  Once I sold my business, the time was right for me, and the house was waiting.

Seeing and Acting on All the Eternal Possibilities 

In the world of the quantum, where time is eternal, everything is happening in the eternal present moment. As you move through time, you experience other space, other dimensions, other planes, other realities, and infinite possibilities.

It’s like you are standing between two mirrors and looking both ways at yourself into indefinite dimensions and the mirrored images represent an infinite number of possibilities that you’re living now.

Your future could be any number of possibilities. It’s up to you to choose what you want.

I believe that one way to get into a lower state of brain waves is meditation.  When you sit in a quiet place with no phone or interruptions you lower brain waves and allow yourself to connect your vision to the quantum field.  This is where you can attract what you want.

I attracted The Wye cottage. When I moved into the house, I promised to restore it to its former glory, and I did.  I put a lot of attention and love in it. I painted the house myself I took great joy in owning and restoring it. I gave a grant for a writer’s retreat and sent writers to the Wye cottage for a month.   I think the cottage loved to house these creatives.  We all enjoy it.

Using Meditation to Realize Your Dreams

Meditation is a quiet place where you can imagine feeling into and become the person you want to become. Perhaps becoming the award-winning filmmaker, you truly are.

Think back in your life and see if you’ve created things you envisioned. Where  you wanted something, or some person and you focused on a vision, and it happened?

Perhaps you can use that energy and that memory to empower you to spend time daily to move yourself into this quantum field through walking meditation or sitting meditation.  Whatever it takes to allow you the quiet time with lower brain waves to get into the quantum field and plant your dream.

To me this information about going inside to create your future is exactly how to do it. Many people use meditation to lower brain waves and visualize.

I’ve been meditating since 1974 normally twice a day, this is most important to me.  I think this has given me better health an easier life and has allowed me to achieve my goals.

See the Future You Want

To bring them fast, outside of our time-based reality, we must get in a quiet place and live like the goal already exists. This is how you can compress time and bring it to you quicker.  Be in the no one, no place, nothing space to create and attract.

We did this as children. We had no past to limit us.  We saw something we wanted, and we asked someone in our family for it. We went to bed visualizing we had it and we got it.  Life was that simple for most of us. 

To get back to this immediate request and immediate fulfillment, we need to drop the past and see the future we want, not be influenced by the outside information, go inside, and create your own reality, live it, feel it, breath it and achieve it.

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers. She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionShe is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Focus Your Mind and Thoughts on Creating Something Believable and Achievable

By Carole Dean

I am a firm believer in meditation. I have been meditating for more than half my life and I love it. It allows me to relax and connect to my higher self.  It’s helped me with solving problems in business and life.  It lowers my stress benefiting my health and my brain power.

Intention is similar.  But instead of focusing on your current situation, you are mainly focusing intently on what you want.

Focus Attention on Your Intention.

Intention requires a high degree of focus. It’s more like relaxation. It’s a calm hyperawareness that you can get into through practice. You want to turn the self off and feel like you’re in a state of total oneness.  This is where the miracles happen.  You want a quiet place where you can put your “attention on your intention.”

You can use intention as a group and intend things for your film.  I’ve covered that my blog Unleashing the Power of the Film Crew.  I highly recommend it as it is powerful.  Rhonda Burns had weekly meetings with her film crew when she made The Secret.  She used a weekly mastermind intention group with her crew and look how well she did.  She is extremely wealthy from that single film.  You can do the same thing.

For your personal intentions, remember to use of all your senses to focus.  You want to feel GRATITUDE for your success. You want to feel the emotion of completion. You want to see yourself with the intention completed.

You are creating what Joe Dispenza, author of Becoming Supernatural: How Common People are Doing the Uncommon, would call “mind.” You are creating new pathways in the brain and something that is believable and achievable. 

You can get back to that intention area of the brain quicker each time you want to intend.  With practice, it becomes easier and easier. This has been researched.  Lynn McTaggart, author of The Intention Experiment, talks about seeing studies of brain waves that show when people have certain thoughts this part of the brain gets larger.

Your Brain Works Like an Antenna.

Because the brain is essentially an antenna which is receiving and sending, thoughts are not locked inside the head.  That ability to receive and transmit gets larger depending upon the thoughts we have. What you are doing is building a larger channel in your brain which is your intention channel. This is how you create your future.

Studies have shown that people who are focusing on a particular object or a particular vision create cortical fitness in the brain quickly. If what you are intending is something that you feel will bring benefit to the world, then you should do it with a feeling of gratitude for universal support to enable your success. 

Then that gratitude energy will be reflected in the mind area where you’re creating this intention. You need to believe this focus of intending works because the more you believe it the faster it works. 

A wonderful side effect of strong intentions is that your intuitive abilities also increase.

Your intuition is your most important asset in filmmaking.  Many filmmakers, including Sidney Lumet, have stated that they always used their intuition. I recommend that you always consider your intuition over logic.  Using my Intuition has proved to be 90% correct.

Focus Brings Results.

Focusing on your intention is important. To get to the place where you are focusing intently, you might try little activities. Perhaps in the morning, when you’re having your first cup of coffee, you intently focus just on the coffee. How does it taste? How do you feel? How does it smell? What emotion does it bring up? Is it joy or happiness or clarity?

You should see it, feel it, taste it, focus on all your senses. This gives you an idea of what intention is. It is total focus. Being in the moment with a visualization of your intention and no other thoughts.

Focus on swallowing your coffee and how it feels as it goes down your throat. How does it feel when it gets in your body? Tune into your senses and tune out any other thinking you have at that time. If a thought comes across your brain like, what you need to do today, forget about it. Simply go back to your five senses and focus on that.

Stay in the moment learn how to intently focus even on the smallest thing. It could be eating your breakfast croissant or your oatmeal. Just focus on this action and learn how to experience your 5 senses in a focused moment. This is the same place you take your intentions.

Mentally Rehearse Using Your Intentions to Achieve Your Future.

Another key essential in creating intentions is to rehearse each stage. Mental rehearsal is used by athletes.  Muhammad Ali, taught us all about intentions.  He began saying in his early days in the ring, “I am the greatest!”  And that’s just what he became.

He also created rhymes to tell us his intentions.  He did that about his fight with Archie Moore. He said, “Archie Moore must fall in four.”  He knocked Archie Moore out in the 4th round.  Ali was intending on a daily basis and he had us intending for him!

Athletes practice what they want to achieve in their head.  They do this while eating breakfast, driving, exercising, etc.  When you get to the level of an Olympic athlete, you know that a hundredth of a second is all you need.  Olympians use their minds to intend their outcome.  You can too.

The same neurons responsible for executing a movement are activated when we think about doing that movement. They have found that mental rehearsal works just as well as physical action in preparing the body for an event. It stimulates those same neural pathways that are used when you’re performing. The more you intend with great focus the easier it is for you to reach that pathway.

From your own perspective it’s as if you’re really doing it. To achieve this, you want to imagine yourself having and being what you are intending. You are rehearsing an intention you also want to imagine yourself succeeding. It’s important to approach your intentions with a positive outlook and block out all feelings or images of doubt. You want to engage all your senses especially the KINESTHETIC sense.

Use your Imagination.

You must be able to imagine in detail with all your senses. Now you are really using your power to intend. Begin with the image of yourself when you achieve your intention. Surely you will be in joy and thrilled with success. Once you learn this vision and can feel the emotions and be in that moment, then you can imagine scenes that will take to you to that final achievement.

You might use this intentional focus to intend an outcome of a meeting where you are pitching your project. See yourself pitching your film perfectly and your potential donor is nodding and smiling and see yourself getting a fat check.  How much? You can intend whatever you want, $10,000 or $20,000.  The purpose is to intend yourself successful in making an ask. You can intend your funding.

You can also intend yourself to receive a grant. Keep focusing on the fact that you are notified that you have been chosen as a finalist and then intend that you have won the grant.

Now, to achieve winning the grant, you write a superb proposal, or you hire someone to write a superb proposal. You still have the work to do but it the intention on the outcome is your focus.  You are using intention to bring your vision to life.

Be Very Clear on What You Want.

I keep my intention to one sentence and that works for me. I have it on my Mirror and I have it on my computer and I look at it daily.  I’m intending my vision and I feel the completion.

When I’m focusing on that one simple intention, I am sending my request to the universe. I am being very clear about what I want. I am following what Stuart Wilde, author of Infinite Self, said, I am ordering a dress size 10 in red, and I want it delivered by and I give day, month, and year because the universe is time sensitive.

If you’re intending to raise $20,000 and you intend for over $20,000, give the universe the chance to send you even more money. Be sure to set a day, a month, and a year for the completion of the intention. And it must be reasonable, you have to know you can do it.

The biggest problem people have with intentions is they are not specific. The universe is like an online shopping service.  You need to be very clear and concise with what you want.  Start this intention with one thing, something you want the most. Once you achieve the first thing, it will be much easier to do the second and the third.

Remember You are the Magic!

You ARE the creator you were put here with all this talent for writing directing, producing, editing, it’s amazing the talent you have. Really, in all honesty, why wouldn’t the universe fund you? They gave you all this talent so of course you can get funded.

Creating and manifesting your intention is a great way for you to achieve.

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers. She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionShe is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits

Turning your thoughts and words into daily intentions can help with your film’s financing, production and enhance your life

by Carole Dean

As filmmakers, your mind is occupied around the clock thinking about how to fund, produce, and complete your next project.  You talk about it at coffee with friends, lunch with co-workers, and over drinks with investors. 

Intentions

Those thoughts and the words that sprout from them that you use to express your desires form the basis of powerful intentions. I will show you how create and use those intentions to realize those dreams and reach your goals.

Let’s begin with the word intention

It is the act of putting your focus, attention, and thoughts on a specific desired result.  Something that you believe you can achieve. I suggest you start with something that is reasonable, something you know you can achieve. 

Dr. Deepak Chopra taught that we can create our future by putting our attention on our intentions.

Stewart Wilde, author of Miracles, The Force, and Affirmations, taught us intending is a simple process. The universe, he says, is like a department store. You place your order for exactly what you want, and they deliver it. You see a picture of a dress, you ask for a size 12 in red, and that’s what you get.

You want to visualize what you intend to create. Being able to see and feel exactly what you want will bring it to you much faster.

Our thoughts are intending for us daily.  Each thought by each person is an intention. The key is to make your intentions clear and to intend 24/7.

What you think is what you can create.

Your thoughts are powerful things. In the film, The Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher, daughter of an English grocer, intended herself into the position of Prime Minister of England by using the power of her mind. This is her advice:

Watch your thoughts, for they become words.

Watch your words, for they become actions.

Watch your actions, for they become habits.

Watch your habits, for they become your character.

And watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.

What we think, we become.

How using intentions can help produce and fund your film.

Intending is all about your thoughts. I want you to think of thoughts as things about to manifest.

What if everything you thought could potentially manifest? Would that make your life a better place? This is the most important aspect.  Learning how powerful your thoughts are.

Each thought is energy waiting to manifest.  Once you become aware of this you realize how important it is to think only of the things you want, not what you don’t want. 

By paying attention to your thoughts, you can control your future. 

Having a Eureka moment.

As described in the book The Field by Lynne McTaggart, a German physicist, Fritz Albert Popp, was looking for a cure for cancer.  He accidentally found light coming out of the body; just a tiny current, but it is light. Popp called this light biophoton emissions.

He said we are all lighted candles. Meaning that we are constantly sending out light. This is not ordinary light it is well-ordered light that scientists call coherent.  This means all the waves are moving in sync with each other.

Popp says we are sending this coherent light out of our body to other human beings and they’re responding to us.

In other words, if you and I were having a verbal conversation, we’re also sharing our light with each other.  

Thoughts are light and they are energy about to manifest.

Thoughts are light and every cell in our body is part of this light. Every thought we have affects every part of our body. That means good thoughts are healing to our bodies and bad thoughts could be detrimental to our bodies and bad for our health.

Now here comes the interesting part, research indicates thoughts are not inside your brain. In the 1960s, Karl Lashley and Karl Pribram were looking for a location where memory is stored in the brain.

After much research, they came to believe that the brain is not a storage unit but a sending and receiving unit.  We are sending and receiving all the time.  Your thoughts are alive, they are energy and light.

Another interesting fact about the brain, is the placebo effect. Research shows that sometimes people who take placebo pills made of sugar and water, have the intended results they are told they can have from the medicine that they did not get. 

Their belief that they would be healed overrode the fact that what they took was sugar and water. 

Let’s Recap

I want you to realize how powerful you are and use this power to make and fund your film.

Remember:

Your thoughts are energy waiting to manifest.

Your thoughts are electric.

Your thoughts are light.

Your thoughts are manifesting what you think.

Your brain is constantly sending and receiving light-filled thoughts.

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers. She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionShe is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits

There are thousands of non-profit organizations offering grants each year.  Here is how to locate and win grants for your film. 

by Carole Dean

Grants are a wonderful way to fund your film.  We’ve got the best list of grants for filmmakers on our From the Heart Productions website.

Win grants

The second-best list is what you would find at candid.org.  They offer a Foundation Directory Online (FDO).  This is a database from which you can view over 242,000 granting organizations.  It is an essential resource for finding grants.  The majority of these grant makers do not have websites and would otherwise be almost impossible to find.

Getting Started with the Candid Foundation Directory

Candid offers subscription access to their database.  The FDO Professional plan at $199 per month offers the most exhaustive and up-to-date knowledge and insight on the social sector.  FDO Essential, starting at $49.99 a month, is the quickest, least expensive way to identify the grantors that will fund you. 

You can also find free access to the Candid Foundation Directory database through some local city and nonprofit organizations. We have one in Camarillo, CA.  Candid makes it easy to find a location near you with an interactive map on their website.  You can also use the map to find locations that offer free training on how to use the directory.  I strongly suggest to take a class to learn how to get the most out of your database searches.

Another free option is FDO Quick Start.  This allows you to research for specific organizations from which you’d like to seek a grant.  Through this search, you can find the foundation you’re looking for by name, EIN, location, and assets or giving range.

You can be sure if you do what I suggest you will find dozens of grants.  They say they have 24 million grants listed.  It is worth the time.   Especially for documentaries and for webisodes. Features and shorts that have important social issues may benefit too.

The Powerful Information on the 990

I highly suggest that you pick a month where you can focus only on looking for grants and just pay for one month and use it to find grants.  This should bring you additional income.

When you search the database, you will want to seek out each 501(c)3 non-profit’s government form, the 990.  This form has great benefits for you.  All nonprofits must complete this form.  It lists all donations the nonprofit receives from $5,000 and up.  And it lists the name of the person or organization that donated to the nonprofit and how much they donated! 

This is what you want.  It shows you who else is interested in the subject of your film.  You could do a letter writing campaign to these people to introduce them to your film.

Plus, you want to create strategic partners for your film.  Finding nonprofits with the same subject will benefit you in many ways.  Read my blog on “How to Find and Engage Strategic Partners for Your Film.”

Creating Keywords for Your Film

You need key words to describe your film because that is what you use to search Candid.org’s database. What are the keywords of your film? There could be 15 keywords to define your film so keep an open mind and look at all the aspects of your film and create your keywords because that’s what you’ll use to search with.  You may have used key words when you created your website.  If so, use those to begin with and keep expanding on them.

I think finding local grants and smaller grants for around five to ten thousand dollars is a good way to get started. If you’ve never applied for grants before that’s where I would start.

Consider setting up an excel chart by date of each grant deadline you intend to pursue.  That way,  you can plan ahead and apply for the grants all year long.

What Grantors Look for In Your Application

As a grantor for the Roy W. Dean Grants for over 30 years, I’ll say to you the most important thing I look for is why are you making this film?  What is your connection to the material? This information will tell me how connected you are to the project. I want someone who will stay the course and finish the film. The average documentary takes six years and two more for marketing. The average feature can take up to 10 years to find the funding.

Every grantor I know is worried you will not finish the film.  We have all funded films that were never finished.  So, your connection to the material is most important to us.  Your passion for the project must jump off the page and inspire me.  I must know that you will finish the film.

Next, and this is also very important, what’s the story? I don’t care what kind of camera you’re using or who your set decorator is, because I want to know is, what’s the story. Focus on telling me a good, engaging story in a visual manner, so that I can see the film as I read your application.

Last Minute Stuff Doesn’t Work

Every filmmaker who is part of the From the Heart Production Fiscal Sponsorship Program, can contact me and send me your granting materials.  I will read them and give you feedback before you apply.  However, I want you to come to me at least a week before the deadline. Then I can review it and discuss it with you to help you improve it.

Last minute stuff doesn’t work. I’ve seen too many people miss grants by waiting to the last minute. Their computer may have technical difficulties, they can’t get on the granting website, or it takes up so much time to complete, that they’re over the time limit and can’t apply.

Please plan ahead with grants. Give yourself lots of time and get it in before the final minute because that’s when everybody applies for the grant.  I can see this on my own grant. I can sit here on the final day of the grant and from three o’clock Pacific Time on it’s like a slot machine!

We get sometimes 50% of the applications on the last day.  This means that the computer is stressed out and there are many opportunities for problems.

The Benefits of Just Applying for a Grant

Grants are a fantastic way to raise money for your film.  Even if you don’t win the grant, I promise that you will improve your project just by applying.

Every time you apply for a grant you continue to improve and develop your film.

Even if you don’t win you have benefited.  Applying for grants is like being a salesperson.  They know that it sometimes takes 10 “no’s” to get a yes. The secret is just keep applying and go back to the same grant year after year if they let you.  Because once they give you suggestions to improve, and you do what they say, they will recognize your willingness to take direction.  You have a much better chance of winning in the second and third application.

A Grant Success Story

Rebecca Dreyfus applied for the Roy W. Dean Grant about 20 years ago and I can still pitch you her film. She wrote an incredible story. She wanted to document the largest art heist at the time. The Gardner Museum was robbed of one of the 26 known Vermeers and many other incredibly valuable pieces of art.

Rebecca told me that she applied for five grants and won four!  How did she do that? She said she carefully chose the grants that she felt she had the best chance of winning. She did not go after the NEA or some of the more difficult grants.

She put her time into writing a good story for each of the five grant she applied.  This worked for her, and I think it will work for you. 

Meeting the Grant Criteria

Be sure to include in your grant application the criteria of the grantor. Say it back to them and explain how your film fits their criteria. This may sound mundane, but it is very important.  Grantors are reading scores of grants at one time. When you can clearly tell me how your film fits my criteria, it benefits you. That’s what the judges are looking for. Grant judges want to know if you fit the grant criteria and do you have a good story to tell.

