Documentary Funding - article by Good English Article Sites

Finding Funding for your Documentary

In reality, fundraising is a vital part of every documentary and both the content of the documentary and the documentary funding quest go hand in hand. In fact, devoting a part of the footage of the screen to show funding was attained gives your documentary a comprehensive look and may also offer some potential direction if you loose focus in the actual content. When looking for funding, the first question is usually the obvious one, ‘who is the target audience?’. Identifying your target in your documentary funding quest will make your more effective.

Consider also the purpose of your production. Is it for profit or non-profit? This is an important reality check considering that most recent successes in theatrical documentaries have not turned a profit. Many people who work on these documentaries usually hold freelance gigs or day jobs and are thus able to work on their documentaries. Identifying your fiscal sponsor, a term that refers to your proxy for fundraising will open up opportunities to receive grants or private donations. This also works out well for donors since they get a write-off on their taxes since it will be considered a charitable donation. Alternatively, your may decide to partner with a non-profit advocacy organization. When this is done, most of your fiscal sponsors are content to take about 5 percent sponsorship to cover their expenses and do not get involved in your documentary funding endeavors. Sometimes, these organizations may be working on the same topic and may want some editorial involvement in the project which is not necessarily a bad thing in their quest to build an audience and outreach.

Sometimes people also tend to forget that documentary funding can be done by friends and family. Family and friends can offer both the moral and financial support that can be a big help. This can be done using the old-fashioned way of trading services, sharing equipment and so on. The time-tested method of documentary funding for many filmmakers is grants. The trick is to target them strategically. Instead of wasting time writing grant applications, do some research and apply funding that is within your realms. Grant funding can sometimes be extremely difficult, especially if you are a first-time filmmaker. A track record and sometimes an equivalent of a graduate dissertation is required in order to get the bulk of the documentary budget offset. It is better to start out with smaller amounts. Other ways include foundations, television re-sales or organizing a fundraising party. Of course, the greatest resource in your possession is your passion. Do not give up in your documentary funding quests. Your passion will take you much farther than you think.

Most Recent Articles