Filmmaking Lifestyle

Film Production Company Business Plan: The Complete Guide

example of film production business plan

The process of film production is a long and arduous one. It starts with the writing stage, where screenplays are written by a writer or multiple writers.

The screenplay typically has at least three acts that have to be edited for pacing and story development purposes. Once the script is finished, it’s time for pre-production!

There’s a lot of misconception about what film production really entails. This article will clear up some of the misconceptions and give you an idea of what it is like on set, as well as how to break into the industry.

FILM PRODUCTION COMPANY BUSINESS PLAN

What is a film production company business plan.

A film production company business plan is a document that can help you to get investors and loans from banks, but it’s also useful for you to see if your idea is viable. It helps you determine if it’s worth investing money, time, and effort.

Film production company business plans are documents that should be created before starting the business.

They will help you gain investors so you can start your film production company and make money out of your films.

A business plan should have all the necessary information about your film company , including the mission statement, executive summary, market analysis, funding request, financial projections, and management team.

Starting a film production company is an exciting venture that blends creative storytelling with the thrill of entrepreneurship.

Crafting a solid business plan is our roadmap to success, ensuring we navigate the complex landscape of the film industry with confidence.

We’ll jump into the essentials of a film production company business plan, from financial projections to marketing strategies.

Stick with us to learn how to lay the groundwork for a thriving production company that’s ready to take on Hollywood.

example of film production business plan

Executive Summary

When embarking on the exhilarating journey of starting a film production company, the executive summary stands as a pivotal introduction to the business plan.

It provides a snapshot of the company’s vision and objectives, ensuring that potential investors or partners grasp the core of what we’re building.

In our executive summary, we’ll outline the major points that distinguish our company, such as our unique storytelling capabilities and innovative distribution strategies.

We hone in on our competitive advantage – a blend of seasoned industry professionals and fresh talent that pushes the envelope of what’s possible in film.

We’ll also touch upon our foundational goals:

  • Captivate a diverse audience with groundbreaking narratives,
  • Create a slate of projects that showcase profitability and creative ingenuity,
  • Establish a brand synonymous with quality entertainment.

Financial plans are succinctly summarized to demonstrate the strategic allocation of resources and the anticipated financial trajectory.

Here, investors will find confidence in our capability to manage budgets effectively and produce high-return projects.

Marketing strategies are briefly yet powerfully presented, showcasing how we plan to penetrate the market and gain substantial traction.

We outline our approach to leveraging social media , partnerships, and film festivals to amplify our presence and stake our claim in a crowded industry.

Each element of our executive summary is designed to pique interest and invite deeper exploration into our full business plan.

Through it, we lay the foundation for a dialogue with stakeholders that could translate into lasting support for our creative endeavours.

Company Overview

In the heart of our business plan lies the comprehensive Company Overview section, a detailed portrait of who we are and what we stand for.

As seasoned filmmakers at Filmmaking Lifestyle, we take pride in our ability to tell gripping stories through the lens of our cameras.

We offer a range of filmmaking services, but here’s a snapshot of our core offerings:

  • Narrative Film Production – Our signature offering includes developing and producing feature films that resonate with audiences globally.
  • Commercial Video Production – We craft compelling marketing videos that help brands tell their stories and engage with their target demographic.
  • Innovative Content Creation – With the digital space evolving rapidly, we stay ahead of trends producing content that stands out in crowded platforms.

Our mission goes beyond the visual aesthetics; it’s about weaving narratives that leave a lasting impact.

example of film production business plan

Each project is an opportunity for us to push the envelope in creative storytelling.

At the core of our operation, we strive to achieve a convergence of artistic vision and commercial viability.

Anchored by a team of dedicated professionals, we bring diverse perspectives and skills to every production.

This synergy creates a fertile ground for innovative filmmaking.

Our work ethic revolves around a relentless pursuit of excellence and a commitment to staying on top of the latest industry advancements.

Focused on scaling our film production capabilities, we’re actively exploring emerging technologies and distribution channels to enhance our impact in the industry.

We’re all about staying ahead of the curve, making sure our films are not just seen, but remembered and revered.

With a portfolio that spans various genres and styles, our flexibility allows us to tailor our approach to each unique project.

Collaboration is key – by joining forces with talented writers, directors, and producers, we amplify our ability to craft unforgettable cinematic experiences.

Investing in our growth, we’ve equipped ourselves with state-of-the-art equipment and editing suites, ensuring professionalism and efficiency in our production workflow.

example of film production business plan

Convergence of art and technology is critical in our approach and is reflected in every piece of content we produce.

eventually, our Company Overview is not just an introduction to who we are; it’s an open invitation to jump deeper into the possibilities and potent potential of partnering with Filmmaking Lifestyle.

We’re here to bring visions to life and curate a portfolio of work that speaks volumes of our passion for filmmaking.

Vision And Mission

example of film production business plan

Matt Crawford

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Matt .. would you have template of the Biz Plan .. and are you Fine with sharing the same? – AMAAN

Here’s an idea for a template: https://toskaproductions.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/TEA-Business-Plan.pdf

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How to Write a Film Business Plan in 2024 (+ Examples)

Discover how to create an effective film or movie production business plan for 2024, ensuring your project stands out in the competitive cinema industry.

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8 minute read

Film business plan

helped business professionals at:

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Short answer

What is a film business plan?

A film business plan outlines the financial, operational, and marketing strategies of a film project.

It serves as a blueprint for production and a tool to attract investors, detailing budget, target audience, distribution, and potential returns.

You must rule the business field, otherwise your film fades into obscurity

Why do some films soar while others sink into the abyss of forgotten dreams? Is it just the whims of fate, or is there a missing piece in the puzzle that dictates this divide? The truth hits harder than one might expect: neglecting a solid film business plan can silently torpedo even the most promising projects.

In the fiercely competitive realm of cinema, overlooking the strategic underpinnings of film production doesn’t just risk obscurity-it nearly guarantees it.

This blog post unfolds the blueprint to wielding a film business plan as your most potent weapon, ensuring your cinematic vision doesn’t just flicker in the dark but blazes brightly for the world to see.

How to make an effective film business plan?

An effective film business plan is more than just paperwork; it's the roadmap to your project's success.

It blends vision with reality, guiding you and convincing others of your film's potential.

Here’s what makes it work:

Set clear targets

Before diving into the numbers and marketing strategies, you need to define what success looks like for your film.

This foundation will guide every decision you make moving forward.

Specify film goals: Are you aiming for festival acclaim, box office success, or critical recognition? Define this early on.

Establish benchmarks: What milestones must you hit during production and post-production to stay on track?

Measure success: Decide how you'll evaluate the success of your film, whether through audience reach, revenue, or awards.

Craft your budget

A well-thought-out budget is critical to securing funding and managing your resources efficiently.

It reflects the cost of turning your vision into reality and demonstrates financial acumen to potential investors.

Detail expense allocation: Break down your budget into categories like pre-production, production, post-production, marketing, and distribution.

Forecast production costs: Estimate the costs associated with each phase, including cast and crew salaries, location fees, set design, and equipment rental.

Secure financial backups: Plan for unexpected expenses by setting aside a contingency fund. This proactive approach reassures investors that you’re prepared for unforeseen challenges.

Analyze the market

Understanding the marketplace and where your film fits within it is crucial for positioning and eventually selling your film.

Pinpoint target demographics: Who is your film for? Identifying your audience informs your marketing strategy and distribution plan.

Study market competitors: Analyze films similar to yours that have succeeded or failed. What can you learn from them?

Track industry trends: Stay updated on shifts within the film industry, from emerging genres to changes in consumer behavior and distribution platforms.

Plan distribution

A distribution strategy outlines how you’ll bring your film to your audience, making it a critical component of your business plan.

Select distribution channels: Will your film be released in theaters, streamed online, or both? Each platform offers different advantages and challenges.

Schedule release phases: Timing can impact your film’s success. Plan your release around film festivals, awards seasons, or other strategic dates.

Project revenue streams: Estimate how much revenue your film will generate from each distribution channel. This projection helps in setting realistic financial goals and appealing to investors.

8 key components every film business plan needs

Crafting a film business plan is like drawing a map for your project's journey to success.

Here are the essential components you need to include to thrive in the competitive landscape:

Executive summary : Start with a bang! Your summary should hook readers by succinctly presenting the film's concept, its unique selling points, and why it's bound for success.

Financial projections: Show me the money. Include detailed forecasts covering production costs, marketing expenses, and potential revenue. Use clear, digestible figures.

Market analysis: Know your battlefield. Dive deep into the film industry's current landscape, identifying trends, opportunities, and potential challenges.

Target audience: Who's watching? Define your primary viewers by demographics, interests, and viewing habits, tailoring your film to meet their expectations.

Production timeline: What's the plan? Provide a clear timeline for pre-production, shooting, post-production, and release, ensuring a roadmap to follow.

Team bios: Who's behind the magic? Highlight the experience, achievements, and roles of key team members. The team bio slide demonstrates why they're right for the project.

Risk management: Prepare for the unexpected. Identify potential risks, from budget overruns to delays, and how you plan to mitigate them, ensuring you're ready for anything.

Marketing and distribution plan: Get the word out. Outline your strategy for promoting your film, incorporating marketing plan templates to enhance your approach. From social media campaigns to film festivals, detail how you plan to distribute it.

7 film business plan examples for winning partners and investors

These seven examples focus on showcasing the project's distinctive features, proving market appeal, and highlighting past achievements.

They also offer thorough financial forecasts, detailed strategies for distribution, present marketing tactics, and stress the team's dedication and expertise.

1) Documentary proposal

Outline your vision for a gripping documentary that connects deeply with viewers and investors.

Market focus: Targets audiences interested in real-world issues, educational content, and social change. The proposal underscores the documentary's relevance and potential impact on society.

Operational model: Highlights on-location filming, expert interviews, and archival footage. It emphasizes storytelling technique and narrative structure.

Financial projections: Outlines funding needs for research, travel, and post-production editing. It details potential funding sources like grants, crowdfunding, and sponsorships.

2) TV series pitch deck

Present your TV series’ unique world and characters in a way that grabs attention and excites networks.

Market focus: Aim at specific demographics craving serialized storytelling. It showcases the series' unique selling proposition and potential for audience engagement.

Operational model: Describes the production setup, episode scheduling, and potential for multiple seasons. It emphasizes character development and plot arcs.

Financial projections: Project revenue from advertising, syndication, and streaming platforms. It calculates production costs per episode and potential ROI.

3) Movie pitch deck

Showcase your movie's potential with a visually striking pitch that highlights its blockbuster appeal.

Market focus: Targets movie-goers looking for specific genres or themes. The pitch deck captures the film's appeal and its fit in the current cinematic landscape.

Operational model: Details the filming timeline, post-production process, and key creative talents involved. It highlights cinematography, special effects, and soundtrack.

Financial projections: Estimates box office earnings, streaming rights sales, and ancillary revenues. It includes budget requirements for production and marketing.

4) Film production proposal

Detail the step-by-step journey of bringing your film from concept to screen, ensuring clarity and confidence.

Market focus: Caters to investors and stakeholders with an interest in backing profitable film projects. It outlines the film's market potential and target audience.

Operational model: Outlines pre-production planning, shooting schedule, and post-production workflow. It stresses efficiency, innovation, and quality control.

Financial projections: Details budget allocation, expected funding sources, and return on investment timelines. It emphasizes cost control and revenue maximization strategies.

5) Film sponsorship proposal

Demonstrate how partnering with your film offers sponsors a unique opportunity to engage with their target audience.

Market focus: Target brands and businesses looking to align with the film's theme or audience for promotional benefits. It illustrates demographic alignment and marketing opportunities.

Operational model: Describes promotional activities, branded content integration, and sponsor visibility throughout the film and its marketing materials.

Financial projections: Details sponsorship tiers, benefits for each level, and expected contribution towards the film's budget. It underlines the mutual value exchange.

6) Comedy show proposal

Pitch your comedy show as the next big hit, emphasizing its humor, format, and audience appeal.

Market focus: Aim at viewers seeking entertainment, humor, and relief from everyday stresses. It underscores the show's comedic style and potential fan base.

Operational model: Highlights the format, frequency of episodes, and comedic talent involved. It details the production setup for live performances or studio recordings.

Financial projections: Project revenue from ticket sales, streaming platforms, and merchandise. It outlines budget requirements for talent, production, and marketing.

7) Short film proposal

Concisely convey your short film's narrative, style, and impact to capture the interest of festivals and financiers.

Market focus: Targets film enthusiasts, festivals, and digital platforms looking for innovative, concise storytelling. It details the short film’s thematic uniqueness and appeal.

Operational model: Describes the compact production schedule, creative process, and distribution strategy for film festivals and online viewing.

Financial projections: Estimates production costs, potential prize winnings, and revenue from online distribution. It includes funding strategies such as crowdfunding or grants.

How can you design a film business plan?

A film business plan is akin to a movie trailer, designed to showcase and persuade.

It outlines the project's path, from concept to distribution, emphasizing its unique aspects and potential success.

This plan details marketing strategies, financials, and audience engagement, serving as a blueprint for navigating the film industry and highlighting the project's viability and impact.

8 film business plan design tips:

1. Embrace scrollytelling

Scrollytelling , or scroll-based storytelling, brings your proposal to life, turning static information into an interactive journey.

This approach keeps readers hooked, transforming your business plan into an engaging story.

Here's a great example of scrollytelling in action:

Business plan scrollytelling example

2. Incorporate interactivity and multimedia

Move beyond traditional documents by including interactive elements like teaser trailers, character explorations, or virtual set tours.

These features not only spotlight your film's unique aspects but also maintain investor interest.

3. Use data visualization

Display market analysis, audience demographics, and financial forecasts with clear visuals.

Convert intricate data into straightforward graphs, charts, and infographics, making your strategy visually enticing and easy to understand.

Here's a great example of a data visualization slide:

Data visualization slide example

4. Personalize your deck

Use tools that allow customization, such as integrating the viewer's name or tailoring content to specific investor queries.

Personal touches can create a deeper connection and show thorough attention to detail.

Here's an example of a personalized proposal slide:

how to make a good personalized proposal deck

5. Use cohesive branding

Ensure your business plan mirrors your film's branding through consistent colors, fonts, and imagery.

This not only improves aesthetic appeal but also immerses your audience in the world you're building.

Here's an example of a branded deck:

Branded deck example

6. Design for all devices

In today's mobile-first world, your proposal needs to look great on any device.

Responsive design ensures that your proposal adapts to different screen sizes, providing a seamless experience whether it's viewed on a desktop, tablet, or smartphone.

Here's what a responsive deck looks like:

Responsive deck example

7. Highlight key information

Strategically present your business plan to emphasize crucial data.

Use content placement and highlights to direct focus to important details, allowing your key points to shine without overwhelming your audience.

8. Add interactive elements

Incorporate interactive elements like clickable tabs , expandable sections , or embedded ROI calculators that prospects can adjust to see the potential return on their investment.

These features not only make your proposal more engaging but also allow readers to explore your product in a way that's hands-on and make its benefits more tangible.

Here's what a static deck looks versus an interactive one:

Static PPT example

Interactive film business plan templates

Drafting a film business plan is complex, requiring knowledge of your project, storytelling, and financial planning.

Interactive film proposal templates offer a structured start, saving you from design headaches and blank page woes. With customizable options, easily incorporate your film’s unique flair and specifics.

Explore our curated selection to kickstart your film business plan.

example of film production business plan

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  • Development

How to Create a Production Company Business Plan [FREE Template]

H ighly successful video companies start with a strong production company business plan. Whether your company has been around for a while, or you’re a freelancer ready to take your services to the next level, this post will provide you with actionable strategies for success to compete more effectively right now.

It all beings with formulating the business plan that will get you where you want to go. If you don’t have a business plan, don’t worry. We provide a  free business plan template below and will walk you through it. 

Step by step.

  • Production Company Business Plan
  • The Executive Summary
  • Perform a Video Company Self Assessment
  • How to Get Started
  • Financing a Video Production Company
  • Marketing Plan
  • Day to Day Operations

Freebie: Business Plan Template for Video Production

Business Plan Template for Video Production - StudioBinder

Download your FREE printable business plan template for your video production. Just enter your email address and we'll instantly send it to you!

business plan template

1. what is a production company business plan.

Essentially it's a tool for raising funds, creating a roadmap, or altering course and plotting out the next steps.

One purpose of any business plan to so convey to investors, or a bank, why they should put money into this business.

