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The Film Collaborative recently started a fiscal sponsorship program to help filmmakers get access to funds they would not be able to obtain without 501c(3) status.  The program is now fully up and running, headed by Lynnette Gryseels, former Fiscal Sponsorship Director at Film Arts Foundation in San Francisco.  We have been getting lots of questions from interested filmmakers so here are the answers to many of them.  There is also a lot of information available on our website.

What is fiscal sponsorship and how does it benefit artists? 

Fiscal Sponsorship is used primarily when a non-profit film/video project or event wants to secure funding from private, foundation, government or corporate sources that give only to nonprofit organizations with IRS tax-exempt status. To be considered exempt, an organization must hold a current 501(c)(3) certificate from the IRS.

What are the benefits to the filmmaker that they couldn’t do on their own?

Many funding opportunities are not available without tax exempt 501(c)(3) status

What does TFC look for in projects to grant fiscal representation?

Projects must be consistent with the Film Collaborative’s charitable purposes. This means that any project you are proposing must be noncommercial and represent an imaginative contribution to the film or video art form.  Project can NOT be a “work for hire.”  Once that criteria is met, we look for projects that are well thought out and have a good chance of getting funding and being completed.  Prior filmmaking experience is helpful or if you are new, it helps to have a production team of experienced  people; an advisory board with experience mentors is helpful as well and will help make up for a lack of experience with new filmmakers.  A polished proposal is essential.  Send us your best effort following the directions and if your project looks promising, we will help guide you to develop your proposal further.

If I apply, am I guaranteed to get accepted?

No.  The Film Collaborative is not obliged to supply fiscal sponsorship.  We will sponsor projects that are in alignment with the TFC mission and have strong, fundable applications.  When we agree to become your fiscal sponsor, we are allowing you to use the TFC name to show support for your film.  Therefore, we will only approve a project when the proposal is ready to be submitted to funders.

Is it only for US citizens or those operating within the US?

You do not need to live in the United States or be a citizen to apply for fiscal sponsorship.  As long as one of your project’s named project directors has Social Security Number (SSN), Employer Identification Number (EIN), Independent Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) or other type of IRS registration.  See the IRS for more information on obtaining the correct tax registration for non-residents.

Does one have to be a member of TFC to apply?

Yes. Applicants need to be a TFC member at the minimum Contributor level.  See http://www.thefilmcollaborative.org/join.html to sign up.

How does one qualify?

To qualify, you must have

-A film project; documentary, narrative or short in any stage of production;

-You must  join the Film Collaborative at the Contributor level or higher;

-Your project must be consistent with the Film Collaborative charitable purposes, is noncommercial and/or educational and represents an imaginative contribution to the film or video art form;

-The project may not be “work for hire”;

-You must be seeking donations in the form of grants from public agencies, foundations, corporations, or individual donors including fundraising benefits.

What is the submission process?

1.         Join The Film Collaborative;

2.         Pay the $35 fiscal sponsorship application fee;

3.         Fill out and submit the online application form, and upload a PDF of your project proposal.

The application you submit to the Film Collaborative will also serve as a blueprint that you will use to secure funding by applying for grants or present to prospective contributors.  Our goal is to help you build the best possible proposal in order to go forward and successfully raise the necessary funds to realize your project.  Therefore, we accept projects with proposals that are ready to go.

What is the submission deadline?

There are no submission deadlines.  Applications are open.

After I receive backing from TFC, what happens?

Once accepted, we will send you a copy of the Fiscal Sponsorship contract, a W9 form, a welcome package which includes a fiscal sponsorship support letter, tax ID number, a copy of your signed contract and information on how to set up online donations.  Donors to your project can contribute online using a credit card or write checks to the Film Collaborative.  Donations will be disbursed at the end of each month.

Once your project is accepted you can now apply for funds from public agencies, foundations, corporations, or individual donors.  TFC will provide you with the necessary documentation to show that your project is fiscally sponsored.

Can I apply to the NEA, NEH, NSF or other government agencies?

The Film Collaborative cannot submit applications on filmmakers’ behalf to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and National Science Foundation (NSF).  Ask us about all other government agencies.

What are the administrative fees involved and what do they pay for?

Applicants must join the TFC and pay a $35 non-refundable application fee.  After that TFC takes 5% of funds donated to your project.  These fees pay for overhead such as staff time processing applications and donations.

Is there a reporting process?

Yes.  You must report to TFC twice a year on all funds received for your project, monies spent and any significant budget changes.  Failure to comply with the reporting process will result in project termination.

Does TFC provide advice on contacting donors and soliciting funding?

We can provide some advice and answer questions.   You are responsible for applying for your own funds and sourcing your own donors.

Is there a difference between this service and others like Fractured Atlas?

Yes.  TFC only sponsors film projects, Fractured Atlas sponsors many other types of projects in addition to film.  The 5% TFC fee is the lowest of any known film project fiscal sponsor.

How long does the fiscal sponsorship stay active?

Your fiscal sponsorship will remain active as long as your reports to the TFC are up to date and you are still working on your film.  Projects that fall behind on reports will be terminated and will require a fee to reinstate.  Any funds donated to a dormant or terminated project cannot be dispersed until the project reporting is brought up to date.