For example, if you were applying to the Roy Dean Grant our criteria is that we want films that are unique and that make a contribution to society. I love it when filmmakers tell me why their film fits my grant.  It’s that simple.

And please, put some passion in your proposal!  We want to know that you care about this story. Please put your heart on the page so we get to know you.  It’s you we are giving the money to.  It’s you we want to support. You are the artist.  You are the magic.

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers. She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionShe is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits

/ Candid, Carole Dean Blog, Film Grants

And we need to create a galaxy of relationships around us to thrive professionally and personally

by Carole Dean

All of us need to realize that personal relationships are vital to us, just like the air we breathe. We really need friends, companions, and people with whom we can share our lives.

relationships

This is especially important for filmmakers. People in our industry can be a great source of growth and support for us.  By forging meaningful relationships, we can strengthen ourselves in the process as well as enriching and empowering one another.

When we open up, people respond and accept us.

When this happens, every contact becomes meaningful.

One way to do this is to start thinking that “every person is a star.” because every person is unique. No matter who they are or what their status is we need to give them the respect they deserve. We need to see beyond what people see in themselves because everyone has this seed of greatness.

This power is transformative. Once you start treating every person as a star, wonderful things happen to you. If someone provokes you who you do not enjoy being around,  just turn it around and look at them as if they are a ray of sunshine. You can change.  When you change it will surprise you how much this will improve your relationship.

See the greatness in each person.

If you recognize people as worthy of respect and respond them accordingly, you empower people by seeing the greatness in them.

When you adopt this attitude, you will develop some meaningful relationships with everyone you meet, and it will enrich both you and the other person.

Please remember this and next time someone does something unpleasant to you.  Start asking what kind of pain they might be in? Maybe they’ve been through a loss and are having difficulties in their lives.

You want to be kind to everyone.  You can change a relationship with someone by changing your attitude and your thoughts towards that person.

I know this can be done. You need to start thinking of them as wonderful people no matter how they talk to you.  Even if they were rude to you, this can overcome their rudeness when you see them as human beings with flaws and realizing they deserve respect and consideration.

Keep being nice and smiling to them and watch them change towards you.  You can also do this as you meditate.  Send them love, they will feel it.

Change your thoughts toward people.

What happens is that as you change your thoughts towards people, then people change towards you. I have seen this happen. I know it is possible and it certainly makes for a better life especially when you need to work with or be associated with someone that is not pleasant to be around.

Making friends in our industry and keeping them is important for you to create the future you want. Everyone you meet, no matter where they are in the film industry from the lowest job, you want to treat them as “special people” and stay connected to them.

When I started in the business, I did not know one person and I knew nothing about motion picture film.

It was the lab people, the Kodak people, the filmmakers themselves that educated me.  I kept my friendships through the years with many of the people I met at the beginning of my career. This is something you can look forward to.

Make an effort to meet the people you want to know.

Being from Dallas, on a trip back home, I made a special effort to meet the Kodak Rep and we really got along well.  I kept up my friendship with short phone calls about things of interest in the film industry.  He seemed to love the fact that I highly respected him and would ask him technical questions.  He was an engineer and Kodak had him selling film!

As luck would have it, he was made manager for the Los Angeles office which was right across the street from my company in Hollywood.

I continued my friendship with him until he retired. That was nice to be able to call Kodak and go straight through to the top man.

We are all in this business alone, together. One night at one of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers formal dinners, a producer explained to me how people get into the industry and stay.

He said, “In this entertainment industry, what you find is that people may move from one company to another but once they get into film industry and love it, they stay.”

So, the person you met in film school could end up being an acquisitions person for Netflix. So, keep up with all your contacts. 

Your P.A. today could be running a studio in a decade.

As a matter of fact, I have a good story on just that. There are two women who were making a multipart story for Netflix, and they hired someone from a major film university like Columbia to be a producer for them.   This man had to moved to another city to take the job. And after a few months they fired him without notice.

He never knew why he was fired; he was never given any reason. It was about two years later when he graduated from this prestigious film school that Netflix picked him up as an acquisition manager.

He then became the person these two producers had to talk to when they wanted to do the second series. He said he loved it when they came to him to pitch this new series.

So, be aware that you have no idea where your second assistant cameraman will be in three years. He could be working at as a director of photography on Academy Award films.  I think this is one of the perks of working in the industry.

Keep your friends up close and personal.

Be sure that you wish them happy birthday and are always there at holidays.

This is one of the things Tom Malloy covers in the first part of our Intentional Filmmaking class.  Meeting people, saving their information, and creating your database of friends in the industry is important. 

He built his career on casual meetings at events, conventions, and festivals.  These friends have helped him make 18 films.

Finding, keeping, and nurturing people in the industry is very important. It is one of the best parts of the industry. Friendships in the film industry are a true blessing.

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers. She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionShe is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits

 

“To you the earth yields her fruit, and you shall not want if you know how to fill your hands.”  Kahlil Gibran

by Carole Dean

Prosperity consciousness is something you need to develop; it does not happen by chance.  None of us were born with it.  It’s a state of mind tuned and vibrating to expect prosperity and opportunities everywhere. It’s a key to success in work and life.

Prosperity Consciousness

Many of us, unfortunately, were born with a scarcity consciousness.

That the case with my childhood.  I grew up in a home with little money and always wondered why some people had so much money and other people had none. When you look at it from a child’s perspective, it is a good question, i.,e., what is the difference between the wealthy and not so wealthy people?

And one of the answers is prosperity consciousness.  Those who have it see money everywhere. I had to let go of scarcity consciousness when I started my business. I had to believe that I could achieve my goals, believe in myself and my business.  

It’s all about your faith and your belief in yourself.

Do You Have Prosperity or Scarcity Consciousness?

If you are living under scarcity consciousness, then you must get rid of it.  It can be like a ball and chain pulling you back or holding you down.  It could prevent you from achieving. To develop the necessary prosperity consciousness takes focus.

Here are some ways to develop prosperity consciousness and beliefs:

Realize You Live in an Abundant Universe.

Look at our universe and discover how much abundance there is. All around me in Ventura, California are massive farms bursting with strawberries, cabbages, and celery.  There is abundance in nature.  Start to notice that the universe is abundant there is plenty for all.

Scarcity consciousness believes that there is not enough for all of us. Scarcity consciousness believes that we must compete for everything.  There is not enough to go around.  When we can see abundance all around us, we can realize that is not true. We must recognize that we are not taking anything from another person.  There is plenty for all of us.

Get into Creative Consciousness and Out of Competitive Consciousness.

Your creative consciousness knows no bounds. You see more possibilities than most people.  But, when you find yourself shutting down, saying or thinking scarcity, ask the creative part of you to take over.  You must look for the good side and how you can make this situation an opportunity.

Meditation can help you with more ideas.  Always take your worries to your meditation, state them and ask for help. Ask for creative ways to handle the situation. Then let go of it and let the universe work. Stay open for answers as you will surely get them. 

Sometimes they are very clear and come to you as Dr. Deepak Chopra says, “in the gap between thoughts.” 

Sometimes they come to you from a statement made in a movie!  Yes, you can get your answers from many places, billboards, neighbors, friends, the newspaper!  Just keep listening for the answers and you will have them.  Ask and you shall receive.

Life is Fun and Rewarding.

Many people, including me, were taught you can have what you want but you need to work hard to get it.  Somewhere along the line it dawns on you that the people you know who have money do not work that hard. They have a nice balanced life between work, family, and entertainment.

The rich people take time to exercise, to eat right, and they take good care of themselves. While those who were taught you must work hard are not taking time for themselves. We need to realize that in prosperity consciousness, you can have what you want without working yourself to death.

Prosperity consciousness looks for fun and joy in life and always finds it. When problems come, they look at them as challenges and opportunities. Prosperity conscious people appreciate life and know that with every new challenge comes reward, new adventures and more fun. This is a wonderful way to live.

Reward Yourself.

Let me ask you, how often do you reward yourself? When you win a grant do you give yourself a bonus? When you make an ask for funding and someone gives you a nice donation, do you pay yourself first? 

Prosperity consciousness loves rewards. I highly recommend that you set rewards for yourself. You decide you want to go after a grant.  You spend a month on candid.org searching. Give yourself an award for the time, effort, and success in finding that grant.  Take yourself to a spa or a massage. Treat yourself in some way that is fun.

Keep paying yourself on an ongoing basis while you’re making your film. When you sell your film, you may only get a small amount of money down. Please, you must always get your money for your work as the funds come in. Think, me first!

A filmmaker who won our grant called me once she got her check.  She said, “I have credit card bills I charged for production to get me to this point, can I use some of this money for my credit card?”  “Yes, I said of course.”  You are the film.  Without you it would not exist.  Take care of yourself first. 

There Are a Staggering Number of Opportunities in Every Aspect of Life.

Scarcity consciousness believes there are no opportunities.  They believe there is very little money and no opportunity. 

Let’s look at grants. I hear filmmakers say, “there are fewer grants.”

I suggest you open your mind on this subject and realize there are hundreds of thousands of grants available. It’s a matter of searching for the grant that matches your film.

If you get onto the large database at candid.org you will be shocked. First, you really need to take a class on how to use their giant search engine. There are so many grants that you need to have your description clearly defined. Search using key words of your film to find the grant that matches your project. Once you use your key words, you will find it is overwhelming how many grants are available for a film like yours.

Now, I admit, that more grants are for documentaries and short films than for features. However, I have seen features get many grants through us.  They are available. 

We had one feature film where the protagonist was a drug user.  The filmmaker found that his state had a grant to bring out the dangers of drug use.  His feature had what they wanted.  He found several nice $60,000.00 grants by his research.  Keep an open mind and stay in the creative not the competitive consciousness.

How One Filmmaker Used Prosperity Conscious to Create a Career.

There’s a story I want to share about a woman I highly admire for her skill in manifesting her desires. She decided to get into filmmaking at an advanced age and is determined not to let age bother her. She moved to Los Angeles to be near the film industry and had a high paying job and they closed her division. She went on unemployment.

Now this would put some people in a dither because they’ve lost a really good job. She didn’t take it that way.  She saw this as an opportunity, got online, and found a class at UCLA on how to produce films. Telling her unemployment agent about this class, she showed him that there was a grant for taking the class. The unemployment agent got her this grant.

It cost others over $7000 and was 6 months of study. She used this time between jobs to study and improve herself in the area she wants to manifest a job. That is living in a prosperity consciousness.

There are tens of thousands of grants available. It does require your time to find them.  I want to assure you grants are out there waiting for you to find them.

It is My Responsibility to be Successful.

Scarcity consciousness believes that having tons of money is wrong. It has you believe you only need enough for your basic needs and anything beyond that will deprive other people.

Prosperity consciousness says that bringing wealth to yourself will enable you to do a world of good for other people.  Once you have money, you can use money to benefit others. Bringing your ideas into this reality is beneficial to you and to others.

I see the benefits that steel magnet Andrew Carnegie created with his income over 100 years later. We’ve received grants from Carnegie of over $300,000 in the last two years. This was money that he made when he was using the ideas in the book by Napoleon Hill, Thank and Grow Rich.

Because Carnegie aligned his thinking with acquiring wealth and his achievements, his riches are here a century later to be shared with others. He handled his wealth in such a way that it is still giving and supporting film makers 100 years later. Just think of what you can do with the wealth you can make.

Making Money is Fun.

Becoming wealthy is easy for creative people. Please put your thinking in the creative consciousness. This is a way to solve problems and move into financial security.  It’s also a way to use your many talents, not only for you and your own family, but for future generations through your generous donations.

Remembering these prosperity beliefs can be beneficial to all of us.

  • It is an abundant universe.
  • Life is fun and rewarding.
  • There are a staggering number of opportunities in every aspect of my life.
  • it is my responsibility to be successful

These can be statements you print out and look at daily. You need to shore up your own confidence.

Program Your Mind for Prosperity and Wealth.

You can make this fun. Go to some of the great hotels and sit in the dining room.  Have a cup of coffee and order the cheapest thing possible. You want to feel the energy around rich people. You want to know that you are welcome in expensive hotels and restaurants. Realize that this is the life you were meant to have.

If you live in LA, you might consider driving up toVentura for a fun day and go to the splendid Miramar Hotel in Montecito.

There is a place there for you to sit by the ocean and have a light lunch for a very reasonable fee. The point is you belong in this hotel.  You want to go there and feel this lavish type of living. This can be a place for you to stay in the future.  It is there for you.  Get used to this luxury energy.

If you are in NYC, go to the Waldorf for breakfast.  It is full of wonderful wealthy people.  Yes, it may cost you $50.00.  I have been there and just had coffee and toast and it is such a wonderful experience. 

Look around the room and ask yourself, what’s the difference between me and them? Notice how nice most people are and how they look just like you.  There is no difference. Say to yourself, “this is where I belong.  I am in the success conscientious.”   My success can help many people.

Get Yourself into Places Where Wealthy People Go.

Feel into that energy and become part of it. Know that the universe put you on this earth at this time to be here at the most beneficial time in the history of mankind for filmmakers. This is the digital revolution.

Filmmaking is exploding. They are building sound stages and sets all over the world. Everybody is making films and you are needed. You are the talent. You are the creators.

Empower yourself with the knowledge that you are here at the right time to achieve exactly what you came here to do, create your art, and become wealthy.

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers. She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionShe is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits

Six Creative Tactics for a Using Your Creativity to Thrive and Enjoy a Successful Life

by Carole Dean

In our bi-monthly fiscal sponsorship Film Funding Guidance Class, I share books with our filmmakers that teach the power of our mind.  Currently, we have been studying the number one bestselling book, Mind Power into the 21st Century: Techniques to harness the astonishing powers of thought.

Creativity

Author John Kehoe says that we all possess creativity and it’s our nature to be creative.  From working with so many talented producers and directors, I know that independent filmmakers are the most creative people on the planet!

John writes that unfortunately many of us were told at an early age that we were not creative.  We need to make sure that we overcome any of this type of programming.

Six Creative Tactics for a Successful Life

It’s important for us to realize that all of us are creative. I think we use creativity to get through the day, through the week and through the month.  With all the changes we are living with we need to believe that no matter what happens, we have our creativity to rely on.

John Kehoe gives us six creative tactics for a successful life:

1-Be an Explorer

It’s one thing to be open to new ideas and it’s another thing to actively seek them out. An explorer is forever trying novel and different ways of doing things. They believe that there are new worlds, new options new product, new services and ideas waiting to be discovered.

An explorer is not afraid of the unknown. They believe that success and happiness come not from following others but in finding their own unique way, so they forge ahead always on the lookout.

2-Ask Questions

Yes, question everything. The word question comes from the Latin word QUARERER to seek. John says the creative life is a continued quest.  Asking questions is indispensable to growth. “Don’t take anything for granted, be naïve, question everything” said Buckminster Fuller.  John says to ask questions like these: Why am I living like this? Why am I doing this job? Why am I not exercising? What have I been neglecting? 

I want you to ask: How can I develop my film today? What actors can I attach? Why can’t I get an A list actor? What would that really cost me?  Remember actors want to work.  They like to take parts in good independent films.  Don’t be afraid to ask for who you want. 

I did an Everything You Want to Know on Film Funding Webinar with Roy W. Dean Short Film Grant Winner Lorenzo De Stephano.  He got 2 well-known actors for his short film.  How? Because he believed he could.  He made the effort and convinced Sean Young and Quinton Aaron to come to Los Angeles to shoot his film.  It can be done.

Author Kehoe says don’t censor yourself no matter how impractical or outrageous the question or the answer sounds. This allows for fresh insights to reveal themselves. We are the creatures of habit and fall easily into routines.

He writes that our future depends directly on how well we question and examine our beliefs, actions, values, goals, and way of living.  I think this has a lot of merit especially for us in the film industry.

Too often people decided they can’t have an A-List actor or can’t have an actor that would get them distribution. Please question this.  Ask yourself, why can’t I get the actor I want for this part? Perhaps you need to raise extra money and are worried about this cost. But this decision would allow you to sell your film faster and definitely make more money. 

Think, how can you get a saleable actor? Begin to question these things and do some research.  Why not spend this next week questioning everything and see what happens Maybe you’ll make a breakthrough and find brilliant new ideas for your project?

3-Get Lots of Ideas

Linus Pauling, the Nobel Prize winning chemist said, “if you only have one idea and one solution to the problem, you’re facing then you only have one course of action.”

In a world where flexibility is a requirement, that is risky and I don’t like that.  That’s when I go to my meditation, and I say, “here’s the problem and here’s some solutions. What do you suggest?”

I leave it with my spirit guides.  I let them think about it.  Then I relax and meditate and usually I get the answer within 24 to 48 hours.  The answers the universe gives me are 10 times better than my ideas.

Edward De Bono wrote in his wonderful book, Lateral Thinking to have group meetings in which no negativity is allowed.  Anyone can say anything as crazy as it seems. Then the next person can build on that craziness and when you get through you may have some incredibly brilliant ideas.

The main point is not to stifle each other’s creativity but to enhance it, to build on it, and to expand each other’s ideas and just be kids again.

You may have read my blog on the “mastermind class” where people get together and brainstorm ways to improve situations.  This is what Napoleon Hill teaches in his brilliant book, Think and Grow Rich

This is exactly what the U.S. President does. He has his mastermind group of advisers from the corporate world who come to him monthly. The richest people in the world have their mastermind groups. That is how millionaire Andrew Carnegie made all this money in the steel world. That’s how Henry Ford made all his money, through mastermind groups.

Try creating a mastermind situation with your film crew or your associates. Even if there’s only two of you then you have the beginning for this mastermind meeting on a bi-monthly basis where you can get together and brainstorm. Be creative. Think outside the box just let yourself go. Creativity knows no boundaries and the greatest creativity in our industry comes from those who do something different.

I remember reading an article about John Ford our great director. He told a young cinematographer that when you’re able to put the camera where the horizon is and not in the center of the film you just took your first step to becoming a good director. If you look at Ford’s work, it’s stupendous. He chose some of the most unusual places to put cameras and that is the highlight of his work for me.

I saw a western where he put a camera in the middle of a river because he wanted a master shot of his two stars sitting on the bank of the river talking to each other and the only way to get that scene was to stand in water and shoot it and that’s exactly what he did. It was an incredible scene and it was all one take of about 4 minutes of dialogue.

