1st Edition

Independent Film Finance A Research-Based Guide to Funding Your Movie

By David Offenberg Copyright 2024
206 Pages 8 B/W Illustrations
by Focal Press

206 Pages 8 B/W Illustrations
by Focal Press

206 Pages 8 B/W Illustrations
by Focal Press

For aspiring producers and directors who need to learn film finance from the ground up, this revolutionary new book teaches the fundamentals, through the voices of more than 60 successful independent producers. Using a research and data-based approach, award-winning professor David Offenberg combines the wisdom of well-known and successful producers into one fun, easy-to-follow guide. Within,... Read more

Part 1: Business and Finance Basics

1. The Wisdom of the Crowd

2. The (Movie) Business

3. The Language of Business

4. Debt Financing

5. Participation and Deferred Compensation

6. Tax Incentives and Soft Money

7. Budgets

8. Four Paths to Funding Your Budget

Part 2: Financing Your Film

9. First Law of Film Finance

10. The Market Value of Your Film

11. A Financing Plan

12. Equity in Independent Film

Part 3: Beyond the Basics

13. Experience Matters

14. People Matter

15. Pipelines Matter

16. Luck Matters

17. Many Other Things Matter Too

18. Action Plan

Biography

David Offenberg is an Associate Professor of Finance in the College of Business Administration at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, and is amongst the world’s leading academic experts in entertainment finance. Dr. Offenberg won the most prestigious teaching award for finance professors in 2018 and the Financial Management Association’s Innovation in Teaching Award. He is frequently quoted in the press, with mentions by CNBC, The Hollywood Reporter, NPR, Vanity Fair, Wall St. Journal, and The Wrap.

"This is the ideal book for those looking to peek behind the curtain of how films are actually financed and therefore completed.  A must read for independent producers and filmmakers." – Josh Ellis, Professor at Miami Dade College