Make Your Own Production Company Business Plan - Shark Tank

Think of creating a business plan you could bring to them

What does that mean?

It means you need this business plan for a production company to prove that you will make money. To prove it to you, but also to any investors.

After all, nobody invests to lose money. Or break even. So with that in mind, let's forge ahead into the actual writing of the business plan.

how to make a business plan

2. what is an executive summary.

Every business plan starts from the top down, with an executive summary.

What is that, exactly?

An executive summary is a short part of a larger proposal or report that summarizes the main points so the reader can become quickly educated on the whole document without having to read it all.

So it’s a detailed overview.

Of course, "executive summary" has a nice ring to it...

Your job here is to lay out the big picture of your plan. Some questions to ask yourself: Why do you want this business in the first place?

Similarly, what inspired you to start it? What's going to make it work?

Next, start to answer the questions your investors might have. Try getting into their head-space.

"Why would YOU invest in this business?"

You might want to write about the competition. The targeted demographic. Be specific here.

What need does your business fill? Which kinds of customers and clients are you targeting?

Think about your target market

Furthermore, what else sets you and your business apart?

Especially relevant is using concrete examples and not only ideas. Can you cite previous work you've done?  

This brings us to...

Your production companies competition

What does the rest of the field looks like. Your investor will want to know if they don't already.

What sets this company and this production company business plan apart from others?

Knowing the entire field of competitors you have is a good idea, even if it's a very long list.

Your production company business plan must factor in what else is being offered. That way you can adjust, and target a more specific niche.

Or, you can figure out what you can do better.

For example: what can you identify in your competitor's list of services that you know you can nail?

This is what your video company plan needs to convey.

Finally, remember to think of it from the investor's standpoint. How is this an opportunity for them?

how to create a business plan

3. why a video company self-assessment.

This step is easy to do, but hard to do well.

Can you take a good long look at your video production studio? With the intent to circle problems? Areas that need improvement?

The second part of this step might be easier. Find the areas where your video production studio can really shine.

In contrast, you don't want to elaborate on weaknesses in your video production company business plan. Rather, you want to identify them so you can find ways to address them.

You need to have answers to the questions these flaws might bring to the mind of your investors.

Make Your Own Production Company Business Plan - Mirror

  You are not required to sing “Man in the Mirror” 

Then go beyond looking in the mirror.

Look back at the field before you.

This is a business plan for a production company. What opportunities exist for that?

Most of all, try and tailor this production house business plan to specific needs.

Here are a few methods of company self-analysis:

This is a way to identify changes in your industry, to target potential growth opportunities. The acronym stands for:

P olitical Factors

E conomic Factors

S ocial Factors

T echnological Factors

 P roduction company business plan would include a PEST

We've mentioned elements of SWOT:

W eaknesses

O pportunities

The one to focus in on here is threats. Don't assume everything will work out for the plan just the why you'd like it to.

Because it won't. Investors will know that. You should not only know it, you should expect it.

Most important of all: prove that you're prepared for whatever may happen.

Here's a cool way to approach your SWOT analysis. Try applying your strengths to your opportunities and see what kind of leverage you can create.

Then theoretically expose your weaknesses to your threats. Are you in trouble? Do you need to address something to better protect your company?

Think of this as planning for a battle. Therefore, you don't want to ignore cracks in the wall if your enemy is bringing a battering ram.

Business plan can benefit from SWOT

Strategy, structure, systems, style, shared values, staff, and skills.  The 7S model  was developed by business consultants  Robert H. Waterman Jr. and Tom Peters . It's also known as the McKinsey 7S framework.

The idea here is that your business needs these elements to be aligned and "mutually reinforcing". Let's go over each "S".

Strategy: How does this business plan to gain an advantage.

Structure: How do you divide the various operations of the company.

Systems: Procedure for measurement, reward and resource allocation.

Skills: the companies core and distinctive capabilities.

Staff: Human resources.

Style: Behavior patterns of the key groups like managers.

Shared values are in the middle of them all on the diagram. It's somewhat self-explanatory.

In theory, using these methods of self-analysis will help you a great deal. Due to them you'll know, and decide, all sorts of things about your production company.

The 7 S model of analysis

Start putting these ideas onto paper now! If you haven’t already…

Gentlemen, start your engines

4. how to get started.

A business plan for a production company must lay out how you will get started. This is also referred to as a "roll out plan".

How you engineer your beginning is critical to your cash flow. What do you need to get started?

And can you start at a sustainable level?

Will you open a physical office space right off the bat?

Overhead is a major cost. If this is more of a production house business plan then you’ll want to factor that in.

Do you have existing clients?

Equipment or gear already in place?

A video production business plan suggests that your focus will be on video production. Things like equipment will be critical.

In addition to considering this an entertainment production company business plan you may also want to focus on creative development.

How you want to focus effects how you want to phrase things. And it matters almost immediately.

START FEES YOU CAN AVOID

It's a good idea to propose that you start small.

There are two reasons for this.

The first is that you will scare away investors if you ask for too much up front, almost without fail they can tell if you are asking for more than it seems like you need.

It also throws into question how serious you are about sustaining success.

Which leads to the second reason.

It'll be much harder for you to sustain success if you ask for big upfront funding that you aren't sure you can earn back plus profit.

Let's say because you know of a few jobs you'll have early on, that you ask for less up front.

You'll be able to get rolling right away, earning back the initial investments and then some.

Above all you want to start off with easy wins.

Or as close to easy wins as you can get when launching or re-launching a video production business plan.

Seems like it would somewhat obvious not to ask for more than you can earn back...

Rather, it's a mistake people make all the time.

Speaking of which...

do have the capital?

5. financing a company.

Any business needs capital. As a result, you need a section where you lay out the cash flow for the production house business plan.

What kind of money do you expect to have coming in, and how much do you expect to be spending?

Make the budget, while also estimating how you'll be earning.

If you can't demonstrate this, then you need to go back to the drawing board.

Make Your Own Production Company Business Plan - Stacks on Stacks

Just pose like this and you’ll reassure any investor

You will want to get involved with an accountant at some point soon.

But remember, this is a business plan for a production company. So you may have a lot of costs coming at you early just to get started.

What is a marketing plan?

Your video production business plan is almost complete. Another section worth including would be one on marketing.

Here is a good additional resource on small business accounting .

You want to prove that business will be coming in, and not assume it will on faith alone.

Building a strong portfolio is a must. Consider again what niche you may be able to serve best. Find a solid "bread and butter" to start with.

Remember, good businesses expand when they need to. They don't bite off more than they can chew right out of the gate.

INVEST IN A GOOD WEBSITE

Do some research on how you’ll be building the best website for your product.

Get your production company a few social media accounts, and start trying to create a presence there. You'll need to find many ways to attract clients, and show your work.

Do some additional research on how to market a production company.

All this needs to find its way into the marketing section of your production company business plan.

what's your daily workflow?

7. day to day operations.

The day to day operations are a critical part of the plan. Have you visualized what the daily workflow will be?

Now is the time to do that. Who is going to be on your team, and how will it grow and change over time?

Determine what tasks will take priority each day, and how to best utilize your resources and finances.

This will be a key step in determining if your production company business plan is sustainable.

Ask yourself a few of the following questions:

How much time per day will you spend building your client base? What elements of each job will you tackle in-house? Which tasks might you outsource?

What equipment and gear do you own?

When will it need to be replaced and/or upgraded?

Are you going to hire anyone to start? Will they be full-time employees?

Will you hire independent contractors per project? How many, roughly?

As mentioned in the finance section, you need to know how you'll plan your reporting for taxes and your bookkeeping process.

These questions will help you start to determine what each "day at the office" will look like.

The clearer a picture you can paint here, the better.

Write a Business Plan

Get as specific as possible in each section of your entertainment company business plan. The more you know... right?

Now, let's get a little more advanced. In our next post we'll dive into writing a 4 part business plan. 

Up Next: Write a 4-Part Business Plan →

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Film and Video Production Business Plan [Sample Template]

By: Author Tony Martins Ajaero

Home » Business Plans » Media Sector

Are you about starting a film and video production company ? If YES, here is a complete sample film and video production business plan template & feasibility study you can use for FREE .

If you have ever come across a movie buff, chances are that you will notice the way at which they are able to analyze a movie for expertise or mediocrity. The truth is that these folks can tell when a movie has been well produced. This is one of the reasons why those who are at the helms of affair in the movie production business try their best to churn out quality stuff.

Starting a film and video production company is one of the best things that may happen to you. This is because of the promising nature of the trade. As a matter of fact millionaires are being made every time in the movie production world. Good news still remains that there are newbies every now and then.

A Sample Film and Video Production Business Plan Template

1. industry overview.

We can hardly talk about the film and video production industry without mentioning big players in the industry such as 21 st Century Fox, Time Warner, NBC Universal, The Walt Disney Company and Viacom Inc. et al. These are companies that truly define the trends in the industry.

Basically, film and video production industry is an industry that is responsible for producing and distributing motion pictures and videos. This industry does not include third-party providers such as distributors and disc manufacturers, as well as products, such as television shows and made-for-television movies, aimed specifically toward television et al.

Despite the fact that film and video production business can be expensive to run, the business is indeed a thriving business that has loads of players making huge profits from the industry. One thing is certain, if a film and video production company can successfully produce a major hit movie or musical video; it won’t be too long before video recording contracts come calling from all over the united states and beyond.

Players in the Film and Video Production industry struggled with mounting film production costs and of course the decline in theater/cinema attendance.

It is now common in recent times to find the average movie producers increasingly investing in high – end special effects hence they choose to shift their focus toward generating high ticket sales as against increasing the number of dramas and comedies, which usually generate comparatively lower revenue.

The industry is exploring now maximizing new distribution channels to continue to increase revenue generation so as to break even after spending huge sum of money to produce a movie.

Any entrepreneur who intends to start a film and video production company must be ready to pull enough cash to be able to acquire expensive film and video production gears, for location shooting equipment and professional movie editing software amongst many other expenses associated with movie production.

In other to cut cost especially when starting out, movie producers often rent shooting equipment for a fraction of its cost, which has helped limit the massive capital expenditures that would otherwise be necessary to produce major films.

For instance, in 2015 alone, for every dollar spent on labor, movie producers incur an estimated $0.22 in capital expenditures. In the last five years, capital intensity has remained fairly constant.

The Film and Video Production industry still depend on experts(highly skilled workers and artists) in all stages of the production process, and highly talented and hardworking employees are required for planning, shooting, editing and distributing films.

The Film and Video Production industry is indeed witnessing a steady growth over the years- especially in countries such as the United States, Nigeria, india and China et al. Though for some underdeveloped countries where piracy is still on rampage, the growth is a bit redundant.

Statistics has it that the Film and Video Production industry in the United States of America, is worth $34bn, with an estimated growth rate of 0.7 percent. There are about 6,527 registered and licensed film and video production companies in the United States and they are responsible for employing about 63,228 people.

One good thing about starting a film and video production business is that even if you decided to start it in the United States of America, your market would not be restricted to business opportunities in the U.S.; the world will be your target market.

Many thanks to the internet that has made the world a global village. All you need to do is to strategically position your film and video production brand on the internet and you will be amazed at the rate people will be calling you from all parts of the world.

2. Executive Summary

Film production is one art that requires a ton of skills. This is so that nothing short of the best is produced. Moonlight™ Film and Video Production Company is a one stop and standard film and video production company that is fully equipped with the latest technology in the film and video production industry.

Our film and video production studio will be located in the heart of Inglewood, Los Angeles – California, U.S and we are positioned to work for a wide range of client ranging from individual clients to corporate organizations, national clients to international clients and players in the Hollywood industry et al.

Moonlight™ Film and Video Production Company will engage in all aspect of business services synonymous to standard organization operating in the film and video production industry.

Our business goal is to work towards becoming one of the leading film and video production brand in the whole of Los Angeles and in the nearest future compete with the leaders in the industry not only in the United States but also in the global stage.

We are not ignorant of the fact that building a standard and world class film and video production company from the scratch requires huge capital base- essentially for the purchase of world – class and latest film and video production equipment; which is why we have perfect plans for steady flow of cash from our business partners with interest in our line of business.

We can confidently say that we have a robust financial standing and we are ready to take on any challenge that we encounter in the industry.

We will ensure that all our employees are selected from a pool of talented and highly creative people with eyes for good movies in and around Los Angeles – California (with bias from Hollywood) and also from any part of the United States.

We will make sure that we take all the members of our workforce through the required trainings that will position them to meet the expectation of the company and to compete with other players in the United States and throughout the globe.

At Moonlight™ Film and Video Production Company our client’s best interest will always come first, and everything we do will be guided by our values and professional ethics.

We will ensure that we hold ourselves accountable to the highest standards by meeting our client’s needs precisely and completely and of course producing movies and videos that can compete with the best in the world. We will cultivate a working environment that provides a human, sustainable approach to earning a living, and living in our world, for our partners, employees and for our clients.

Moonlight™ Film and Video Production Company is owned majorly by Macqueen Reeves and other partners. Macqueen Reeves is a certified and licensed film producer, he graduated from New York Film Academy and he has well over 15 years hand on experience in the film and video production industry working for leading film and video producing companies in Hollywood prior to starting his own film and video production company.

He will build the business alongside other experienced partners who have successfully carved a niche for themselves in the industry.

3. Our Products and Services

We do not want to leave any stone unturned when it comes to producing the best products and services. So, Moonlight™ Film and Video Production Company is going to offer a variety of services within the scope of the film and video production industry in the United States of America.

Our intention of starting our film and video production business in Inglewood – Los Angele is to make profits from the film and video industry and we will do all that is permitted by the law in the US to achieve our aim and business goals. Our business offering are listed below;

  • Action and adventure films
  • Comedy films
  • Drama films
  • Thriller/suspense films
  • Musical Videos
  • Documentaries
  • Other films (Commercials and Advertisement et al)
  • Creating a timeline of production for film and video and ensuring that timelines are met
  • Seeking financing for film and video productions
  • Producing film and video programming
  • Publicizing film and video productions
  • Distributing film and video (if the company is also involved in all of the above)
  • Film and Video Production Merchandize (Sale of Film and Video Production Equipment)
  • Film and Video Production Consultancy and Advisory Services

4. Our Mission and Vision Statement

  • Our vision is to build a standard and world – class film and video production business that can favorably compete with leaders in the industry.
  • Our mission is to build a world class and well equipped film and video production company that will produce standard movies that can be generally accepted in all parts of the world; we want to build a film and video production brand that can work for clients not only in the United States of America and Canada, but in all parts of the world.

Our Business Structure

The success of any business is to a larger extent dependent on the business structure of the organization and the people who occupy the available role. Moonlight™ Film and Video Production Company will build a solid business structure that can support the growth of our film and video production business.

We will ensure that we hire competent hands to help us build the business of our dream. The fact that we want to become one of the leading film and video production brand in the industry in the whole of the United States of America makes it highly necessary for our organization to deliberately build a well – structured business from the onset.