4-Break Rules

This is what I love about the brilliant filmmaker Werner Herzog.  In the description of one of the classes he taught on documentary filmmaking, he includes lessons on lock picking!  Yes, lock picking is one of the items he teaches

Also, I remember seeing something like faking bureaucratic paperwork.  I’m sure he teaches how to steal shots without getting permits.  He teaches breaking the rules.  

John says sometimes you should consider breaking rules. Because being creative means breaking out of old patterns to create new ones.  Sometimes by experiencing new ways you totally break into a whole new creative place.  

Think about changing things in your daily routine.  Consider, what habits or rules can you break? I know I’ve set a lot of rules for myself.  I must be up at a certain time and I have to do things by the clock.

Perhaps breaking personal rules can get you into a more creative place.  Try breaking some of your rules this week and see how you feel, does it free you?  It’s all for the sake of expanding your creativity!

5-Use Your Imagination!

All of us have brilliant imaginations. Please use this like you did when you were a kid. When you were a kid, anything was possible, you could be anyone and do anything. Don’t let the collective unconscious tell you that you can’t do what you want to do!  Who cares if no one has done this before?  What is it that you want to try?  We need to believe that anything we can conceive, we can achieve.  How is that for a great mantra?  Anything I can conceive, I can achieve!  This is using our mind to create our future.

Here is another idea. Imagine how other people would do it. Think about your favorite director and imagine how he/she would set up that shot.  This could be a lot of fun for you. Also think about the qualities you admire in people. Who do you respect for creative achievement? 

Pick a role model, someone you would like to emulate.  Perhaps Jane Campion, Baz Luhrmann, Orson Wells, Fellini, Spielberg, Kathryn Bigelow, or Sophia Coppola.                                                                         

Once you pick a role model, imagine this person is in your position faced with your problem or challenge. Imagine this person in your body because your imagination is not bound by real world constraints.  Let this person be in your body and take over your situation. 

He or she is now able to live your life, what would they do? Let’s say if Orson Welles took over your body and you said “Orson how do I solve this problem?” Just listen for the answer. This is a fun thing to do.

You might want to ask some of our greatest producer’s, actors, writers, directors, important questions. Think about it, they would not be bound by a lot of things that you consider important. They might jump immediately into something unique and unheard of. This process can be valuable to move out of self-imposed restrictions.  

John Kehoe quotes the book, Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill and says that Napoleon would choose nine men whose lives and life work had been most important to him like Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford, just before going to sleep at night. 

He would close his eyes and see in his imagination this group of men seated with him around his counsel table.  In these meetings Hill said, “here I had not only an opportunity to sit among those who I consider to be great, but I actually dominated the group by serving as chairman.”

Napoleon Hill did say this was all his imagination and the ideas generated through this process were very real and “they led him into glorious paths of adventure and wealth.” This process helped Hill to become a very wealthy man.

And the last creative tactic for a successful life is:

6-Fill the Well

Nurture yourselves. Please take good care of yourself.  Think of how you can treat yourself better.  Are you eating the best food?  Are you taking walks and exercising daily? 

Please realize that fun and diversity are great stimulators for the Muse within.   Give yourself gifts, like flowers, facials, massages, lunch at a new restaurant.   Or even give yourself time to read a great book. Just getting away from filmmaking for a few hours a day can make you more creative.

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers. She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionShe is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits

Some call it instinct, others a gut feeling.  Filmmakers should rely on it to advance their careers

by Carole Dean

ESP

Filmmakers have excellent instincts and need to trust them

I find that driving to and from appointments can be very boring. Because I have lived in Oxnard for years and drive an hour into LA weekly for meetings, I learned that this can be valuable time. I use it to listen to people in our industry.

Currently, I have been listening to former Paramount Pictures executive Robert Evans as he dictates his audiobook entitled “The Kid Stays in the Picture.”

His stories of running Paramount in the late sixties and early seventies are incredible.  While he was head of the studio, the movies they produced include Rosemary’s Baby, The Godfather, Serpico, Chinatown, and many others.  He is a highly talented man, a brilliant writer, and his personal delivery of the information is spellbinding.

One of the things that made him successful as a studio executive is how he trusted his instincts.  One story stood out as an example of how important that is to achieving success.  It told how he changed the life of a movie extra to a star we know and love today.

Just One Smile

Bob put his attention on every phase of filmmaking for all the films made at Paramount. He was in on all the casting, wardrobe, set design, everything!  He was married to Paramount and worked day and night.

The story he tells is about when he was casting the final person for big feature.  Bob had seen scores of people and wasn’t satisfied with anyone he had seen.  The agents finally said, “we found the right person.  This actor is the next James Dean, we think you will love this actor.”

When they showed Bob the scene, it wasn’t the James Dean actor that he liked.  It was an extra in the scene who walked in the door, handed the James Dean actor an envelope, looked at the girl, smiled, then turned around and walked out.

Bob asked who’s the man with the smile?

No one knew who he was. They said, “don’t you like the James Dean character?”

“No” said Bob, “I want to meet the guy with the smile.”

The agents kept coming back to him saying we can’t find him we don’t know who he is.

Bob simply said two words “find him.”

Bring Him to Me

Finally, one of the agents came to Bob and said, OK we know who he is.  Currently he is working for Roger Corman.  He is a writer/actor, and we hear he even does the books for Corman they say he does everything Roger Corman needs.

Right now, he’s in Cannes selling a motorcycle film.

Bob said, “bring him to me when he gets back.” The agent finds the actor and they show up at Bob’s office with the guy with the smile.

Naturally this man’s agent was so thrilled to be in the same room with Bob Evans that the agent kept pitching his client. Bob says he talked for 15 minutes, and he did not understand anything he said.

So, Bob stops the agent and says, “let him talk.  I want to know who he is.”

“Can I Talk to You Alone?”

He said, “I want to know who you are, tell me about yourself.”  Bob listened intently, and he liked the guy and right on the spot he offered him a job in a picture for Paramount.

He offered him $10,000 for the part.  The actor just looked at him and smiled.  Then he said, “please can I talk to you alone?”  Bob walked the actor to the side of the room.  The actor said, “Can you please make that $15,000?  I have an x-wife, a new baby girl and I really need the money.”

Bob said, how is $12,500.00? And the actor said, “You really mean this?  I will never forget it.  I honestly need the cash now.”  Then he broke open with that beautiful smile that Bob loved.

Have You Guessed Who This Is?

Well, it was Jack Nicholson. Jack’s the guy with the smile.  Bob Evans got him a job in his first major motion picture.

Jack Nicholson did a great job on that film.  It was On a Clear Day with Barbara Streisand.  Jack went on to make more films with Bob Evans (one of which was Chinatown!).

Trust Your ESP

The point of the story is that Bob Evans followed his instincts.  Evans was determined to meet Jack as his natural instincts said this man is a good actor, a natural.  You might say it was Evan’s ESP or his psychic feeling or his gut feeling, whatever you call it.

From working with filmmakers every day for many years, I know that filmmakers have excellent instincts.  Bob Evans used his instincts to create his success as a studio executive and create classic films.

I am here to encourage you to use your instincts. Use your ESP.  

Use it for your career, for most decisions and trust it like Bob Evans did.  It will bring you lots of luck and good fortune.

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers. She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionShe is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits

/ Carole Dean Blog

If you believe you can or if you believe you can’t, your right! – Henry Ford

by Carole Dean

If you think you can’t fund your film or that you will have a hard time funding your film, then your right.

If you think you can fund your film, then you can.

Beliefs

It is that simple and it all starts with our beliefs. It’s the beliefs that we carry in our mind. We have been creating beliefs since we were children, and we constantly defend these decisions.

Most of us don’t know we have these belief systems running inside us.  Most do not know why we created these beliefs but we’re still hanging on to them and our subconsciousness is daily defending these outworn concepts.

If you have carried some things that have caused you to lose self-confidence, then it’s important you recognize this because you can be your own worst enemy.

Review Your Beliefs About Money

If you’re having problems raising money for your film perhaps you should consider, “what are your beliefs about money?”

It is very important for you to believe that you can raise the funding for your project. If you don’t feel it’s possible then no one can help you.  It’s up to you to change how you think.

Bruce Lipton is one of my favorite biologists/authors. He says that we have acquired many restrictions on ourselves during our youth that are based on the structure of our lives at that time.

Using Bruce Lipton’s concepts if you put two people raised in different income homes, in the same room, they would see their potential in totally different ways.

For example, if you had a funding party and in the room is a young filmmaker who grew up wealthy in Beverly Hills along with a young filmmaker who grew up disadvantaged in East Los Angeles, the Beverly Hills filmmaker will see money everywhere while the other filmmaker will feel he/she doesn’t belong.

These are based on negative beliefs acquired while young so you may have some of these beliefs and not even know it.  The question is what do you do?  How do you change these negative or limiting beliefs?

Take an Inventory of Beliefs

You might make a list of your beliefs about money and success.  By doing this you, might pull up some stored beliefs that no longer suit you or that are totally inappropriate for you.

We know that the contents of the subconscious mind are very important to us. If the subconscious has acquired beliefs like “it’s hard to make money,” or “it’s hard to raise money,” or “it’s hard to find the budget for the film,” then you can expect those things to come true because that is your belief system.

Bruce Lipton claims that beliefs control human biology rather than DNA and inheritance.  That is a powerful statement.

Realizing You Need a New Mindset

While I was touring the world with my book The Art of Film Funding, I found people who had their mind set about funding. They seem to fall into two categories, totally opposite each other.

There were those people who said, “Oh I know I can fund this film.  Or those that were totally negative with statements like, “it’s very hard to raise money for films.”  This is why I wrote the book, The Art of Manifesting: Creating your future.  It’s your beliefs that create your future.

And I often hear: “They have cut the grants and now it’s really hard to win a grant.”  They have been cutting grants for 30 years that I know of! However, we still have thousands of grants in the United States available and believe me we have a tremendous amount of people winning grants so why shouldn’t that be you?

When you look at it from this point of view it seems that it should be easy to change your belief system. However, once your subconscious mind has accepted an idea, whether true or not, it will continually feed your thoughts to support that belief.

Changing the Way You Think

Often, we are not encountering resistance from outside sources but from ourselves. If we can accept new beliefs and support them to the extent that our subconscious mind accepts them, then we can create a new reality for ourselves.

The secret to overcoming our belief system, seems to be the ability to recognize that it exists and that we are the one that needs to change the way we think.

Let’s take one of the most our most important things in filmmaking, film funding.

What if you start saying, “people love my film?” Perhaps you talk to some people about your film and get feedback so that you can honestly say to yourself, “people love my film.” Funding my film is easy.  Say this in the present tense not future tense. 

Going to Bed with Thoughts of Success

The next thing is to believe that it will be easy to fund your film. 

To get to that confidence in your ability to raise funds for your film, I suggest the information given by Neville Goddard about the way to reach the subconscious mind and change beliefs.

What he taught us was the fact that the conscious mind is the only way to reach the subconscious mind. The subconscious mind believes everything the conscious mind says.

Knowing this, then consider going to bed at night with a vision of you pitching your film to someone. 

This can be an over the shoulder shot where you can see the person you are pitching, and they are listening and nodding and smiling. You feel very confident, in fact it is fun to pitch your film, you are full of passion about your film. 

You’re watching this person intently listening to you and then they hand you a check.  What’s the amount? You pick the amount.  Make it something that is an extraordinary donation for you.

Experience the joy of this moment.  Feel the confidence you have from pitching and being rewarded.

Filling Your Subconscious with Confidence

This will instill confidence in the subconscious that you can raise money and your thought at that time that is, “raising money for my film is easy.”

By doing this you’re allowing new information to go into the subconscious mind; you are reprogramming the subconscious mind with the concept that you can raise money and that, “it is easy to raise money.”

Please keep doing this up at night before you go to sleep.  Keep creating short films for the conscious mind to play for the unconscious mind to rebuild your belief system.

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers. She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionShe is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits

After reading many books on the power of the mind, it is clear that we are much more powerful than we believe

By Carole Dean

We’ve never been taught how to use the power of our minds.  It is our most valuable tool in guiding us through life, but did you ever see a class on it in high school?  Or a college course on creating your future? Or learning how to use the power of thought?  No, they just don’t teach this in schools.

Believe that you are creating your future with your thoughts.

When you look at filmmakers like Spike Lee, Scorsese and Spielberg you wonder what is the common thread.  What did they do to become so famous?  We know they’re highly talented, but what did they do to propel themselves to their destiny?

They used the power of their mind.

Each knew they were talented and believed in themselves. They studied their craft daily.  They put their attention on creating the future they want.

There are some great techniques using the power of the mind that filmmakers can use to achieve success.

Watch Your Thoughts

Believe that you are creating your future with your thoughts. Watch your thoughts so that they’re full of the future you want, not what you don’t want.  Believe that thoughts are energy bundles waiting to manifest.

Edit what you think.  Stay positive.  Watch your thoughts and believe they are manifestors.  That each thought is waiting to manifest.

Give more attention to your thoughts, in fact get in control and even “edit” your thoughts.  Use your creativity to carve out that future just like you would write a script.  Why not?

Take Spike Lee.  His grandmother told him from an early age that he would go to college.  As he was growing up, he saw her each month put aside money for his education.  She assured him that he could do anything he wanted.  Spike chose film.  Don’t you think he was daydreaming about making films?  Sure, he was.

Don’t Dismiss Your Daydreams

Daydreaming is a form of creating your future.  Remember how you daydreamed what you wanted for your birthday and you got it?  Well, that’s something you can continue to do.  You can see your future and daydream about it.  Pretend you have the future you want. See yourself living it.  Feel yourself on the set directing, producing, loving every minute. 

Do not succumb to “where will the money come from?  How can I do this?” 

You didn’t let the “Where” or the “How” get into your wish for the bicycle you wanted.  That was not important.  You just saw yourself riding the bike.  That’s the same thing you want to do now. 

Just cut to the chase.  See yourself on the set, see yourself at the premier and most important see yourself getting a coveted award for your film!  Yes, create the vision of the future you want then feel it, believe it, and know in your heart this is your future.

Now you have renewed vigor to get up each day and keep developing your project.  It can become part of you.  It is not a dream; it is a reality.

Let the Child in You Be Your Advisor

This very moment is the time to sit down and book 15 minutes a day for daydreaming time. Yes! Let Google remind you that it is time to turn off your cell, get into a nice quiet place, sit up straight, quiet your mind then start living the future you want by daydreaming.

You are a filmmaker so create stories of how you find the world’s greatest director of photography who can do incredible shots for you.  Stories of how you attached the best actors and what joy that brought to you and your crew.

Use your daydreaming time to bring your film to life.  Find that child within and let it loose.  Let the child in you become your advisor, your advocate. 

The best filmmakers on the planet let their little child create their future.  It has an unencumbered belief system that all things are possible and believe me, they are!

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers. She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionShe is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits

Dreams will tell you when you are stuck, what you’re missing, and where you need to go

By Carole Dean

Carl Jung said, “Dreams will show you where you are and where you are going. They reveal your destiny.”

Using Dreams to Help Fund

In our bi-monthly Film Funding Guidance class for our fiscally sponsored filmmakers, we are now discussing John Kehoe’s best-selling book, Mind Power: In To The 21st Century.  John explains how empowering our dreams can be.

Did you know that the oldest written record of dream interpretation is found in the Babylonian epic of Gilgamesh recorded on clay tablets in 3000 BC?

“What makes dreams so interesting,” John writes, “is that dreams are where the conscious and the subconscious meet, where the images of day-to-day living encounter the hidden wisdom of the subconscious.”

Dreams Can Help You Find Solutions.

Nobel Prize winner doctor James Watson discovered the properties of the DNA molecule from a dream. He saw two snakes intertwining by wrapping around one another. Upon awakening, he realized that this might be what is happening in the DNA.  Perhaps, he thought, it was a double Helix twisting around itself and he was right.

John Kehoe has been analyzing and studying his dreams for years. He believes that his dreams are like a personal wisdom which speaks to him.

Studies show that we dream an average of five to seven times a night. Whether you remember them or not, you are dreaming.

John suggests that we program our mind to say before we go to sleep, “tonight I will dream, and I will remember my dream.” If you repeat this to yourself 20 times before you go to sleep, he says there would be very good chance that you will remember your dream.

Next, he recommends you place a pad of paper and a pen by your night table so that you are demonstrating that you are waiting for your dreams, and you are prepared to acknowledge them and write them down.

You might also use an old handheld tape recorder that you could just turn on and punch a button and start talking without having to get up. This is the most important part, to remember what you dreamt.  Be right there in the dream so you can get every nuance, any colors, any faces, any symbols, as these matter.

Learn to Interpret What Your Subconscious is Saying in the Dream.

When you wake up from your dream, don’t jump out of bed, stay still and as your consciousness returns.  This is in between time and it is very valuable.  It’s the crack between the two worlds, your consciousness and dream state, so stay there and observe it carefully.

Try to bring as much back as possible piece by piece.  When you get a part of the dream, rerun the dream in your mind several times adding detail each time.  Then, write it down or record it.  Now you can start interpreting it.

When you’re start interpreting your dreams you want to think of yourself as an archaeologist digging up clues. You are researching and want to know what’s going on inside you. You want to find these relics and interpret what they mean to you because most of your dreams are not going to make a lot of sense. They may seem like nonsense or some foreign language.

When you persist in thinking about your dreams and try to relate them to your own life, you will have a breakthrough and find what the dream really means to you.  John says to remember that the dream used the vocabulary of symbols and allegory to convey the message. He says symbols are to intuition what words are to thoughts.

The language of dreams is more like art and poetry than linguistics. The reason for this that is that this part of your conscious mind predates language.

Once you realize that the dreams are messages from your subconscious and start thinking about how your subconscious wants to show you something about yourself, then this can become a lot of fun.

Dream Analysists Say Dreams are Always About You and Your Circumstances.

Dreams will tell you when you are stuck and what you are avoiding.  They can tell you what you’re missing, what you’re ignoring, and they can tell you where you need to go.

95% of the time all the characters, creatures, monsters, and stuff in your dreams represents aspects of yourself. For dream interpretation, please realize that all the people in your dream are you.

An actress friend of mine who studied with a dream therapist for years taught me that. The only exceptions would be if you recognize children or parents or coworkers in your dream.  Then, they could be real or they could be another part of you.

