I’LL TAKE THE BACKYARD BLOCKBUSTER BLUEPRINT, PLEASE!
LEARNING HOW THE MONEY WORKS WITH TOM MALLOY, JASON BRUBAKER, AND FILMMAKINGSTUFF.COM
One of the other best things I did for myself this year was to stumble upon Filmmakingstuff.com. Not sure exactly which filmmaking aspect I was investigating when the Facebook algorithm seized upon it – gear, budgeting software, cinematographers, or what…oh, wait. could it possibly be FILM FINANCING?!?!? – but anyway, next thing I knew, there was Tom Malloy’s smiling face on an ad, telling me that I should “Make My Movie Now!”
And moreover, that he’d show me HOW TO GET THE MONEY!
Now, money has always been the hardest part for me, when it comes to filmmaking. For starters, I don’t have a lot. And I’d always been bad at asking for it. That’s what agents and managers were for. Or producers, though I was rarely on their inside track. Mostly, I was either a writer-for-hire or the guy with the book or script.
But now that I’m a man with a mission, I don’t have that luxury. To which I say, good. If I want to make the movies I wanna make, I have to get good at convincing the money that it wants to come play with me. It’s just as simple and tricky as that.
So here’s what I found, when I clicked on Tom’s ad:
https://www.filmmakingstuffhq.com/
If you go to the bottom of the main page, there’s a video with Tom, where he explains the virtues of joining his Filmmakingstuff Academy. In it, he offers video courses, access to resources, and participation in his twice-monthly Mastermind group, which is focused entirely on raising capital and getting one’s movies sold.
I wasn’t sold on the whole Mastermind thing, so I went ahead and checked out the roster of courses. To my shock and delight, they included:
FILM FUNDING QUICK GUIDE
“Unlock the secrets to raising money for your next feature film. This course breaks down five essential tactics, from finding investors to pitching, to help you take steps to secure the funding to make your next movie.”
FUNDED DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY
“Unlock the funded development strategy, the secret behind the movies that get produced. This step-by-step course will guide you in implementing this proven tactic to help secure the money for your next feature film.”
MOVIE PLAN PRO
“Master the art of crafting an effective film business plan. This course guides you through each element, from plot and budget to marketing and sales strategies, so you can quickly persuade investors to back your film.”
PRODUCER PITCH SECRETS
“Master the art of the pitch with techniques proven to win over investors and Hollywood insiders. This course equips you with the essential skills to effectively present your film project and secure crucial support.”
FIND FILM INVESTORS
“Discover the formula for finding and getting meetings with prospective film investors. Using street-tested tactics, this course empowers you to confidently connect with the backers you need to finance your feature.”
MOVIE MEETING MASTERY
“Navigate meetings with High-Net-Worth Individuals and industry executives to secure film funding effectively. This course not only teaches you how to get the meeting but also guides you on what to do after the meeting.”
BANKROLL YOUR FILM
“Transform your independent film vision into a financed reality. This ultimate masterclass is tailored for serious filmmakers, offering deep insights into indie film financing, from early-stage pitches to final deals.”
CAST NAME ACTORS
“Unlock the secrets to casting name actors in your feature film. This robust video training teaches you proven methods for attracting and securing high-profile talent to elevate your project's visibility and credibility.”
There were about a dozen others – on screenwriting, TV development, foreign sales, and lots lots more – but the ones I just listed were plenty, for starters. Every single one of them jumped out at me, as if to say, “This is what you’ve needed to know, man. This is exactly the information you’d been hoping to find.”
So I dropped a couple hundred bucks and took that whole stack of courses. One after another, over the course of several days. And I downloaded all the templates, including the Movie Plan Pro, which is an honest-to-God business plan that lays out everything an investor will need to see if you want them to believe that you can actually deliver a film to market. The quality is up to you. But the essentials of the deal are all there, in clear and demystifying terms that suddenly make sense of the entire production’s construction.
I’m a huge fan of these kinds of nuts-and-bolts, no-nonsense crash courses. And I gotta say, Tom really delivers. He’s an actor-turned-producer who’s raised $25 million to finance his innumerable feature films, and runs a sales company while he’s at it. So he knows the drill. And the techniques he teaches are the ones he actually uses. So this is not theoretical. It’s practical, road-tested strategy. It’s helpful, in the very best way.
So in the end, I wound up joining the Mastermind after all, where I meet twice-monthly with other filmmakers at various stages of development. These sessions are conducted online by Jason Brubaker, the creator of Filmmakingstuff.com, and a really sharp, really fun, really helpful guy who clearly gives a shit about sharing quality information in a clear and cost-effective way.
Tom often joins in as well, as we go around the horn, catching each other up on our progress, getting and exchanging advice, sharing connections, sometimes pitching in, and generally encouraging each other along the path.
Some of these filmmakers are really accomplished. Some are just getting their wings. But as in The Actor’s Lab, there’s a genuine generosity of spirit across the board. No ego-tripping. No weaponized swagger. Just cool people, working to pull off cool shit.
This is also where I learned about From the Heart Productions and Carole Dean, our fiscal sponsor. Turns out Carole and Tom work together a lot. Which makes total sense.
And I bring all this up because – just as I was getting ready to write about some other topic entirely – this NEW class popped up in my email. One that Tom’s been working on and promising for weeks, and that I’ve been strongly encouraging him to complete. Because it’s surfing PRECISELY the wave I’m working on, with The Great Divide and the next films I’m planning:
BACKYARD BLOCKBUSTER BLUEPRINT
“This course offers insights and practical tips to create remarkable movies with minimal resources. Learn the new model for micro-budget filmmaking so you can take action and make your movie now!”
Needless to say, I just spent the last couple of hours inhaling the course. Was gratified by how close to right-on-the-money we are, with our film. Loved the actual micro-budget budget he provides, in terms of recommended prices for precisely the skeleton crew I’ve been envisioning.
And his sales tips – along with his sense of how a career can be made from making one micro-budget feature after another, and building from there – could not possibly be more encouraging. With budgets this low, actual money can get made. Not tons. But more than enough to keep going.
And every once in a while, one of these rises to the top and makes an actual splash.
Which, ya know, just sounds like fun to me.
***
In closing – and speaking of money – we officially hit $11,900 tonight, which brings us within $600 of the halfway point on our goal, with 9 FULL DAYS TO GO.
Enormous love and thanks to everyone who’s tax-deductibly throwing down on our film! It means the world to us! And it’s GONNA BE GREAT!!!
Here’s our donation page, once again!
https://thegreatdividemovie.wedid.it/campaigns/12069-the-great-divide