Is the TFC fiscal sponsorship program exclusive?

Yes and no.  Your project can have another fiscal sponsor that is not a film project fiscal sponsor, for example, a community organization or something related to your project is fine.

Can name changes or change of control happen under the sponsorship?

Yes, on a case by case basis, depending on the change required.  Please ask.

Can I change my project or have more than one project entered into the program?

Depending on the nature of the change it may be considered a new project.  Multiple projects by one filmmaker are possible.

What is your background with fiscal sponsorship/grant funding applications?

The TFC fiscal sponsorship program is headed by the former director of fiscal sponsorship at the Film Arts Foundation in San Francisco.  We are used to reviewing proposals, have relationships with funders and can advise you on creating an attractive funding application.

 

Lynnette Gryseels

Lynnette is passionate about film and helping filmmakers tell thought-provoking stories that entertain, assist social change and support their filmmaking aspirations. She has over 15 years experience working with independent filmmakers, non-profit film organizations and several local and international film festivals. She has previously assisted filmmakers in learning their craft through educational program development and project development support. At Film Arts Foundation in San Francisco Lynnette headed the Fiscal Sponsorship and Grants Program, one of the oldest fiscal sponsorship programs in the country. She brings a depth of knowledge from this experience to her role as head of TFC’s fiscal sponsorship program.

 

July 3rd, 2012

Posted In: fiscal sponsorship

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This piece by Jeffrey Winter originally ran on the Sundance Artist Services blog on March 22, 2012

We all know that the vast majority of folks make their film-viewing choices based on what they are hearing about a film — be it from friends, traditional media, the blogosphere, or social media. They’re not likely to go out of their way to proactively research a film, and if they haven’t heard anything about a film, they aren’t likely to see it. Whatever you want to call that…be it “buzz,” “word-of-mouth,” “going viral,” etc…it is the name of the game in contemporary grassroots marketing.

But how much can a filmmaker actually control that? We all know the ways they can try – by playing film festivals, hiring publicists, engaging their community via social media, reaching out to organizations, etc. Of course it helps if a film is actually good…really good, in fact….as the last thing today’s marketplace needs is another mediocre film. And the values of passion and hard work can’t be overlooked here either, as creating buzz and engagement for a film is often arduous and time-consuming…and for many filmmakers nearly as daunting as making the movie itself.

Often it feels like independent films are at the whim of the zeitgeist, and the most important aspect is timing, and the receptivity of the marketplace to the ideas in the film. Consider the cycle of elections, and the way political/environmental/social issue docs can explode into national consciousness around certain hot issues. Given the time it takes to make a film, it’s hard to know whether anyone can actually craft a film to hit at just the right time to capture a “trending” topic.

In the case of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Prize winner AI WEIWEI: NEVER SORRY, all the factors mentioned above came together in the final months of post-production to land the film this January at Sundance as an unlikely “buzz” film of the Festival. On the surface, it’s a straightforward documentary by a first-time filmmaker about a Chinese artist/ political dissident completely unknown to the majority of U.S. filmgoers. Hardly a guaranteed formula for indie marketing success.

Sundance key art

But just below the obvious, the twitterverse was ablaze promoting the film; the Kickstarter campaign was raising funds and attracting attention; art magazines were giving the film covers; and filmmaker Alison Klayman had already done numerous appearances on CNN, MSNBC, and The Colbert Report as well as print features in the likes of the Wall Street Journal, The Economist and The Hollywood Reporter. A few weeks later (by mid February), the trade publications were filled with the announcement of its purchase by Sundance Selects, and the New York Times was running a feature article about the film’s upcoming Summer 2012 release.

How does something like that happen for a debut filmmaker with no special access to funding, shortly after finishing a film about a Chinese artist?

Well, of course this wasn’t just any artist — Ai Weiwei is an internationally renowned art star and political provocateur whose unyielding criticism of the Chinese government has earned him legions of friends, enemies, and fans alike.  And Weiwei isn’t just an average political dissent, he is a dissident for the digital age, who because of the rigors of Chinese censorship has taken his activism specifically to twitter through linked computers to the West, and therefore has mastered the art of social media all on his own.

This is the study of a modern documentary subject, who is just as likely to be able to spread his/her own message through the media on their own, through the accessibility of social media, even in free speech-challenged China. In this case, it becomes the story of the filmmaker that becomes the mouthpiece of the subject…which many might argue is the way that it should be.

Filmmaker Alison Klayman began her work with Weiwei in 2008, as a recent Brown University graduate living abroad in Bejing and working as a freelance journalist. Her housemate was curating a show of Weiwei’s photography, and Klayman was asked to make a video for the show. Klayman and Weiwei hit it off creatively, and Klayman began to follow Weiwei as his documentarian — capturing his daily life, his frequent battles with the Chinese authorities, and his travels abroad for major international art shows.