We will work hard to ensure that we only attract people with the right mindset to help us achieve our business goals and objectives in record time. Below is the business structure that we will build Moonlight™ Film and Video Production Company;

  • Chief Executive Officer

Entertainment Lawyer/Legal Secretary

Studio Manager

Film Producer

Recording Engineer

Admin and HR Manager

Marketing and Sales Executive

Front Desk Officer

5. Job Roles and Responsibilities

Chief Executive Office:

  • Increases management’s effectiveness by recruiting, selecting, orienting, training, coaching, counseling, and disciplining managers; communicating values, strategies, and objectives; assigning accountabilities; planning, monitoring, and appraising job results; developing incentives; developing a climate for offering information and opinions; providing educational opportunities.
  • Responsible for providing direction for the business
  • Creates, communicates, and implements the organization’s vision, mission, and overall direction – i.e. leading the development and implementation of the overall organization’s strategy.
  • Responsible for signing checks and documents on behalf of the company
  • Evaluates the success of the organization
  • Responsible for drawing up contracts and other legal documents for the company
  • Welcomes guests and clients by greeting them in person or on the telephone; answering or directing inquiries.
  • Produces information by transcribing, formatting, inputting, editing, retrieving, copying, and transmitting text, data, and graphics; coordinating case preparation.
  • Provides historical reference by developing and utilizing filing and retrieval systems; recording meeting discussions; maintaining transcripts; documenting and maintaining evidence.
  • Updates job knowledge by participating in educational opportunities; reading professional publications; maintaining personal networks; participating in professional organizations.
  • Enhances department and organization reputation by accepting ownership for accomplishing new and different requests; exploring opportunities to add value to job accomplishments.
  • Responsible for managing every activities that goes on in the studio
  • Responsible for managing the company’s video editing department
  • Handle any other responsibility as assigned by the Chief Executive Officer
  • Responsible for developing concept and producing movies from start to finish
  • Responsible for choosing the right locations to shoot a movie
  • Works with the accountant and other stakeholders in the company to draw – up a budget for any movie project
  • Responsible for handle any picture and sound related job for the company; helps achieve certain specific sounds or feelings to portray through that matches with the movie (especially for soundtracks).
  • Responsible for handling all aspect of video shooting on locations
  • Responsible for overseeing the smooth running of HR and administrative tasks for the organization
  • Maintains office supplies by checking stocks; placing and expediting orders; evaluating new products.
  • Ensures operation of film shooting and studio equipment by completing preventive maintenance requirements; calling for repairs.
  • Defines job positions for recruitment and managing interviewing process
  • Carries out staff induction for new team members
  • Responsible for training, evaluation and assessment of employees
  • Responsible for arranging travel, meetings and appointments
  • Designs job descriptions with KPI to drive performance management for clients
  • Regularly hold meetings with key stakeholders to review the effectiveness of HR Policies, Procedures and Processes
  • Facilitates and coordinates strategic sessions.
  • Works directly with clients in a non-advising capacity, such as answering questions, scheduling appointments and making sure all training concerns are properly taken care off
  • Oversees the smooth running of the daily office activities.
  • Once the movie is ready, then the marketing team will go out to market and promote the album
  • Identifies, prioritizes, and reaches out to new partners, and business opportunities et al
  • Identifies business opportunities; follows up on development leads and contacts; participates in the structuring and financing of projects; assures the completion of music projects.
  • Responsible for supervising implementation, advocate for the customer’s needs, and communicate with clients, cinema operators and movie distributors
  • Develops, executes and evaluates new plans for expanding increase sales
  • Documents all customer contact and information
  • Represents the company in strategic meetings
  • Helps to increase sales and growth for the company
  • Responsible for preparing financial reports, budgets, and financial statements for the organization
  • Provides managements with financial analyses, development budgets, and accounting reports; analyzes financial feasibility for the most complex proposed projects; conducts market research to forecast trends and business conditions.
  • Responsible for financial forecasting and risks analysis.
  • Performs cash management, general ledger accounting, and financial reporting for one or more properties.
  • Responsible for developing and managing financial systems and policies
  • Responsible for administering payrolls
  • Ensures compliance with taxation legislation
  • Handles all financial transactions for the company
  • Serves as internal auditor for the company

Client Service Executive

  • Ensures that all contacts with clients (e-mail, walk-In centre, SMS or phone) provides the client with a personalized customer service experience of the highest level
  • Through interaction with clients on the phone, uses every opportunity to build client’s interest in the company’s products and services
  • Manages administrative duties assigned by the manager in an effective and timely manner
  • Consistently stays abreast of any new information on the company’s products, promotional campaigns etc. to ensure accurate and helpful information is supplied to clients when they make enquiries
  • Receives Visitors/clients on behalf of the organization
  • Receives parcels/documents for the company
  • Handles enquiries via e-mail and phone calls for the organization
  • Distribute mails in the organization
  • Handles any other duties as assigned my the line manager

6. SWOT Analysis

Moonlight™ Film and Video Production Company engaged the services of a core professional in the area of film and video production consulting and business structuring to assist the organization in building a standard and world – class film and video production company that can favorably compete with other leading film and video production brands in the United States of America.

Part of what the business consultant did was to work with the management of the company in conducting a comprehensive SWOT analysis for Moonlight™ Film and Video Production Company. Here is a summary from the result of the SWOT analysis that was conducted on behalf of Moonlight™ Film and Video Production Company;

Our core strength lies in the power of our team and the latest film and video production equipment that we have. We have a team that can go all the way to give our clients value for their money; a team that can produce world class movies that can favorable compete with movies produced by leaders in the industry.

We are well positioned in the heart of Inglewood, Los Angeles and we know we will attract loads of clients from the first day we open our film and video production company for business.

As a new film and video production company based in Los Angeles – the headquarter of film production in the world, it might take some time for our organization to break into the market and attract some well – established artist and bigger corporations and investors; that is perhaps our major weakness. Another weakness is that we may not have the required cash to pump into the promotion our business the way we would want to.

  • Opportunities:

The opportunities in the film and video production industry is massive especially in a place like Los Angeles – California where we have Hollywood, and we are ready to take advantage of any opportunity that comes our way.

We like other brands in the industry, have our own fair share of threats. Hence, technology and the internet which of course is a major tool for the advancement and gains achieved in the film and video production industry can also poses a threat to the industry.

The truth is that with the advancement of technology, it is now easier for individuals to produce home videos and musical videos without the help of professional film and video production companies. So also, just like any other business, one of the major threats that we are likely going to face is economic downturn.

It is a fact that economic downturn affects purchasing / spending power. Another threat that may likely confront us is the arrival of a new film and video production company in same location where our target market exist and who may want to adopt same Business model like us.

7. MARKET ANALYSIS

  • Market Trends

Online video is one major trend in the film and video production industry. Recent statistics from Comscore show that on an average day in 2011, over 100 million Americans viewed online video content. This represents growth of 43 percent over the previous year.

Well over 43.5 billion videos were streamed in December 2011 alone; a 44 percent increase over the previous year. This growth shows no signs of dwindling, as people increase the absolute number of videos they watch, in addition to viewing longer form content on leading video sites such as Netflix and Hulu.

Entrepreneurs that are venturing into the film and video production industry are coming in with creativity and good business skills. The fact that it is highly competitive in the industry does not in a way stop some film and video production companies from declaring profits year in year out.

Another known trend in the film and video production industry is that most film and video production companies are trying as much as possible to recreate themselves on a regular basis and also to be on top of their game.

8. Our Target Market

When it comes to film and video production business, there are no exemptions to who you can market your services products to especially finished movies. Your movies can be market to adults, children, teenagers, corporate organization, government and everyone who can afford to purchase a movie et al.

Over and above, our target market as a film and video production company cuts across people of different class and people from all walks of life and corporate organizations. In view of that, we have created strategies that will enable us reach out to various corporate organizations and individual who we know will need our products and services.

We have conducted our market research and survey and we will ensure that our film and video production company attracts the kind of artists and clients we would love to work with. Below is a list of the people and organizations that we have specifically market our services to;

  • Advertising Agencies
  • Corporate Organizations (Branding and Advertising Agencies et al)
  • Teenagers, Adults and Children
  • TV stations

Our Competitive Advantage

We are mindful of the fact that there are stiffer competition in the film and video production industry in the United States of America; hence we have been able to hire some of the best business developer to handle our sales and marketing.

Moonlight™ Film and Video Production Company might be a new entrant into the film and video production industry in the United States of America, but our competitive advantage lies in the power of our team and the latest film and video production equipment that we have.

We have a team that can go all the way to give our clients value for their money; a team that can produce world class movies that can favorable compete with movies produced by leaders in the industry.

Lastly, our employees will be well taken care of, and their welfare package will be among the best within our category (startups film and video production companies) in the industry meaning that they will be more than willing to build the business with us and help deliver our set goals and achieve all our aims and objectives.

9. SALES AND MARKETING STRATEGY

  • Sources of Income

Moonlight™ Film and Video Production Company is established with the aim of maximizing profits in the film and video production industry and we are going to go all the way to ensure that we do all it takes to attract our target market.

Moonlight™ Film and Video Production Company will generate income by offering the following services and products;

10. Sales Forecast

One thing is certain when it comes to movies and documentaries; they never dies and the demand for good movies and documentaries will continue to grow. This goes to show that any film and video production company that is known to always produce good movies will continue to attract talented artists, corporate organizations and clients and that will sure translate to increase in revenue generation for the business.

We are well positioned to take on the available market in Los Angeles California and beyond and we are quite optimistic that we will meet our set target of generating enough income / profits from the first six month of operations and grow the business and our clientele base beyond Los Angeles – California to other cities in the U.S. and even the global market.

We have been able to critically examine the film and video production market and we have analyzed our chances in the industry and we have been able to come up with the following sales forecast. The sales projection is based on information gathered on the field and some assumptions that are peculiar to startups in Los Angeles – CA.

Below is the sales projection for Moonlight™ Film and Video Production Company, it is based on the location of our business and other factors as it relates to film and video production start – ups in the United States;

  • First Year-: $1M
  • Second Year-: $1.75M
  • Third Year-: $2.5M

N.B : This projection is done based on what is obtainable in the industry and with the assumption that there won’t be any major economic meltdown and there won’t be any major competitor offering same services as we do within same location. Please note that the above projection might be lower and at the same time it might be higher.

  • Marketing Strategy and Sales Strategy

Our sales and marketing team will be recruited based on their vast experience in the film and video production industry and they will be trained on a regular basis so as to be well equipped to meet their targets and the overall goal of the organization.

We will also ensure that our excellent movies and videos speaks for us in the market place; we want to build a standard and well equipped film and video production company that will leverage on word of mouth advertisement from satisfied clients/artists.

Our business goal is to build Moonlight™ Film and Video Production Company business to become one of the leading choice in the whole of Los Angeles – California which is why we have mapped out strategy that will help us take advantage of the available market and grow to become a major force to reckon with not only in the U.S but in the world stage as well.

Moonlight™ Film and Video Production Company is set to make use of the following marketing and sales strategies to attract clients;

  • Introduce our business by sending introductory letters alongside our brochure to organizations and key stake holders in the film and video industry (movie distributors and cinema operators) in Los Angeles and other parts of the U.S.
  • Advertise our business in relevant entertainment magazines, newspapers, TV stations, and radio station.
  • List our business on yellow pages ads (local directories)
  • Attend relevant international and local film festivals, expos, seminars, and concerts et al
  • Create different packages for different category of clients in order to work with their budgets and still produce top notch videos or movies for them
  • Leverage on the internet to promote our business
  • Engage in direct marketing approach
  • Encourage word of mouth marketing from our loyal and satisfied clients

11. Publicity and Advertising Strategy

We are aware that there isn’t any business that despises new clients. This the reason why we have been able to work with brand and publicity specialist to help us map out publicity and advertising strategies that will help us walk our way into the heart of our target market.

We are set to take the film and video production industry by storm which is why we have made provisions for effective publicity and advertisement of our recording studio company. Below are the platforms we intend to leverage on to promote and advertise Moonlight™ Film and Video Production Company;

  • Place adverts on both print and electronic media platforms
  • Sponsor relevant TV shows and radio programs
  • Maximize our official website to promote our business
  • Leverage on the internet and social media platforms like; YouTube, Instagram, Facebook ,Twitter, LinkedIn, Badoo, Google+ and other platforms (music online forums) to promote our business.
  • Offer Pro Bono services as part of our community social responsibility
  • Ensure that our we position our banners and billboards in strategic positions all around Los Angeles – CA
  • Brand all our official cars/buses and ensure that our trademark label is boldly printed in all our movies and videos (DVDs) et al

12. Our Pricing Strategy

At Moonlight™ Film and Video Production Company we will keep our fees and prices of videos a little below the average market rate for all of our clients by keeping our overhead low and by collecting payment in advance. In addition, we will also offer special discounted rates to start – ups, nonprofits, cooperatives, and small social enterprises who engage our services to help to produce movies or short videos especially for advert purposes.

  • Payment Options

At Moonlight™ Film and Video Production Company, our payment policy will be all inclusive because we are quite aware that different people prefer different payment options as it suits them. Here are the payment options that we will make available to our clients;

  • Payment by via bank transfer
  • Payment via online bank transfer
  • Payment via check
  • Payment via bank draft
  • Payment via mobile money
  • Payment with cash

In view of the above, we have chosen banking platforms that will help us achieve our plans with little or no itches.

13. Startup Expenditure (Budget)

The cost of setting up film and video production business can be quite expensive especially if you are all out to start a standard film and video production company. Aside from the money required to purchase the latest film recording and production equipment, you would also need a huge cash base to be able to attract and pay well established film actors to act in your movies.

Essentially, this is the area we are looking towards spending our start – up capital on;

  • The Total Fee for incorporating the Business in Los Angeles, California – $750.
  • The budget for Liability insurance, permits and license – $2,500
  • The Amount needed to acquire a suitable Office facility with enough space for standard movie production studio in a business district 6 months (Re – Construction of the facility inclusive) – $200,000.
  • The Cost for equipping the office (computers, printers, fax machines, furniture, telephones, filing cabins, safety gadgets and electronics et al) – $2,000
  • The cost for equipping the movie production studio with the required video gears – $150,000
  • The Cost of Launching our official Website – $600
  • Budget for paying at least 5 employees for 3 months and utility bills – $100,000
  • Budget for paying actors and taking care of logistics in movie locations – $500,000
  • Additional Expenditure (Business cards, Signage, Adverts and Promotions et al) – $2,500
  • Miscellaneous – $20,000

Going by the report from the research and feasibility studies, we will need about $1 million to set up a medium scale but standard film and video production company in the United States of America. Here are some of the key film and video production equipment and gear that we would need to set up our film and video production company;

  • Standard Video Cameras
  • Camera lights/Three-Point Lighting Kit
  • Shotgun Mic with boom pole accessories
  • Audio (XLR) Cables
  • Wireless Microphone
  • Lenses: Wide Angle, Clear “Protective” Lens, Polarizer, Zoom Lens, Macros, etc.
  • Light Reflector
  • DSLR Shoulder Mount Rig
  • Video Editing Software and Video Editing Computer (MacBook Pro Laptop / Apple MacBook Pro Laptop)
  • External Hard Drive
  • Digital video workstation

Generating Funding/Startup Capital for Moonlight™ Film and Video Production Company

Moonlight™ Film and Video Production Company is going to start as a partnership business that will be owned and managed by Macqueen Reeves and his business partners. They are the financial of the business, but may likely welcome other partners later, which is why they have decided to restrict the sourcing of his start – up capital to 3 major sources.

These are the areas we intend generating our start – up capital;

  • Generate part of the start – up capital from personal savings
  • Source for soft loans from family members and friends
  • Apply for loan from my Bank

N.B: We have been able to generate about $500,000 (Personal savings plus funds from business partners) and we are at the final stages of obtaining a loan facility of $500,000 from our bank. All the papers and document has been duly signed and submitted, the loan has been approved and any moment from now our account will be credited.

14. Sustainability and Expansion Strategy

The future of a business lies in the numbers of loyal customers that they have the capacity and competence of the employees, their investment strategy and the business structure. If all of these factors are missing from a business (company), then it won’t be too long before the business close shop.

One of our major goals of starting Moonlight™ Film and Video Production Company is to build a business that will survive off its own cash flow without the need for injecting finance from external sources once the business is officially running.

We know that one of the ways of gaining approval and winning customers over is to ensure that every movie that we produce is a hit back to back and it appeals to the needs of the society we intend selling the movies

Moonlight™ Film and Video Production Company will make sure that the right foundation, structures and processes are put in place to ensure that our staff welfare are well taken of. Our company’s corporate culture is designed to drive our business to greater heights and training and re – training of our workforce is at the top burner.

As a matter of fact, profit-sharing arrangement will be made available to all our management staff and it will be based on their performance for a period of five years or more. We know that if that is put in place, we will be able to successfully hire and retain the best hands we can get in the industry; they will be more committed to help us build the business of our dreams.

Check List/Milestone

  • Business Name Availability Check:>Completed
  • Business Incorporation: Completed
  • Renting of Office Facility: Completed
  • Setting Up Of The Recording Studio: In Progress
  • Intellectual Property Protection and Trademark: Completed
  • Opening of Corporate Bank Accounts various banks in the United States: Completed
  • Opening Online Payment Platforms: Completed
  • Application and Obtaining Tax Payer’s ID: In Progress
  • Application for business license and permit: Completed
  • Purchase of All form of Insurance for the Business: Completed
  • Conducting Feasibility Studies: Completed
  • Generating part of the start – up capital from the founder: Completed
  • Applications for Loan from our Bankers: In Progress
  • Writing of Business Plan: Completed
  • Drafting of Employee’s Handbook: Completed
  • Drafting of Contract Documents: In Progress
  • Design of The Company’s Logo: Completed
  • Graphic Designs and Printing of Packaging Marketing / Promotional Materials: Completed
  • Recruitment of employees: In Progress
  • Purchase of the Needed studio / musical gadgets, furniture, office equipment, electronic appliances and facility facelift: In progress
  • Creating Official Website for the Company: In Progress
  • Creating Awareness for the business (Business PR): In Progress
  • Health and Safety and Fire Safety Arrangement: In Progress
  • Establishing business relationship with key players in the industry: In Progress

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The Minimalist Guide To Writing A Film Business Plan

Film business plan essentials, movie pitch deck vs. movie business plan, legal aspects of film business planning, private placement memorandum, movie business plan template, tl;dr (too long; didn’t read).

