Cinema Canada (May-Jun 1975)

living person. Why, then, acquire published works on dead people or public events? You may like the author's approach, or, if the work has received great public acclaim, you will receive great benefits in publicity and audience interest before production even commences. Finally, make sure you realise that limits may be put on the way you use these rights. For example, the CFDC prohibits transferring of rights from you to a new body without the CFDC’s permission. Sources for the Money If you are the director or writer, and you feel that you have a saleable property, first join forces with a producer. There are producers’ associations, or simply look in the Yellow Pages. Assuming you have a producer or you are the producer, before you begin the treasure hunt, there are several considerations to be thoroughly examined. Film investment is a very new type of financial risk involvement for Canadians, and a highly marketable, attractively presented package is essential. More than a script is necessary. Try for talent commitments. Make your presentation professional as well as entertaining. Show something you've done, but don’t try to step up too much higher than your previous work; think of the long term. Money will have to be expended to prepare your package and presentation properly. Since you are entering a high-risk venture, consider setting up a limited company as your production vehicle; the time to do it is when you have someone to carry on if you depart the project. It’s basically for self-protection, because most disasters in the financial arena befall the company, not you. Deciding, as any producer does, that you need ‘up front’ or advance money to begin pre-production, you must convince someone to provide financial support until you begin to shoot the film. Your next consideration is to determine what you are prepared to sacrifice in order to see your film on the screen. No project was ever completed without compromise, and it’s wise to be prepared. A distributor may require final edit; certainly a TV buyer will. The latter may also want freedom to insert commercials where he pleases, or to censor any part that he feels is unacceptable to his audience. Of course, if you can raise the funds without any such deals, you can always sell the completed picture outright. Most film-makers, however, must seek out funds. Prepare not only a budget, but also a cash flow, showing when you will need given portions of the total amount. Many investors, including the CFDC, advance funds in part at certain points in your project. Remember that a film must return about five times its production cost at the box office to break even in costs. It’s not impossible to devise a rough estimate of your potential income; keep it conservative, just as you've padded your budget, to prepare for all contingencies. Know your market and what it can return. For a sale to an educational market, you won't see income for almost two years, because salesmen are selling for the following calendar year. Since the total revenue is much lower than that for a TV sale, it’s wise to approach the distributors first: they know what is already in the market. You won't be duplicating and a stronger material choice is possible. If you plan to sell a short as TV filler, remember that CTV doesn’t use them, and the project must have something to say and be an entity in itself, not a collection of out-takes from your feature. Consider the tax investment provision that is being exploited by Canadian producers, then reject it. It’s a very negative viewpoint, and no investor sees any advantage in losing money. A person can write off 100% of his investment in a film against other investment income in the year that the film is complete. Keep it on the level of a business investment, and your project will receive respect and experienced input.