John says that a nightmare could be your subconscious trying to shock you into looking at some aspect of your life. Saying to you, “look at this, it’s urgent!”

Dreams that repeat are messages trying to break through. Once you interpret them, they will stop. You keep having them because your subconscious is trying to get its message through.

Here are Some Techniques to Interpret Your Dreams.

Give the dream a name. Or a title. Let your intuition come up with something to name the dream because then that title might give you some clues.

Go back to the dream.  Find a quiet spot to think and be sure there are no phones or interruptions.  Sit quietly, close your eyes, recreate the dream in your mind now put yourself in the dream and see how you would react.

Example, if you had a dream that you were driving a car recklessly on a curved road, you might put yourself back in that dream behind the wheel and begin to ask yourself questions like, why are you driving so fast?  Are you getting away from something? Are you rushing to get someone? Is this good? See what answers you can get from yourself.  And you can react any way you want in the dream now that you’re in it. You could slow the car down and feel into this situation. You could decide if you were running away from something or recklessly driving to save someone.

Break your dream down into acts.  What is act one?  What is the situation and who are you?  What is act 2? What is the trouble? What is act 3, the resolution?  Ask yourself how you feel in each act in the dream. Feelings are a major information source in dreams.  Example, do you feel relieved, confident, terrified, threatened?

What are the symbols in each act that can help you decipher the reason you are driving recklessly?

Perhaps you felt relieved when you took the wheel in the dream and slowed the car down to a reasonable speed. Perhaps you have lost control of some situation in your life. That could be the meaning of the dream. Or it could be that you were trying to get away from something that bothered you.  And now your job is to find out what is bothering you that you want to get away from.

Analyzing Your Dreams Can Greatly Benefit You.

You may be able to figure this out quickly if you are open to receiving shocking or sometimes unpleasant news from yourself about your life.  Dream interpretation takes focus and so don’t be surprised if you can only decipher 30% of your dreams. You are doing quite well if you can interpret this much of your dreams. Your success will increase as you work on dream interpretation, it is something you can learn.

Don’t be afraid to give time to the analysis of your dream because it is a wonderful way for you to give you important advice. It’s a wonderful way for you to face what you’re not facing in your day-to-day reality.

Going back to the dream of driving recklessly, perhaps you find that you are trying to get away from something. With questions you may find that perhaps you hired a cinematographer that is not the right person and rather than face replacing him/her you’re running away from it.

If you take control of the car in your dream and decide to turn around and go back to where you came from you may be able to find answers. Perhaps by going back you find that you were running away from a decision that you made that was wrong and you need to face it and resolve the situation.

Dreams can be this beneficial. This is a wonderful way to talk to your subconscious. The subconscious is trying to talk to you. 

When you stop and listen, magnificent things can happen

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers. She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionShe is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits

It’s not enough to visualize yourself succeeding, you need to seed those visualizations with emotions

by Carole Dean

In our Film Funding Guidance Class for our fiscally sponsored filmmakers, we’re currently reviewing the book, Mind Power by John Kehoe.  The book teaches us about the power of visualizations in achieving success and how to apply them in your life.

visualize success

John believes that one of the secrets to achieving success is to visualize everything that would or could happen to you and live as if it really is happening.  You should see yourself in situations that normally give you difficulty. 

In this visualization, you should see yourself at ease confident and performing well.  You might picture your friends and associates complimenting you, congratulating you on your newfound confidence.

“Seeding” Your Visualizations

“Seeding” is adding feelings. Feelings with visuals are like movies with soundtracks.  They are more passionate, more emotional and contain lots of good energy. 

You should visualize your success using emotions like completion, pride, confidence, enthusiasm, and most importantly, faith.  Faith that this will happen, faith that your future belongs to you, and faith that you will successfully manifest your vision.

Remember the film, Bruce Almighty, when Jim Carrey was God and prayers were yellow post its?  He would find his room full of those yellow post it’s each morning.  Then he would go to work answering prayers. I think that seeding them with emotions would turn the post its from yellow into hot pink so they would stand out. 

Emotions are powerful.  Please be sure to use emotions when you are visualizing.  Send your visions to the universe with tons of “feeling.”

Shakespeare said “My words fly up; my thoughts remain below: Words without thoughts never to heaven go.”  Shakespeare knew that you had to have “feelings” with thoughts to bring you the future you want.

Visualize Your Pitch Presentation Before You Pitch.

A few days before you go to pitch your film, you should take the time to start visualizing your meeting. See yourself in an over the shoulder shot.  You are pitching your film.  Your potential donor is smiling and nodding their head like they’re enjoying and receiving the information you’re sending.

See yourself with pride, enthusiasm, and confidence. You should take this into your meditation and visualize the outcome you want with emotions.  Please remember how powerful emotions are and put a lot of emotion in this visualization.

You should be prepared for them to ask you questions. I want you to feel very proud of yourself because you have the answers.  To do this, you want to know what your budget is and be able to defend it. You want to know where this film will be distributed. You want to explain where this donor or investor will see your film.

See Your Future and Claim It.

Be fully prepared for all kinds of questions and be totally confident that you will get funded.  Live with that belief; that you have what you want.

You need to “feel” successful, to “feel confident.” Let these feelings be part of your vision.

Remember, all we have is the present.  Do not say, “I will have,” that puts it in the future. Please pretend it is real this very moment. You are living your dream. You are living with the life you want to live in your mind. Keep that thought as present not future.

In Mind Power, the author tells us how important affirmations are. He is reminding us that our statements and our constant belief in our achievements are important to us.

“Affirmations,” he says, “are simple statements repeated to yourself silently or aloud. You can do them anywhere, like, in your car, waiting in the doctor’s office, while you are walking, when you are lying in bed before you go to sleep.”

Affirmation’s Work!

With affirmations, you are influencing the thoughts in your mind and filling your mind with thoughts that support your goal.

John suggests when you’re doing your affirmations that you have to be consistent.  You want to keep your affirmations going until you have achieved what you are affirming.

I suggest that you use the powerful two words “I am” and start with things like:

  • I am an award-winning filmmaker.
  • I am fully funded.
  • I am having a lot of fun making my film.
  • I am getting weekly donations.
  • I am receiving surprise donations.
  • All the mental work that I am sending to the universe brings me money from sources I never expected.
  • I am fully funded.

He suggests you keep your affirmation short, and I fully agree.  Use things like:

  • I am healthy
  • I am wealthy
  • I am happy

I love these affirmations because they will get you through any day with lots of joy. 

“I Am the Greatest” Worked for Muhammad Ali.  It Will Work for You Too!

This is where we need to remember and not to make statements against ourselves like oh, I never do that right.

I’m so sorry I always get it wrong.

I’m a disaster.

These are things you should remove totally out of your vocabulary.

“I am” are the two most powerful words in the dictionary. Especially when used to create your future because they will bring you what you want.

Love Yourself.

We are very quick to see our failures and not our success. John says that when we get successes, we are happy for a few days and then we go back into forgetting our successes.

Let’s make a point of remembering our successes. Let’s reuse that success energy from past achievements again and again and expect very positive results.

For example, let’s suppose you wanted to get into a Film Festival and succeeded.  Even if it was three years ago, think about that energy that you felt when you received the notification you had been accepted. That’s the energy you want around you. You want to keep bringing that up that wonderful memory of acceptance and support.

When you get great compliments or when people give you wonderful feedback, please live on that for a weeks.  Take it inside you and feel it.  Enjoy it.

Let All the Positive Stuff You Hear Stay with You.

You need to be in the place where you feel that you deserve the donation. Be in the place where you know that you have a brilliant project.  Where you know that you will complete the project. 

By feeling these things and having them as part of your DNA you become the perfect person to give a donation.  That’s what people are looking for.  They want to support a winner, a creative, they want to support you. 

It’s your job to show them you are that creative, that brilliant artist and you deserve to be funded.

When You Are in My Aura; You are Reading My Mind!

People start picking up your thoughts when they get inside your aura and your aura stands 6 feet from your body.  When you sit next to someone to talk to them even if you had a table between you, it would probably still be within six feet.  You would be in a place where they can read you and they will know how confident you are.

That’s where they start making decisions.  They make decisions from their “inner feelings” about you. UCLA Professor Mehrabian, analyzing what makes a successful pitch, said in his research: that only 7% of what you say affects their decision making. 55% of the decision-making process is based on how you walk, how you talk, how you carry yourself, how much confidence you have. 

Did you look them in the eye?  Are you positive in your statements?  Do you sit up straight? Are you a happy person?  Are you excited and enthused about your project? Answer “no” to any of those questions and you probably failed on your pitch.

38% of the decision-making process is your voice, how enthusiastic your voice is, and this is most important because people are reading these signals.  If you show any depression and uncertainty or lack of knowledge, if your voice quavers, you are creating a feeling of uncertainty.  

Watch how you talk.  You do not want to say “you know” you do not want to use eeerrr  or ahhhhs.  These are the things that work against you. The voice and the things you say are 38% of the decision-making process.

You Can See that the Most Important Thing to Work on is You.

You are the film.  Shore up your belief in you. You need full self-confidence to close a donation, to get that discount or to hire that person you want.

Ok, you may be thinking, wow, Carole, this is a lot to do. Yes, I know it is but let’s look at the benefits.

Joseph Campbell says: “When you are on the right path, invisible hands will come to your aid.”  That’s the prize you get.  Don’t try to figure it out.  Don’t ask how, just know it will happen. 

This is the most important part of creating your future, faith.  Your faith must be relentless.

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers. She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionShe is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits

As shown in the new HBO Max Julia Child Series, the ingredients to achieving your goals include a burning desire and belief in yourself

by Carole Dean

I love the film reviews in the New Yorker magazine. Recently they had a review on a new series on HBO Max on Julia Child. It told of her extraordinary rise from a humble housewife who had written a cookbook to the crown jewel of PBS programming slate.

film funding success

Every night my daughter Carole Joyce and our friend Tommy Adams and I watch a movie. I thought this film would be something they wouldn’t like so I started watching it by myself.  I found it to be lots of fun and now all of us are watching it.

What is clear from this series is that Julia Child created her future.  She wanted that television show. She made it happen.

And the tools she used are available to you to achieve film funding success and get your film made.

Cook Something Up.

It all started when she was invited to go on the PBS station WGBH in Boston to be interviewed for her cookbook.   At the interview, Julia walked on to the set with a shopping bag full of stuff and plopped it down next to her chair.  When the well-known book intellectual, who was appalled at having to interview her asked the first question, Julia started unpacking her bag. 

She promptly crawled on the floor with her rear facing us while she plugged in a hot plate.  Then, she began to make an omelet for everyone to see how simple it was.

By doing this, she stole the show.

Ask For What You Want.

This interview happened because a WGBH associate producer at the bottom of the production ladder somehow found Julia and invited her on the show.  After this interview, Julia took the initiative and wrote this producer and proposed a cooking show.  

That associate producer knew she could have a hit show with Julia.  After all, Julia’s impressive creation of a three-egg omelet on camera had generated 13 letters to WGBH from people saying they loved Julia. The associate producer took the letters into a meeting and began pitching a Julia Childs show.  She said that the mandate for WGBH was education, and a cooking show would be perfect for them. 

The head of WGBH liked Julia and asked the head producer to run the numbers for what it would cost to do a show with her.  The head producer did, invited Julia back, and told her it was too expensive for them.

“No, sorry,” she told Julia, “We can’t do the show.”

Julia replied, “Looking like I do, has taught me to never take no for an answer.” 

That “no” was the beginning of a negotiation for Julia!  What determination that shows us, right? 

That’s a good lesson for all of us.  Had she not sat there and talked this out with the top producer she would never have gotten that show.

Be Bold and Go for It!

When the producer explained that he said no because of the enormous cost of building a set with a working kitchen, Julia Child said, “I’ll pay for that set if you will do the show.  In fact, I’ll pay for the whole show.”

This changed WGBH’s mind.  She was set for one show.  Now, the problem was that when she agreed to pay for the kitchen set, she did not even look at the budget for the amount. 

Once out of the meeting, she saw the cost.  She realized that she did not have enough money.

Get Creative Finding Funding.

Even though her father was very rich, she had to do cooking classes on the side.  She had to use her cookbook income and still she was in the hole for money. 

She told her female friends how much she wanted to cook on TV, and they rallied around and helped her.

To achieve this show, Julia, like all of you found creative ways to get the money.  You do the same thing.  You find people who love you and love your film and they give you their heart and minds.  Right?

The astonishing thing is that Julia didn’t own a TV set.  When she went to buy one, the HBO Max series showed Julia standing in front of 20 television sets in a store.  Each TV had a different program on them. 

As Julia stood there, she began to see herself on TV.  Soon, every TV in the store had Julia Child on it.

Send Your Visions to the Universe.

This is the visualization that I discuss with our fiscally sponsored filmmakers in our Film Funding Guidance Class.  Our job is to teach you how to visualize to create your future. This is exactly what it takes to create your future.

Julia took the initiative.  She wrote the letter she saying she wanted to do a TV show to teach Americans how to cook like the French.  She did not take no for an answer.  This was her vision; and she was relentless in getting that first show made so much so that WGBH came on board.

Remember, she had to learn how to cook for the camera.  She had to learn how to stand in front of hot lights, be original, humorous, and keep our attention while she beat eggs or stirred her cakes.  Although she made mistakes, that was the best part of the show.  She was human! 

She captured us with her honesty.  Everyone quotes her for saying, “You are all alone in the kitchen. No one but you knows what goes on.”

We saw chicken parts flying across the room and flambés light up like a three-alarm fire.  We saw her cut herself and keep on going while she was bleeding all over the WGBH kitchen.

That’s when Dan Ackroyd began to mimic her on Saturday Night Live.  Her career took off like a NASA rocket to the moon. 

I found this HBO film, Julia, to be empowering.  It is a true representative of what it takes to be an independent filmmaker.

It takes talent and tons of guts.  Never give up is a good mantra for all indie filmmakers!

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers. She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionShe is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits

Lessons on Wooing Film Donors and Investors from Napoleon Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich”

by Carole Dean

Napoleon Hill, author of the bestselling self-improvement masterwork Think and Grow Rich, wrote brilliantly about how to use your mind to fund your film. 

Well, actually, he did not know he was writing his book with that purpose.  But the ideas and stories contained in his work, provide valuable lessons for filmmakers on how to achieve their goals of getting money for their films.

You will need to woo your potential donors for weeks or months. They need to know who you are because they need to like you and trust you.

Please read this with the thought in mind, “will this work for me and help fund and finish my film?”

Building on Outrageous Ideas for Success

The list of the chief sources from which power may be attained is headed by infinite intelligence. When two or more people coordinate in a spirit of harmony, and work towards a definite objective, they place themselves in position, through that alliance, to absorb power directly from the great universal storehouse of infinite intelligence.  

This is the greatest of all sources of power. It is a source to which the genius turns. It is the source to which every great leader turns.

To achieve the greatest results, you need to stay on a positive track even though someone suggests an idea that is outrageous you do not negate it; you build on it.

You build on that idea to something even more outrageous and, before the night is over, you have some incredible new ideas. Edward de Bono wrote about this in his book Lateral Thinking. It is very important that you keep negativity outside of these meetings.

Let your imagination go free and have fun and once it is over you can find the jewels and implement them.

You Need to Pursue Money as Passionately as You Would a Relationship

Napoleon says something that’s very important for us and those of us who are in the throes of fund raising already know this very well.

He says, “money is as shy and elusive as the old-time maiden. It must be wooed and won by methods not unlike those used by a determined lover, in pursuit of a girl of his choice.”

Well, he wrote his book in 1937 and stories of old-time maidens may have still been fresh then!  But the power used in pursuit of wooing of money is not greatly different from that used in wooing a lover.  That power when successfully used in the pursuit of money must be mixed with faith. It must be mixed with desire and persistence.

It must be applied through a plan, and that plan must be set into action. You need to use your faith to achieve your goal. Concentrate your desire is to reach the goal. You need persistent desire to achieve your goal and the persistence to go after your goal.  Never stop until it is achieved.

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

You really need to woo your potential donors. They need to know who you are because they need to like you and trust you. This can take six months to a year maybe two years.

Tom Malloy, a very successful independent film producer (and co-instructor in my Intentional Filmmaking Class), tells the story of a time when he had been wooing a potential donor for many months.  On a Saturday night, when he was all comfortable at home with his family, the phone rang. The potential investors said, “come over I want to talk to you.”

He got up from his comfortable couch, got dressed, drove over to the investors home, and spent the evening with him. And guess what? He received an investment of $100,000 that night.

Think about it, you’re not going to jump at an offer when you meet someone. I don’t care if it is the best offer you ever heard. You are giving your money to that person not to that film.  So, you want to know who is this person? Have they made films before? Are they trustworthy?

A good investor would want to spend time with that person before they wrote a large check, and this is exactly what happens.

You can’t just walk up to someone, show them your trailer, ask for a large donation, and expect to walk away with it. You need to think of the ways that you woo potential partners and apply those to wooing your donors. 

Money Goes to Money

Napoleon says, “When money comes in quantities known as “big money,” it flows to the one who accumulates it, as easily as water flows downhill.”

You see that when someone does a good film and they get a three-picture deal.  That truly is money flowing downhill right into your bank account.

“There exists a great unseen stream of power,” Napoleon writes, “which may be compared to a river, except that one side flows in one direction carrying all those who get into that side of the stream onward and upward to wealth and on the other side —-the river flows in the opposite direction carrying all who are unfortunate enough to get into it and not be able to extricate themselves from it.  This side flows downward to misery and poverty.

I am sure you have met some of those people. 

You Want to be in the Flow  

Remember in the film, Star Wars, where Hans Solo, before leaving Yavin 4, said to Luke Skywalker “May the Force be with you.

This is the same thing Napoleon Hill is saying, he is using river instead of “the Force”.  You want to get in the river that flows carrying all upward and onward to wealth.

Filmmakers are the most creative group of people on earth.  There is nothing they can’t do once they put their focus on their vision.

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers. She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionShe is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits

Why You Need to Create a Mastermind Group For Your Film

by Carole Dean

One of my favorite books is Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.  It is a masterwork and best seller that focuses on how to use the power of your mind to achieve success.  This includes creating a mastermind group which will accelerate the growth of your business using the talents and knowledge of those with whom you work. This is perfect for filmmakers. 

