Summary
This class has a 100% satisfaction rating!
Learn how from a successful producer of over 45 film and television projects with Netflix, Disney, Sony, Paramount, HBO, Showtime, and more.
Get a downloadable finance plan including the revenue waterfall, profit participation structure, an option agreement & pay or play offer
Is your desire for your script to one day be acquired by an established company holding you back from producing it yourself? You may want to really think about producing your movie independently. We are in a moment in time where independent films are making a big comeback and the industry is eager to support the indie filmmaker.
The truth is some of the greatest returns in filmmaking come from making a film for $1 to $3 million. Producing isn’t easy, but if you can create a quality story and project, then you can attract talent, build a great package, and win over investors.
In this exclusive Stage 32 4-part on-demand class, you’ll learn the step-by-step process of producing a film with a budget of $1 to $3 million that can sell and generate profit.
Over four on-demand sessions, you’ll cover how to make your project attractive to investors and talent, how to ensure your film gets the best sales distribution, how to finance it, and how to avoid pitfalls and eliminate risks during the filmmaking process. By the end of this class, you will walk away knowing how to make your film a reality and make money doing it.
You’ll also receive exclusive handouts, including an adjustable finance plan for low-budget films, an option agreement, and a sample “pay or play” offers to attach your cast and director.
Showing you the ropes is acclaimed producer Jeanette Milio, who has worked on over 45 film and television projects with major studios and producers, such as Netflix, Disney, Sony, Paramount, HBO, Showtime, and many more.
Her films have starred top-tier talent, including Academy Award-winning performers Halle Berry, Adrien Brody, Forest Whitaker, and Mickey Rourke. As a member of the Producer's Guild of America, Women in Film, and the Cannes Film Festival Producer's Network, Jeanette will share with you her deep industry knowledge for domestic and international markets at every budget level.
Learn how to bring your film to life on your terms and make your biggest goal a reality!
PLUS! You will receive downloadable:
- Adjustable finance plans for low-budget films, including the revenue waterfall and profit participation structure
- Sample “Option Agreement” to secure rights
- Sample “Pay or Play” offer to attach cast and director
PRAISE FOR JEANNETTE'S PREVIOUS STAGE 32 EDUCATION:
"Jeanette has invaluable knowledge and made me feel like seeing my movie on the big screen was possible." -- Phillip F.
"Truly an eye-opening course. In today's film market, it makes all the sense in the world to make your own film and Jeanette shoed me how." -- Mark M.
What You'll Learn
Session 1: Create a Project That Sells and Delivers on Screen
Not every genre and not every script works for distribution in the US and abroad. Knowing what kinds of stories sell is the essential first step. Securing and protecting the idea is as important as developing a strong script that can attract meaningful talent, distribution, and financing. It is critically important to know how to break down that script into a budget that delivers a high production quality as well as a commercial film.
- What sells where - Choose the right genre that sells in the US and abroad
- The Rights - Secure the rights to a project and apply the most optimal terms
- The Story - Develop a strong story and apply techniques that help sell it
- Packaging – Attract the right director and cast, and apply appropriate terms
- Budgeting – Important steps to consider when budgeting a low-budget script
Q&A with Jeannette
Session 2: Sales and Distribution
Low-budget films have the advantage in that they can make a huge profit from distribution. But they often also have the disadvantage of not getting any distribution at all. A large percentage of low-budget films never make it on the silver screen. In this week’s session, we’ll discuss the steps low-budget producers should know to make sure they get distribution and what options are available to optimize distribution revenues.
- Distribution – Understand your options for distribution, and avoid the most common pitfalls
- Distribution Value – Understand the value of your film in the marketplace today
- Sales Agents – Understand why you need one, where to find one, and optimize your terms in working with sales agents
- Streamers – Understand the reality of selling your film to a streamer in today's marketplace
- Financing from Distribution – Understand how you can make money before your film is shot
Q&A with Jeannette
Session 3: Financing Low-Budget Films
While low-budget films have a huge upside, it is not easy to secure funding for them. Knowing what steps to take to identify the finance sources that work best for low-budget films and choosing a project and a distribution path that works for investors and other financing partners is essential in securing funding for a low-budget film. In this week’s session, we’ll identify the various finance sources that are available today, how they fit best together to optimize profits, and what steps to take to secure them for your low-budget project.
- Finance sources today- Learn about the sources to finance a low-budget film in today's market
- Optimize profits – Understand the steps during the financing process that lead you to optimize profits.
- Attract investors – Learn what finance plans work with investors and how you establish them
- Protect revenues – Understand the steps you must take to protect revenues when your film is produced, and money comes in
Q&A with Jeannette
Session 4: Avoid Pitfalls & Mitigate Risks
When you go out with your film project and talk to investors, you often find yourself fighting against Hollywood’s generally negative reputation when it comes to film financing and making a profit. That conversation can change when investors realize you understand the risks and know how to mitigate them and make a profit with the project. This week you’ll learn about important terms and conditions that protect you from pitfalls, help establish profits, and enable you to answer tough questions from investors, so they feel good about investing in your film.
