FED

Course Topics

Feature Film Development

Once your script is finalized, we'll go through the Development phase, and all requirements involved throughout the process, including every element needed to create an investor-ready package to raise financing.

Film Financing

Financing is broken up into a variety of categories from private equity, debt, pre-sales (minimum guarantee), and tax credits. We’ll cover each piece of this pie chart in detail along with strategies on when each separate investment pitch can be made.

Film Packaging

Your film's package will ultimately define the credibility of your project. Learn effective packaging strategies for key personnel: Casting Director, Talent, Line Producer, Entertainment Attorney, and Creative Director. We’ll also review sample investment decks, lookbooks, budgets, shooting schedules, and more.

Line Producing

Hiring an experienced Line Producer is essential for the Development stage to convey a clear, accurate budget and shooting schedule as part of your investor package. Having a qualified line producer can play a crucial role in establishing the credibility of your project moving forward.

International Financing

We’ll shift our focus to the European / Canadian co-production model and how to leverage each country’s incentive program, including tax credits, cash rebates and broadcaster funds, to allow your feature to be financed with only a minimum portion of equity to be raised.

Marketing and Distribution

Discover alternative means to distribution through platforms that contain the lowest fees and commissions, allowing you to keep as much of the distribution revenues as possible. Learn how to reduce the need for sales agents and find as many non-exclusive deals as possible throughout foreign markets.

FE&D TEAM

Meet our instructors

Kevin Christoffersen

20+ years of media-based positions held on an international scale. Co-producing a multitude of mixed genre narrative feature films and a docudrama TV series overseeing the process from development into distribution. This includes packaging, financing structures, investment negotiations and project coordination throughout Pre-Production, Production and Post-Production. Current main initiative of launching a venture capital agency that focuses on the marketing, investment sourcing and deal structures of features, TV series and new tech platforms through different strategic partners.

Javier Gonzalez

Javier is a Mexican, Brooklyn-based, Emmy-winning Producer whose films have been selected for the Cannes, Sundance, Toronto, South by Southwest, New York, Rotterdam, TriBeCa, Fantastic Fest, Morelia, Glasgow, Stockholm, Los Angeles, Sitges and Los Cabos Film Festivals. Javier has spent the last fifteen years working in various production capacities throughout the American and Mexican film industries.

Dan Thorens

Self-made Canadian-Swiss Filmmaker, Screenwriter, Producer and Actor. CEO/ Founder of CW1 Films & Swiss Made Films. Writer of 5 very different feature length films scripts, from personal inner journeys to fighting your way across the land of the 'un-dead'. Shot a host of shorts films and teasers for 2 of his feature films: BLOODTYPE and SWISS-MADE. Shot a humanitarian doc on a local Haitian street children association, which became the inspirational basis of BLOODTYPE. Majored in Psychology at the Geneva University. Fluent in French. Voilà !

Simon Taufique

Simon Taufique is a producer of award-winning narrative and documentary films with distribution by Lionsgate, Universal, Amazon, Monument, Reliance and eOne. His films screened and won prizes at Sundance, Berlinale, IFP, Austin, Rome, SXSW, Tribeca and Telluride, including nominations for the Independent Spirit Awards and Oscar shortlist.

Dallas Brennan

Dallas Mitchell Brennan is an award-winning Writer/Producer, a graduate of Rutgers University and Playwrights Horizons Theatre School. His script for Rock the Paint (2005) received the Creative Promise award at the Tribeca Film Festival 2005 where it also World Premiered under his production banner Wren Court Films. Original music and score by 'Wyclef Jean'. In 2010 Brennan established his production company Wild Invention

Martin Rosete

Martin Rosete is an Award-Winning Spanish film director based in New York. In 2013 he was nominated for the Spanish Academy Award (Goya Awards) and won over 100 awards for his short film VOICE OVER, including the Melies d'Or at Stiges Film Festival.

PARTNERShips

Our partners

NY Media Center (US)

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NY Media Center

We are a collaborative workspace and community designed to support and connect the next generation of media and tech entrepreneurs, innovators, and artists with industry resources, events, mentorship, and educational opportunities.

Filmshop (US)

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Filmshop

Founded in 2009, Filmshop is a nonprofit collective of independent filmmakers committed to developing new work through peer support and collaboration. Chapters in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and New Orleans meet weekly to workshop projects, offer constructive critique, and incubate new ideas.
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Filmshop’s Breakthrough Series showcases a curated selection of our members' films in an intimate setting with festival programmers, distributors, and executive producers. Facilitating discussions centered around development and distribution, Breakthrough provides a forum for filmmakers to explore the next stages of their careers.

EAS Advisory (US)

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EAS Advisory

Advise on project finance opportunities in power and real estate sectors. Work closely with business owners and principals to achieve strategic business objectives with respect to business structure, markets, operations and acquisitions. Clients in financial services, hotels, healthcare, entertainment and digital media.

CW1 Films (US - BE)

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CW1 Films

Led by director-producer-screenwriter Dan Thorens,CW1 films is a US based specialized production companywith strong working partnerships in Belgium, China, France, Canada and Switzerland.Working closely with Writers, Producers and Directorsallows therm to creatively foster quality narrative and documentary projects on an international scale.

Stage 32 (US)

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Stage 32

Stage 32 is a US-based social network and educational site for creative professionals who work in film, television and theater. As of June 2015, the global web site had more than 400,000 members. Stage 32 links professionals in the entertainment industry including directors, writers, actors and entertainment staff.

JAG Films - Javier Gonzalez (US)

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JAG Films - Javier Gonzalez

Javier Gonzalez is a Mexican, Brooklyn-based, Emmy winning Producer whose films have been selected for the Cannes, Sundance, Toronto, South by Southwest, New York, Rotterdam, TriBeCa, Fantastic Fest, Morelia, Glasgow, Stockholm, Los Angeles, Sitges and Los Cabos Film Festivals. Javier has spent the last fifteen years working in various production capacities throughout the American and Mexican film industries. Javier is fluent in Spanish, English and German.

Kingston5 Productions (US)

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Kingston5 Productions

Kingston5 Productions is an Indie Film Production company committed to documenting the injustices and the joys that human beings face on a daily basis. Its goal is to foster a sense of community and encourage positive change in the world. Kingston5 is based in Miami, Florida in the United States.

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