Mastermind Group

Organized and Intelligently Directed Knowledge Equals Power

“Power is essential for success,” Napoleon writes, “in the accumulation of money. Plans are inert and useless without sufficient power to translate them into action. Power may be defined as ‘organized and intelligently directed knowledge.’

“Power, as the term is used here, refers to organized effort, sufficient to enable an individual to transmute desire into its monetary equivalent. Organized effort is produced through the coordination of effort of two or more people, who work towards a definite end, in a spirit of harmony.”

You could not identify a film production crew any better than that statement.

When the director, with the producers and cinematographer work together as a unit with a vision they are the power of the mastermind, a driving force. Even if there are only a two of you on the project right now, the two of you together create a mastermind, the driving force to riches.

Understanding the Power of the Mastermind

To better understand the potential power available to you through a properly chosen mastermind group, Napoleon says you need to understand the powers at work.  One of which is economic in nature and the other is psychic. 

The economic feature is obvious. Economic advantages may be created by any person who surrounds himself with the advice, counsel and personal cooperation of a group who are willing to lend him wholeheartedly aid in a spirit of perfect harmony.  This form of cooperative alliance has been the basis of nearly every great fortune. Your understanding of this great truth may determine your financial status.

The psychic phase of the mastermind principle is much more abstract, much more difficult to comprehend because it references spiritual forces.

The Billionaire Behind the Mastermind Principle

The mastermind principle, or rather the economic feature of it was first called to Napoleon’s attention by the industrialist Andrew Carnegie. Discovery of this principle was responsible for the choice of his life’s work.

“Mr. Carnegie’s mastermind group consisted of a staff of approximately 50 men, with whom he surrounded himself, for the definite purpose of manufacturing and marketing steel. He attributed his entire fortune to the power he accumulated through this ‘master mind.’

“Analyze the record of any man who has accumulated a great fortune, and many will show you that they have consciously or unconsciously employed the mastermind principle.”

How Hollywood Has Embraced the Mastermind Concept

This is how films were made in Hollywood in the twenties and the thirties. Studios had groups of writers in one room.  It was not just one writer but sometimes five or even eight men were sitting there coming up with ideas it was common to have these mastermind groups write scripts.

Look at the old films about filmmaking.  You’ll see that in watching the dailies or the rough cut there’s always a group of people in the screening room offering input. Not just one person, but a group of them giving ideas and using this mastermind power to improve the film.

Hollywood was built on the mastermind concept.  These traits were used by Carnegie as well as Ford and Du Pont. They were also used by the heads of the Hollywood studios.

The Warner Brothers knew about the mastermind concept.  They knew that when two or more people were gathered to use their power to focus on a successful outcome that this is when the third mind, this physic mind, the God mind, would appear with brilliant ideas.

They knew that two minds together, working towards one goal, held the secrets of the universe.

Nature’s Building Blocks

Napoleon Hill says, “Great power can be accumulated through no other principle!” 

Wow, that is quite a statement.

“I want to say energy is nature’s universal set of building blocks, out of which she constructs every material thing in the universe, including man and every form of animal and vegetable life through a process which only nature completely understands, she transforms energy into matter.

“Nature’s building blocks are available to man in the energy involved in thinking! Man’s brain may be compared to an electric battery. It is a well-known fact that a group of electric batteries will provide more energy than a single battery.

“The brain functions in a similar fashion. This accounts for the fact that some brains are more efficient than others and leads to this significant statement — a group of brain coordinated (or connected) in a spirit of harmony will provide more thought energy then a single brain, just as a group of electric batteries will provide more energy than a single battery.

“Through this metaphor it becomes immediately obvious that the mastermind principle holds the secret of power wielded by men and women who surround themselves with other men and women of brains.”

Presidents And the Mastermind Principle

Our presidents do this, they have boards of wealthy successful businessmen who give them basic ideas and guidance. A friend of mine, Sonny Fassoulis was on the president’s Advisory Board for his knowledge of the Far East. He walked across China getting back to his squadron when he was shot down over the Himalayas.

He became friends with Chiang Kai-shek and actually flew him around China.  Then at 23, he took over all the imports to China back in the 40’s. He knew China and the surrounding areas and was of much help to our presidents.  Sonny would fly at his own expense to Washington monthly and join an advisory board.  The board contained some of the top brains in the United states. 

So be aware that US presidents use this mastermind concept for guidance, advice, and direction. 

Functioning in Harmony to Reach Goal

When a group of individual brains are coordinated and function in harmony, the increased energy created through that alliance becomes available to every individual brain in the group.  

In the group, you will take on habits and the power of thought of those with whom you associate in a spirit of sympathy and harmony.

When two or more people coordinate in a spirit of harmony, and work towards a definite objective, they place themselves in position, through that alliance, to absorb power directly from the great universal storehouse of infinite intelligence.

This is the greatest of all sources of power. It is a source to which the genius turns. It is the source to which every great leader turns.

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers. She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionShe is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits

Talented actor, producer, shares how what he learned in those roles helped him with directing his first film

by Carole Dean

Tom Malloy has raised over $25 million in private equity for films.  He has produced 17Tom Malloy films.  Ask Me to Dance, his last film, was his directing debut. He’s written 30+ screenplays and optioned, sold, or made into movies 24 of those screenplays. 

Tom is also the President and co-owner of Glass House Distribution, a sales and distribution company, that now represents close to 100 films.  He Co-Owns FilmmakingStuff.com, one of the most popular film blogs online.  His book Bankroll, 2nd edition: A New Approach to Financing Feature Films was the gold standard book on film financing.

Guest host Heather Lenz interviewed Tom Malloy on From the Heart’s The Art of Film Funding Podcast asking for advice on filmmaking and financing. This is an excerpt of that interview.

Advice on Moving from Producer to Director

Tom Malloy believes that producing a few films before you direct will make you a stronger director. He directed his first film after being in the industry for twenty years.  The experience he’s had writing, producing, and acting gave him confidence to move to director.  He says his strength is working with actors, timing, and dialogue. He remembers Ron Howard as saying, when the script is great and the actors are great, then the film directs itself and he found this to be true.

It is good to know where your weakness is, Tom suggests.  Hire the best people to support you in this area.  For Tom, lighting and cinematography were two things he did not want to focus on.  So for his first feature, Ask Me to Dance, he made a point to hire a great DP, Pascal Combes-Knoke.

His actors enjoyed working with him. Tom said, “when the actors knew their lines and nailed their characters, it made his directing job so much easier. He said, “These actors were happy to be there because I let them play and I gave them the space to bring their A game.”

Is it a Challenge to Act in a Movie You are Directing?

“When I first wrote the film,” Tom said, “I thought of writing a role for myself. But that was before I decided to direct the film.  Once I made the decision to direct then I decided to start casting first. I began to look for a female lead. We found Briana Evigan, the star of the Step Up movies. She had a dance fan base and she’s a great dancer and a very funny actress.

“We had submissions for the role that I ended up playing, but there was a four-pronged need that we couldn’t match up. This actor had to be funny, and they had to be a good dancer.  That narrowed the field. Then you had to have some name value.

“So, now if we found these traits, then we had to have someone that would do it for our budget. At this point in the film, our budget was committed to the other stars. We had Mario Cantone, from Sex in the City, Joyce Dewitt, from Three’s Company, Catherine Mary Stewart, and Kurt Angle, plus many more great actor/dancers.

“We didn’t have much left in the budget for that role. I was the only one that filled all the boxes and would do it for this low budget. This was one of the specific challenges that we overcame.

“As far as acting and directing I filled that weakness with David Josh Lawrence, who works for my Glass House Distribution Company as head of acquisitions. He’s also an actor. He functioned as a second unit director and was my eyes and ears when I was on camera. He helped by whispering tips on how it looked.”

Tips for Indie Filmmakers

“I think that on a general note,” Tom advised, “partnering with people that are very experienced and good at what they do is smart.   It’s much better than partnering with friends. You should consider never working with a friend unless their talent exceeds the friendship or at least is equal to the friendship.”

“When you start a film, you have this idea in your head.  You write your screenplay and you get it to the point where you start adding people.  You find the perfect team, then you shoot. And when you’re shooting, there can be over 50 people on set.”  (During Ask me to Dance at one point he had 70 extras.)

“You put everything together and then it’s over. Now it’s back to just you plus the editor, plus the post supervisor.  You might have a colorist, you might have a composer, all these people, but you’re the main person, especially if you’re a director. You want to be one of those ‘roll up your sleeves and finish till the end directors.”

Tips on the Editing Process

“I would say try to find an editor who you trust. In this film, we have Frank Reynolds who is a long- time friend.  He edited one film that got nominated for best picture called In the Bedroom. He worked with me on my movie, The Alphabet Killer years ago. And he is also a kind of a ‘fireman editor’ for me that I bring in to touch up a movie for one week and fix it. You want to work with the best people in that regard.

“Another tip, I would say not to make decisions too quickly. Don’t just jump into something, take time to make the best decision on what’s going to be best for your movie.  When people are referred to you, say, ‘let me consider.’  Always be thinking of what’s best for the film.

“We had had some development financing, which I highly recommend people consider. I have a course that I teach on filmmakingstuffHQ.com called Funded Development (https://www.filmmakingstuffhq.com/development-financing-info/).

“It’s about raising a small portion of the money that you use to develop the movie, meaning, get a casting director on, get the legal paperwork done and push it forward to the next level. That’s what we did on this one.”

Any Tips on Financing Indie Films?

“The actual finance of this movie came from a new business partner of mine. Giving specific tips, I’ll just say that people who happened to be in the crypto (currency) space seem to be gamblers in a way. In my career, there’s always been different people that I went to for financing.

“I remember when online poker was hot, you could get these poker players that were worth millions to invest in movies. And I’ll just say that crypto is kind of the new poker because there’s so much money. People that just invested a thousand dollars in 2011 are now multimillionaires in crypto.

“With all investors, no matter what you’re raising, a hundred thousand dollars or $5 million, it takes a lot of work and time to get them attached to you and for them to trust you. Ultimately the best tip that I can ever give to anybody trying to get financing, no matter where you’re going, is stay focused on the project. This project was so smart, and we just kept adding more and more value, then it became irresistible.

“I’ve always said that development and prepping the project where you are adding more value is most important to financing. If you’re stuck and you can’t find any funding, keep adding more value, whether it’s cast, or locations or crew positions and always with people who are smart and talented. Just keep adding all of that to the project. Then sooner or later, it just becomes a financially viable project.”

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers. She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionShe is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits

Liquid Media’s iINDIEFLIX takes films from the single classroom viewing to over 10,000 screenings world-wide

by Carole Dean

Ronald Thomson is not resting on a successful legacy of experience in growing companies and securing capital in the global media entertainment and technology sectors. As CEO of Liquid Media Group Ltd. (NASDAQ: YVR), Ron oversees a business solutions company for the entertainment industry, empowering independent creators of professional video content and their intellectual property (IP).

Liquid Media Group’s end to end solution enables independent, professional video, film, and TV packaging, financing, delivery, and monetization. It empowers indie IP creators to take their professional content from inception through the entire process to monetization.

IndieFlix

In developing its end-to-end solution, Liquid has made a number of recent partnership and acquisition moves and is building a platform for creators to reach an audience of approximately a billion households worldwide. Of note, Liquid has acquired iNDIEFLIX Group Inc., a business-to-consumer (B2C) global, streaming, and business-to-business (B2B) virtual community screening service that delivers content with a purpose to schools, government, institutions, and corporations.

Recently, I interviewed Ron as well as iNDIEFLIX co-founder and CEO Scilla Andreen on my “The Art of Film Funding Podcast “on their future plans. This was just days after Liquid completed the acquisition of iNDIEFLIX, as well as had its industry unveiling during this year’s Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

Passion and Need Created the Education Division

Scilla is an award-winning producer, director, author and co-founder of iNDIEFLIX. This subscription screening service delivers content to schools and corporations. iNDIEFLIX has been evolving into a global ‘edutainment’ streaming service that creates, promotes and supports social impact films to create positive change in the world.

To this end, Scilla continues to grow the library, which is currently at 4,000 plus titles to represent shorts, features, documentaries, and series from independent filmmakers from all over the world and include diverse voices, marginalized communities, and women.

What led Scilla to found “iNDIEFLIX Education,” an arm of iNDIEFLIX Group Inc. was her involvement with a documentary about bullying. She personally related to this issue.

Growing up and being the only child of color in an all-white community, she experienced a lot of bullying. She helped complete the film and, because of the content, decided to screen this film to her child’s sixth and seventh grade class. It had a transformative effect at that school in understanding how bullying impacts lives, leading to more meaningful discussion and resulting action taken to address it.

This was the beginning of her iNDIEFLIX education division. Screening for schools became a mission for Scilla to bring people together. And it grew. When school representatives began saying, “What else have you got?,” she did another film called, “The Empowerment Project” and learned how to create companion materials. Today, Scilla creates discussion guides, tip sheets, marketing materials, and activity guides for their films.

“I knew that there were children dying by suicide and schools in desperate need of a tool to communicate,” Scilla said about her growing involvement with supplying films for schools, “or some way to address mental health challenges and to help their students, educators and families.

“I took our first mental health film “Angst” abroad and that film has gone on to do over 10,000 screenings in 90 countries.”

Getting Your Films to the Right Audience

Now, Scilla wants movies that can do not hundreds, but thousands of screenings a year. What she loves about iNDIEFLIX’s acquisition by Liquid Media Group is that her company will have the resources to build and deliver hybrid products that are in-person and virtual, to meet the school’s needs.

IndieFlix

Ronald W. Thomson of Liquid Media Group and Scilla Andreen of iNDIEFLIX

Scilla said that their mental health films are also being screened by large corporations like Microsoft, Liberty Mutual, HP, Starbucks, and Goldman Sachs. She is working with Fortune 500 companies to provide more than just screenings. “We are creating corporate programming,” she says, “that they can give to their employees for two years to watch with their families.”

“Learning to be a good listener will enable you to get informed, and you learn what people in communities need,” she tells me is one of her key rules for identifying content to provide.

Scilla is working hard to put together some white papers in schools that have shown her films. With her help, they have evolved to creating clubs, groups, and parent forums to educate and address mental health and bullying from a host of different angles.

IndieFlix Group is Looking for Content with Global Topics!

Scilla is on the hunt to acquire more content.  She is seeking to satisfy the demand for her films from her list of schools and corporations who watch her films and participate in the activities. She likes to think globally and is looking for films that have globally universal topics. 

“We are looking for films that inform people so they can have more awareness and connection. Films that hold up a mirror and give you a picture of what’s happening in our world.

“I’m doing something that nobody quite understands because it’s not sexy. We can measure the eyeballs and the impact on people from our surveys. These surveys inform us how to create more products around an existing story to continue to give it that evergreen light.

“I want to teach other filmmakers to do that. You don’t want to risk everything on one movie and think you’ve only got one box office weekend to make your investment back.”

Scilla’s Office Nickname is “Fortune Cookie”

Around iNDIEFLIX, Scilla is called “Fortune Cookie.”  She says she tends to, “look at the world and find opportunities and gifts in every situation.  That’s where we want to put our energy.”

Scilla believes the distribution of a film is a marathon.

“You can make a living creating these products because you believe in an issue which has that conversation. People can engage with it. You don’t just have a baby and walk away; you help raise it.

“And your kids are still your kids, even when they’re 40 and 50 years old. So, I advocate getting out of the ‘flash-in-the-pan-disposable-art concept.’

“Let’s be more intentional with our films and savor it and monetize them.”

Full information on iNDIEFLIX is found at www.indieflix.com.  More about Liquid Media is available at www.LiquidMediaGroup.co.

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers. She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionShe is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits.

Before You Apply for a Grant, Take a Peek at Who Grantors Funded in Past

by Carole Dean

Where do you start? I read thousands of proposals a year for my Roy W. Dean film grants. I know what wins grants and what turns judges off quickly. Getting it right can be a piece of cake.

Documentary film funding starts with a well-written, organized proposal. It outlines your film’s story, background, and need. It also outlines the approach, structure and style in four to eight pages of dynamite passion.

It continues through finding the right grant for your film, by investigating a funding organization’s 990 as well as reaching out to the right person at that organization who can help you get funded. 

Getting started may be the hard part, when really, this is the best part

Just write page after page of your visions for the film. Don’t worry if you only need a 6 page proposal and you now have 25 pages, just keep putting down what you “see” happening in your film. Focus on your vision of the film.

I realize that you are not sure what your subjects may say in the interviews, but if you did your research thoroughly, you know the subject matter. So, tell it to us as a compelling story and any people you have secured for the film, tell us their story.

Your proposal needs to be a visual description of your film

It’s there somewhere in those 25 pages of written material so read them carefully and find the best visual sections to paste into your proposal. Now, read it over and create your first three dynamite paragraphs that tell me a compelling story.

Put time into this because it is my introduction to your film. You may have been working on it for over a year, but this is my first look. You need to condense the film to three paragraphs to engage me because the first paragraphs are the most important part of the application. It tells me you are a good writer and it shows me your vision of the film.

Don’t start by writing in your proposal how much this film is needed

With our Roy W Dean Grant, we fund stories about interesting characters and concepts. The biggest mistake is to tell us the history in the beginning or to tell us how much this film is needed or that you want to send a message.

Remember, Harry Warner said, “If you want to send a message, go to Western Union, if you want to make a picture, tell me a story!”

That’s just what we want, stories, keep telling us the story and let me see the film it as I read the story.

Who is your audience?

Now, take those 25 pages, cut and paste the information into the background, and keep that separate from the theme and separate from the approach, structure and style. We also want to know how you will market your film. Only 1 in 1000 docs gets a theatrical release and that does not always have a financial return.

Creative filmmakers are building audiences for their films on the web by organizing communities around the film’s issues and these people are donating to their films and waiting to pay for downloads. You should consider distributing it yourself to sell on your website.  Instead of a percentage of each download, you will make the full price.

What are your marketing plans? 

Outreach is a major key to socially oriented films; we want to know that the people who need the film will see it so put outreach in the budget. Did I lose you with that last word?

Well, you have to face the music and go to the left brain now and do a budget but never fear Maureen Ryan www.producertoproducer.com  is perfect for you.  Maureen is an award winner producer of many great documentaries including Dick Johnson is Dead

Her website has sample budgets on her website which is dedicated to supporting independent film producers by sharing helpful and essential information about practical film production.

