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Financing a Micro-Budget Film With a House Party:
A Discussion with Morrie Warshawski

by Jessica Creech

Morrie Warshawski PictureMicroFilmmaker Magazine is dedicated to bringing our community quality resources that make your films better and easier to produce. In this issue we’re talking with writer and consultant, Morrie Warshawski, who has been helping his clients raise money to fund their productions for over 30 years. Given the current economic climate, we feel this is particularly helpful information. Morrie recently took some time to speak with me about two of his books on fundraising. Shaking the Money Tree: How to get Grants and Donations for Film and Video (3rd edition to be released in January 2010), is a complete A to Z guide to the process of fundraising. It discusses topics like finding the money, preparation for asking for money, strategies for reaching various audiences and practical examples of proposals and other tools readers will need.

The second publication we talked about is called The Fundraising House Party: How to Party with a Purpose and Raise Money for Your Cause. This short 58 pg. book explains the concept of a fundraising house party and how to implement it. Morrie Warshawski is convinced of the effectiveness of grass-roots methods like this one. The basic premise of fundraising house parties is to invite a group of friends, colleagues, etc. to an informal home setting where a presentation is made about a project in need of funding. After the presentation, a request is made for money from attendees. Warshawski says this personal approach works. Depending on the budget needed for the project, he says it’s possible to get the entire project funded by a single party or series of them. His book includes samples of invitations, scripts, and other information individuals need to prepare for and execute a successful event.

Q: Morrie, please tell me a bit about yourself and what lead you to write books about fundraising.

Morrie Warshawski PictureA: Well, my background is quite a quilt of experiences. I actually began my career as a poetry teacher. While on break from classes one year, I interned with the National Education Association (NEA) summer program where I was unexpectedly asked to work in the Modern Dance division. Although I had no background in dance, I agreed and ended up developing a deep passion for that art. Through connections I made during that program, I ended up working with the Northwest Media Project, where I learned a lot about media distribution. That opportunity led to working for the Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC) with was and still is the largest public arts training program in the U.S.

While working at BAVC, I was given a lot of responsibility for funding our projects so, by default, I had to become an expert on fundraising. I had people in my office all the time asking questions I didn’t know the answer to, so I had to do the research and find the answers. I actually began writing my books to pass along what I have learned to interested parties because of the great demand for the information.

Q: I see from your resume that you have a lot of experience working with independent film productions. Tell me more about your interest in that art form.

A: I have a real passion for filmmaking. Films are one of the hardest mediums to fund, but I believe the voice of independent filmmakers (Indies) is crucial to maintaining democracy. Their films are essential to the great “conversation”. So much of their work is about important non-commercial topics like social issues, environmental issues and niche interests.

The content in my books can be applied to these non-commercial type projects, but also to commercial ones. Filmmakers with many different agendas will find the information applicable – whether you’re making a quirky feature with a message, a short, a documentary or something else.

Q: What advice do you have for filmmakers who are ready to begin fundraising?

Morrie Warshawski PictureA: When I work with clients, the first thing I help them do is understand why they’re doing what they’re doing. The way to get to that is by creating a mission statement. The mission statement completes the statement ‘I am doing this because…..’ A mission statement gives you backbone or comportment. It’s how you hold yourself up. It guides your mission.

I also want to emphasize that the project isn’t everything. Many filmmakers think it is, but it’s not. Half of the equation is who you are as a filmmaker. Donors and investors have a lot of choices about what to do with their money. Your values, mission statement, and goals for the future will help set you apart and reassure the people funding you that you are a good risk. To really make your best funding effort, you must know EVERYTHING about your project. Why is it needed? How are you going to differentiate it from similar films? What is your distribution plan? Who are you going to ask for money? My books explore all these questions in detail. You’d be surprised how many filmmakers have no idea how to answer them. Finally, you also have to have passion. Without passion, you’ll never get the money.

Q: MicroFilmmaker Magazine helps low-budget filmmakers. What advice or encouragement do you have for them?

A: Microfilmmakers are in the sweet spot right now. They’re nimble, quick and their goals are realizable. Grant applications are slow, but house parties aren’t. By throwing a house party, filmmakers can ask a lot of people for small and modest amounts of money and get their entire film funded. They can also use email campaigns, crowd funding and even tools like Craigslist to solicit funds. These types of avenues allow the filmmaker to find people with the same passion for filmmaking that they have. Microfilmmakers need to get in their niche and develop community there. They need to make the transition to recognizing and cultivating community instead of an audience. That’s where they’ll find their support.

Q: If you had only one piece of advice to give filmmakers who are trying to fund their projects, what would you say?

A: My advice is to raise your level of self awareness. Most people don’t know how they’re perceived by others. They don’t realize that in the first 20 seconds of a conversation, a donor is making a decision on whether or not they will give you money. Filmmakers have no idea what’s going through the other person’s mind. Raising your level of self awareness will not only make you a better fundraiser and filmmaker, but will also help you live a better life.

Well, thanks so much, Morrie, for giving us insight into these great ideas!

To find out more about Morrie's new books, just go to: http://www.mwp.com .

Jessica Creech is a lighting specialist that has worked in numerous elements of video production for over eleven years. Her clients have included the International Olympic Committee, Canadian Broadcasting Corp., NFL, NHL, Rolex Equestrian 3-Day Event, AT&T/Comcast, Lexington Legends Baseball, Hammond Communications Group and others.

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