Weiwei’s daily use of blogs and videos to spread his artwork — especially his videos criticizing the government’s response to the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan province – became a driving narrative in the film, as well as a grassroots vehicle for spreading Weiwei’s fame and fan base. When the Chinese government finally cut off his locally-sourced blog, Weiwei was able to migrate his work to an ungovernable network of twitter-linked computers, untraceable to China. As such, his network was able to dramatically expand globally, while remaining accessible to tens of thousands of Chinese willing to access these quasi-legal networks.

From 2008 thorugh 2010, Klayman’s documentary follows Weiwei through major international art shows, startlingly intimate private moments, and incredible courage in the face of political adversity. And whenever Weiwei had a run in with the Chinese authorities, the encounter went instantly viral, through a devoted staff who filmed his every move and posted it immediately to twitter.

In late 2010, Klayman returned to the States to begin editing, without the financial means to complete the project. As such, in addition to applying for grants, Sundance labs, and bringing well-connected executive producers onto the projects (largely through Weiwei’s connections in the art world), Klayman strategized and launched a Kickstarter campaign, scheduled to go live on March 29th, 2011.  And that’s when the film caught a kind of lighting in a bottle.

Only four days after the Kickstarter launched, Ai Weiwei suddenly disappeared on April 3rd…apparently arrested by the Chinese Government, but without any official announcement or confirmation of his whereabouts. A global outcry went up throughout his social networks, the art world, and then the international press caught on to the story as well.

As a journalist and Ai Weiwei’s documentarian of record, filmmaker Klayman quickly emerged as the “journalist of record” on the Weiwei story, and the international press began flocking in her direction. Suddenly, it was the twitter feeds that Weiwei’s staff and Klayman had been maintaining throughout the documentary filming periods that became the main source of worldwide news for Ai Weiwei updates. Klayman and her social media teams ramped up their efforts in the U.S. and China, and started working on a rotating schedule to provide 24 hour updates on the story for several months. For all of 81 days, as Weiwei’s secret detention continued without any official response from the Chinese government, the international press continued to feature Klayman’s twitter updates on the story, and interviewed her about the story for numerous high-profile news programs.

Of course, Klayman was careful not to try to turn the story into a shameless plug for her movie…after all, her friend and colleague was “disappeared” and detained, and concern for his well-being was the first priority. But inexorably, in today’s hyper-media culture, Klayman’s sudden thrust into the mainstream became completely entangled with the finishing of the film…and catapulted the project into a far larger spotlight.

The film’s Kickstarter soared above the original asking goal of $20,000 to a final tally of $52,175 from 793 backers…even though it was only originally expected to bring in money from friends and family. The film attracted additional producers and lab invitations that Klayman freely admits it probably wouldn’t have. All in all, the film became a “cause célèbre” for an issue in the news, a fact which filmmaker Klayman could hardly have counted on while making the film.

When Weiwei was finally released, with a dubious charge of more than 1 million dollars in tax evasion, support from the community-at-large continued to pour in, with donations to the cause far exceeding the amount of the government fine. And filmmaker Klayman was finally free to turn the enormous pouring of goodwill towards deliberate promotion of the film, helped in large part by the incredible networks built during the crisis on twitter, and to a lesser extent, on Kickstarter and Tumblr. It is also worth noting here: because the Kickstarter campaign included a number of incentives/prizes towards donation, the film now had a wonderful amount of merchandise it could also now leverage towards wider buzz about the film.

Given this backstory, we can demystify the process of how a small film sometimes gains “buzz” beyond expectations…as was clearly the case with AI WEIWEI: NEVER SORRY and its incredible fortune of timing combined with passion, hard work, technical savvy, and community networks. Sometimes a film that seems the most difficult to market actually has the most subtle niche communities that can be reached…whether they be political activists, art-world enthusiasts, devotees of Asian culture, social media junkies etc.

However, according to filmmaker Klayman, perhaps the greatest takeway is this…. in today’s hyperlinked/hashtagged environment, it is ciritical to remember that today’s documentary subjects no longer solely rely on their documentarian to spread their message, and social media makes potential distributors and activists of us all. Sometimes, today’s filmmakers just need to choose their subjects wisely, and hold on tight for the ride.

Here is Klayman’s interview for Sundance’s Meet the Filmmaker promo videos

 

 

 

April 9th, 2012

Posted In: crowdfunding, Film Festivals, Marketing, Social Network Marketing

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Just because a documentary doesn’t get a theatrical distribution deal doesn’t mean it can’t be considered for an Academy Award. Since many great docs don’t get distributed theatrically, many filmmakers choose to qualify the film themselves. But it’s not cheap. The least expensive option is the IDA’s DOCUWEEKS program (www.documentary.org), or you can four-wall the film yourself. It needs to run at least two times a day, for a week in New York City AND Los Angeles. Theaters that regularly cater to this kind of Academy-qualifying runs include the Laemmle’s in LA, and the IFC Center in NYC. Know in advance that you should expect to pay at least $30,000 to qualify this way. If you are considering this kind of run….TFC can help.

Are you a documentary filmmaker who has worked with a distributor for theatrical exhibition? Tell us about it on our Distributor Report Card.

July 18th, 2010

Posted In: Uncategorized

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