Successful Business Models For Filmmakers

This book is for those who believe that good and great films can be made outside the Hollywood studio system; and that independent film production companies can be built and sustained if they have the right business model. And, that by developing and applying a business model, it doesn’t mean diminishing or losing creativity, but rather it facilitates the full expression of creativity by maximising the use of all the filmmaker’s resources.

 The Film Business Model

All successful enterprises, either commercial or non-profit making, work to a business model, which is why it is so important for all aspiring filmmakers to have one. There is no consensus as to what a business model should be or what it should contain, and all business models vary according to the product or services they are offering. However, they all have four basic elements and these are: the product or service; the management of resources both human and technical; the promotion and distribution of the product or service; a financial plan to generate income and profits.

A business model for a filmmaker needs to comprise a complete overview of the whole process of running a successful filmmaking enterprise – what kind of films you intend to make, how you develop or find ideas or scripts for each film, how you compose the budgets for each film, how you will make the most of the resources available and how you intend to distribute the films. By integrating all these core elements within a model, you are able to plan and evaluate each key stage of the filmmaking process. This also means that you are in control of the process and can respond to changes, be they loss of finance, locations, changes to lead actors, or sudden opportunities such as the kind of films you want to make becoming very popular. With a business model you are able to respond in an informed and strategic manner.