Business Plan
GHOST FROM THE RIVER ("Picture") is to be financed through the utilization of the limited liability company entity Ghost from the River, LLC ("Company") and fiscal sponsor Fractured Atlas (the “Fiscal Sponsor”) to receive donations on behalf of the production to be accessed and spent by the Company in connection with the Picture. Fractured Atlas is a not-for-profit organization that has provided fiscal support to artists for over 20 years.
The Company will work with the Fiscal Sponsor to raise and distribute the money necessary for the development, production, and marketing of the Picture, music, and all ancillary rights in the Picture. The Company structure offers individuals (the “Donors”) the opportunity to make donations to the Picture that are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. Donors will receive no part of the revenues of the Picture. The Company intends but cannot guarantee that this funding approach will help ensure total funding of the Picture.
The total estimated donations required from Donors for the completion of the Picture by the Company is Seven Hundred Thousand Dollars ($700,000, the "Budget") plus the Fiscal Sponsor’s fees (that total, the “Minimum Funding Amount”). It is to be noted that the Company anticipates funds to complete the Picture will not be released from the Fiscal Sponsor’s holding account until they meet or exceed the Minimum Funding Amount.* The Company will allow one year and 30 days from the receipt of the first donation to raise the Minimum Funding Amount ("Funding Expiration Date"). Donations will not and cannot be refunded to Donors by the Fiscal Sponsor or the Company for any reason, including if the Minimum Funding Amount is not received by the Funding Expiration Date.**
The mailing address for the Production is
Ghost From The River LLC
10125 Marwood Trail W. Dr.
Carmel, IN 46280
james@ghostfromtheriver.com
(317) 581-9126
NOTE: This memorandum is an expression of intent only. It does not form any contract, nor should it be so construed.
* The Company reserves the right but has no obligation to raise or lower the Budget and Minimum Funding Amount as it deems necessary to complete the Picture.
** If, as of the Funding Expiration Date, the donations collected are less than the Minimum Funding Amount, the Company may at its sole discretion cancel the production or film a portion of the Picture and seek additional sources of funding to complete the Picture at a later date.
PRODUCTION CALENDAR
Principal photography is planned to begin the later of the spring of 2025 or such time as the total amount of donations meets or exceeds the Minimum Funding Amount, but no later than one-hundred eighty (180) days following the Funding Expiration Date.
PROJECTED BUDGET
Approximately $700,000 (Seven Hundred Thousand Dollars) is to be raised as donations made to the Fiscal Sponsor net the Fiscal Sponsor’s fees.
FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE
The motion picture industry is highly volatile, and the independent production of a motion picture involves a high degree of risk. The production of a film is subject to several risks and delays beyond the control of the Company, some of which may not be covered by insurance.
Accordingly, if donations collected from Donors, net the Fiscal Sponsor's fees, that meet or exceed the Minimum Funding Amount are received within the time frames set forth above, the Company will endeavor to complete the Picture. It is possible that the Picture will not be completed on time or budget for one reason or another. The Company will not have sufficient funds to complete the Picture if the cost to produce the Picture exceeds the Minimum Funding Amount net the Fiscal Sponsor’s fees.
The Company has not sought or obtained a distributor for any territory. There is no immediate intention to obtain a traditional theatrical distributor; as discussed below under "Distribution," the producers of the Picture (the “Producers”) intend to market the Picture utilizing a national library media distribution company, as well as other resources available to the Producers for marketing and retail sales of the Picture. The Company therefore will be completely dependent upon the Producers and those people whom the Producers hire to produce the Picture on time, on budget, and at a sufficiently high quality to obtain distribution.
FILM INDUSTRY
Low-Budget Films: A film made with a budget of $10 million or less is considered a low-budget film by Hollywood standards. By Indie standards, $10 million is a very high budget. The most profitable film of the year, in terms of cost-to-produce vs. revenues, is usually a low-budget film. It is the quality and a marketable concept that sells a movie, not the budget size. Low-budget film projects rarely contain the key elements that the Producers have already assembled. Compared to most independent film projects, this project is focused on success.
Independent Films: A growing trend exists for writers and directors to create films outside the Studio system. Independently produced low-budget films continue to rise in popularity and have contributed significantly to the film industry's bottom line. Independent films appear on the top-grossing film charts yearly, and many have been nominated for Academy Awards. Low-budget films have a much greater potential for higher profitability than the expensive tent-pole films produced by the major studios in Hollywood, which is why even the largest studios have shifted their model. The major studios are making fewer mega-budget tent poles a year. They are filling their slate with high-quality, low-budget, marketable acquisitions for which they see the profit potential. Industry experts say big-budget studio films must generate 3 to 4 times the budget for the film to break even. (This is because they will spend $30-60 million in advertising alone). With a Hollywood studio film's average cost of $48 million, it is easy to understand why big studios are returning to acquisitions and distributing low-budget films. Currently, opportunities for low-budget independent film are more significant than ever. With the increasing number of screening outlets, distributors need more products. With the excessive cost of Hollywood studio films, as well as lengthy production times, studios are less likely to be able to keep up with the increased demand.
DISTRIBUTION
The Producers have developed a distribution plan that fits the film's budget, scale, and target audience. The plan will begin with traditional festival screenings viaFilmFreeway.com, a popular platform for film festival submissions that helps filmmakers submit their films to festivals based on location, cost, and genre. The film will also be sent to websites such as Videolibrarian.com for review, which will help it gain exposure and, hopefully, critical acclaim.
After the festival screenings, the attention will turn towards online retail sales of DVD-BluRay and film merchandising. Additionally, the film will be distributed to public libraries with the help of Midwest Tape. This well-known library media distribution company will market the film to 17,000 public libraries in the US and Canada. The Producers have worked with this company in the past and have had a successful experience.
The Producers will conduct targeted promotional screenings and speaking engagements at central libraries in various significant markets to maximize library support. This will allow the filmmakers to interact directly with media procurement managers in those library systems.
The Producers will also actively pursue theatrical and streaming distribution in US and foreign markets.
DONATE TO HELP MAKE THE FEATURE FILM
Ghost from the River - A Spiritualist-Inspired Feature-Length Narrative Film is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the charitable purposes of Ghost from the River - A Spiritualist-Inspired Feature-Length Narrative Film must be made payable to “Fractured Atlas” only and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
