Most independent films that are not TV transmission money-driven, are original ideas usually conceived for the sole purpose of being containable, comfortingly cheap and, most often, because the key idea is like another film in the marketplace that seems to have some commercial worth. The other primary reason for generating original content is that you don’t have to buy the intellectual copyright; successful book or comic-book rights really aren’t cheap. And, more to the point, you will actually own the copyright yourself, not just to the original film, but also to the many sequels once the first film breaks box-office records and cleans up at the BAFTAs. Then there’s the inevitable mega-budget Hollywood remake, the TV series offshoot and ancillary stuff such as toys, book deals, gaming rights…Now you can see how it becomes a compulsion, can’t you? It is, if you get lucky, an achievable dream that could become a sparkling reality. A lot of talent has been discovered by walking down this path. And unless your old man is Steven Spielberg, Jerry Bruckheimer or the like, it’s probably unlikely that anyone is going to lay it on a plate for you. So, with that in mind, it’s probably the best—and only—chance you’ve got to show everybody your God-given talent. (Or, of course, a chance to inadvertently shoot yourself right through the foot if the film turns out to be a dog’s breakfast!)

Once the process starts, the producer invariably gets carried away on a wave of excitement, euphoria and expectation. The creative side is always the fun bit. The boring stuff happens a lot later, when you have to come and meet jaded distributors like us to try to help get your film made. But we never tire of the wonderful passion that exudes from an independent film producer. It’s unlike anything else in the industry; they are blinkered in a positive way to the perils that inevitably lie in wait, and are always determined and focused on the goal ahead. It is an admirable trait, but it can also be a potential recipe for disaster if they are not careful to set about things in the right way from the outset. 

Vertigo Films’ joint CEO, Rupert Preston, recalls the strategy he and his associates employed when assessing the material on the brilliant film Monsters, prior to its production. “For production sales we kept it simple with Gareth Edwards,” he explains. “Sometimes simple is best. He had an extraordinary VFX showreel which genuinely left you open-mouthed. Plus he had a very cool pitch—it was going to be the world’s most realistic monster movie, shot with a minimal crew and two actors. Three months later he was in South America shooting. What could go wrong? Gareth is a unique filmmaker with an extraordinary vision. What was crucial for us was that the world he set the movie in was a genre with a fantastic core fanboy audience. He then made an intelligent, original, well-crafted film that worked brilliantly well without the special effects. Once he added the effects we knew we had something special.”  

And an eventual box-office return of £5m-plus from theatrical alone against a production spend of £250k seems to back up Rupert’s early confidence. 

Development money is normally the first step for the new guys on the block who really want to give it a serious shot and get the right package together. The bad news is that development cash 

is as rare these days as unicorn crap. In many instances a producer can inadvertently piddle on his or her own chips simply by racing out of the traps too early. It is a fact that unless a major star, director or key talent is signed, sealed and deliverable, the script must be exceptional before being presented to potential buyers and finance partners. You wouldn’t try to serve up a half-baked cake at a dinner party and expect people to swallow it just because you got all the ingredients right, would you? 

Leading film and television agent Greg Hunt, of UK ten-percentary Independent Talent Group, says the best approach is to not work in a vacuum. “If you can get your chosen writer, director, and star on board as early as the synopsis/treatment stage, then your chances of getting the eventual script taken seriously and thus funded, increase considerably,” he says. “Michael Winterbottom and Danny Boyle are just two of many who have established themselves over the years by working with solid reliable partners in those key areas.”

Coalface industry distribution, sales and finance folks are deluged daily with a ton of mostly unsolicited material and they very seldom, if ever, revisit a project once it shows up on their system as a ‘pass’. You never get a second chance at a first impression. Dave Shear, head of theatrical distribution for Revolver, has a very direct message for any producer who comes to him. “Alas, we don’t have any guaranteed bankable stars in this country, outside of Jason Statham, and, to a lesser extent, Danny Dyer,” he reveals. “The thing to be clear about is just who the film is actually for. Pick an identifiable audience and cater the film accordingly.” 

So, there you are. You have managed to land some development cash from your grandparents who think they are giving you money for a much-needed kidney transplant. You have the first draft in for the fantastic genre low-budget murder/thriller/comedy set on a West Country farm entitled ‘Who Shot the Goose?’ A casting agent agrees to make a few calls and get it ‘looked at’ by some close thespian chums, while you head off up to London to kick ass and run your big-screen idea past the money people, lawyers, agents, financiers, distribution and sales companies that can turn this dream into a reality. Or is the nightmare just about to start…?

In the next two instalments of this three-part guide to making and selling an independent movie, Mick and Martin will look at everything from finalising the script to finding a director, dealing with lawyers, securing the budget and managing the distribution process.