Producer's Foundation Certificate | London

To explain the basics of producing a film.

Tutor:	Various	Venue:	Apollo Cinema West End, 19 Lower Regent Street, London SW1Y 4LR
Date:	Tuesday 16/23/30 Nov, 7/14 Dec	Duration:	5 Tuesday Evenings
Time:	6:30pm - 9pm	Price:	£165.00 + 17.5% VAT

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This five-part evening course is comprised of classes which answer specific questions and opportunities producers have, and during each class you will learn skills essential to getting a movie made.

Evenings can be taken individually for £40 each (Raindance members get a 15% discount) or combined for just £165 + VAT (for which Raindance members also get a %15 percent discount)

Week One: Creating A Business Plan - Tuesday 16 November

Once you have scoured film festivals looking for new talent, settled on the next hot director and found that absolutely terrific script, you need to prepare a plan of attack to get the money to shoot your film.

This evening workshop will run through the basic essentials you will need, both to present your project to industry investors, as well as how to present your project to private investors.

Choosing and targeting investors
Structure of a business plan
Using visual aids
Preparing sales estimates and income streams
Money flow explained
Profit participation

You will also discover a unique way to pool your talents and quit the day job.
* take this course on it's own for £40.00

Week Two: Marketing And Selling Your Film - Tuesday 23 November

The essential task for filmmakers is creating a marketing plan for your film. Learn how to utilise the trade press, consumer press and film festivals to turn your film (and yourself) into this year's cult classic.

Learn how to approach film festivals and film markets with a strong press kit that will enhance the commercial potential of your film.

Writing a good synopsis and getting good photos
The ten Q&As
Writing press releases
Film festivals explained
The role of film markets
Finding and working with a sales agent

This evening course will give you the information you need to attend markets or festivals professionally.
* take this course on it's own for £40.00

Week Three: Basic Legal Contracts - Tuesday 30 November

Once your film is finished and ready to be sold, you will have to show the “chain of title” to any prospective film buyer. If you fail to do this you will never be able to sell your film.

In this evening crash course, the basic talents' (ie. writer, director, actors) contracts are explained. View it as health insurance for filmmakers!

Key negotiation points explained
Preparing and maintaining your contracts

This class is designed to answer basic questions about film contracts.
* take this course on it's own for £40.00

Tutor: Reno Antoniades (Head of Film and Television Law at Lee & Thompson)

Week Four: Budgeting and Scheduling - Tuesday 07 December

Always considered the boring bit by film producers and directors, the budget and schedule are the spine of any production. If you get the budget (the money part) wrong, your film will stall half-finished without cash. Get the schedule (the time) wrong, and your film will suffer – either from loss of quality, or remain unfinished because you have run out of time (and budget!)

This evening explains how scripts are analysed and whipped into shape budget-wise and schedule-wise.

Script breakdown
Assessing prices
Union vs non-union
Creating a do-able schedule

A professional budget and schedule are an essentia part of a business plan.
* take this course on it's own for £40.00

Week Five: Movie Money - Tuesday 14 December

You have a great idea for a movie. You've met your writer and had meeting after meeting about the script. You've attended a film festival or two and found a hot director and a couple of actors. Now you need some cash to make your short or feature.

This evening workshop will run through the basic financing tools available for any business, not just the film business. These tax-efficient finance structures make the UK one of the most attractive places in Europe to raise money for film production. Find out how they work and how to utilise them.

PLEASE NOTE: This course will NOT discuss current film finance structures, as they can be found at http://www.ukfilmcouncil.org

Tax-efficient finance vehicles
Enterprise Investment Schemes
Venture Capital Trusts (VCT's)
Pension Plans: Gold for filmmakers
Profit participation

This evening class outlines the basics of film finance and should provide you with the elements of a plan to finance your movie.
* take this course on it's own for £40.00

Writers, directors, producers, actors, filmmakers, cinema lovers, anyone with an interest in how movies are made and who seek a basic introduction to the filmmaking process.

"I graduated from a 3 year degree, specialising in writing and directing for digital film back in 2005. Those 3 years were great no doubt. It allowed me to learn the basics of my craft, practice it within the type of safe, collaborative environment university affords, and led me to the colleagues I now work closely with. What it did not do however, was present me with any real-world knowledge about the movie business.
And that is where this course has excelled. Within these 5 weeks, I have garnered more knowledge about how to elevate the operation of my production company within the UK industry from shooting the simple indie features we have done to proper, commercially-viable movies with sound investment and packaging.
Truth be told, if all Raindance courses are like this, I would say more young filmmakers should either opt for film schools which offer you good career trajectory like the NFTS or LFS OR for a set of courses at Raindance.
University film degrees just don't cut it!" - Arivind Abraham

"I just wanted to express my thanks for tonight's incredibly good budgeting and scheduling session. I found Charles Brescia a brilliant and informative speaker. He anticipated every question I thought of with 60 seconds of me thinking of it and I took away a lot of very practical info. It's the most I've learned in any two and a half hours I can remember!
Thanks very much for organising it and please pass on my thanks to Charles too.
Best wishes" - Naomi Leon

"Just a quick email to say that I took a lot away from last nights Movie Money seminar. Now wishing I had done the whole course. Typical. Thought that the Apollo was a great venue. What is it with Raindance and underground venues? Anyone would think it was run by vampires."
Christopher Hughes

Dear Dean
"I can't begin to tell you how fantastic your talk was last night - inspirational and very very useful. I have spent an hour or so on the phone this morning having the nicest conversations I have ever had with the Inland revenue. As a result, my film production company is getting EIS clearance"
Charlotte Eagar

"As you asked for feedback last night about the class and the course over all, I'd really like to say Thank you for Dean and the Movie Money class. He was absolutely brilliant. I hope he noticed that people felt inspired enough to spontaneously clap at the break - for a Tax Accountant!

Concise, well prepared, hugely knowledgeable and not in the least condescending or bored. He was fantastic. Can't say enough about him, even if it will take me several read-throughs of his hand outs to even begin to understand any of it."
Nadia Cameron-Blakey