  • FAQs on Film Business Plans

Film Business Plan Glossary

A film business plan is important to raise money for a movie. This document outlines how you plan to produce and sell your film.

It’s a confidential information overview that you’ll “leave behind” with prospective investors after pitching. And it needs to be solid.

If you’re like many filmmakers, you’ve likely come across at least a dozen examples of what should go into a film business plan created by film finance “gurus” who teach business planning but have never raised money for a movie.

Many of these people make an entire living creating movie business plans full of nonsense and stuff that doesn’t work in the real world.

If this describes your plan, you are not alone.

As a result of all the terrible movie business plan information, many filmmakers get it wrong. So the first thing you need to do is stop listening to idiots. The second thing you need to do is cut your plan down to the essentials.

Take a few minutes and write out the following:

  • Executive Summary: A snapshot of your film and team.
  • Project Synopsis: The pitch.
  • Hypothetical Investment Return: How the investment could pay off.
  • Distribution Fees Example: A look at revenue sharing.
  • Timeline/Production Plan: Key milestones.
  • Bios/Resumes: Who’s on board?
  • Budget Top Sheet: The financial outline.
  • Supporting Article: Why this film, why now?
  • Risk Management Details: The risks and the plan to tackle them.
  • Contact Info: Get in touch.

You might ask: “What if I just want to make movies and sell my movie?”

My response: “1995 called, and they want their dumb distribution plan back.”

You might run into info about movie pitch decks when you’re looking up how to create a movie business plan. But remember, they are not the same thing.

A movie pitch deck is a quick, visual look at your film. It’s not for the money people or investors. It’s for creative people, like directors and actors. It’s about giving them a feel of the story and style. And hope that you can entice them to work with you.

On the other hand, a movie business plan is all about the details. It talks about money, timelines, and marketing.

This is stuff that investors care about.

It’s your way of showing them how your film can succeed and make money. And importantly, it’s about showing them that you’re a professional.

And although it’s detailed, a movie business plan is not a contract. It’s just a way to show potential investors what you’ve got planned and how you aim to pull it off .

Creating a film business plan is a crucial step, but getting the funding requires more than just a well-laid plan.

In the U.S., laws are in place to protect investors from fraud. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) oversees this, ensuring people aren’t tricked into shady investments.

You’ll need to decide on the legal structure for your film’s business side. It could be a corporation, an LLC, or something else, each with its rules and benefits.

Get a good entertainment lawyer to help you through this.

Doing this will not only help you stay compliant, but doing things right also boosts your project’s credibility in the eyes of potential investors.

They’ll see a well-structured, professionally managed venture ready for investment. In this regard, the name of the game is compliance, transparency, and trust.

Your attorney will advise you on the steps you need to take before investors can fund your film . These steps usually include paperwork and other legal requirements.

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Sometimes, your attorney may draft up a set of documents called a private placement memorandum. Like a film business plan, your PPM will outline the goals for your film.

It will explain the possible upside to your project. But unlike a business plan (a confidential information overview), it doesn’t sugar-coat things.

It lays out the risks. That way, anyone considering putting money into your film knows exactly what they’re getting into.

It is easy to feel overwhelmed when it comes to raising money. If that describes you, check out this business plan template .

Why Choose Movie Plan Pro?

Movie Plan Pro is more than just a template. It’s a comprehensive guide based on Tom Malloy’s experience raising over $25 million to produce multiple feature films.

Unlike the majority of templates out there, this movie business plan template is simple. Using it will help you quickly finish your film business plan so that you can focus on the next steps of the process.

  • User-Friendly: Movie Plan Pro is designed to be intuitive and easy to use, ensuring that filmmakers can finish the plan fast.
  • Comprehensive: It covers every aspect of a professional film business plan.
  • Proven Success: Backed by Tom’s track record of securing film financing, users can access tried-and-tested tactics.

With Movie Plan Pro, filmmakers are not just filling in the blanks but are guided through creating a plan tailored to their specific film project.

Each section is complemented by tips and examples that breathe life into the plan, making it a dynamic tool for securing funding.

With Movie Plan Pro , ensure that your film business plan is comprehensive, compelling, and investor-friendly. Getting money to make your film begins with a plan, and there’s no better companion than Tom Malloy’s Movie Plan Pro.

Here’s a quick overview of what goes into a movie business plan:

A film business plan is vital for securing funding focusing on essential content like team, budget, marketing, and sales strategy. Legal compliance and consultation with an attorney are crucial for credibility. A clear, simple business plan template streamlines the process.

Film Business Plan Questions

Here are answers to common questions on crafting an effective film business plan. From the basics to legal compliance, we’ve got you covered. Let’s get started.

A film business plan outlines the budget, goals, and strategy to produce and distribute a film, targeting potential investors with detailed financial and operational information.

Be clear and concise, focusing on the budget, timeline, marketing, expected returns, legal compliance, and risk assessment.

A movie pitch deck is a visual presentation, giving a snapshot of a film project, typically aimed at creative professionals to attract collaborations.

A film business plan focuses on financial and operational aspects for investors. A pitch deck is a visual, concise overview for creative collaborators.

They ensure legal compliance and help set up the business structure, protecting filmmakers and investors.

A PPM is a document detailing the investment terms, risks, and rights for prospective investors. It’s an investment document.

Online resources offer various templates. Choose one focusing on essential elements to attract investors effectively. We recommend Movie Plan Pro .

These key terms are essential for understanding the film business planning process and the steps involved in raising funds for a film project.

  • Film Business Plan : A document outlining how a filmmaker plans to produce and sell a film. It serves as a roadmap for the project and is presented to prospective investors after pitching.
  • Budget : A financial plan that outlines how much money is needed for various aspects of the film’s production, including pre-production, shooting, post-production, marketing, and distribution.
  • Target Audience : The specific group of people the film intends to reach and resonate with. Understanding the target audience is crucial for marketing and distribution strategies.
  • Marketing Strategy : A plan that details how the film will be promoted to the target audience, including advertising, public relations, social media, and other promotional activities.
  • Sales Strategy : The approach for selling the film to distributors, streaming platforms, or other outlets. It includes strategies for negotiating deals and securing distribution agreements.
  • Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) : A regulatory body in the United States that oversees securities markets and works to protect investors from fraudulent activities and scams.
  • Legal Business Entity : A formal legal structure, such as a corporation or limited liability company (LLC), established to separate a film project’s assets and liabilities from the personal assets of the filmmaker.
  • Private Placement Memorandum (PPM) : A set of documents prepared by an attorney that outlines a film project’s goals, potential returns, and inherent risks. It helps potential investors make informed decisions.
  • Compliance : Adherence to laws, regulations, and guidelines, particularly in the context of securities laws and regulations, to make sure that a film project is credible and transparent to investors.
  • Distribution Plan : A strategy for how the film will be released and distributed to audiences, including decisions about theatrical releases, streaming platforms, DVD sales, and international distribution.

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#1 Film Business Plan Template

Film Business Plan Template

  • Movie Investor Package
  • Film Business Plan Template

Our Feature Film Business Plan template has been evolving for over 20 years and successfully used by hundreds of filmmakers around the world to raise their film financing. We have consistently worked with filmmakers and investors and updated our template after every film investor interaction to add all the best practices we come across. After every meeting, we adjust our Film Business Plan based directly on film investor feedback. Our Film Plan allows you to present your film business case using only the VERY BEST of the best information accumulated by film investors, filmmakers and industry trades, and all their years in the film industry.

Film Business Plan Template

Our Film Business Plan Template is professionally formatted and includes all the key business plan sections, with dozens of real-world examples in each. Our business plan was created by film investors and top industry producers, with the specific goal of helping filmmakers find film investors and secure funding. The movie business plan template is fully customizable to suit most any indie film project.

  • Professional Presentation - The template is key to finding and attracting financing, as it walks you through the nuts and bolts of your project so you present the investment opportunity in the best light possible, without compromising your creativity.
  • Business Plan Outline - Includes all key sections of a professional Business Plan, including Company, Project, Industry, Marketing, Distribution, Investment and Financial Opportunity.
  • Real World Examples - Examples from other successful business plans are included in every key section of the film business plan template.
  • Return on Investment (ROI) - make your compelling case for why a potential investor should invest in your film
  • Streaming & Acquisition Deals - we constantly scour the industry's leading resources for release patterns, streaming deals, festival acquisitions and track all the information we can find.

This easy-to-use Film Business Plan Template is included all of our Film Financing Packages and Bundles , along with our Film Proposals and Financing Manual, Film Projections Templates, Indie Film Pitch Deck, Latest Industry Statistics and much more. All of our products are available for immediate download and come with a 60-day full 100% MONEY BACK GUARANTEE!

NEW! Documentary Business Plan & Documentary Pitch Deck

FilmProposals is thrilled to offer help to documentary producers looking for investors, by enhancing our Film Fundraising toolkits to address the specific needs of documentarians. The highlight is a unique Documentary Business Plan Template included in all of our Film Financing Toolkits and Bundles . Much of the Documentary Business Plan is just like that of our narrative Film Business Plan Template, however, we've also done some major custom work to specifically highlight why documentaries are a great investment and how to best showcase your documentary to investors:

Documentary Business Plan Template

  • Documentary Business Plan Template - this new template is completely redone to focus only on documentary films. Recent successes, emerging documentary trends, streaming and studio deals, distribution patterns, audience statistics, revenue generated for sample films and much more. When did Docs become profitable and start selling for $5M or $10M at festivals? We lay it all out for you...
  • Documentary Pitch Deck - while our pitch deck template can be used for any type of film, you will use your business plan research to ensure the deck showcases your documentary as a worthy investment opportunity
  • Financial Projections/ Comparable Films - our custom database and custom financial projections flow seamlessly for both documentaries and narrative films

The new Documentary Business Plan Template is included in ALL of our Film Financing Toolkits and Bundles , so you can purchase any of them and be well on your way to funding any part of your documentary with private investments.

Film Business Plan Template Screenshots

The film plan template is consistently updated (including 2024). Screenshots may be dated, but our Film Business Plan template is not.

Film Business Plan Template Screenshots

Feature Film Business Plan Template

The film business plan template is a step-by-step guide so you understand your film as a business proposition to film investors. We walk you through the nuts and bolts of your project, and the business side of the film industry, so you present the investment opportunity in the best light possible, without compromising your creativity. We have done all the heavy lifting and all you need is to focus on your film, target audience and marketing/distribution plan.

Film Business Plan Sections

Examples from other successful business plans are included in every key section of the film business plan template.

Executive Summary

You write this section last. It is the one page overview of everything that follows. Just wait until you see your plan all put together and you get to read through how good your investment opportunity sounds out loud, with proven industry statistics, real world examples and well-crafted language. This is always the highlight for every filmmaker - when they get to say, "Wow! I would totally invest in this film and here's why..."

The Company

This is where you discuss the type of company you've set up and why, highlight all the successes of your management team and producers, describe what you're all about and highlight the competitive advantages your team has over any others.

The Project

This is where you get to tell your story, describe your project, use your log-line, compare briefly to other films, development highlights to date, talent attached and more.

The Industry

This is where your business plan gets good! Filmproposals has fine-tuned this section with dozens of known film investors. We highlight all the latest industry trends and awards using references to elite sources, describe how the film industry works, use the latest box office, festival, streaming info and other film industry statistics and describe the overview of the movie industry simply and clearly. This section is updated multiple times per year so it always has the most current information available.

Marketing Plan

Here is where you want to discuss your specific target markets and audience: who are they, how many, their demographics, how you will target them, what are their past habits, etc. We provide a few examples, but leave you plenty of room to get creative with your marketing strategy. Read More: Film Marketing Plan & Distribution Plan Expert Advice

The Investment Opportunity

Ahhh...this is where we really shine! First, we put all the mandatory disclaimers (film investment is inherently risky....) and then we talk about all the ways you have mitigated these risks! You add on exactly how your investment opportunity is structured (Distribution Waterfall, Recoupment Schedule options are included in our Financing Manual) and how you plan to pay your investors back. You then use all the included full explanations and detailed notes and charts for every line item, to explain how you arrived at all your calculations.

Distribution Plan

Here we emphasize how crucial the distribution strategy is to any type of film. We walk through film festivals, theatrical release, digital release (streaming and VOD), TV, other ancillary markets and why independent films have more opportunities and advantages than ever before. You just pick and choose which sections are right for your project and customize them based on your distribution strategy

Confidentiality Notice

Basic legal info to protect you, your project and any potential investors.

You then add on any other relevant documentation, such as your budget (template included in our Film Financing Packages), official agreements, letters of intent and more. Not ready to buy the full template? Try our How to Write a Film Business Plan Free Course.

Film Business Plan

As it turned out, the business plan WAS the hardest thing I've ever done, but with the tools in the package, it made it much less stressful and the more I got into it, I thought to myself - YES!!! - thank god someone knows what they're doing...

Film Business Plan

Melissa, I was extremely hesitant in purchasing even your lowest priced package. It all sounded to good to be true. I spent 2 months last year writing a business plan from scratch for a different medium. So I just couldn't imagine getting anything worth while for the prices you were offering. But I have an investor that requested a detailed plan with financial projections within 2 weeks, so I pulled the trigger on your Gold + Financials Filmmaker Bundle .

It was the best money I've ever spent! Can't even begin to tell you what a difference it makes. So concise and on point. Makes putting the plan together so fluid and easy. Not having to worry about what to cover, only how to best state it for my film project. Amazing. Thank you so much. Worth every dollar! - Michael

How a Script Turns Into Film Financing

A Business Plan is a tool that helps you turn your film ideas or scripts into an investment opportunity. Saying “I have a script about XYZ and need $100 to make my film” is exactly like saying “I made this pasta dish and need $100 to open my restaurant”

Being a great chef and being a great restaurant manager are two entirely different skillsets. Can one person be both? Of course. Can you have a successful restaurant without both? No. Would you give someone money to open a restaurant because they made you a great dinner? (We hope not!)

A great chef alone is not enough to get investors. You must have a plan for how you are going build, run and maintain the restaurant. Physical build, marketing, branding, ordering, making menus, publicity, systems, hiring staff and on and on. These are the things that will cost money, and hence they are the investment.

A script is not an investment vehicle. A script may attach top level talent, but film investors don't look for scripts - they look for investment opportunities that will provide them a potential profit on the money they invest (ROI - return on investment). A completed script does not require any money. If you want to sell your script and be done, option it to a studio. If you are looking for film financing, because you want to make your own film, then you want to focus on your business, which is film production.

If any of these sound like you, now is the time to put together your Film Business Plan:

  • I have a great script and am looking for film investors
  • Where do I find film investors?
  • You are searching online for "film investor database" or "film investors seeking scripts" or "investors for filmmakers," or worse, posting on social media for the same

The FASTEST Way to Write Your Film Business Plan

We've been helping filmmakers raise their film financing for over 20 years. One way we do this is by providing a variety of ways for filmmakers to write their Film Business Plans. The different ways have a wide range in terms of budget, time and level of expertise backing. By working directly with filmmakers, we've learned some love the business and money side of the industry, and others, not so much. This is why we've crafted different approaches based on a time/value/skillset formula to suit every type of filmmaker.

Fastest Business Plan With The Most Industry Expertise

If you want to impress your investors in the most professional way, our Platinum Plus Financing Package is for you. You'll be bringing in the combined expertise of Nash Info Services (the movie data gurus behind the-numbers.com) and FilmProposals, as well as entertainment attorneys and prior successful filmmakers. You will also have your plan done in less than two weeks. NIS will be running your 20 Comparable Films (much more impressive than 10 films, since you get to choose from 20,000+ films), while FilmProposals has done all the heavy lifting in our Film Business Plan Template - the industry (including the latest streaming & festival deals, award winners and industry stats), the market, and the financial (how the film business works and how a movie earns money) section.

You simply write up your management bios, your target audience and your distribution plan. There is also the option outsource your Marketing Plan, with our Business Plan Sections - Done For You , but we have already given you the roadmap on exactly how to approach your Marketing and Distribution Plans using an analytical and proven approach. You'll have a Film Investor Agreement, a real PPM (private placement memorandum), most of the legal docs that prove you're ready to maintain your Chain of Title and a Pitch Deck template. This is our most impressive package, we have seen it work time and again, and is best for those with a high end, professional mindset targeting the same with their investors.

