A common misconception filmmakers have when going the independent route is thinking that cheaper is always better. While there’s some truth to that, and it certainly trains your ability to be creative under tight constraints, relying on money from family/friends, crowdfunding, grants, and private equity investments are tough and often unreliable ways to fund a film—even a low-budget one. Why is a $3 million film the easiest to finance? - Senior Secured Financing doesn't even consider your project unless it hits the $3 million mark. Here’s why Senior Secured Financing changes everything: - You don’t need to have any successful features under your belt—just an airtight finance plan and attention to detail. - Senior Secured Financing is low-risk. Other types of film financiers take on performance risk (like box office returns), but Senior Secured Financing doesn’t. Done correctly, by the time you finish your film, senior secured financiers will have recouped 90% of their investment. - With Senior Secured Financing, you can attach better talent to your project, which unlocks pre-sales and a second round of Senior Secured Financing, plus Gap Financing. - Crowdfunding and private equity investment often feel like begging. Investors have no reason to trust you, and convincing them to risk their money is tough. But once you have Senior Secured Financing, and still need private equity to plug the gap, you now have proof that your project is worth investing in. Even better, private investors can invest through the bank for additional assurance. - Let’s say everything goes wrong, and you don’t even finish the film. What happens to you? The answer is simple: if you’ve made sure all your i’s are dotted and t’s are crossed (and you can afford a good lawyer with a $3 million budget), the Senior Secured Lenders now own the film, and you walk away debt-free. Very few filmmakers know this, and that’s a shame. That’s the main thing I’m going to teach at Debtless Film School. I want to give people the knowledge they need to make the films they want. You can bootstrap or refine your private investor pitch all you want, but the probability of success is still low. Why put yourself through that?