Foreword
Despite the near hero worship accorded successful independent film producers and studio executives, not one of them would be able to function without a strong backup team. The myth of the one-person band is just that—a myth. Without the talent and hard work of the lawyers, bankers, accountants, development personnel, and administrative staff—not to mention the literally hundreds of people involved in actually making the films—no independent producer could survive, much less succeed.
To marshal all the disparate talents involved in mounting a major film production, the most important element is a common vision of the ultimate end product. In the same way that directors need a storyboard to communicate their vision of what the film will look like, producers need their own version of a storyboard (that is, a business plan) to explain their objectives, hopes, aspirations, and, yes, even their dreams.
Gone are the days when a business plan was regarded as inappropriate for an artistic endeavor such as producing a film. These days, the risks are too large, the competition too intense, and the sophistication of investors too great to “leave the details until later.” Completion guarantees, discounted cash flows, letters of credit, foreign sales contracts, domestic distribution deals, internal rates of return, gross deals, rolling breaks, third-party participants’ security interest, bank discounting, residuals, and cross-collateralization—all these terms, to name just a few, have become part of the regular vocabulary of today’s independent producers. Without a detailed business plan to coordinate all these elements, it would be virtually impossible to produce a major film. So, dear independent producer, read on …
Jake Eberts has helped develop and finance films that have earned 64 Oscar nominations and received 27 Academy Awards. He also is a partner in Allied Productions East. Among the films on which he has been Producer or Executive Producer are Chariots of Fire, Gandhi, The Killing Fields, Driving Miss Daisy, Dances with Wolves, A River Runs Through It, The Legend of Bagger Vance, The Education of Little Tree, Chicken Run, James and the Giant Peach, Open Range, Journey to Mecca, The Illusionist, and The Last Empress.