Using 990’s to find grants that match your project

Finding grants that match your material is paramount to the funding process. Go to
www.grantsmart.org and search for granting organizations by key words.  Once you find them; go to https://candid.org/.

You want to find and check out the Corporations 990 form which is part of their income tax, and candid.org has a slick 990-PF that shows you exactly where the most important funding information is located.  You can find the most recent 990’s at https://www.guidestar.org/

I know is sounds sneaky, to look into some corporation’s income tax, but all is fair in love and doc financing. You can access info on over 200,000 U.S. private and community foundations for free and you will find how much an organization donated in contributions, gifts and grants for prior years.

Don’t enter grants you don’t think you can win

Find a potential funder that matches your film and find the name of the operations officer and, most importantly, find who won last years and prior year’s grants. Is your film a fit? The biggest complaint is that too many people apply for grants that do not fit. See if you can find the prior winner’s web sites, they might even be willing to give you tips on entering this grant.

Don’t enter grants you don’t think you can win. Your time is too valuable, it is best to find grants you think you have the best chance of winning and then write a few more paragraphs in your proposal to tailor it just for them.

I know when someone reads my grant web site information because they say, “My film is unique and makes a contribution to society.” That’s my mission statement and I like to see this because I know they read the guidelines.

While you read each potential funder’s site, keep looking for questions that are not answered, like how many apps did they have last year and what is the amount of money they are giving this year.

Don’t be shy

Now comes the best part of funding. Get the list of corporations or non-profits you think are the best ones to submit your film. Find your question that was not answered on their web site.  Then, search for the name of the granting officer and phone number because you are going to call them!

Don’t be shy. You would never enter a grant without first making contact with the grantor. This is your great opportunity to introduce yourself and make an important connection.

Place your call in “prime time” from 10 to 12 or 2 to 4 and ask to speak directly to the operations officer in charge of the grant. If they don’t answer, try again later or get information on the best time to reach them.

“Touch my heart and I reach for my pocket book.”

Your job is to touch them, remembering that we communicate through the heart chakra.
I say, “Touch my heart and I reach for my pocket book.” Keep this in mind when creating your short pitch. This connection puts energy to your application; it is the voice behind the film.

Now what will you say when you get them on the phone? Go back to your 25 pages and create two lines that bring your film to life and tell them this story as your pitch. Tell them the title of your film and give them this short pitch. Don’t over pitch, that’s the worst thing you can do. Just tell them enough of the story line for them to remember you and the pitch.

You read this person’s bio on the site and you know the films she/he funded in the past.  You want to compliment them on their past selections, for their on-going contributions, and support of filmmakers.  Ask your question that was not answered on the web site.

Be relaxed, have your check list of these things in front of you and make a good impression and keep this phone call under three minutes. Be sure to listen to what they say. Let them talk.

Don’t forget to write and never give up

Once you hang up the phone, write them a nice Hallmark card and mail it that day. Be sure to thank them for the information. Give them your short pitch again in the card. You now have two connections with this person and when they see your application they will remember you through the call and the card and the story of your film.

Realize that we want to fund you; we are looking for emerging and established filmmakers with engaging stories to tell.

We know you are talented, most of the people who give grants are not filmmakers, we are your admirers, and we are astonished at your talents.

The golden rule in applying for grants is “never give up.” Keep going back, I have funded 2 films that entered my grant 3 times, I love filmmaker’s tenacity.

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers. She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionHer new class “How to Fund Your Film” is available on Vimeo on Demand.  She is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits 

Take your film production team and turn it into a powerful “creative machine” to help you fund and finish your film  

by Carole Dean

I am sharing the book, Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, with our Film Funding Guidance Class. We have the class every two weeks for filmmakers who are fiscally sponsored by From the Heart Productions.

This book could have been written entirely for the film industry.

Mastermind Team

The Power of the Mastermind as The Driving Force for Success

“Power is essential for success in the accumulation of money” states Napoleon Hill. “Plans are inert and useless without sufficient power to translate them into action. Power may be defined as ‘organized and intelligently directed knowledge.’

“Power, as the term is used here, refers to organized effort, sufficient to enable an individual to transmute desire into its monetary equivalent. Organized effort is produced through the coordination of effort of two or more people, who work towards a definite end, in a spirit of harmony.”  

You could not identify a film production crew any better than that statement.

When the director, producers, and cinematographer work together as a unit with a vision they are the power of the mastermind, a driving force. Even if there are only a two of you on the project right now, the two of you together create a mastermind, the driving force to riches.

Economic vs Psychic Mastermind Group

Napoleon goes on to say that, “to better understand the potential power available to you through a properly chosen mastermind group, we want you to understand one of which is economic in nature and the other is psychic. 

“The economic feature is obvious. Economic advantages may be created by any person who surrounds himself with the advice, counsel and personal cooperation of a group who are willing to lend him wholeheartedly aid in a spirit of perfect harmony. 

“This form of cooperative alliance has been the basis of nearly every great fortune. Your understanding of this great truth may determine your financial status.”

No Two Minds Ever Come Together Without Creating a Third

The psychic phase of the mastermind principle is much more abstract, much more difficult to comprehend because it has reference to the spiritual forces.

“No two minds ever come together,” Napoleon writes, “without, thereby, creating a third, invisible, intangible force which may be likened to a third mind. Keep in mind the fact that there are only two known elements in the whole universe, energy and matter likewise they are units of energy.” (This book was written 100 years ago.)

“The human mind is a form of energy a part of it being spiritual in nature. When the minds of two people are coordinated in a spirit of harmony, the spiritual units of energy of each line form an affinity, which constitutes the psychic phase of the mastermind.

“The mastermind principle, or rather the economic feature of it was first called to my attention by Andrew Carnegie over 25 years ago. Discovery of this principle was responsible for the choice of my life’s work.”

The Wealthiest Men in America Made Use of This Concept

Mr Carnegie’s mastermind group consisted of a staff of approximately 50 men, with whom he surrounded himself, for the definite purpose of manufacturing and marketing steel. He attributed his entire fortune to the power he accumulated through this ‘master mind.’”

“Analyze the record of any man,” Carnegie claimed, “who has accumulated a great fortune, and many will show you that they have consciously or unconsciously employed the mastermind principle.”

Hollywood Was Built on the Mastermind Concept

This is how films were made in Hollywood in the twenties and the thirties. Studios had groups of writers in one room.  It was not just one writer but sometimes five or even eight men were sitting there coming up with ideas it was common to have these mastermind groups write scripts.

Look at the old films and you’ll see that in watching the dailies or the rough cut there’s always a group of people sitting in the screening room and they are all giving their input. Not just one person, but a group of them giving ideas and using this master mind power to improve the film.

The Warner Brothers knew about the mastermind concept.  They knew that, when two or more were gathered, to use their power to focus on a successful outcome, that this is when the third mind, this psychic mind, the God mind, would appear with brilliant ideas and powerful suggestions.

They knew that two minds together, working towards one goal brought out the God mind which held the secrets of the universe.

Napoleon Hill says, “Great power can be accumulated through no other principle!” 

Wow, that is quite a statement.

Masterminds Can Convert Energy into Matter with Brilliant Ideas

Napoleon goes to say “energy is nature’s universal set of building blocks, out of which she constructs every material thing in the universe, including man and every form of animal and vegetable life through a process which only nature completely understands, she transforms energy into matter.

“Nature’s building blocks are available to man in the energy involved in thinking! Man’s brain may be compared to an electric battery. It is a well-known fact that a group of electric batteries will provide more energy than a single battery.

“The brain functions in a similar fashion. This accounts for the fact that some brains are more efficient than others and leads to this significant statement — a group of brain coordinated (or connected) in a spirit of harmony will provide more thought energy then a single brain, just as a group of electric batteries will provide more energy than a single battery.

“Through this metaphor it becomes immediately obvious that the mastermind principle holds the secret of power wielded by men and women who surround themselves with other men and women of brains.”

Our Presidents Use this Mastermind Concept for Guidance

Our presidents do this, they have boards of wealthy successful businessmen who give them basic ideas and advice.

A friend of mine, Sonny Fassoulis, was on the president’s Advisory Board for his knowledge of the Far East.  He walked across China getting back to his squadron after he was shot down over the Himalayas during World War II.

He became friends with Chiang Kai-shek, a politician, revolutionary and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China. Sonny actually flew him around China and then at 23 he took over all the imports to China.

He knew China and the surrounding areas and was of much help to our Presidents.  Sonny would fly at his own expense to Washington monthly and join an advisory board which contained some of the top brains in the United States. 

Minds Working in Harmony

When a group of individual brains are coordinated and function in harmony, the increased energy created through that alliance becomes available to every individual brain in the group.

Men take on the nature and the habits and the power of thought of those with whom they associate in a spirit of sympathy and harmony.

The chief source from which power may be attained is infinite intelligence. When two or more people coordinate in a spirit of harmony, and work towards a definite objective, they place themselves in position, through that alliance, to absorb power directly from the great universal storehouse of infinite intelligence.

This is the greatest of all sources of power. It is a source to which the genius turns. It is the source to which every great leader turns.

What is paramount to success is to understand that, to achieve the greatest results, you need to stay on a positive track even though someone suggests an idea that is outrageous you do not negate it; you build on it.

You build on an idea to something even more outrageous.  And, before the night is over, you have some incredible new ideas. Edward de Bonor wrote about this in his book Lateral Thinking: Creativity Step by Step. It is very important that you keep negativity outside of these meetings. Let your imagination go free and have fun and once it is over you can find the jewels and implement them.

Wooing Money

Napoleon says something that’s very important for us and those of us who are in the throes of fund raising already know this very well.

“Money,” Napoleon comments, “is as shy and elusive as the old-time maiden. It must be wooed and won by methods not unlike those used by a determined lover, in pursuit of a girl of his choice.

“And coincidental as it is, the power used in the wooing of money is not greatly different from that used in wooing a maiden. That power when successfully used in the pursuit of money must be mixed with faith. It must be mixed with desire. It must be mixed with persistence.”

With that persistence, use your faith and desire to achieve your goal.  Never stop until it is achieved.

Money Goes to the Person, Not the Film

You really need to woo your potential donors. They need to know who you are because they need to like you and trust you.

This can take six months to a year maybe two years.  Tom Malloy, indie producer and co-instructor in my Intentional Filmmaking Class, talks about spending hours and sometimes even weekends with potential donors and finally getting the money.

He tells the story of a time when he had been wooing a potential donor for many months.  When, on a Saturday night, he was all comfortable at home with his family and the phone rang.  The potential investors said, “come over I want to talk to you.”

Tom got up from his comfortable couch, got dressed, and drove over to the investors home.  He spent the evening with him and guess what? He received an investment of $100,000 that night.

Think about it.  You’re not going to jump at an offer when you meet someone. I don’t care if it is the best offer you ever heard. You are giving your money to that person not to that film.  So, you want to know who is this person? Have they made films before? Are they trustworthy?

Think of a Donor or Investor as a Potential Soulmate

A good investor would want to spend time with that person before they wrote a large check.

You can’t just walk up to someone, show them your trailer, ask for a large donation and expect to walk away with it. You need to think of the ways that you woo potential partners and apply those to wooing your donors. 

For women, think of what you would do if you met someone that you thought might be your soulmate. What would you do? That’s exactly how you want to treat a donor or an investor.

Napoleon says, “When money comes in quantities known as ‘big money,’ it flows to the one who accumulates it, as easily as water flows downhill.”

You see that when someone does a good film, and they get a three-picture deal.

Getting Into the Flow of a River Going Downstream Brings Financing.

According to Napoleon Hill, there exists a great unseen stream of power.  It is like a river.  One side flows in one direction carrying all those onward and upward to wealth.  On the other side of the river, flowing in the opposite direction, are those unfortunate enough to get into it and not be able to extricate themselves from it.  This side flows downward to misery and poverty.

I am sure you have met some of those people. 

Remember in the film, Star Wars, where Han Solo, before leaving Yavin 4, said to Luke Skywalker “May the Force be with you.

This is the same thing Napoleon Hill is saying, get in the river that flows carrying all upward and onward to wealth.

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers. She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionHer new class “How to Fund Your Film” is available on Vimeo on Demand.  She is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits 

Persistence is willpower and a good habit that will lead to success

by Carole Dean

Persistence is the habit of concentrating one’s thoughts upon building plans for the attainment of a definite purpose.   Persistence is a direct result of habit. Your mind absorbs and becomes a part of the daily experiences upon which it feeds.

Persistance

Using persistence to raise money and create your film takes a lot of courage. I see it all the time in the filmmakers we fiscally sponsor at From the Heart Productions and who apply for our Roy W. Dean Grant.

You want to believe in your heart that people really want to hear from you.  You want to believe that you are inviting them to join you in making your film. That you’re inviting them to join you in your distribution. 

If you are contacting them again for the second or third time consider this email to be a reminder, a gentle reminder, because persistence pays off. Persistence is the trait of any top salesperson.

Here’s how to develop persistence.

Go Until No

Producer Tom Malloy, who has raised millions for his films, his own saying that describes his belief in the power of persistence.  Go until no.  You want to keep asking until someone says, “absolutely no!  I will not fund your film.”

Then Tom says OK, I understand you won’t fund this film, but can I contact you when I start my next film? And always they say yes!  That is true persistence.

What is your motivation to contact people the third or fourth time?  To reach your goal.  Always work with your intention in mind.  Why do you need to send this email?  What is the benefit for you?  What is the benefit for the donor?  They need to be equal. 

You need to offer them something. Like putting their name on your website or listing their name in a rolling credit on the film or posting on social media the fact that they gave you money.  Find something to give to them.

Creating the Habit of Persistence

There are four simple steps which lead to the habit of persistence. They call for no great amount of intelligence, no particular amount of education, and little time or effort.

They are:

  1. A definite purpose backed by burning desire for its fulfillment. What is the amount of money you intend to raise at this time?  That is your burning desire, to hit that goal.
  2. A definite plan expressed in continuous action. Yes, you have a list of people to contact that you know like you and trust you and could contribute to your film.  Your plan is to get a large percentage of them to donate.  The normal rate is 5% of your data base.  You might set a goal of 30% of your data base will donate.  That is part of your plan.  Your persistence now is based on a plan to get 30% of your email base to donate.
  3. A mind closed tightly against all negative and discouraging influences, including negative suggestions of relatives, friends, and acquaintances. Definitely don’t discuss your goals with others, keep them to yourself.  People can’t understand how you can raise over $100K to make a film.  Set goals that you believe you can hit.  Because each time you hit a goal it empowers you.
  4. A friendly alliance with one or more person who will encourage one to follow through with both plan and purpose. This could be your producer, your social networking person, your best friend. Many times, producers will take on a mentor even if they only talk to them once a month so that producers can empower through these conversations to feel comfortable to continue asking for money. Use someone who give you good feedback and someone that you enjoy talking to and always feel better after you talk to them.

Napoleon Hill, is his masterwork Think and Grow Rich that has guided thousands to success over nearly 100 years, says these four steps are essential for success in all walks of life. The entire purpose is to be able to take these four steps as a matter of habit. These are the steps by which one may control one’s economic destiny.

They are the steps that lead to freedom and independence of thought.

They are the steps that lead to riches, in small or great amounts.

They lead the way to power, fame, and worldly recognition.

They are the four steps which guarantee favorable breaks.

They lead to the mastery of fear, discouragement, indifference.

“There is a magnificent reward for all,” Napoleon Hill writes, “who learn to take these four steps. It is the privilege of writing one’s own ticket and making life yield whatever price is asked.” 

Why You Need Sticky Story

When you are sending out emails asking for donations, you need to be persistent.  People are all in a hurry, often over caffeinated so you want to make it very easy to send the money and make your “ask” emotional. 

Tell me a sticky story that the person can remember.  Dan and Chip Heath wrote a brilliant book, called Made to Stick.  After reading their book I created, with their approval, what I call a sticky story which has the elements mentioned in their book and I wrote it for filmmakers.

In a “sticky story”, you take all the knowledge you have on your film and transform it into a simple story that is easy to remember. The first rule is to keep it simple, find the core of the idea. You may have volumes of fascinating information but keep taking things away until you can’t take anything else out or you lose the essence.

How To Create Your “Sticky Story”

Find the Core

Think of journalists who create lead copy for articles, and you get the story in a few words, they prioritize. So, can you.

Something Unexpected

This simple story needs something unexpected; this is to be sure you get their attention.

You might ask a question that the film needs to answer. It can be a surprise like a shocking fact or a point of interest they will remember or a massive change in direction for the film.

Something Concrete

You need specific people doing specific things or give them some facts. Concrete ideas are easy for people to remember and they create a foundation.

Credible Information

This is what makes people believe your story. This can be a place for truthful core details and please make them as vivid as possible. We need to see your film from the words you use.

Find the Emotional Heart

I say, “touch my heart and I reach for my pocketbook.” We communicate through the heart chakra, so touch me with your story.  You can do this through one of your characters, let me feel them.

When you pitch me your “sticky story,” I want to walk away with your film in my mind forever. Then I can tell my friends that I invested/donated to your film and brag about it on my social media.

Remember, you have carried this film for several years and your audience is just hearing about it. That’s why brevity and a sticky story are needed to transmit your knowledge.

Don’t Forget to Write

First write down your story.  Next, begin to say it, so that you can put these elements into your own words.  That should give you a good pitch, an outline for a written “ask” for emails or letters.   I get letters all the time from organizations I donate to.  Letter writing is still appreciated. 

I understand that wealthy people always open a hand addressed envelope first.  Use good stationary, find paper with texture.  I like to think about people being in three categories.

Audible, you can hear this in their conversations, I heard, He said, did you listen to….

Visual people say I see what you mean, they visualize everything…

Kinesthetic people are the “feelers.”  For them you want textured paper.  It’s the feel of something that they use to judge you by.    That’s why I always pay a bit more for textured paper with our stationary.

You may also want to put a special stamp on the envelope.  The post office normally has stamps for the Arts that are beautiful and will really set your envelope aside from all other mail.  You might get some of artistic looking stamps to use for any correspondence.

Do You Really Deserve This Money? 

Now, it is up to you.  Are you open to receive?  Do you deserve $100K to fund your film?  Why should people give you money? 

You want to be totally open to receive.  You may have to convince yourself that YES, you are worthy, yes you will be honest and use the money to the benefit of all concerned and produce an excellent film.

