The Entrepreneur Movie Director/Producer
by Solomon Mac-Auley
I have spent the last three years or so researching,
studying and trying to understand why we as artistes don’t do
well in business. I found out that as artistes we think as
artistes not as business people. I went really deep into
understanding entrepreneurship and I found the answers. Now
these answers will take some time for anyone to master but
they will definitely change the way you do business as a
filmmaker or as an artiste.
As a result of my findings I a started a TV programme called
“Man and Woman Unusual”. It is an entertaining half-hour
Program that explores the art and discipline of business
creativity, leadership and inspiration. The program
showcases the innovators and individuals that have “what it
takes” to succeed in today’s challenging business
environment. It illuminates how leaders, from traditional
corporate executives to young trend-setting entrepreneurs,
surmount the difficulties of our peculiar business
environment and manage to create fresh approaches to
business and make a success of it.
It is dedicated to inspire entrepreneur “wannabes”, people
of all ages, backgrounds and experiences, achieve the
‘SUCCESS DREAM’.
The researching and the interviewing of several successful
business men and woman involve in putting the programme
together and transmitting in over 20 countries in Africa has
changed the way I see filmmaking business or any other
business for that matter. So here is just some of my
thoughts and I hope they are useful.
THE WAY TO GO
The strategy is simple but not so simple. First you have to
reinvent yourself and start thinking like an
entrepreneur/investor. This means thinking in terms of
figures. While an artiste sees money in terms of great
artistic ideas, an entrepreneur or an investor see great
ideas in terms of return on investment. (ROI)
Successful entrepreneurs come from all sorts of backgrounds
and experiences. Age, gender, marital status, and education
levels do not seem to be significant factors for success.
But successful entrepreneurs share certain skills. As you
look through the following list, determine the areas in
which you excel and identify the areas in which you need
work.
1. What skills and experiences do you have that are key to
the success of the filmmaking business you want to own?
Successful entrepreneurs have skills to sell.
2. Are you responsible? Do you do what you say you will do
when you say you will do it? Can people count on you?
Entrepreneurs are responsible.
3. Do you have good social skills? Do you say what you mean?
Do you listen well? Entrepreneurs must be able to sell
themselves.
4. Are your financial and personal situations stable?
Entrepreneurs need to be in good shape financially and
emotionally to be able to concentrate on their new business
without crisis in their personal lives.
5. Are you optimistic? Entrepreneurs think positively.
6. Do you have a strong motivation to achieve? Entrepreneurs
are doers.
7. Are you a hard worker? Do you work hard for others?
Entrepreneurs often work more than 40 hours per week.
8. Do you have problem-solving skills? Do you enjoy solving
problems? Entrepreneurs are problem solvers.
9. Are you independent? Entrepreneurs are leaders, not
followers.
10. Are you afraid of making decisions? Do you have a
take-charge attitude? Entrepreneurs make all of the
decisions for their businesses.
11. Do you accept responsibility? Entrepreneurs accept
responsibility for their own businesses.
Planning Your Film Business Is Critical. Many people float
aimlessly through life, taking it’s ups and downs as they
come, just getting by and living from day to day. If they
become successful, or even comfortable, it’s more by
accident than by plan. This approach rarely works for any
business talk less of a film business.
Proper planning allows you to try out your film business on
paper with no financial risk. Your plan is your road map: It
tells you where you should be at any given time, when you
are succeeding, when you need to make adjustments, even when
it’s time to get out. It’s impossible to know everything you
need to before going into any business. The sheer amount of
information is staggering. But you should figure out what
you need to know before starting the film business and then
plan to continue learning.
Your Best Bet Is to create a strong Business Plan. Remember
that filmmaking is a business and most investors, unless
they are looking to fund the arts, are looking to generate a
profit from their investment. Investing in a film is an
extremely risky endeavour, so presenting the project in a
professional format will be the first step in generating
great interest.
If you have spent any time researching self-employment, you
probably have encountered the concept of a business plan.
And if you are like most people, the more you read about
business plans, the more confused you became. There are
several different outlines to choose from, all with
different sections. Some outlines use questions, some use
big business words. And the main thing many people draw from
these “helps” is that a business plan is very complicated.