Fastest Business Plan With Some Industry Expertise

You can scale the Platinum Plus back to our Gold Toolkit + Financials Bundle - you get a lot of the above. Key differences are 10 Comparable Films, chosen from our scaled down database of 400+ indie films, no PPM and the Legal Pack (Chain of Title) is an optional add-on. You'll still have the Business Plan Template, Film Investor Agreement and Pitch Deck Template. This package has helped dozens of filmmakers secure investors over the years and is a solid option for those with a lighter budget. A higher time investment on your end, a bit less expertise behind you, but a lower financial investment.

DIY Business Plan With Some Industry Expertise

The Gold Toolkit is best for those who want to really dive in to the film business and do the heavy lifting themselves. You still get a ton of Filmproposals expertise and templates, but you'll get into the nitty gritty of financial projections, comparable films, marketing plan, distribution plan and finding film investors. Just like our other bundles and toolkits, filmmakers have raised millions of dollars of film funding with this package.

FREE Sample Business Plan Template

Our actual Business Plan Template in Microsoft Word is always up to date (this sample is older), fully editable and contains far more detail and text than this short excerpt. You can either share the template below or subscribe to our FREE Business Plan Course and have it delivered to your inbox .

Click to download the FREE Movie Business Plan Sample .

FREE Movie Business Plan Sample

These film business plan tips will help you to attract investors and present the offer that gets their attention. The research process inherent to preparing a business plan forces you to look at the financing of other films and refine your precise film investor offer. This process will lead you straight to finding and securing the right investors for your movie.

Whether you use a film business plan, private placement memorandum, film investor agreement or other fundraising vehicle, the thought process required to complete your film business plan is invaluable and will help you stand out from the crowd and pitch your project in a way that compels investors to want a piece of your investment opportunity!

FREE Course - How to Write a Film Business Plan

How to Write a Film Business Plan is the Number 1 goal of most of our filmmakers, so we wrote a FREE How to Write a Movie Business Plan online course. Writing a business plan can be overwhelming to some, and while our FilmProposals Business Plan Bundles & Toolkits will save you hundreds of hours with prewritten text and templates and speed up your learning curve by showing you how to complete complicated financial projections, there is still a lot of information to process. We designed this Film Business Plan Course to be sent once per week to break the process of writing your business plan into manageable pieces, and to keep you accountable and focused. In case you can't see the sign up form, try here .

How to Write a Film Business Plan

Top of Film Business Plan Template

Crafting a Film Distribution Plan

Your Film Distribution Plan just may be the way to unlock the secret pathway to the big screen for your indie film. Dive into our comprehensive guide on crafting a compelling distribution strategy to woo audiences and critics alike! Our definitive exploration of indie film distribution, where we unveil the strategies that will help independent filmmakers navigate the complex terrain of getting their work in front of eager audiences. Learn all about: Crafting the Ultimate Film Distribution Plan .

Film Distribution Plan

Top of Film Business Plan

  • Indie Film Return on Investment

Discover the secrets behind skyrocketing yours while unraveling the blend of creative storytelling and strategic financial planning. Dive in to learn how to balance artistic passion with profitable entrepreneurship in the world of indie film. Embarking on the journey of independent filmmaking is a challenge in and of itself, but the path to profitability requires an astute blend of creativity and business acumen. The quest for a substantial Return on Investment (ROI) is not merely a financial ambition; it's a necessary strategy to sustain your passion and continue producing impactful stories. More Info: Indie Film Return on Investment

Indie Film Return on Investment

Top of Film Business Plan Tips

How to use a Film Investor Agreement

What does the deal actually look like between you and your investors? Who is getting paid first, when and how much? What does profit participation look like? How do you ensure nothing is standing between you and an interested film investor?

One way is by using a Film Investor Agreement .

Film Investor Agreement

Tips on Film Marketing Plan & Distribution Plan

Your Film Marketing Plan & Distribution Plans are the hardest parts of your business plan to complete. FilmProposals has done all the heavy lifting for you for your financial projections, covering the industry, using top tier research and statistics and discussing all the latest release trends and acquisitions. However, Film Marketing and Distribution Plans are unique to every film and this is where a producer has to focus their efforts to be successful. When you have these mapped out, investors and distributors will know you have a solid deal on the table. Luckily, we've helped so many successful filmmakers over the years, and now offer our expert formula for reaching your audience, winning film festivals and getting distribution .

Film Marketing Plan & Distribution Plan

Why Start a Film Production Company

Filmmakers gain a huge advantage when they start a film production company . This process allows them to pursue equity-based crowdfunding for larger sums across a wider base of investors than just typical donation-based crowdfunding. It also helps to protect your film, management team, opens additional financing opportunities and makes your projects far more appealing to film investors. You will, of course, need to secure legal counsel to pursue this path, however, here is a high level overview of some of your options.

Why to Start a Film Production Company

Independent Film Companies and How They Got Started

For any indie filmmaker, independent film companies are greatly important. More often than not, these are the only movie companies indie filmmakers have the potential to work with. But the origin stories of your favorite indie movie company in the film industry may surprise you and will definitely enlighten you and provide inspiration as you embark on starting your own independent film company .

Independent Film Companies

Advanced Business Plan Tips

We are going to assume the finer details of your project are worked out, you already have a killer script and dive straight into the lesser-known secrets of business plan writing. Here we look at a few of the common pitfalls, some practical advice on how to avoid them and put you in the stakeholder’s shoes with some hypothetical pitches. Learn more: Advanced Business Plan Tips

Practical Tips for Writing Your Film Business Plan

  • Film Business Plan VOD Projections

The new world of VOD and being able to target your market directly is fantastic news for producers, especially those who could or did not follow the traditional distributor model. However, unlike the traditional theater/distributor model, these opportunities are much more difficult for projections and business plans. Use our outline of the different VOD business models, costs and calculations associated with each, as well as which statistics and case studies you want to use in your business plans. More Info: Film Business Plan VOD Projections

Film Business Plan VOD Projections

Where To Get Film Industry Statistics

One of the keys to any business plan is to look at historical and projected industry trends. Do you know how well filmed entertainment is doing now and how or if it is projected to grow? Which segments and countries have the most promise? Streaming and VOD trends? Which markets and audiences are succeeding and which are trending down? You can't possibly talk to investors unless YOU know your industry cold. Learn more: Film Industry Statistics

Film Industry Statistics

The business plan info really opened my eyes to how a lot of this business is so dependent on a sound business plan... and that creativity does not have to be compromised. -- More Testimonials

Film Business Plan

... I'm now sending out my completed business plan/film proposal document to potential investors and the one comment I'm getting back almost immediately is that it's so well laid out and professional. Believe me, first impressions really do count. --

More Film Business Plan Tips

  • Sundance: Why the Aggressive Indie-Film Market Reflects Real Promise for the Future
  • Independent Film Market Rebounds at Sundance Film Festival
  • Indie Film Lives, Thrives, Blossoms & Blooms !!

Attract Investors with Your Plan

  • Film Marketing Plan & Distribution Plan Expert Advice
  • Film Distribution Plan
  • Professional Film Financial Projections
  • Use a Film Investor Agreement
  • Advanced Film Business Plan Tips
  • About Independent Film Companies
  • Start a Film Production Company
  • Film Industry Statistics
  • FREE How to Write a Film Business Plan Course

Film Business Plan Tips

While our FilmProposals Bundles & Toolkits will save you hundreds of hours with prewritten text and templates and speed up your learning curve by showing you how to complete complicated financial projections, there is still a lot of information to process. We designed this FREE Film Business Plan Course to be sent once per week to break the process of writing your business plan into manageable pieces, and to keep you accountable and focused. In case you can't see the sign up form, try here .

FilmProposals - 2024 Financing Toolkits & Bundles

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Gold Toolkit

  • Financing Manual
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  • Investor Agreement Outline
  • Film Budget Template
  • Indie Film Pitch Deck
  • Custom Indie Film Database
  • BONUSES (MPA Market Stats, Dealmaking, Investor Tips, ++ )
  • Regular Price $303, Save $124

Gold Toolkit + Financials Bundle

  • Full Gold Toolkit
  • + Professional Sales Projections & Investor ROI (10 Films)
  • Regular Price $802, Save $103

Platinum Bundle

  • + Professional Sales Projections & Investor ROI -10 Films (Reg $499)
  • + Film PPM Investor Agreement (Reg $499)
  • + Filmmaker Legal Pack (Reg $129)
  • Regular Price $1430, Save $231

Coming Through the Rye

Just want to thank you for your materials and help over the past year. I could not have raised the $1.5 million or made this film without the materials you provided. The bargain of my career! - James Sadwith, Producer, Writer, Director, Coming Through the Rye

Inside Sportfishing

Finished my deck on Friday. Got it into a few potential investor’s hands over the weekend, and by Monday had 3 out of the 10 available memberships spoken for at $160K each. The revenue projections and film comparable services by NASH, along with the business plan and pitch deck templates were instrumental in presenting the project in such a way that financially minded potential investors could understand the movie business, the market and how my project could possibly give them a substantial ROI. Melissa was amazing throughout the entire process. Always there to answer any questions. Couldn’t have done it without you guys. Can’t thank you enough. Best money I’ve ever spent. - Michael F, Executive Producer, Inside Sportfishing ( Gold + Financials Bundle )

FilmProposals Tools and Templates

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  • Documentary Business Plan Template
  • Film Financing and Investor Manual
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  • Film Investor Tip Sheet
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  • Indie Film Database
  • FREE Business Plan E-Course

FilmProposals Business Plan Templates

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Production Company Business Plan

example of film production business plan

Videos capture or display emotions like no other medium is present. And if you are creative or want to take up projects related to film and video, then a production company business might be a good choice for you. Making videos is no longer restricted to films and TV.

Due to the increasing usage of OTT platforms and streaming platforms like YouTube video production is growing by leaps and bounds.

From learning something new to purely for entertainment purposes, people watch videos for everything. And if you want to get into this business, then all you need is a production company business plan and a good team of creatives.

Industry Overview

The video production industry stood at a whopping value of 2.09 billion dollars in 2021 in the USA and Canada. And is expected to grow at a rapid rate going forward as well.

The major reason for this rise is the increase in the consumption of video content. Video content is no longer just used for movies. It has a wide variety of usage from digital marketing, education, entertainment, and many more.

But as so much content is present on the web, it is essential to do something that helps you stand out. Hence, it is important to plan and strategize before getting started.

Say goodbye to boring templates

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Things to Consider Before Writing a Production Company Business Plan

Choose a niche.

Video production is used in many aspects from making films, TV, and web series, to direct advertisements, music video advertisements, and so on. Video production is also either done entirely by your company including to’ve processed, or you might be hired by other businesses or agencies to produce videos, but you aren’t a part of the creative process.

It is essential to choose a niche before getting started because different strategies work for different niches. Also, picking one niche before getting started helps you focus on the area and develop a thorough understanding and expertise in it.

Develop a creative process

All of us know that there’ll be days when you have important deadlines, but you won’t be able to think of anything new or good. On such days, you’ll need a process that helps you get decent ideas in an autopilot sort of way. A creative process can help you actively look for ideas instead of waiting for ideas to come to you.

Build a good team

Having a team that understands and supports your vision is essential in any creative profession. Your team should be an amalgamation of individuals with different and complementary perspectives. It helps you develop new and unique ideas as well as move forward with them creatively.

Organize your finances

It is necessary to do your research and find out what would be the financial requirements of starting your production company, how much you can manage on your own, how much funds you’ll need, and what are the sources for acquiring the same.

Chalking out Your Business Plan

If you are planning to start a new production company business, the first thing you will need is a production company business plan. Use our sample production company business plan created using Upmetrics business plan software to start writing your business plan in no time.

Before you start writing your business plan for your new production company business, spend as much time as you can reading through some samples of entertainment & media business plans .

Reading sample business plans will give you a good idea of what you’re aiming for. It will also show you the different sections that different entrepreneurs include and the language they use to write about themselves and their business plans.

We have created this sample production company business plan for you to get a good idea about how a perfect production company business plan should look like and what details you will need to include in your stunning business plan.

Production Company Business Plan Outline

This is the standard production company business plan outline, which will cover all important sections that you should include in your business plan.

  • Market Validation
  • Short-Term (1 -3 Years)
  • Long Term (3-5 years)
  • Mission statement
  • Unique Selling Proposition
  • Black Screen Productions – 3-Year Financial Highlights
  • Company Ownership/Legal Entity
  • Interior Operating Facilities
  • Hours of Operation
  • Startup summary
  • Media Production
  • Media Distribution
  • Market segmentation
  • Market Trends
  • Target market
  • Competitive Advantage
  • SWOT analysis
  • Target Market Strategy
  • Market Size
  • Positioning Statement
  • Online Marketing Channels
  • Offline Marketing Channels
  • Pricing strategy
  • Organization chart
  • Management Team
  • Hiring plan
  • BLACK SCREEN PRODUCTIONS
  • Important Assumptions
  • Break-even analysis
  • Profit Yearly
  • Gross Margin Yearly
  • Projected Cash Flow
  • Projected Balance Sheet
  • Business Ratios

After getting started with Upmetrics , you can copy this Production Company business plan template into your business plan and modify the required information and download your production company business plan pdf or doc file.

It’s the fastest and easiest way to start writing your business plan.

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Download a sample production company business plan

Need help writing your business plan from scratch? Here you go;  download our free production company business plan pdf  to start.

It’s a modern business plan template specifically designed for your production company business. Use the example business plan as a guide for writing your own.

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Production Company Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Production Company Business Plan

Production Company Business Plan

Over the past 20+ years, we have helped over 500 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans to start and grow their production companies.

If you’re unfamiliar with creating a production company business plan, you may think creating one will be a time-consuming and frustrating process. For most entrepreneurs it is, but for you, it won’t be since we’re here to help. We have the experience, resources, and knowledge to help you create a great business plan.

In this article, you will learn some background information on why business planning is important. Then, you will learn how to write a production company business plan step-by-step so you can create your plan today.

Download our Ultimate Business Plan Template here >

What is a Production Company Business Plan?

A business plan provides a snapshot of your production company as it stands today, and lays out your growth plan for the next five years. It explains your business goals and your strategies for reaching them. It also includes market research to support your plans.

Why You Need a Business Plan for a Production Company

If you’re looking to start a production company or grow your existing production company, you need a business plan. A business plan will help you raise funding, if needed, and plan out the growth of your production company to improve your chances of success. Your production company business plan is a living document that should be updated annually as your company grows and changes.

Sources of Funding for Production Companies

With regards to funding, the main sources of funding for a production company are personal savings, credit cards, bank loans, and angel investors. When it comes to bank loans, banks will want to review your business plan and gain confidence that you will be able to repay your loan and interest. To acquire this confidence, the loan officer will not only want to ensure that your financials are reasonable, but they will also want to see a professional plan. Such a plan will give them the confidence that you can successfully and professionally operate a business. Personal savings and bank loans are the most common funding paths for production companies.

Finish Your Business Plan Today!

How to write a business plan for a production company.

If you want to start a production company or expand your current one, you need a business plan. The guide below details the necessary information for how to write each essential component of your production company business plan.

Executive Summary

Your executive summary provides an introduction to your business plan, but it is normally the last section you write because it provides a summary of each key section of your plan.

The goal of your executive summary is to quickly engage the reader. Explain to them the kind of production company you are running and the status. For example, are you a startup, do you have a production company that you would like to grow, or are you operating a chain of production companies?

Next, provide an overview of each of the subsequent sections of your plan.

  • Give a brief overview of the production industry.
  • Discuss the type of production company you are operating.
  • Detail your direct competitors. Give an overview of your target customers.
  • Provide a snapshot of your marketing strategy. Identify the key members of your team.
  • Offer an overview of your financial plan.

Company Overview

In your company overview, you will detail the type of production company you are operating.

For example, your production company might specialize in one of the following types of production companies:

  • Feature Film Production Company : this type of production company handles all of the necessities that go with producing a major film – hiring on-screen and off-screen talent, writers, musicians, location scouts, a team for pre-production, post-production, legal, etc.
  • Commercial Production Company: this type of production company can produce stock footage, short corporate videos, training videos, and creative projects such as music videos and short films
  • Post Production Company: this type of production company handles video editing, special effects, color correction, sound mixing, and editing to eventually produce the final video.
  • Niche Production Company: this type of production company focuses on one specific niche that it has perfected. They often combine the best of animation, commercial, and post-production companies.