Remember, fear is the worst of all enemies and can be effectively cured by forced repetition of acts of courage. I agree it is an act of courage to ask someone for money for your film.

I’ve never met a filmmaker who wasn’t a self-starter.  it’s your persistence and your willpower that creates your success with funding and finishing your film. 

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers. She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionHer new class “How to Fund Your Film” is available on Vimeo on Demand.  She is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits 

by Diane Estelle Vicari

2001 is a year to remember. My first co-directed and produced independent feature film opened theatrically. SUGIHARA: Conspiracy of Kindness is the story of Japanese Consul General Chiune Sempo Sugihara, who during World War II saved the lives of thousands against his government’s orders. I was finally going to share this inspiring story of how “one man can make a difference” with a live audience. That is, until I received an invitation from scoring and recording mixer Tommy Vicari.

 

 

Tommy invited me to visit the famous Hollywood Capitol Records recording studios and to document a five-day recording session. I would “bear witness,” he said, “to history in the making.”

Being a one-woman band with a scheduling conflict on the same week of my Première, I kindly declined the offer. Tommy kept insisting — which was so uncharacteristic of him — until he eventually broke down my resistance. I agreed to hire a crew of four camera operators, direct them on the first day, and then leave them to continue filming, so that I could attend my special date with my audience.

As long as I live, I will never forget witnessing through my viewfinder, as this Geppetto-like figure walked up to his podium. The energy of the room immediately shifted. I watched the musicians straightening themselves in their chairs, as if a four-star general had entered the room. Then, Maestro Sammy Nestico gave the down beat.

Sammy Nestico and Me

I had been around music since I was a child, playing the piano for seven years, attending weekly rehearsals and performances of my Grand-Maman Estelle’s choir at church, being always a step behind the fanfare during parades, and of course having been married to a recording and scoring engineer for nearly twenty-five years. None of it prepared me for the moment when Sammy Nestico’s music began to play.

I was awestruck and overcome with a sense of pure joy and wonderment at this humble man, who was yet a force to be reckoned with. This tangible magic continued to fill the  studio for days and I was moved to keep filming.

What I experienced during these five days; the world had to see. I missed my own opening night in order to capture the enchantment.

On that day, our twenty years journey together began.  I entered his world and committed to making a documentary film about his life story but mostly to share his message to: “Never Let anyone steal your dreams.”

Sammy passed away January of this year, one month short of his 97th birthday, As his wife Shirley entered the painful process of letting go, she invited me to come to their home to see if there was any items I may need for the film. At one point, I noticed his ties collection, which she had prepared for a donation. 

At the age of 16, this first-born son of Italian immigrant began wearing ties so that he could be considered a “serious” musician.  He began his collection of ties, and that tradition continued throughout his life. He often wore them only once, and purchased another for a new occasion!  I asked Shirley if I could keep this collection.

For Sammy’s 86 Birthday and his 4th Grammy nomination, jewelry designer Pepi© exclusively created “Sammy’s Love Note©.”  

After sharing this story with her, she suggested we bring back his “Love Note” pin and offer it with a collectible tie.

For a $179.00 donation towards the completion of the film, you will receive “Sammy’s Love Note©” and choose one of Sammy’s collectible tie. 

Please click on this link that follows to make a selection. 

https://www.sammynesticofilm.com/rewards/1dof5en3ox3gt3sebg1h97pbe6d8cb

I am privileged to be the messenger of this world-renowned musical legacy and one of our National Treasure, Maestro Sammy Nestico. 

 

How to use hybrid distribution and virtual screenings to be more effective at raising funds, selling your film, and generating revenue

by Carole Dean

Keith Ochwat is the founder of the Show&Tell virtual screening platform which also offers educational courses for filmmakers.  After producing his own documentaries for 12 years, he’s advised hundreds of filmmakers on their distribution fundraising strategy.

Keith recently joined me on my The Art of Film Funding Podcast.  His information is most important for documentary filmmakers who want to reach their target audience.  Here are some highlights of my interview with Keith on implementing a hybrid distribution strategy for your film.

What is a hybrid strategy?

I would define a hybrid strategy as one the most effective ways to think about getting your film into the world and to fundraise. I think distribution and fundraising are really hand in glove working together. And I think if you’re successful at this new approach to distribution, we’ll be talking about today, you’ll be more effective at raising funds, selling your film, and generating revenue.

Hybrid strategy the way Peter Broderick and I always talk about distribution. Someone who is great at theatrical release, is not going to be that good at securing you a television deal. If they’re good at television in the United States, they are probably not going to be that great at securing television deals in Finland, in Brazil, which can be most lucrative for filmmakers as it has been for me and many other filmmakers.

If you make a deal with a single distributor, then you are not taking a hybrid approach. Rather you are   placing all your faith in the belief that one company can maximize your audience and your revenue in all of these windows of distribution.

What we advocate is a hybrid approach where you split your rights.  I define a hybrid strategy, big picture, as splitting rights and retaining control. There are some organizations like the Film Collaborative that helps filmmakers make the most of festivals if they’re willing to work with you. But they’re probably not going to want to make a consumer release deal for you.

Or if you’re working with Richard Abramowitz for your theatrical, you’re probably not going to want to work with him making your international deals. We advocate splitting your rights and using organizations who are expert at certain windows so you can make the most of every window of distribution.

Tell us more about the benefits of hybrid distribution.

We call it hybrid because you do distribution with some of the old ways and some of the new ways. I did the old way with some of my films and when I embraced a hybrid strategy for my latter films, they were much more successful.

We made much more money, and we reached a larger audience. Fundamentally, it was more rewarding to go through that process with a hybrid strategy. We got our film broadcasted on PBS nationally. We made a streaming deal with Netflix.

With my last film, we also prioritized a new or less traditional approach to distribution and fundraising. We worked with non-profit and corporate partners that believed in the message of our film. AARP was the biggest one. They ended up putting up over $250,000 to support a, a series of live events, virtual events, and they sponsored our PBS broadcast.

You may have heard sponsors on PBS where they say this program was brought to you by, and it was AARP and a few other companies that sponsored our film.

How has the expansion of the virtual world has created a new window for documentary filmmakers?

The rise of Netflix is because there’s been a rise in this virtual streaming world, especially for documentaries. Audiences expect to be able to stream films from the comfort of their home. Less and less documentary fans, even in this golden age of documentary are going to theaters to see documentaries they’re streaming at home.

And I think another way you should think about a hybrid strategy is harnessing the best of the old world, which is reawakening and the best of the virtual world.

Tell us about your new company Show&Tell

We help filmmakers execute the strategies for a hybrid funding and distribution. It’s about making the most of live events, but also virtual events. We have a virtual screening platform, and we help filmmakers do virtual events when they’re in distribution and virtual fundraisers when they’re in pre-production and production and post.

I do a lot of teaching. I love to teach. If I had another life, I’d probably be a professor. And I love sharing what I know so that you don’t have to make the same mistakes I made.

We have an educational community. I coach filmmakers on their distribution and fundraising. I also have an online course which has over 50 lessons and we have a private Facebook group. We have a webinar three times a month, on Thursday at 1:00 PM. It’s a free webinar about different topics.

Example, the month of July was dedicated to fundraising and in traditional ways and I had the pleasure of doing a webinar with Carole on July 15th. You can go to our website ShowAndTell.film, click on coaching, and you’ll see our calendar of events.  There you can sign up for a free webinar and learn more about what we do.

My motivation with ShowAndTell.film is to help filmmakers avoid mistakes and help you generate revenue for your film plus help you build your audience.

If you’re at picture lock or interested in a virtual event, if you’re in distribution, you can use our services. With our services, you can ask for paid tickets or you could ask for donations or do both, which is my recommendation.

What is best way to monetize a virtual event?

We teach you how to approach partners and ask for virtual events. You can recognize your partner with a hyperlink or put their logo on your event page. You can even put a short commercial message that plays before your film. There’s a lot you can do with our platform.

You can totally customize your event.  You can set the dates, change the dates, add tickets, lower the ticket price, change donations amounts. A store is available for you. We make it easy with simple tools.

The thing I’m most proud of is we provide knowledge and knowledge is so important. Knowledge is going to give you strength and it’s going to give you options.

And I think that the knowledge that I’m providing is unique. What we do is really encouraging filmmakers to embrace the hybrid approach, make the deal with Netflix when you’re in your consumer release stage, get on PBS for your TV release. We’ll show you how to do this. You should also prioritize conferences, partnerships, and fuel that success through understanding with clarity, your target audience.

In our online course there are over 50 lessons in our private Facebook group, we help filmmakers understand strategies and tactics related to target audience identification, pitching partners, identifying partners, providing templates and tools for you to make money with distribution.

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers. She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionHer new class “How to Fund Your Film” is available on Vimeo on Demand.  She is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits 

Cquence for Adobe Premiere helps you create your first cut in minutes, not hours.

by Carole Dean

Larry Rosenzweig is a filmmaker who dreaded the first draft, rough cut video editing process.  He knew how much it took emotionally and physically to create it.  So, he decided to do something about shortening the time involved. 

Partnering with two other technically trained people who all saw the need to short cut the first edit, they began raising funds to support themselves while they built a brilliant program to solve their problem. 

Video Editing

Cquence

Now ready, Cquence is a rough-cut video editing platform that dramatically accelerates the video editing workflow.  Larry says, “they currently have a seamless one-click integration with Adobe Premier. Eventually we’ll be rolling out integrations with Final Cut 10 and DaVinci resolve.”

I interviewed Larry on my recent The Art of Film Funding Podcast and he shared more about how this program works and what’s in it for filmmakers.

Larry, what does Cquence do?

A filmmaker or a video editor uses Cquence to hold your film and enable you to search for the things that you need and then very easily edit the best moments from your footage within your rough-cut editor. Cquence can be used for shorts, features, documentaries, webisodes, and may other people can find benefits by using this for large amounts of information, example, teachers can use this.

You will be able to use our platform to search for specific quotes, specific interviews, and people. You could search for a word that you remembered from an interview. And visually we also offer you the capability to search for a specific object or a location.

Example, if you want to search for all the coffee cup shots, all the mountain range shots, you will be able to find all those relevant clips from a visual perspective.  And once you find the moments that you want, you’re able to seamlessly drag and drop that over to our rough-cut timeline inside of Cquence.

Normally what people do is they import hours of footage into Cquence.

Who benefits from Cquence?

Cquence is most valuable for filmmakers, video editors, video producers, and this could be used for doing scripted or unscripted work.

At the end of the day Cquence accelerates the video editing workflow. What does this mean?  It enables filmmakers and video editors to focus on higher order thinking and creativity. Not only do you save significant time using Cquence, but you can increase your revenue by having more time to focus on bringing in clients, to fundraise, and to create more projects.

It makes it easy to repurpose and repackage your footage into a social promo and trailer content for you to share across your social channels. Think of Cquence as a searchable archive for every project that you have because we make it easy to use footage even from a previous project.

Another benefit is if a filmmaker and a video editor want to collaborate, they are able to replace the traditional act of having to mail a hard drive or upload terabytes of footage to a cloud storage because Cquence essentially replaces that workflow.

Now that you can save 30 to 50% of your time in editing and what are your plans for the future?

We have a big vision. Our goal is to save 90% of the time it takes to create a first draft.

We have spoken with hundreds of filmmakers and video editors at this point and Cquence is available for both Mac and PC.  As of today, we have an integration with Adobe, so you can download the creative cloud plugin as well, and you can easily export your rough cut from Cquence, which is on your desktop, into Adobe Premier, which is also on your desktop to continue editing, and then finish your film in your existing workflow as you have always done previously.

Can you give us another example of editing with Cquence?

I was using Cquence to edit a documentary web series and had 40 hours of footage and I felt overwhelmed to start editing. I imported all of it into Cquence. The import is simple. You can take a whole folder on your computer and drag and drop it into Cquence and then walk away, let it run over night. You don’t have to sit there while it’s running. This took 10 hours to import and analyze everything overnight.

Tell us about the pricing.

You can go to cquence.app and you can start using Cquence for free up to 10 hours of footage imported. And we also have a standard plan for $24 a month and a pro plan for $48 a month. Both of these plans give you a lot more footage and a lot more export options like automatically generating subtitles.

We’re giving your entire audience a discount, Carole. Your audience can use the discount code SUMMER21 on checkout, and that discount expires at the end of the summer.  Basically, the discount is you get first three months free on any of the plans.

You should be able to follow the steps on our website once you sign up.  Your listeners can reach me at Larry@cquence.app.

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers. She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionHer new class “How to Fund Your Film” is available on Vimeo on Demand.  She is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits 

If you can imagine and believe that you are already a successful filmmaker, you have taken the first step of being a successful filmmaker

by Carole Dean

One thing that nearly every filmmaker has is an abundance of creative imagination.   If you are seeking to prosper as a director, producer, or screenwriter, this is the resource which you need to tap.  And I don’t mean just using it to create a great story for a great film, but using it to create the reality in your mind that you are in the midst of a great career as a filmmaker.

 

 

As my fiscally sponsored filmmakers and readers know, Napoleon Hill is one my favorite authors.  I teach lessons from his monumental best-selling book Think and Grow Rich in our Film Funding Guidance Class every two weeks.

Through his work and others, we’ve learned that by using your imagination, you can create your desired reality in your subconscious.  By making it real to yourself there, it will become real in your life as well.

Using auto suggestion from the conscious to the subconscious

In Napoleon Hill’s chapter on auto suggestion, he goes into detail to explain that material cannot get into the subconscious mind without coming through the conscious mind. The reason you want to get information into the subconscious is because this is how you create your future.

Nature, he writes, has so built man that he has absolute control over the material which reaches his subconscious mind through his five senses. But the fact he does not exercise it explains why so many people go through life in poverty.

I impress upon our filmmakers the importance of writing out your desire and to read it aloud twice daily.

By following these instructions, you communicate the object of your desire directly to your subconscious mind in a spirit of absolute faith. Through repetition of this procedure you voluntarily create thought habits which are favorable to your efforts to transmute desire into its monetary equivalent.

Here is how Napoleon Hill suggests that you create your future:

FIRST: Fix in your mind the exact amount of money you desire. You do not want to say I want plenty of money, you must be definite. Pick a number and state that number. Personally, I like to say a number, but I say over that number so I’m not putting any limits on what I can receive.  You must have a number; it is very important.

SECOND: Determine exactly what you intend to give in return for the money you desire. This might be you want to raise over $20,000 for your film. Next you have to promise that you’re going to work on your film so many hours a week in order to achieve that goal so promise 15 or 20 hours a week as a minimum promise because you need to put the work in to create the funds.

THIRD: Establish a definite date when you intend to possess the money you desire. Believe me, the universe is time sensitive so you need a month and a year when you want your return.

FOURTH: Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire and begin at once whether you’re ready or not to put this plan into action.  I call this the “To Do” list.  Write down what you need to do to get that funding.  Like: expand your data base, create emails to “ask for money”, etc.

FIFTH: Write out a clear, concise statement of the amount of money you intend to acquire, name the time limit for its acquisition, state what you intend to give in return for the money and describe clearly the plan through which you intend to accumulate it.

SIXTH: Read your written statement aloud twice daily once before retiring at night, and once after arising in the morning. As you read it, see, feel, and believe yourself already in possession of the money.

You need to believe what you want so much that it happens

Napoleon explains that you must believe it when you say it. You must feel that it already exists and know this in your body and in your mind. This is a fact of such importance as to warrant repetition in every chapter of his book. And here he is absolutely right.   Repetition is important as this is a key to achieving your goal.

Author Neville Goddard, teaches us that you have to pretend like you have it.  I tell our filmmakers to go to bed at night with a “movie” of you in a new life and send that from the conscious to the unconscious. This is how we reach the unconscious which is a very important aspect of creating your future.

Napoleon says that man may be the master of his own earthly status and especially his financial status when he becomes able to influence his own subconscious. That is the most important thing we have to get across to ourselves today that the subconscious is running the show. Our job is to get the subconscious to believe we have what we want.

Creative imagination is a talent filmmakers have

Imagination is a key to your success. 

Napoleon says there are two forms of imagination.  One is synthetic imagination. This is arranging old concepts, ideas, or plans into a new combination. This creates nothing, it works with the material of experience, education and observation. It is most used by the inventor with the exception of the genius who draws upon the creative imagination when he cannot solve his problem through synthetic imagination.

The other is creative imagination This is the faculty through which hunches and inspiration are received. It is by this faculty that all basic and new ideas are handed over to man.  It is through this that thought vibrations from the minds of others are received. It is through this that one individual may “tune in” or communicate with the subconscious minds of other men.

Wow, that’s quite a statement from 100 years ago.   

Your brain is not just for storage 

In Lynne McTaggart’s The Field, we learned that the brain may be considered a sending and receiving unit rather than a storage facility. The brain receives information and sends it back out. From what we understand information comes from the quantum field.  Meaning that the quantum field has stored the knowledge since the beginning of time.  And, when we are using our true imagination, we can ask for guidance, or for a solution from this massive database.

This information will eventually come to you.  I’ll say it has been my experience that this comes to me in various ways.  Sometimes I get the though in my head, sometimes I hear the answer in a movie, or someone tells me the answer in a nonrelated conversation.  Just know when you ask, you will receive.               

What you want to look for is a strong desire that comes over you. It may be stimulated by what someone said or through a series of events, but it is so powerful that it has overtaken you.

The overwhelming desire is your creative imagination at work

This overwhelming desire is what you want to pay attention to. When I started my business of buying and selling motion picture raw film stock in the 1970’s, I just was overwhelmed with the knowledge that I could make a living buying short ends leftover from the studios and selling it to emerging independent filmmakers. No one could talk me out of it. And the fact that I didn’t have any money didn’t stop me because I was so determined that I knew in every bone in my body that I would be successful. 

People said you’ll never sell any film that doesn’t come direct from Kodak. And I had to totally ignore them. They said, “You don’t know raw stock, you don’t understand ASAs.”  They were right. I began researching and   I found a book from Kodak with the film stocks and just used that book.  It was simple.  The most important thing I learned from this is that your inner knowing is right.  Follow that “feeling.”

When you get an overwhelming feeling, you may want to put your mind to it and say OK this is what I want to do.  Say this is what I intend to do, so, now how do I do it?  And those are the questions that you take to the quantum field in your meditations, on your daily walks, when you are swimming, whatever you do where you can be completely open to ask and receive. 