But it doesn’t have to be. A business plan can be a simple,
effective tool for planning, financing, and growing your
filmmaking business.
Before we discuss what a filmmaking business plan should
look like, take a look at why a business plan is critical to
your success:
1. A business plan can give you the confidence to start your
business, or it can help you realize that your movie idea is
not a good one. Before you make the final decision, you need
to think through the answers to many questions about your
movie product, your customers, your pricing, your marketing,
and your potential cash flow. Your business plan gives you a
process for answering those questions in an organized and
logical way.
2. After you start your business, you can refer back to your
business plan to keep you focused on the next task. A
business plan is never finished. It changes as circumstances
in your business change. You can use it as a guide to build
and manage a successful business.
3. A business plan is a filmmaker’s best tool for raising
money. Most financial institutions will insist on a business
plan to evaluate your idea. Your business plan gives the
investor information about you and your idea and allows him
or her to evaluate your business’s credit worthiness.
4. A business plan can be a marketing tool. As you write your
business plan, you will have a clearer picture of your
business. This will help you explain what kind of movie you
should make, who your audiences will be, and what your goals
are for the business.
A Filmmaking Business Plan should include but not limited to:
1. The story. What is the film about?
2. How well have films in a similar genre done? If an
investor is looking at your business model refer to past
success stories and demonstrate how you will achieve similar
result.
3. What is the experience of the cast and crew?
4. Who is the audience? Your target market. All productions
must target a certain audience.
5. Try secure distribution deals first. Contact distributors
to see how they will approach the sales of your film. Or
draw up marketing plan to distribute yourself.
6. The director’s past credits.
7. How much will it cost? How will the investor’s money be
spent?
8. What will the investor stand to profit from the film.
(ROI)
9. Draw up a list of people you can present your business
plan to. Ex: family members, friends, co-workers,
professional business groups, private investors etc
10. Now don’t just stop at the business plan level, create
a website that includes all the story information and the
people involved in the production. If the cinematographer
for the project has a good demo reel, put that reel on the
website as an example of the quality of cinematographer.
Also include actors bios and experience.
11. Instead of just finding one investor to finance your
film project, try getting more than one person to invest a
small amount. Offer double the money back if the movie makes
a profit, or other incentives to invest. The terms are
always negotiable.
12. Form a company. When managing investor’s money, it will
benefit you to form a company which will keep the movie’s
financing, legalities and liability separate from you.
I will stop here for now to await any questions so far.
NOTE: If you have any comments on this article, please
contact Soloman at mailto:solomonmac@live.co.uk
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A Director with an unquenchable passion for moviemaking. A
strong believer of digital technology with vast knowledge in
Hollywood’s techniques, style, software, and technical know
how. Producer/Director/Actor/Presenter, with over 12 years
working experience on stage, Film, Television and Radio.
First trained as an actor by the late renowned Professor Ola
Rotimi, before training as a director. This quality has
enabled him to work with all types of actors; green horns,
amateurs, experienced and professionals. He got his
directing training from the same late Prof Ola Rotimi and
Dr. Joni Jones an African American Actor/Director from the
University of Texas, USA. He also is, the CEO/Managing
Director, QNX LTD, a Media content providing Company.
His quest for excellence and knowledge of what makes
Hollywood tick, and a desire to see the Nigerian movie
industry improve, has motivated Mac-Auley into deep research
and study of Movie/TV Production Techniques that will
satisfy that goal. He’s found out that, what the Hollywood
veterans are in no hurry to tell digital Moviemakers is
that, if you care passionately for the craft of Moviemaking,
if you know what they know and you shoot how they do, your
digital movie project could be pretty enough to make them
sweat. For Mac-Auley, innovation, constant improvement and
update on technology, is key for any director who knows what
he or she is doing.
A member of the National Association Of Theatre Arts
Practitioners (NANTAP), Association Of Movie Producers (AMP)
and Independent Television and Radio Programme Producers
Association of Nigeria (ITARPPAN)
mailto:solomonmac@live.co.uk
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Copyright (c) 2008 Peter D. Marshall / All Rights Reserved
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