Developing and Financing Your Fiction Film

Are you producing an independent fiction film? Looking for guidance on how to develop, package, and finance your project?

In this three-day weekend intensive, you’ll learn successful producing strategies for developing your script, putting together the talent, and then crafting a financing plan. Using examples from veteran producer, director, and author Dana Lustig’s own experience, this course will help you approach creative producing challenges with confidence. This course will cover the development and financing phases of a feature film project and give you plenty of opportunities to ask questions.

By the end of the course, you will have a better understanding of how to pitch your project, how to create a financing strategy, and how to get yourself set up for pre-production.

What you bring to the course:

• a feature-length fiction film idea or screenplay
• having completed Sundance Collab’s Film Producing: Core Elements is recommended, but not required.

What you’ll get from the course:

• an understanding of the producer’s role in creative development
• collaboration strategies for writers and directors in script development
• approaches to pitching your project to potential collaborators or financiers
• packaging strategies and how to go about it
• guidance on key deal points for yourself and for your investors
• an overview of traditional and new financing structures such as the waterfall, non-profit financing, film funds, tax incentives, and branding
• an introduction to pre-sales and distribution strategies
• an understanding of legal concerns, rights, and contract terms, including option agreements, shopping agreements, and chain-of-title
• strategies for pitching to talent

This course will:

• provide actionable tools and techniques immediately applicable to any film project
• connect you to a community of creators for ongoing peer support

Intensive Schedule

• Friday, December 5
• 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. (PT)
• Saturday, December 6
• 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (PT)
• 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. (PT)
• Sunday, December 7
• 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (PT)
• 1:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. (PT)

A limited number of need-based scholarships are available and are considered on a rolling basis as they are received. Those who apply earlier will have a greater chance of getting support. To apply for a scholarship, please complete the course registration form.

Sundance Collab provides accommodations and support services to participants with disabilities. Accommodations and services are designed to meet the needs of each participant. Please email us at accessibility@sundance.org to arrange for services.