In addition to explaining the type of production company you will operate, the company overview needs to provide background on the business.

Include answers to questions such as:

  • When and why did you start the business?
  • What milestones have you achieved to date? Milestones could include the number of clients served, the number of films with positive reviews, reaching X number of clients served, etc.
  • Your legal business structure. Are you incorporated as an S-Corp? An LLC? A sole proprietorship? Explain your legal structure here.

Industry Analysis

In your industry or market analysis, you need to provide an overview of the production industry.

While this may seem unnecessary, it serves multiple purposes.

First, researching the production industry educates you. It helps you understand the market in which you are operating.

Secondly, market research can improve your marketing strategy, particularly if your analysis identifies market trends.

The third reason is to prove to readers that you are an expert in your industry. By conducting the research and presenting it in your plan, you achieve just that.

The following questions should be answered in the industry analysis section of your production company business plan:

  • How big is the production industry (in dollars)?
  • Is the market declining or increasing?
  • Who are the key competitors in the market?
  • Who are the key suppliers in the market?
  • What trends are affecting the industry?
  • What is the industry’s growth forecast over the next 5 – 10 years?
  • What is the relevant market size? That is, how big is the potential target market for your production company? You can extrapolate such a figure by assessing the size of the market in the entire country and then applying that figure to your local population.

Customer Analysis

The customer analysis section of your production company business plan must detail the customers you serve and/or expect to serve.

The following are examples of customer segments: individuals, companies, filmmakers, studios.

As you can imagine, the customer segment(s) you choose will have a great impact on the type of production company you operate. Clearly, small businesses would respond to different marketing promotions than filmmakers, for example.

Try to break out your target customers in terms of their demographic and psychographic profiles. With regards to demographics, including a discussion of the ages, genders, locations, and income levels of the potential customers you seek to serve.

Psychographic profiles explain the wants and needs of your target customers. The more you can recognize and define these needs, the better you will do in attracting and retaining your customers.

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Competitive Analysis

Your competitive analysis should identify the indirect and direct competitors your business faces and then focus on the latter.

Direct competitors are other production companies.

Indirect competitors are other options that customers have to purchase from that aren’t directly competing with your product or service. This includes social media platforms, web developers, apps and even college or university students. You need to mention such competition as well.

For each such competitor, provide an overview of their business and document their strengths and weaknesses. Unless you once worked at your competitors’ businesses, it will be impossible to know everything about them. But you should be able to find out key things about them such as

  • What types of clients do they serve?
  • What type of production company are they?
  • What is their pricing (premium, low, etc.)?
  • What are they good at?
  • What are their weaknesses?

With regards to the last two questions, think about your answers from the customers’ perspective. And don’t be afraid to ask your competitors’ customers what they like most and least about them.

The final part of your competitive analysis section is to document your areas of competitive advantage. For example:

  • Will you provide concierge services or customized packages for your clients?
  • Will you offer products or services that your competition doesn’t?
  • Will you provide better customer service?
  • Will you offer better pricing?

Think about ways you will outperform your competition and document them in this section of your plan.  

Marketing Plan

Traditionally, a marketing plan includes the four P’s: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. For a production company business plan, your marketing strategy should include the following:

Product : In the product section, you should reiterate the type o f production company that you documented in your company overview. Then, detail the specific products or services you will be offering. For example, will you provide video editing, music editing, pre-production, or post-production services?

Price : Document the prices you will offer and how they compare to your competitors. Essentially in the product and price sub-sections of yo ur plan, yo u are presenting the products and/or services you offer and their prices.

Place : Place refers to the site of your production company. Document where your company is situated and mention how the site will impact your success. For example, is your production company located in New York or Los Angeles, a business district, a standalone office, or purely online? Discuss how your site might be the ideal location for your customers.

Promotions : The final part of your production company marketing plan is where you will document how you will drive potential customers to your location(s). The following are some promotional methods you might consider:

  • Be part of filmmaker associations and networks
  • Reach out to websites
  • Distribute flyers
  • Engage in email marketing
  • Advertise on social media platforms
  • Improve the SEO (search engine optimization) on your website for targeted keywords

Operations Plan

While the earlier sections of your business plan explained your goals, your operations plan describes how you will meet them. Your operations plan should have two distinct sections as follows.

Everyday short-term processes include all of the tasks involved in running your production company , including client communication and interaction, planning and producing production services, billing clients, etc.

Long-term goals are the milestones you hope to achieve. These could include the dates when you expect to book your Xth client, or when you hope to reach $X in revenue. It could also be when you expect to expand your production company to a new city.  

Management Team

To demonstrate your production company’s potential to succeed, a strong management team is essential. Highlight your key players’ backgrounds, emphasizing those skills and experiences that prove their ability to grow a company.

Ideally, you and/or your team members have direct experience in managing production companies. If so, highlight this experience and expertise. But also highlight any experience that you think will help your business succeed.

If your team is lacking, consider assembling an advisory board. An advisory board would include 2 to 8 individuals who would act as mentors to your business. They would help answer questions and provide strategic guidance. If needed, look for advisory board members with experience in managing a production company or successfully running a small filmmaking company.  

Financial Plan

Your financial plan should include your 5-year financial statement broken out both monthly or quarterly for the first year and then annually. Your financial statements include your income statement, balance s heet, and cash flow statements.

Income Statement

An income statement is more commonly called a Profit and Loss statement or P&L. It shows your revenue and then subtracts your costs to show whether you turned a profit or not.

In developing your income statement, you need to devise assumptions. For example, will you book 5 films or videos per day, and/or offer production packages ? And will sales grow by 2% or 10% per year? As you can imagine, your choice of assumptions will greatly impact the financial forecasts for your business. As much as possible, conduct research to try to root your assumptions in reality.

Balance Sheets

Balance sheets show your assets and liabilities. While balance sheets can include much information, try to simplify them to the key items you need to know about. For instance, if you spend $50,000 on building out your production company, this will not give you immediate profits. Rather it is an asset that will hopefully help you generate profits for years to come. Likewise, if a lender writes you a check for $50,000, you don’t need to pay it back immediately. Rather, that is a liability you will pay back over time.

Cash Flow Statement

Your cash flow statement will help determine how much money you need to start or grow your business, and ensure you never run out of money. What most entrepreneurs and business owners don’t realize is that you can turn a profit but run out of money and go bankrupt.

When creating your Income Statement and Balance Sheets be sure to include several of the key costs needed in starting or growing a production company:

  • Cost of equipment and production studio supplies
  • Payroll or salaries paid to staff
  • Business insurance
  • Other start-up expenses (if you’re a new business) like legal expenses, permits, computer software, and equipment

Attach your full financial projections in the appendix of your plan along with any supporting documents that make your plan more compelling. For example, you might include your studio location lease or a list of production services you plan to offer.  

Writing a business plan for your production company is a worthwhile endeavor. If you follow the template above, by the time you are done, you will truly be an expert. You will understand the production industry, your competition, and your customers. You will develop a marketing strategy and will understand what it takes to launch and grow a successful production company.  

Production Company Business Plan FAQs

What is the easiest way to complete my production company business plan.

Growthink's Ultimate Business Plan Template allows you to quickly and easily write your production company business plan.

How Do You Start a Production Company Business?

Starting a production company business is easy with these 14 steps:

  • Choose the Name for Your Production Company Business
  • Create Your Production Company Business Plan
  • Choose the Legal Structure for Your Production Company Business
  • Secure Startup Funding for Your Production Company Business (If Needed)
  • Secure a Location for Your Business
  • Register Your Production Company Business with the IRS
  • Open a Business Bank Account
  • Get a Business Credit Card
  • Get the Required Business Licenses and Permits
  • Get Business Insurance for Your Production Company Business
  • Buy or Lease the Right Production Company Business Equipment
  • Develop Your Production Company Business Marketing Materials
  • Purchase and Setup the Software Needed to Run Your Production Company Business
  • Open for Business

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Have you ever dreamed of breaking into the film industry? Now we’re not talking about becoming a famous movie star, we’re talking about those behind the scenes, production companies. If you have a knack for filming, graphics, and editing you may be interested in opening your own film and television production company. Check out our assortment of sample plans to turn your talent into a successful business.

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Writing a Film Business Plan: What Should I Include?

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Film business plans. Whether you’ve learned how to make one in film school or not, it’s likely that it’s an essential aspect of your production that you could be overlooking at your own risk.

Those involved in making movies tend to be creative folk and view spending hours pouring over figures on a spreadsheet as anathema to the craft. Even some of the pros dread this unavoidable task… and don’t think that you’re not “pro” enough to get away without doing one.

Even if you’re operating on a micro-budget , it’s still a good idea to get to grips with the best practices of compiling a solid film business plan. It’ll help keep you right on path, it’s good practice for your future career, and it might just help you see the bigger picture and drive you to finish the project.

Today, we’re going to take the sting out of the tail by offering some guidance on how to get started.

You’ll also be pleased to hear that it’s nowhere near as arduous a task as it may seem, which brings us onto our first business plan tip:

However You Start, Make Sure You Start

As is often experienced in screenwriting , putting pen to paper in the first place is usually the hard part. Once you get going, you find your brain kicking into high gear (sometimes to the extent that it’s hard to stop typing!)

The same is true of film business plans. Initially, you might feel like the proverbial rabbit in headlights with no idea how you can possibly account for what you might be spending in the future. However, by starting with the very basic and known figures you do have, you’ll slowly begin to break the back of the spreadsheet and the rest should follow naturally.

And remember, you can always go back and revise things, so don’t be afraid to start jotting down random numbers with the intent to refine them at a later date.

Consider Your Audience

Not the movie’s audience; we’re talking about the people who are most interested in your film business plan.

Screen Shot 2016-01-21 at 11.45.07 AM

Don’t make the classic mistake of assuming investors and potential production collaborators want to see every dime and nickel accounted for, because they really don’t.

What they want you to answer as concisely (and accurately) as possible is this: H ow are you going to sell the movie, and what will be the return on investment?

And that’s it. Everything else is secondary.

Of course, you’ll probably want to keep a more detailed plan for your own reference and that can be produced if requested, but strip out extraneous details that won’t be of interest to an investor (they don’t want to know the hourly rates of every show runner working on set; they just want to know how much it’ll all cost.)

There are a few more sub-sets of this question that you’ll probably tackle along the way, including:

  • How are you spending the cash?
  • Why is this film sellable right now?
  • What is your sales/marketing strategy?
  • What share of the proceeds will you receive?
  • What share of the proceeds will investors get?
  • Are there any perks to investing in this film?

Thinking about these questions will get you ready to pitch your movie efficiently at the drop of a hat, and will help shape your business plan as you put it together. There are a number of other questions over on the Raindance website which you can expect investors to ask, so do check those out.

Calculator and pen

And on the topic of how to go about answering a potential investor’s concerns…

What Should I Include?

The following is by no means exhaustive (and not all of it may be necessary for your particular business plan), but here’s the meat and potatoes that most filmmakers use to convey their pitch:

Outline: A very brief summary of the screenplay — ideally just your logline — and some key figures regarding financial requirements. Bullet points regarding your previous work (or any notable team members) may be of benefit but only if they really are selling points, otherwise, brevity is preferred.

Shooting Schedule: A detailed plan outlining every expected cost behind each scene of the screenplay, including any props needed, cost of travel to locations, and compensation to crew members. A highly important part of the business plan which you may want to work on with the rest of the team, this will be the foundation of an accurate budget projection.

Production Budget: The shooting schedule total, plus the overall production expenditure of the movie.

Marketing Plan: The movie’s target demographics, how you’re going to get it in front of them, and how much that advertizing will cost, as well as conversion rates between how many people you’re expecting to reach and how many of those will go see the movie/buy the DVD.

Distribution Plan: The costs, profits, and expected reach of physical media sales (and the same for online streaming.) If you have details regarding the profits you’re hoping to make from rights sales, this is the place to add them.

Revenue/Profit Projections: Based on extensive market research (rather than guesswork or comparing your film to something similar that was released back in 1992), here you’ll get the chance to really hook the investor by outlaying expected profits and how much of those they’ll receive.

Letters of Intent: A hugely valued part of the business plan which can really pull an investor. Don’t just stop at crew members; letters of intent from other investors really inspire confidence, and don’t forget to also hit up relevant insurance companies covering the production.

31-365 (Year 8) Accounts

You’ll want to close the package off with your executive summary— one or two pages delving more extensively into why the screenplay is a winner, the talent working on the movie and why the investor would be a fool to miss out (although not in those words, obviously!)

In Conclusion…

Rather than seeing your film business plan as an unavoidable headache, instead see it for what it is, i.e the tool you need to attract funding. Sounds a lot more alluring that way, doesn’t it?

Stay focused and get your film business plan nailed down as a matter of priority. The sooner you do, the sooner you can focus on the task at hand: getting to work on your big idea.

Best of luck!

[su_note]Learn more about the Film School at the New York Film Academy by clicking here .[/su_note]

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Production Company Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Production Company Business Plan

You’ve come to the right place to create your Production Company business plan.

We have helped over 1,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans and many have used them to start or grow their production companies.

Below is a template to help you create each section of your Production Company business plan.

Executive Summary

Business overview.

ABQ Reels Video Production is a startup production company located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The company is founded by Mark Johnson, an entertainment industry veteran who has over 25 years of experience working in video production. Now that Mark has experienced managing a production business, he is ready to start his own company, ABQ Reels Video Production. Mark is confident that his video production skills, combined with his understanding of business management, will enable him to run a profitable production company of his own. Mark is recruiting a team of highly qualified professionals to help manage the day-to-day complexities of video production – sales and marketing, client relationship management, budgeting, financial reporting, and project management.

ABQ Reels Video Production will provide a full suite of production services for small scale video projects in the Albuquerque area. ABQ Reels Video will be the go-to production studio in Albuquerque for its tailored approach and client-first focus. The company will be the ultimate choice for customer service while ensuring the highest quality standards for production in the area.

Product Offering

The following are the services that ABQ Reels Video Production will provide:

  • Content Development
  • Sourcing & Hiring Film Crew
  • Planning & Logistics
  • Post-Production Services

Customer Focus

ABQ Reels Video Production will target businesses and individuals in Albuquerque that are looking for video production services for small-scale projects, commercials, and social media. No matter the customer, ABQ Reels Video Production will deliver the best communication, service, and customized production tailored to fit each project’s needs.

Management Team

ABQ Reels Video Production will be owned and operated by Mark Johnson. Mark is a graduate of New Mexico University with a degree in Film Production. He has over 25 years of experience working in video production, and over ten years as a production manager. Mark will be the company’s Chief Executive Officer and Production Manager. He will oversee the production process, production equipment, and production staff’s activities.

Mark has recruited a business management expert, Emily Martinez, to be the company’s Chief Operating Officer and help oversee the production business operations. Emily will handle the day-to-day operations, including budgeting, client relationships, and logistics.

Mark and Emily have recruited an experienced marketing director, Steve Smith, to become a member of the ABQ Reels Video Production management team. Steve is a graduate of the University of California with a bachelor’s degree in marketing. Mark and Emily rely on Steve’s expertise to execute the company’s marketing plan and advertising strategies.

Success Factors

ABQ Reels Video Production will be able to achieve success by offering the following competitive advantages:

  • Skilled team of production experts and project management professionals who will oversee each project from start to finish and ensure the customers’ needs are met.
  • ABQ Reels Video Production is able to provide production services for a wide range of purposes using the latest production technology.
  • The company is able to leverage the expertise of its leadership team to provide customers with the best possible production services from knowledgeable industry veterans.

Financial Highlights

ABQ Reels Video Production is seeking $800,000 in debt financing to launch its production business. The funding will be dedicated towards securing the production facility and purchasing production equipment and supplies. Funding will also be dedicated towards three months of overhead costs to include payroll of the staff and marketing expenses. The breakout of the funding is below:

  • Facility build-out: $340,000
  • Production equipment, supplies, and materials: $280,000
  • Three months of overhead expenses (payroll, utilities): $160,000
  • Marketing costs: $10,000
  • Working capital: $10,000

The following graph below outlines the pro forma financial projections for ABQ Reels Video Production.

Company Overview

Who is abq reels video production.

ABQ Reels Video Production is a newly established production company in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The company will provide a full suite of production services for small scale video projects in the Albuquerque area. ABQ Reels will be the go-to production studio in Albuquerque for its tailored approach and client-first focus.

