The "Prenups" – filmmakers and funders trying to get along
The single most common question that independent producers ask me in my role at Mountain Lake PBS (after learning that we don’t have the resources to fund outside projects – even the most promising) is where they can raise their production funding. The answers is that they have to do it the same difficult way we do at PBS: apply for grants, approach sponsors (underwriters in PBS-speak), consider “crowd funding”, get a bank loan, look for tax credits, etc.
But in each of these cases, the filmmakers will have to consider what it is the funders are looking for. Many a relationship between funder and filmmaker has foundered on mis-understanding. A new project hopes to layout a lot of misconceptions for media makers before things go off the rails. Check out The Prenups. Excellent work that every filmmaker should read. You can download the 2 page summary Matchmaker Guide for the Cliff Notes version