- Pitfalls – Learn how to identify and avoid pitfalls in production, distribution, and financing
- Risks – Identify the risks associated with every step -- from the inception of an idea to development, packaging, financing, production, distribution, and revenue protection -- and know how to mitigate them.
- Investor deals – Understand what deals investors prefer, what industry standards dictate, what’s best for you and
- your project, and how to balance it all to get the most optimal deal.
- Your project business plan – Understand what your project’s business plan needs to include to secure the funding for your project.
Q&A with Jeannette
Handouts:
- Adjustable finance plans for low-budget films, including the revenue waterfall and profit participation structure
- Sample “Option Agreement” to secure rights
- Sample “Pay or Play” offer to attach cast and director
WHAT TO EXPECT:
- This is an in-depth, practical, and detailed class with significantly more content than a standard 90-minute webinar.
- This ON DEMAND class will consist of four sessions, each roughly two hours in duration. You can go through the class at your own speed.
Who Should Attend
Producers who want to better understand how to best produce a $1-$3MM independent film.
All levels of filmmakers (advanced, intermediate and beginner) looking to produce a $1-$3MM independent film.
All levels of filmmakers (advanced, intermediate and beginner) looking to learn the craft of producing $1-$3MM independent films.
All levels of screenwriters (advanced, intermediate and beginner) looking to write films that can be made for a $1-$3MM budget.
Actors who want to take control of their careers by producing a $1-$3MM independent film.
Executive
Jeanette Milio has over twenty-five years working across three continents as a producer, executive producer, and financier of motion pictures and television programming. She has worked on over 500 hours of film and television content in the US, Europe, Dubai and South Africa, with a combined total production value of over $250 million. She produced the Netflix Original THE EXPERIMENT starring Adrian Brody and Forrest Whittaker and has worked with ABC/Disney, USA, Showtime, TLC, CW, Discovery, Lionsgate, Paramount and more. She has also consulted for the international co-production department of Warner Bros. in the U.S. and Germany, which was focused on producing local feature content in Europe.
Born and raised in Germany, Jeanette B. Milio started her career in the entertainment industry as an assistant with the German network station RTL, where she was involved in the production of German formats of internationally renowned shows such as THE PRICE IS RIGHT, FAMILY FEUD, and JEOPARDY, among others. Five years later she produced 5 seasons of the prime-time drama series WILDBACH for the German network ARD, and the feature KREIS DER ANGST for the PRO SIEBEN network.
Jeanette immigrated to the United States and produced theatrical motion pictures and television content for U.S. studios and network stations. Credits include TIMESHARE starring Nastassja Kinski, Timothy Dalton, and Kevin Zegers (distributor: FOX Family/ABC Disney), 13 starring Jason Statham, Academy Award® winning actor Mickey Rourke, Sam Riley, Ray Winston, Michael Shannon, and Curtis Jackson aka 50 Cent (distributor: Paramount Vantage); THE EXPERIMENT directed by Paul Scheuring, starring Academy Award® winning actors Adrien Brody and Forrest Whitaker, as well as Cam Gigandet (distributor: Sony Pictures, Netflix); and DARK TIDE, starring Academy Award® winner Halle Berry, directed by John Stockwell (distributor: Lionsgate), etc. Throughout her career, Jeanette was involved in financing over 45 film and television projects for HBO, Showtime, ABC, USA Network, Disney, Lionsgate, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros., and others.
Jeanette managed a media fund for Far East National Bank, which funded 40 film and television projects, which lead to her structuring her own media fund in 2009, that financed theatrical features with a production volume of $60 million.
She co-created, co-financed and executive produced the beauty competition series GLOBAL BEAUTY MASTERS (TLC) and its spin-off series THE LOOK ALL-STARS (CW Network). She further managed the renowned dog series TV series and brand DOG WHISPERER WITH CESAR MILLAN, which aired for 9 seasons on the National Geographic Channel and sold in over 180 countries. In 2020 Jeanette co-created, financed, and produced two seasons for the new series DOG MASTERS, starring Laura Nativo and Alex Rossi, which is being represented by The Gersh Agency for the U.S. and international distribution.
Jeanette B. Milio is a member of the Producer’s Council for The Producers Guild of America, an executive member of Women in Film, and a member of the Cannes Film Festival Producer’s Network. Jeanette was a co-founder of the Film Finance Forum in Zurich with Winston Baker, teaches Entertainment Finance at UCLAx, and is the author of the industry guide for film and television finance: ENTERTAINMENT FINANCE TODAY, a comprehensive guide in film and television finance.
Jeanette B. Milio holds a bachelor’s degree in Business (Fachhoschule Cologne, Germany), and studied screenplay writing (USC, Los Angeles).
Testimonials
PRAISE FOR JEANNETTE'S PREVIOUS STAGE 32 EDUCATION:
"Jeanette has invaluable knowledge and made me feel like seeing my movie on the big screen was possible." -- Phillip F.
"Truly an eye-opening course. In today's film market, it makes all the sense in the world to make your own film and Jeanette shoed me how." -- Mark M.
Credits
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