The company will be the ultimate choice for customer service while providing the highest quality standards for production in the area. ABQ Reels Video Production will be able to guarantee the highest quality standards for all of its productions thanks to the latest and most innovative production equipment and oversight from industry veterans. The company’s team of highly qualified professionals experienced in production and project management will oversee each project from start to finish.

ABQ Reels Video Production History

ABQ Reels Video Production is owned and operated by Mark Johnson, an entertainment industry veteran who has over 25 years of experience working in video production. Now that Mark has experienced managing a production business, he is ready to start his own company, ABQ Reels Video Production. Mark is confident that his video production skills, combined with his understanding of business management, will enable him to run a profitable production company of his own. Mark is recruiting a team of highly qualified professionals to help manage the day-to-day complexities of video production – sales and marketing, client relationship management, budgeting, financial reporting, and project management.

Since incorporation, ABQ Reels Video Production has achieved the following milestones:

  • Registered ABQ Reels Video Production, LLC to transact business in the state of New Mexico
  • Has identified the ideal facility for lease to set up the business operations
  • Reached out to numerous contacts to include former colleagues, employees, and production assistants to start putting a skilled core team together
  • Began recruiting a staff of accountants, production assistants, and sales personnel to work at ABQ Reels Video Production

ABQ Reels Video Production Services

Industry analysis.

The production industry in the U.S. is a $26B market with approximately 6.3K businesses and over 46K employees nationwide. The outlook for the production market is positive with demand expected to remain steady over the next several years.

The production industry can be categorized by type of production. Some of the most common types of production companies are film production, TV production, commercial production, and post-production. Production companies perform a wide range of services including scripting, casting, hiring, planning, and logistics. Some production companies handle large-scale projects like major motion pictures, while others specialize in small-scale projects like commercials.

Some of the most significant demand drivers are the growing popularity of streaming content, consumer preferences for viewing on smartphones, and social media influence. All of these factors have contributed to increased demand for content, which leads to increased demand for production services.

Customer Analysis

Demographic profile of target market.

ABQ Reels Video Production will target businesses and individuals in Albuquerque that are looking for video production services for small-scale projects such as video for commercials and social media.

The precise demographics for Albuquerque, New Mexico are:

Customer Segmentation

ABQ Reels Video will primarily target the following customer profiles:

  • Small Businesses in Albuquerque in need of commercial production services
  • Mid-Sized Businesses in Albuquerque in need of commercial production services
  • Individuals and groups of people in Albuquerque who need video production services for small personal or professional projects

Competitive Analysis

Direct and indirect competitors.

ABQ Reels Video Production will face competition from other companies with similar business profiles. A description of each competitor company is below.

VIEWR 1st Video Production

VIEWR 1st Video Production is one of the largest commercial production companies in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The company provides a variety of production services including content development, logistics, and film crew recruitment. VIEWR 1st Video Production specializes in creating commercials for local businesses to use in their advertising campaigns. VIEWR 1st Video Production aims to deliver high quality production through the latest production equipment and experienced crew. VIEWR 1st Video Production’s team of production professionals are well-known in the area for their outstanding commercial work.

Albuquerque’s Best Productions

Albuquerque’s Best Productions is a small production company established in 2005 that caters to local businesses and residents in Albuquerque, New Mexico and surrounding areas. Albuquerque’s Best Productions provides pre-to-post-production services for projects of various sizes and purposes. The company also provides tours of the production facility to local residents, businesses, and schools for a nominal fee. The owners of Albuquerque’s Best Production are former production assistants of some of the biggest production companies in the nation so they understand the production process from start to finish.

SPESHAL EFFEX

SPESHAL EFFEX is a trusted Albuquerque, New Mexico-based production company that provides superior production services to clients in Albuquerque and the surrounding areas. Established in 2018, the company is able to provide a wide variety of production services using its state-of-the-art production equipment. SPESHAL EFFEX serves local business owners, students, and individuals on small-to-large scale video projects. The company prides itself on being the number one choice for innovative special effects used in all of its videos.

Competitive Advantage

ABQ Reels Video Production will be able to offer the following advantages over their competition:

Marketing Plan

Brand & value proposition.

ABQ Reels Video Production will offer the unique value proposition to its clientele:

  • The company is able to leverage the expertise of its leadership team to provide customers with the best possible production process from knowledgeable industry veterans and project management professionals.

Promotions Strategy

The promotions strategy for ABQ Reels Video Production is as follows:

Social Media Marketing

The company’s marketing director will create accounts on social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube. He will ensure ABQ Reels Video Production maintains an active social media presence with regular updates and fun content to get customers excited about production.

Professional Associations and Networking

ABQ Reels Video Production will become a member of professional associations such as the American Production Company Association, Albuquerque Video Production Society, and the New Mexico Video Production Association. The leadership team will focus their networking efforts on expanding the company’s vendor and client network.

Print Advertising

ABQ Reels Video Production will invest in professionally designed print ads to display in programs or flyers at industry networking events. The company will also send direct mailers to local businesses who are in the target market.

Website/SEO Marketing

ABQ Reels Video Production will utilize the in-house marketing director that designed the print ads to also design the company website. The website will be well organized, informative, and list all the services that ABQ Reels Video is able to provide. The website will also list information on the company’s events and client success stories.

The marketing director will also manage ABQ Reels Video’s website presence with SEO marketing tactics so that when someone types in a search engine “Albuquerque production company” or “video production near me”, ABQ Reels Video Production will be listed at the top of the search results.

The pricing of ABQ Reels Video Production will be moderate and on par with competitors so customers feel they receive value when purchasing the company’s production services.

Operations Plan

The following will be the operations plan for ABQ Reels Video Production.

Operation Functions:

  • Mark Johnson will be the CEO and Production Manager of the company. He will oversee the production staff, production process, and the production equipment. Mark has spent the past year recruiting the following staff:
  • Emily Martinez – Chief Operating Officer who will manage the budgeting, vendor and customer relationships, and day-to-day logistics.
  • John Miller – Accountant/Bookkeeper will provide all accounting, tax payments, and monthly financial reporting.
  • Steve Smith – Marketing Director who will oversee all marketing strategies for the company and manage the website, social media, and outreach.

Milestones:

ABQ Reels Video Production will have the following milestones complete in the next six months.

12/1/2022 – Finalize lease on the facility

12/15/2022 – Finalize personnel and staff employment contracts for the ABQ Reels Video Production management team

1/1/2023 – Begin build-out of the facility, purchase equipment, and set up for production

1/15/2023 – Begin networking at industry events and implement the marketing plan

2/15/2032 – Finalize contracts for initial production assistants, sales personnel, and office staff

3/15/2023 – ABQ Reels Video Production officially opens for business and starts taking on projects

Financial Plan

Key revenue & costs.

The revenue drivers for ABQ Reels Video Production are the fees charged to customers in exchange for the company’s production services. When it comes to pricing, the studio will monitor production costs, average prices charged by competitors, and market demand to ensure its prices will generate a healthy profit margin.

The cost drivers will be the overhead costs required in order to staff a production company. The expenses will be the payroll cost, utilities, equipment and supplies, and marketing materials.

Funding Requirements and Use of Funds

Key assumptions.

The following outlines the key assumptions required in order to achieve the revenue and cost numbers in the financials and in order to pay off the startup business loan.

  • Average number of minutes produced per month: 12,000
  • Average fees per month: $36,000
  • Overhead costs per year: $840,000

Financial Projections

Income statement, balance sheet, cash flow statement, production company business plan faqs, what is a production company business plan.

A production company business plan is a plan to start and/or grow your production company business. Among other things, it outlines your business concept, identifies your target customers, presents your marketing plan and details your financial projections.

You can easily complete your production company business plan using our Production Company Business Plan Template here .

What are the Main Types of Production Companies?

There are a number of different kinds of music companies , some examples include: Feature Film Production, Commercial Production, Post Production, and Niche Production Company.

How Do You Get Funding for Your Production Company Business Plan?

Production companies are often funded through small business loans. Personal savings, credit card financing and angel investors are also popular forms of funding. This is true for a business plan for a film production company  or a film production company business plan.

What are the Steps To Start a Production Company?

Starting a production company  can be an exciting endeavor. Having a clear roadmap of the steps to start a business will help you stay focused on your goals and get started faster.

1. Develop A Video Production Business Plan - The first step in starting a business is to create a detailed video production company business plan that outlines all aspects of the venture. This should include potential market size and target customers, the services or products you will offer, pricing strategies and a detailed financial forecast.  

2. Choose Your Legal Structure - It's important to select an appropriate legal entity for your production company . This could be a limited liability company (LLC), corporation, partnership, or sole proprietorship. Each type has its own benefits and drawbacks so it’s important to do research and choose wisely so that your production company  is in compliance with local laws.

3. Register Your Production Company   - Once you have chosen a legal structure, the next step is to register your production company  with the government or state where you’re operating from. This includes obtaining licenses and permits as required by federal, state, and local laws. 

4. Identify Financing Options - It’s likely that you’ll need some capital to start your production company , so take some time to identify what financing options are available such as bank loans, investor funding, grants, or crowdfunding platforms. 

5. Choose a Location - Whether you plan on operating out of a physical location or not, you should always have an idea of where you’ll be based should it become necessary in the future as well as what kind of space would be suitable for your operations. 

6. Hire Employees - There are several ways to find qualified employees including job boards like LinkedIn or Indeed as well as hiring agencies if needed – depending on what type of employees you need it might also be more effective to reach out directly through networking events. 

7. Acquire Necessary Production Company Equipment & Supplies - In order to start your production company , you'll need to purchase all of the necessary equipment and supplies to run a successful operation. 

8. Market & Promote Your Business - Once you have all the necessary pieces in place, it’s time to start promoting and marketing your production company . This includes creating a website, utilizing social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter, and having an effective Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy. You should also consider traditional marketing techniques such as radio or print advertising.

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Film Business Plan Sample

Published Aug.12, 2015

Updated Apr.22, 2024

By: Jakub Babkins

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Film Business Plan Sample

Table of Content

The entrepreneur who owns a film production company has likely been through the film company business plan development process at least once. However, this particular type of business is a bit different than most other businesses because each film project is likely to need investors. That means a unique film business plan is required each time a new film is produced.

Designing a Successful Film Business Plan

Needless to say the production company owner has a lot riding on the quality of the film business plan. Investors interested in funding films do so only when a best bussiness plan contains the elements of a successful film production, like a well-written script, experienced crew members, and good starring talent

The film industry is very competitive, meaning potential investors expect the producer to have a detailed production, marketing, and distribution plan, among other success factors. Investors will look for:

• Product: Tested script – The script is a crucial component of the final product – the film. It should be read multiple times by a variety of people, including actors and producers, to test interest and quality, and to get an assessment as to whether the anticipated costs match the complexity of the script.

• Shooting schedule – The shooting schedule not only influences the film budget, it impacts the timeframe investors can expect to get a return on their investment.

• Distribution plan – This section describes the process used to distribute the film and how distribution rights are designed. There are many possible distribution channels today, including pay-per-view, big-screen theaters, cable companies, DVD, and others.

• Marketing plan – It takes careful and inspired marketing to target the population segment most likely to appreciate the film. In this case, marketing will address how the film compares to other films of the same genre, the advertising and marketing strategies developed, the cost of marketing, and so on.

• Financial plan – The financial plan includes the cost of producing the film, but the entrepreneur must find a way to project revenues. One strategy is to determine the amount of sales made through distribution rights. Another business strategy services is to review what similar films generated in revenue. Resources like Box Office Mojo and Hollywood Reporter provide data concerning box office grosses.

Specific to the Industry

The film marketing plan includes the standard sections like the Executive Summary, Company Description, Management Summary, Operations Plan, Marketing Plan, and Financial Plan. However, it also needs to include the information specific to the film industry, like the film summary and film industry overview.

There are many investors willing to fund new creative entrepreneurs, if the film package is based on a film company business plan . Contact OGS Capital for assistance with development of the film business plan that can be used to apply for private investments, loans or grants, and crowdfunding. The business consultants at OGS Capital have the expertise needed to prepare a high-quality film package and a network of investor contacts. Fill in the short online contact form to get started.

Download Film Business Plan Sample in pdf

OGScapital staff also specialize in compiling such as pet photography business plan , record label business plan , photography company business plan , art gallery business plan , wedding photography business plan , video production business plan , etc.

OGSCapital’s team has assisted thousands of entrepreneurs with top-rate business plan development, consultancy and analysis. They’ve helped thousands of SME owners secure more than $1.5 billion in funding, and they can do the same for you.

example of film production business plan

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Sample Film & Video Production Business Plan

  • September 27, 2022

FILM / VIDEO PRODUCTION COMPANY BUSINESS PLAN SAMPLE

A film company is basically in three types: development, production, and distribution. Generally, films cannot be produced without any sort of partnership between any two or more of these various types of film companies.

How far you will go in the film industry will largely be dependent upon your personal abilities, experience in the industry, networking relationships, and a host of other things.

In this article, I would love to share with you a number of steps you must have to take in starting your film company.

  • Research on the Industry

This is the very first step you will have to take in starting your film company. First and foremost, you must carry out a very detailed research on the film industry and decide upon which area you will want to put your talents into use to best see results.

Research on the local film companies in your area, and see what they are doing, and how they are doing it. Pay special attention to the things they are doing well and the things they not doing well. This will help you see areas in the industry where you can take real advantage of.

It will be very helpful if you have some sort of experience in the film industry. If you do not have some level of experience, ensure you get a few years experience in the area you would love to focus on. The bottom line is; you should do everything within your means to learn everything you can about the film industry. This will afford you lots of success in starting your film company.

  • Register your Business

Now, you must get set to go register your film company. Select a good business name and head to the local authorities responsible for business registration in your country, state or area. Make sure to be creative with your business name because this will be your brand name and what you will be identified with.

Most film companies operate as a Limited Liability Company (LLC); you may also want to adopt this business type.

Ensure you have an attorney to help you with all the legal startup processes and subsequent legal processes in the course of managing your film company.

  • Source for Financing

Managing a film company will require finance. You must be able to determine the source of securing finance for your film company. Most filmmakers secure funds for their film company through advances from credit card cash; others secure finance from family, friends, and associates.

If you will be thinking in the line of securing finance from prospective investors, and the bank; then you must be prepared to write a very good business plan for your film company, partnered with good experience in the industry.

  • Hire a Team and Contractors

In running your film company, you will need to set up a team, and hire contractors. Each film production is an entire business on its own, after which, the contractors move on to other works. You will spend your resources organising a team of staffs, producers and contractors to handle each film production.

Usually, film companies do not have permanent offices; office spaces are rented for the period of time the production will go on.

You will require setting up secretariat staffs and office assistants to facilitate the proper operation of your film company. Most film companies require the services of the following 4 key employees: head of development, head of production, head of post-production, and head of film sales and distribution.

  • Set up an Office and get Equipment

In operating your film company, you will not necessarily require a permanent office space for doing your production.

All you need is a temporary office for every single film production. Most of your time will be spent on networking; meeting with stars, producers, directors, investors; and seeking for new projects.

You will also have to secure good and functioning equipment for your film production. You may not necessarily need more than a phone, a computer, and some other equipment when it comes to running your film company.

  • Write a good Business Plan for your Film Company

Nothing will guarantee you more success in running your film making company other than a solidly written film business plan. There are several film company types: development, production, and distribution are all the various types you could focus on.

Once you have decided upon the business type, and the film company type you would want to operate in the film industry, make sure you put everything down in a good movie production business plan.

In your business plan, make sure you detail the source of financing your film company, and also make sure you have a distribution plan detailed in your movie making business plan.

  • Promote your brand

A big part of the success of your film company will result from networking and promoting your brand. There is never a thing as talking too much about your film company and your projects. Keep spreading the word out there. Get it out to as much people as you can.

Develop a website for your film company and encourage people to visit it. Go public on radio, television, newspapers, entertainment magazines, and social media. Have a handy business card and make sure to give it out always, whenever and wherever you meet people. Attend seminars and events and seize the opportunity to talk to producers, directors, and star actors about your film company.

FILM / VIDEO PRODUCTION BUSINESS PLAN EXAMPLE

Here is a sample business plan for starting a video and movie production company.

BUSINESS NAME:  Sun Light Film and Video Production Company.

Executive Summary

Our Products and Services

Vision Statement

Mission Statement

Business Structure

  • Market Analysis

Sales and Marketing Strategy

  • Financial Plan

Sales Forecast

Sun Light Film and Video Production Company is a Film and Video Production company that has fully been registered and licensed to operate in New York, United States of America. We have made sure to provide the necessary equipment and facility so as to make our Film and Video Production Company a standard business that will be able to compete with the top businesses in the industry in the whole of the United States of America.

