Funding a Documentary

You’re almost ready to begin shooting your production. If you’re a self-made millionaire, you are ready. However, if financial fate hasn’t smiled kindly on you in the easy funding of your film, we’ll offer some creative ideas. The key word here is creative. Just like overcoming other challenges in producing your film, think creatively about funding.

First, make a list of who would also like to see your film made? If it’s a science film, perhaps a related science organization, institution, agency or corporation also wants your target audience to be informed about your film’s take-home message. The same holds true for a wildlife film. To get your creative funding juices flowing, here’s a potential list of “financial partners” that might be interested in helping fund our example manatee film.

  • Save the manatee organization
  • One or more of their affluent supporters (most orgs have partners listed on their websites)
  • Florida tourism
  • Florida Fish & Game agency
  • Manatee tour businesses
  • Municipal education or public relations
  • Wildlife education or conservation organizations
  • Local manatee veterinarians or associations
  • Any one of your “antagonist” groups – to improve their public image
  • Any one of your “protagonists” (other than the manatee) – to boost their image and support what they care about.
  • Product companies benefiting from healthy manatees – kayaks, binoculars, cameras
  • Local chamber of commerce

Now that you have a potential list of “funding partners”, you need to present them with a funding plan. Rather than craft you a specific plan, we’ll simply offer some creative ways to build your own for your particular film. It really boils down to designing good answers to their big question of, “what do I get in return for funding your film?” Below are some possibilities for you to offer in exchange for them becoming “funding partners”. Please note that we didn’t label them as “sponsors” for good reason. If you ask someone if they want to be a “sponsor” or a “partner”, most will opt for being a partner in the success of a film. So stick with the “partner in success” concept to win their support. As a partner, they could get: 

  • Credits in the film as “partner” with contact information
  • Copy of the film to use in various ways – education, promotion, online image (be specific and don’t dilute your creative or distribution rights)
  • One of their experts or spokespersons in the content of your film
  • Listed in promotional materials as partner.
  • Listed on the film’s website with hyperlink as partner
  • Earn right to have you produce a new “heads” and “tails” on the film for custom version for their organization. They in turn, use it to generate members or support.

You might be wondering, “How much do I charge them?” Only you know what it might cost to produce your film based on your plans and content. That can vary substantially if you’re a professional production company with six employees or a science filmmaking group at school. A good rule of thumb is don’t sell yourself short yet don’t oversell it to the point of scaring off your partners.

Once you’ve completed the tasks in this section, you’re ready to grab that camera, your host and head to location. You finally get to push that red button and holler, “Quiet on the set” as you dive into the exciting realm of production.