Funding
Pitching Investors
Raising money from investors is how many independent films get made — but it's a world of decks, deals, returns, and securities law that intimidates most filmmakers. This course demystifies it: how film investment works, finding investors, building a pitch deck, the numbers, the meeting, and the deal.
What you'll learn
✓How film investment works and how it differs from other funding
✓How to find investors and build a pitch deck that lands
✓The numbers — budget, returns, and the recoupment waterfall
✓How to run the meeting, close the deal, and stay legal
Pairs with this tool
Pitch Deck Maker
The Pitch Deck Maker helps you build the investor deck this course teaches — the story, the numbers, the team, and the ask — in a format investors expect and take seriously.
Open Pitch Deck Maker →Course chapters
Module 1 — Foundations
I8 min
What film investors are and what they actually want
What Film Investors Are
II8 min
How investment differs from grants, crowdfunding, and loans
Investment vs. Other Funding
III8 min
How film investment actually works — money in, money out
How Film Investment Works
IV8 min
The kinds of film investors and what each looks for
Types of Film Investors
Module 2 — Core Craft
V9 min
How to find film investors and approach them the right way
Finding & Approaching Investors
VI9 min
Building a film investor pitch deck that gets a meeting
Your Pitch Deck
VII9 min
Budget, returns, and the recoupment waterfall explained
The Numbers: Budget, Returns & Waterfall
VIII9 min
Running the pitch meeting and answering investor questions
The Pitch Meeting
Module 3 — Putting It to Work
IX8 min
The deal and the investor agreement — key terms to know
The Deal & Investor Agreement
X8 min
Securities law basics every filmmaker raising money must know
Legal & Securities Basics
XI8 min
Building lasting investor relationships across films
Building Investor Relationships
XII9 min
Bringing it together into your investor-raising strategy
Your Investor Strategy