Launching this business would require huge capital from the owner and investors. So far, the owner, Ademola Williams, has been able to raise a major part of the startup capital. The other part will be generated from his business partners and investors, and also from the owner’s bank.

As regards our products and services offering, we will not leave any stone unturned. Sun Light Film and Video Production Company will be built to be very competitive in the industry.

We will nurture our business so as to be able to fully compete with the top Film and Video Production companies in the whole of the United States of America. The following are the products and services we will be offering to our customers:

  • Comedy films
  • Action Films
  • Adventure Films
  • Drama Films
  • Musical Videos
  • Suspense / Thrillers Films
  • Commercials and Advertisement
  • Documentaries
  • Production of Film and Video Programming
  • Sales of Films and Videos Production Equipment

Our vision is very simple, and we will do our best to achieve it. Our vision in the Film and Production industry is to become the number one Film and Video Production Company in all of New York, and to be rated as among the top 10 Film and Video Production Companies in the whole of the United States of America.

Our mission in the Film and Video Production industry is to build and nurture a brand that will not only be known for being standard, but will also be known for delivering very quality and standard movies which all consumers will be able to appreciate not only in the United States of America but also around various parts of the world.

To a great extent, how successful a business would be largely depends on the business structure of the business and also on the quality possessed by the individuals occupying the various roles in the organization.

Sun Light Film and Video Production Company will be a business that will be occupied by very qualified, honest, and competent individuals.

The following are the various roles which will be occupied by the individuals who fulfil our criteria:

  • Chief Executive Officer (CEO and owner)
  • Studio Manager
  • Legal Secretary
  • Film Producer
  • Admin and HR Manager
  • Recording Engineer
  • Sales and Marketing Manager
  • Front Desk Officers
  • Cashier / Accountant

Market Analysis Market Trends

One interesting trend in the Film and Video industry is the viewing of online videos. Statistics has it that hundreds of millions of Americans view online video contents on average daily. This figure is increasing for each day annually, and going forward, this trend will only continue.

Target Market

Having done our research thoroughly, we have come up with the following as the groups making up our target market:

  • Households and families
  • Advertising Agencies
  • Corporate Organizations
  • TV Stations and Radio stations
  • Children, Adolescents and adults

We well know what we want in the industry, and we will do well to accomplish our goal in the industry. In the light of this, we will make sure to recruit our sales and marketing team based on qualification and experience.

Also, we have been able to consult sales and marketing experts, and with their help, we have been able to come up with the following sales and marketing strategies on how to go about promoting our business:

  • First, we will begin by making sure we give out our business introductory letters, as well as print and share our fliers so as to be able to create the awareness about Sun Light Film and Video Production Company.
  • Also, we will make sure to place adverts of our Film and Video Production business on relevant magazines, newspapers, radio and TV stations, et al.
  • We will endeavour to place adverts as well on social media sites such Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
  • We will treat our employees and customers nicely and encourage them to spread the word out about our business.
  • We will engage in direct marketing to promote our business.
  • We will make sure to devise employee and customer loyalty package.

Financial Plan Source of Startup Capital

It will cost us a total of $1,000,000 to fully launch our Film and Video Production Company in New York. This amount covers all of our initial expenses including cost of equipment and salary of employees for the first three months.

So far, Ademola Williams have been able to raise $600,000 from his investment and the sales of some of his assets. $200,000 will be contributed by his business partners and investors, while the other part will be sourced from the bank.

First Fiscal Year $1,000,000 Second Fiscal Year $1,750,000 Third Fiscal Year $2,000,000

Above is the sales projection for Sun Light Film and Video Production Company, which has been obtained from available statistical data in the industry. This sales forecast will help us with a concrete guide upon which our annual sales revenue will be checked against.

Above is a very simple and easy-to-use Film and Video Production business plan sample bearing the business name ‘Sun Light Film and Video Production Company’. The business will be owned and run by Ademola Williams, alongside his business partners and investors.

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Orange County pushes film incentives plan forward

ORLANDO, Fla. — Orange County leaders are moving forward with a plan to create incentives for filming and producing movies in central Florida.

On Tuesday, the board of commissioners voted unanimously to bring experts together to make recommendations on what these film production tax incentives could look like.

What You Need To Know

On tuesday, orange county commissioners voted unanimously to bring experts together to make recommendations on what film production tax incentives could look like the film production community called the commission’s decision a game changer that could help create jobs, promote local businesses and hotel stays there’s already filming locations in orange county ready to go for potential productions.

Film Florida Executive Director John Lux will be one of the one of the members of the workgroup, collaborating with Orange County on this proposed plan.

He says since 2016, when the last statewide film incentive program ended, Florida has lost more than 100 major feature film and television series that would’ve brought more than $2 billion to local economies. He says about $150 million would have been in Orange County.

“There has been a lot of loss and a lot of struggles for people that work in the industry over the last decade,” said Lux. “We’re really excited the county commission has taken this first step to seriously consider proposals.”

The film production community called the commission’s decision a game changer that could help create jobs, promote local businesses and hotel stays.

“It’s very exciting,” said Kimberly DiPersia, artistic director for All The Lines Studio and Incubator LLC in Orlando. “I really hope that they continue forward with it. If we get a film incentive that encourages us to get these films produced and we have local crew and talent that we can tap into, that creates employment right away.”

In addition to producing films, DiPersia’s studio develops screenwriters, actors, and directors through workshops. They also hold events to stage readings of original screenplays written by local writers.

DiPersia, who has worked to produce films for Netflix, Amazon and Showtime, says many artists and crew currently travel out of state for other jobs. She says the potential incentives can help keep them in the community.

“It creates opportunities for them to be here, to devote themselves to the industry, gain more experience,” she said.

There’s already filming locations in Orange County ready to go for potential productions.

Tucked away inside the Oviedo Mall, Studio Lot Orlando offers pre-made sets like classrooms, hospital rooms, bars or police departments.

Co-owner Justine Renee says she recently worked on a TV series with a $100,000 budget, which she says is still “low budget.” She hopes that film incentives would bring even higher budget productions into town.

“Just like Disney came in years and years ago (...) Well, the film industry can come in and enhance the economy even more,” said Renee. “That cast and that crew needs to eat. They need a place to stay.”

Renee also says filming in Florida offers unique opportunities for productions.

“Orlando gives a beautiful look for film and TV that L.A. and a lot of other places don’t have to offer,” she said. “We have so much greenery, which is so vibrant. I think it’s a really cool place, and it could even look like a lot of countries.”

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China Film Pavilion Returns to Cannes to Showcase Excellence of Country’s Movie Business

For its third year, China Film Co-Production Corporation brought together the Chinese film community and international industry leaders through events and conversations

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China Film Pavillion at Cannes

Under the guidance and support of the China Film Administration, China Film Pavilion, which is organized by China Film Co-Production Corporation (CFCC), once again promoted exchanges and cooperation between the Chinese film community and their international counterparts at the 77th Cannes International Film Festival, which opened May 14 and runs through May 25. 

Popular on Variety

“Since 2022, when China Film Pavilion was first set up, the number of foreign visitors interested in Chinese films has been increasing by year,” said a China Film Pavilion staff member. “New released blockbusters, actions and comedies as well as animations all attracted attention.” 

Among the films presented at the booth were “Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants,” “Chang An” and “Creation of the Gods Ⅰ: Kingdom of Storms” — all of which exemplify the allure of traditional Chinese culture. 

“We hope to promote exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and foreign film industries through China Film Pavilion and help Chinese films go global,” a CFCC spokesperson said. “Through the pavilion, and film as a medium, mutual understanding between Chinese and foreign filmmakers can be deepened to further foster communication and cooperation for mutual development. China Film Pavilion will continue to explore a broader platform for Chinese and foreign film exchanges.” 

In 2023, a total of 971 films were produced nationwide in China, including 792 feature films, and China’s mainland hit box office of RMB 55 billion (approximately $7.6 billion) with admissions of 1.3 billion, making China the world’s second-largest film market. In 2024, the Chinese film market has shown consistently strong momentum. Influenced by various factors such as quality content, continuous market expansion and robust audience support, the box office for the New Year, Spring Festival and Qingming Festival have all hit new heights. As of May 5, China’s 2024 box office was approximately $2.8 billion, accounting for 35% of the global box office, temporarily ranking first in the world. The flourishing Chinese market has also sparked the interest of international filmmakers.  

On May 15, the “Roundtable: How China’s Film Industry Cooperates with International Community” event, about envisioning new directions and futures for international film cooperation, took place at the China Pavilion in the international village. Filmmakers from China and abroad discussed fostering international film cooperation and envisioned the future with an international perspective. Mao Yu, executive deputy director general of China Film Administration, attended the event, shared China’s film practices and achievements in recent years and engaged in discussions with guests. Actor Huang Bo, vice chairman of the China Film Association, and actor Fei Xiang also attended the event. 

Later during the festival, the pavilion will host several special events such as film promotion activities for the documentary “Kangxi and Louis XIV,” a Chinese French co-production, and “Fade Away Pastoral,” a film about the migration of pastoralists in Xinjiang, China. In addition, this year’s “Blue Book of Film: Global Film Industry Development Report” will be unveiled. 

The pavilion will also host China Film Foundation’s “China’s New Talents Going Global Program” series events, including “Dialogue: Infinite Possibilities of Films,” “Roundtable: The Pathway from Short Film to Feature Film” and “Panel Discussion: The Voice and Perseverance of Female Filmmakers,” etc. 

“We were eager to share all these wonderful films with audiences worldwide,” an exhibitor said. “At the booth, we fully experienced the expectations of foreign buyers for Chinese films and felt their eagerness to cooperate with Chinese filmmakers. The pavilion also bridged us with our overseas counterparts and enables us to embrace more business and cooperation opportunities.”

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  6. FREE 11+ Sample Film Business Plan Templates in MS Word

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  4. How to Start a Music Production Business

  5. Start writing your business plan by describing what your business plans to do and why

  6. How to create a business plan

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  1. Film Production Company Business Plan: The Complete Guide

    Film Production Company Business Plan: The Complete Guide. Matt Crawford 4. The process of film production is a long and arduous one. It starts with the writing stage, where screenplays are written by a writer or multiple writers. The screenplay typically has at least three acts that have to be edited for pacing and story development purposes.

  2. How to Write a Film Business Plan in 2024 (+ Examples)

    7) Short film proposal. Concisely convey your short film's narrative, style, and impact to capture the interest of festivals and financiers. Make yours with AI. Open in new window. Market focus: Targets film enthusiasts, festivals, and digital platforms looking for innovative, concise storytelling.

  3. How To Make A Film Business Plan: A Comprehensive Guide

    A film business plan is a comprehensive document outlining a film project's vision, strategy, and financial projections. It serves as a roadmap for the film's production, marketing, and distribution while providing potential investors with an overview of the project's possible return on investment.

  4. How to Write a 4-Part Film Business Plan That Gets You Funding

    A logline might be better. Make sure your logline is written with your target market in mind. Remember: The money and resources for your film will come from a subset of your target market. You want people in your target market to respond, "wow, it's like this short film is being made just for me!".

  5. Free Video Production Company Business Plan [Template]

    We provide a free business plan template below and will walk you through it. Step by step. Production Company Business Plan. The Executive Summary. Perform a Video Company Self Assessment. How to Get Started. Financing a Video Production Company. Marketing Plan. Day to Day Operations.

  6. Film and Video Production Business Plan [Sample Template]

    Additional Expenditure (Business cards, Signage, Adverts and Promotions et al) - $2,500. Miscellaneous - $20,000. Going by the report from the research and feasibility studies, we will need about $1 million to set up a medium scale but standard film and video production company in the United States of America.

  7. Film Business Plan: The Minimalist Guide

    User-Friendly: Movie Plan Pro is designed to be intuitive and easy to use, ensuring that filmmakers can finish the plan fast. Comprehensive: It covers every aspect of a professional film business plan. Proven Success: Backed by Tom's track record of securing film financing, users can access tried-and-tested tactics.

  8. Write Your Film Business Plan

    Our Film Business Plan Template is professionally formatted and includes all the key business plan sections, with dozens of real-world examples in each. Our business plan was created by film investors and top industry producers, with the specific goal of helping filmmakers find film investors and secure funding.

  9. Film Business Plan Template [Updated 2024]

    Marketing Plan. Traditionally, a marketing plan includes the four P's: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. For a film business plan, your marketing strategy should include the following: Product: In the product section, you should reiterate the type of film company that you documented in your company overview.

  10. Video Production Business Plan Example

    4.1.5 Strategic Alliances. The company plans to form strategic alliances with clients who require a freelancer to cover various events for them. Michael's Video Service will also develop strategic alliances with video production companies and work with them as a sub-contractor.

  11. How to write a business plan for a film production company?

    The executive summary, the first section of your film production company's business plan, serves as an inviting snapshot of your entire plan, leaving readers eager to know more about your business. To compose an effective executive summary, start with a concise introduction of your business, covering its name, concept, location, history, and ...

  12. Production Company Business Plan: Guide & Template (2024)

    This is the standard production company business plan outline, which will cover all important sections that you should include in your business plan. Executive summary. Market Validation. Objectives. Short-Term (1 -3 Years) Long Term (3-5 years) Mission statement. Unique Selling Proposition.

  13. How to write a business plan for a video production company?

    A business plan has 2 main parts: a financial forecast outlining the funding requirements of your video production company and the expected growth, profits and cash flows for the next 3 to 5 years; and a written part which gives the reader the information needed to decide if they believe the forecast is achievable.

  14. Video Production Business Plan Template + Example

    2. Remember it's just an example. Our sample business plans are examples of what one business owner did. That doesn't make them perfect or require you to cram your business idea to fit the plan structure. Use the information, financials, and formatting for inspiration. It will speed up and guide the plan writing process. 3.

  15. How to Start a Film Production Business

    Figuring out who you want to be as a production company early on will help as you create your business plan and start marketing your business. 2. Choose the Name for Your Film Production Business. The next step to starting a film company is to choose a production company name.

  16. Production Company Business Plan Template [Updated 2024]

    Traditionally, a marketing plan includes the four P's: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. For a production company business plan, your marketing strategy should include the following: Product: In the product section, you should reiterate the type of production company that you documented in your company overview.

  17. Film & Television Business Plans

    If you have a knack for filming, graphics, and editing you may be interested in opening your own film and television production company. Check out our assortment of sample plans to turn your talent into a successful business. Explore our library of Film & Television Business Plan Templates and find inspiration for your own business.

  18. Writing a Film Business Plan: What Should I Include?

    A highly important part of the business plan which you may want to work on with the rest of the team, this will be the foundation of an accurate budget projection. Production Budget: The shooting schedule total, plus the overall production expenditure of the movie. Marketing Plan: The movie's target demographics, how you're going to get it ...

  19. Production Company Business Plan Template (2024)

    The production industry in the U.S. is a $26B market with approximately 6.3K businesses and over 46K employees nationwide. The outlook for the production market is positive with demand expected to remain steady over the next several years. The production industry can be categorized by type of production.

  20. Film Business Plan Sample [2024]

    The business consultants at OGS Capital have the expertise needed to prepare a high-quality film package and a network of investor contacts. Fill in the short online contact form to get started. Download Film Business Plan Sample in pdf. OGScapital staff also specialize in compiling such as pet photography business plan, record label business ...

  21. Sample Film & Video Production Business Plan

    Conclusion. Above is a very simple and easy-to-use Film and Video Production business plan sample bearing the business name 'Sun Light Film and Video Production Company'. The business will be owned and run by Ademola Williams, alongside his business partners and investors. How far you will go in the film industry will largely be dependent ...

  22. 14+ SAMPLE Film Production Plan in PDF

    Phase 1 Development: A film must first go through this stage before it can begin production. The development, scripting, arranging, and planning of film production are all part of this phase. The budget must be determined, the cast must audition, the setting must be determined, and various scripts must be created.

  23. Orange County pushes film incentives plan forward

    UPDATED 7:46 PM ET May. 08, 2024. ORLANDO, Fla. — Orange County leaders are moving forward with a plan to create incentives for filming and producing movies in central Florida. On Tuesday, the ...

  24. China Film Pavilion Returns to Cannes to Share Country's Movie Business

    China Film Pavilion Returns to Cannes to Showcase Excellence of Country's Movie Business. For its third year, China Film Co-Production Corporation brought together the Chinese film community and ...