Customer Reviews

Getting the Money: A Step-By-Step Guide for Writing Business Plans for Film

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Although there's one or two good books in the market in regards to hardcore fundraising, "Getting The Money" is in a universe of it's own.

The fluff is kept to a minimal, and, conversely, hard facts, tools, and graphs are the focus of this unusual well of information. This

book is not for the half-hearted/half-committed film school grad, but film-makers who want to see their vision as well as their careers

jump to life. In short, I'm ecstatic about this book and consider this a major breakthrough in this ever-evolving and capital driven industry.

Every filmmaker dreams of getting the money to make their film- so naturally "Getting the money" makes for a very exciting book title. However the book's real power lies in its sub-title: this is a fantastic 'how to' guide for film business plans (a crucial part of financing an indie film). However if you're looking for a wider education on ways to get your movie rolling (such as how to get financing and stars involved in your film) I'd recommend a book more like "First-Time Filmmaker F*#^-ups: Navigating the Pitfalls to Making a Great Movie" it covers a lot of ground new filmmakers will find invaluable in that department and works great on also giving you ideas on how to really use your business plan:

First-Time Filmmaker F*#^-ups: Navigating the Pitfalls to Making a Great Movie

I could not imagine tackling the subject matter of this book without this book! Getting the Money steps through what you need to do as a producer to draft a document that gives you a fighting chance of financing your project. You are told exactly what to do, exactly how to do it, and in many cases where to go for the information. Woe to the filmmaker who tries to figure it out on their own. A great value. Well worth it.

Getting the Money will surely become the de facto starting point in every aspiring filmmaker's quest for money. The book is exactly what the subtitle says it is: A step-by-step guide for writing business plans for film. I particularly liked the structure of the book, where the basics and essentials are given to you up front, with more complex items and reasoning in one of the appendices (the other appendix contains a detailed and completed plan - one of three!). Do not pass go, go directly to your Amazon Bookstore!

I've read "Getting the Money" and spoken with the author and I'd thoroughly recommend this book to anyone and everyone who is embarking on the movie making journey and needs to raise the capital. This is THE book to own!

I am in the process of writing a proposal for a documentary film and thought this book might offer some insight. I found little in the book to be useful or insightful. To be blunt, it's a piece of junk. Nothing in the book is creative or insightful. In fact, the author essentially says as much many times - suggesting that you put a table in your proposal that shows the past success of previous works that are similar to yours - but goes on to say that 'we' all know this is baloney.

So, if you're writing a book on this subject, why spend so many pages offering advice on how to create a document that is largely baloney? Wouldn't a more useful book on the creation of writing a business plan for film have suggestions and offer strategies that AREN'T useless and known to be worthless?

If you're writing a proposal for a film, which is a daunting task, look elsewhere for advice. I would suggest some of the more highly rated books on proposals for business and skip this book.

In essence, no creative strategies are offered here. Just a rehash of previous proposals that the author admits didn't work to procure any funds.

This book is a map of failures offered as a map to success.

I'm not terribly engrossed in the financing of motion pictures, but I have numerous friends who are. I feel very comfortable recommending this book to them for many reasons, not the least of which being that the author has taken the time to provide free financial spreadsheets to aid readers with their plans (whether they buy the book or not). This book clearly comes from someone whose best interest is that the reader completes a high quality plan with a better-than-average chance of raising funds.

J. Hillard

Sherman Oaks, CA

It is no joke when I say

I learned more from this Book than I did in working for 2 years

in a Beverly Hills based International Film-Finance Office!

Jeremy Juuso gets to the meat of the matter and gives nothing but sound usable advice and examples, again and again...

Good simple to understand advice, that you need to hear and remember.

Such as dealings with Financial Projections;

"The more logical and thorough you can be here, the more interest in you an investor will take."

Don't fool yourself that you don't need this information,

because you do.

I would highly recommend this book to any Filmmakers who are truly serious about "GETTING THE MONEY" for their projects!

p.s.

Favorite quote from the Book:

"...obscenity is bad, especially in a business plan."

Xris F.

Umm...it's good. How good? Real good. I had my JD/MBA friend check it out, as he is working with an independent filmmaker and wasn't happy with what he'd seen out there in the how-to market. Even his other MBA associates were useless.

After checking out Mr. Juuso's book, he was off and running. I told him I want a cut of any future earnings for putting him on to the book. I'm not holding my breath.

It's simple. Wanna fund a movie? Get the book.

This is a great book!!!!! Jeremy Juuso has managed to deliver us information on a difficult aspect of filmmaking with a little humor to help it go down easier. Not only is it helpful to the independent filmmaker trying to make his or her way into the world of filmmaking, but also it is extremely helpful to those who are considering putting their money into investing in a film. Filmmakers will be taken through a step-by-step process, not only necessary for the writing of business plans, but necessary for helping them to ask themselves questions that, no doubt, an investor will be asking them later. No one wants to make it into a meeting with an investor and not know their project well enough to answer questions. After reading this, filmmakers will understand their projects more and the industry even better. I think people interested in investing in films should read this book as well, because it will guide them into the reality of what is really going on in the world of filmmaking, what the numbers really mean. Investors reading this book will be better prepared to choose the correct project for them and really be able to gauge if the filmmaker is prepared for the upcoming challenge. Making a film is not an "A plus B" situation, and no one can ever really predict the outcome, but what you can do is make a prediction based on all the elements you have in front of you. This book helps you to do just that. Jeremy Juuso's book is a must read!