Give yourself meditation or thinking time during the day.  Time you are all alone with no interruptions because sometimes the information comes like a flash out of the blue. This quiet time lets you receive. Through this you can get the guidance that you need to turn those strong desires into reality.

Use your creative imagination that you use for the film into your creation of your future

Napoleon Hill says the great leaders of business industry, finance, the great artists, musicians, and writers became great because they developed the faculty of creative imagination.

I think independent film makers were born with a creative imagination that tops the charts. You all are the most creative people that I have ever met in my life.  All of you just explode with creativity when you open yourself and receive it. You were born with this great gift of imagination.

Ideas are the beginning point of all fortunes. Ideas are products of the imagination.  

The story of Frank Gunsaulus                       

Napoleon Hill shares a story of a doctor, Frank Gunsaulus. This man was a preacher in the stockyard region of Chicago.  While he was going through school, he observed many defects in our educational system which he believed he could correct.

At this time his deepest desire was to become the directing head of an educational institution in which young men and women would be taught to learn by doing. He made up his mind to organize a new college in which he could carry out his ideas. He realized he needed $1,000,000 to put the project together.

Every time he thought about where he could find $1,000,000 he stopped right there.  And every night he took that thought to bed with him, that he needed $1,000,000, and he got up in the morning and he thought about it all day.  But then he recognized the only limitation is that which one sets up in one’s mind.

The only way to make something happen is to take an action on your dream!

He said finally I have a great idea, but I can’t do anything with it because I can never procure the necessary millions.

But one Saturday afternoon in his room, thinking of ways and means of raising the money, he said to himself “I’ve been thinking about this for two years, but I have done nothing. The time for action has come!”

He made up his mind that he would get the $1,000,000 within a week.  After he made this decision, he called the newspaper.  He announced that he would preach a sermon the following Monday morning entitled, “what I would do if I had $1,000,000.”

He wrote and rewrote his sermon and had it in perfect shape for the church. Next morning, he got up, he prayed, and he felt assured that the money would be forthcoming.  In his excitement, he didn’t recognize that he’d forgotten the sermon at home until he got to the church.  He couldn’t go back home for it was too late.  He had to just talk from the top of his head and from his heart.

“Reverend I liked your sermon.”

He delivered a wonderful sermon and quietly went to sit down on the front row.  At that time a man from the back of the church came down towards the pulpit an extended his hand and said, “Reverend I liked your sermon. I believe you can do everything you said if you had $1,000,000 to prove that I do believe in you, if you come to my office tomorrow morning I’ll give you the $1,000,000. My name is Phillip D Armor.” 

The pastor went to the office, got the check, and he founded the Armor Institute of Technology.  Mr Gunsaulus stopped dreaming about it and he finally took an action on his dream. That’s when it happens.  When you do something to make your dreams a reality.

So, what action do you have to take to get your film moving? Are you worried about crowd funding because you don’t have a large enough database?

My How to Fund Your Film class has nearly 3 hours of lessons, advice, and tips that I’ve used to help filmmakers raise over $30 million for their films.  If you have watched this class and have any questions, please email me at caroleleedean@gmail.com.

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers. She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionHer new class “How to Fund Your Film” is available on Vimeo on Demand.  She is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits

Our Roy W. Dean Grants are now in their 30th year.  I’ve reviewed thousands of submissions and know what peaks a grantors interest and what turns them off

by Carole Dean

From the Heart Productions has been awarding grants since 1993 when we created our Roy W Dean Grants for unique films that make a contribution to society ( and I’ve been awarding them since 1992 before I founded From the Heart!).  Since then, 72 very different and excellent films have won our grants.  We are proud of the work that our filmmakers have done to achieve their goals and get their film funded, distributed, and seen by millions.

Winning Grants

Roy W. Dean Grant Winner Leslie Neale for Her Documentary “Unlikely Friends” with Carole Dean

Grants are a wonderful way to fund your films as well build an audience.  For filmmakers, there are more opportunities than ever before (we now offer 4 grants each year with the recent addition of our grant exclusively for short films).  Winning a grant will give you film instant credibility with audiences, donors, and distributors.   You can use it to publicize your film in press releases and on social media.

From the Heart Productions wants to help you in winning grants by sharing important suggestions on applying for grants. Everything here applies to our Roy W. Dean Grant. I feel that you will find it also applies to the majority of grants available.

First and foremost, put some passion in your proposal

I want to get as excited about your film as you are. Let the passion for your film jump off the page.

Please, at the beginning of your grant application, put the grantors criteria of the grant in a sentence with why your film fits it… I like to see that because it means to me that you carefully read the web site.  And I want you to realize judges are usually reading a lot of grants at once so, remind them at the beginning exactly how your film fits the grantors criteria.

Use your creativity.  Make it interesting and intelligent.  Get out of the paragraph format if you can. Perhaps use bullet points, use color, use photos, use graphs, use pie charts.  Use anything to break up the monotonous written page.  Show me how artistic you are.  Do this for anyone who will allow it.  A picture is truly worth 1,000 words.

Share your outline for funding

Who else have you contacted for funding? Make a list of all grants you’ve applied for and those you intend to go after. I don’t care how long it is, the longer the better.  Include this to show that you are focused on grants and you know which ones are best for you. 

How much have you raised?  How much do you need?  Where will you get it?

List how you intend to get the money to make your film and include this information in the grant application.

If it is a $200K budget, give us an outline of where the funds will come from.

Example:

$50K from 2 crowdfunding campaigns

$100K from individuals

$50K from strategic partners.  Add how you will get them attached and how they will share our info with their mailing list.  Explain all of this.

Then we know you know you can get the funds.

If this is for a feature, tell me how you will meet the HNI (high-net-worth individuals). Where will you go to find them?

Are you offering a 5% referral fee? I would not tell other people, but I would put those people in a special list as friends of friends who have money. Put a dollar mark you think you can collect that way.

Things we want to know:

List every way you will raise money for your feature film.

Now, tell me how you will get this film sold.

Where do you think it will play?   Theatres or online? International?  What countries? Online VOD? Drive-ins?  Don’t discount this, they are very popular now.

Who do you think will buy it? How much money do you think they’ll pay you? If it is for distribution, what do you expect to get in return?

Does your film have international appeal? Have you found good international distribution? If so, you might want to mention this.

Are you going to the AFM (American Film Market)? Are you out meeting and entertaining HNI?

All of this we really need to know especially if you’re going after a grant from us for a feature. Many people think features are a risky investment and we need some security. That must come from you in how you are raising your funding.

Crow about your crew members with confidence!

One of the things we look for in grants is your crew members. How experienced are they? What have they worked on? This is a major part of decision-making. Be sure to include any awards your crew has.

We want to know in a feature or webisode that that you are fully supported. Especially if you are an emerging filmmaker or have very little experience yourself, we look to see that you are supporting yourself with highly skilled technicians.

Tons of money has been given to people who never finished films. The number one consideration we have and number one question we ask ourselves is will he or she finish this film? The experience and track record of the crew gives us some indication as to whether they can complete a film (as well as how it will turn out).  What is the number between one and 10, 10 being absolutely sure and one being not sure they will get funded?  We often asked judges to give us this number value as it is important.

People who give us proposals and letters that use a qualifier about raising funds like “hope too” or about getting the film made say “I have always wanted to make a film” or “I really would like to make a film” are the ones who go to the “absolutely no” pile.

We want to hear your confidence in your paperwork, I’m making this film with or without you. If you want to join me terrific but if not, I’ll see you at the Oscars. I want you to be that positive.

Tell us why you are making this film

One of the most important things that people often leave out is the answer to the most important question, why are you making this film? What is your connection to this film? Are you making a cancer film because your mother or loved one died of cancer?  If so, tell us, because that means to us that you are totally committed and your chances of finishing the film are high because you are personally connected to it.

If you are making this film to get into the film industry because that’s where you belong, bravo!  Tell us. We want to know and that’s a great valid reason to make a film.  We love and respect your tenacity and your dedication.

Are you making this film to send a message?   We like that too.  If that is reason, why are you so passionate about this information?  How has this information touched your own life and why do you want to devote five years to making the film?

Remember, we know that on average, documentaries take six years to make and two years to distribute. Think then of what the judges will say when you send us your proposal and you haven’t raised a penny.  Or you are not forthcoming with how you will raise the money or that you even know how to raise the money.  This proposal would not get far up the ladder for a grant.

Show your commitment and connection to material

Grants are highly competitive today. Remember people giving grants are mostly not filmmakers.  We highly respect you and we want to support you and we think you are the most creative people on earth. So, recognize the fact that we want to give you money.  It’s up to you to give us the right information in the strongest most self-confident assured way possible so that we can give you the grant.

Most grants have filmmakers for judges.  We do as well, but there are many people who read your material before it reaches the final judges.  Those people need to be totally impressed with your dedication, commitment, and your connection to the material.  This is a key for us.  What is your connection to the material?

I know this is a lot of information but judging grants is a very hard job. And I want to cover everything we are thinking and using to judge your film, so you know what’s it is like from the judge’s perspective.

Who is your audience?

My grant has marketing and I put a large percentage of decision-making on the marketing you state in the application. I want to know if you know who your audience is and to tell me succinctly.

Please, don’t say everyone, that’s ridiculous. Give me a composite of your audience. I want to know who they are, where they get their news, where they hang out online, what they want to see in your film and why. When I know that you know your audience, then you go to the top of the pile.

Use www.FromTheHeartProductions.com as a source of education on funding.

More resources for finding and winning grants

In my online class “How to Fund Your Film”, I explain how to find your audience, create a believable budget, and to to find as well as capture those High Net Worth investors or donors. 

My book,The Art of Film Funding, 2nd edition: Alternative Financing Concepts” was written for documentaries, shorts, and feature producers for funding via grants, individual investments/donations, online crowdfunding, and distribution through streaming video.

We’ve got lots of free information on our website. See the resource tab that’s a good place to start for information, look under the resource tab and research each of those links below as they are full of funding advice.  

Under the Resource tab, you will find a comprehensive list of film grants

Under my blogs you will tips on “How to Find Strategic Partners for Your Films”

And on our page “How to Apply for the Roy W. Dean Grant”, you will even find of video of me with advice on creating grant submissions for our grant

Guardian Angel Program

I find that the people that hire me to mentor them through my Guardian Angel Program and work with me on a weekly basis are the ones who have a clear concept of what they want to achieve and are most successful.

Normally at the beginning of the mentoring, we pick one thing that they want to achieve.  That could be a film or that could be a book or that could be becoming the chair of the film Department or whatever you want to achieve.  

We then create a plan on how to get there, we list what you need to do and create a to do list.  You then make a commitment for what you want to achieve over that coming week, and we meet again and keep moving forward.  If you don’t have the funds to pay someone to do this, do you have a friend who might do this for you?  Working with a mentor weekly will pay off for you.

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers. She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionHer new class “How to Fund Your Film” is available on Vimeo on Demand.  She is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits.

Tips from Authors and Scholars on How to Successfully Pitch Your Film Project to Land Donors and Investors

by Carole Dean

One of the best books for filmmakers seeking funding is Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.  In his book, he explains how 500 men became wealthy by using the concepts he describes. 

Pitch Your Film

The key to selling your film to others is your faith. You need to have unwavering faith in yourself, in your film, and faith in your ability to pitch your film.

Many filmmakers want to become successful and rich.  They want knowledge and riches.  So why not use the material that made so many other successful people?

Film Pitch Advice…From Gandhi?

In a chapter on faith, Napoleon Hill shares the story of Mahatma Gandhi. Starting his career as a lawyer in India at the dawn of the 20th century, Gandhi eventually became a leader and inspiration for hundreds of  millions in India and around the world for civil rights and freedom.  

He writes that Gandhi wielded more potential power than any living man at that time despite the fact that he had none of the orthodox tools of power, such as money, battleships, soldiers or materials of warfare.

Gandhi, Hill writes, had no money, no home, no suit of clothes, but he had power. How did he come by that immense power?  He created it out of his understanding of the principle of faith and through his abilities to transplant that faith into the minds of 200 million people.

This is very similar to your job as a filmmaker, which is to create faith in your potential donors when you pitch your film.

You want people to believe in you and have the faith and believe that you can perform and deliver a successful film on time and on budget. They want to believe that you will successfully complete your film.

Have Unwavering Faith in Yourself

The key to selling your film to others is your faith. You need to have unwavering faith in yourself, in your film, and faith in your ability to pitch your film.

I have many filmmakers call me for questions and when we’re talking, I often say, “pitch me your film.” They say well I’m not good at pitching, but I will read you what I have, or I will try to give it to you.

This is not what it takes to fund your film.  People must hear your enthusiasm, your confidence.  You need to learn how to sell your film with your pitch. Don’t miss a good opportunity to pitch your film for any reason.

You want to have total faith in you and your film. If you do not have faith in yourself and in your film, people will feel unsure about you.

You’ve Got Just 30 to 60 Seconds

Your film pitch should be part of your DNA. You always need to carry it with you.  You need know in every fiber of your being, that you can successfully pitch the Queen of England or the homeless man on the street. That faith inside you will come through in your language, your eye contact, your posture.

You want to be excited about your film and let me hear that excitement in your voice. Your whole body should light up when you start to pitch because you are talking about your precious art.

Albert Mehrabian is a Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles, who researched the importance of verbal and nonverbal communication.  He says that people make decisions within 30 to 60 seconds of meeting you.

The first decision they make is whether they like you and trust you. That’s the most important decision they’re going to make.

You must get through that like-you-trust-you barrier in order for you to get a donation or a discount or the best DP for your film. Everything you want comes from the way you pitch your film.

People Give Money to People, Not to Films

Professor Mehrabian says that 55% of your potential donor’s decision is made by how you present yourself.

Do you have direct eye contact? Can you look someone right in the eye and pitch them without ever wavering and show total confidence and total belief in you and your film?

He says that your posture is important.  You must sit up straight be proud of yourself and carry yourself with dignity and confidence.

I know from pitching donors for the grant that you want to feel 100% confidence in yourself. You’re asking someone for their hard- earned money.

The point is that people give money to people not to films. That’s what they think.  They decide if they trust you and then they give the money to the film.

Keep in mind that you are the film. When you are pitching your film, it is part of you, and your goal is to make people feel they can trust you.

You may not realize that your body language gives off subliminal clues that your donor will pick up immediately. You need to be absolutely relaxed, confident, assured that you will be able to raise the money for the film. Any doubt that you have could be detected easily by donors.

Calm Down, Chill Out and Be Your True Self

While your physical actions represent a 55% chance of success or your audio, your voice represents 38% of the decision-making process to your donor.  This is based on what you say and most importantly how you say it.

You need to be excited and thrilled about your film. You need to be spreading this joy and happiness and success to the donor.  Make them want to be part of your film.

If you are the least bit depressed, sad, or not in a good mood, don’t go to a meeting and don’t get on the phone to pitch someone.  It may be the only opportunity you have with that person.  Don’t take a chance.

Just say this is not the day and then get yourself back in shape because you must be happy, successful, joyful, confident, and thrilled with the opportunity to share the information about your film. 

Your voice is an important decision maker for them. If you seem disinterested, slow down too much, or if you’re dragging your feet and pausing too much in your delivery, you will turn them off.  They will feel that you are not confident.

If you’re not excited about a project, how can they get excited?

You want your pitch to be so well delivered that you have no doubt that you can fund your film and that you can create a film that is even better than they can imagine.

To do this, you need to get across to the potential donor or investor that they can trust you. They need to like you and trust you.

Practice, Practice, and then, More Practice

Now the shocking part of Mehrabian’s information is the percentage given to the pitch. What percentage of persuasive power is in the words of the pitch? Only 7%. So, this is a very important number for you to realize. Your posture, your confidence, your belief in yourself are the key to funding your film.

The most important thing is to create faith for yourself and in your film through your posture, your appearance, your voice, your enthusiasm and finally through the words of your pitch. The best way to do this is practice and more practice. A good mantra for you to keep saying is “Practice makes perfect.”

Tom Malloy who has raised more than $25 million practices in front of the mirror. That’s right, he’s an actor, yes, but he’s also a writer, a film producer, and now he has directed his first film.  All of that is due to his belief in himself.

Tom knows that you must be excited and passionate when you pitch. Your passion really should help you be exploding with high energy.  You want to be able to answer any questions quickly, confidently, assuredly, and never say oh well that’s not my job that’s what the accountant does. 

Your job is to know everything about the film. You should know the budget inside and out and be prepared to defend every line item. You should know everything about your team members be very proud of them and the prior work they have created. Everything is a matter of faith in yourself and in your film.

Convince Your Subconscious That You are Living Your Dream

Author Neville Goddard was one of the pioneers of the concept of The Law: “imagining creates reality.” He says that to get your dreams to come true you must believe they already exist.  You need to pretend that you are living the life you want. 

Believe that you are the greatest film presenter in the world.  You are getting checks hand over fist.  Once you start visualizing this and “feeling” into this confidence and success then you want to imprint this on the subconscious. 

The importance being that the subconscious mind runs the show. It believes everything that the conscious mind tells it.  For a filmmaker that is wonderful. 

Just imagine a story where you are pitching to high network individuals and rich donors and getting large checks.  Take that believe and energy into bed with you at night.  Start playing a film of your successful pitch and see checks being handed to you.  Play this for the conscious mind while you are feeling like that is your current life.  The conscious takes this to the subconscious and you shore up your confidence from inside.

What would your life be like if you were having a wonderful time raising money, it’s easy for you, it’s a joyful experience?  Tapping into that energy and nightly giving it to the conscious mind as the current situation, you will get this imprinted in your subconscious and things will begin to happen for you.

Mantras for Your Mirror

Consider putting these mantras on the mirror so you see them every day.

I am perfect at pitching my film.

I love myself.

People know I am dedicated to my film.

People see me as a talented award-winning filmmaker

Put your faith in yourself and in your ability to make this film and achieve the aims that you have set out for yourself. 

Your future is waiting for you.

 

Carole Dean is president and founder of From the Heart Productions; a 501(c)3 non-The Art of Film Funding Podcastprofit that offers the Roy W. Dean Film Grants and fiscal sponsorship for independent filmmakers. She hosts the weekly podcastThe Art of Film Fundinginterviewing those involved in all aspects of indie film productionHer new class “How to Fund Your Film” is available on Vimeo on Demand.  She is also the author of  The Art of Film Funding, 2nd Edition: Alternative Financing Concepts.  See IMDB for producing credits.

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