For the first time for him Zurich Summit, a host of investors joined a panel to share what they’re looking for when it comes to film financing. AC Independent Head Nick Shumakerproducer Marie-Christine Jaeger-Firmenich, Tango Entertainment director Lia Buman and Sovereign Media Capital CEO Andreas Roald sat down on a long panel to evaluate investments and what an ideal ROI looks like to them .
Shumaker told delegates that Anonymous Content “has historically focused a lot on director-driven content over the last twenty years, so when we pivoted to invest capital in films about three years ago, we had a good foundation to be able to use the relationships that we have. with directors historically and producers historically to try to find investments that would help.”
“On the nonfiction side, we do the same thing and that market has changed considerably in the last three years. On the narrative side, we have mainly focused on European co-productions and working with our partners in Europe to find ways to collaborate with them to get more money on screen.”
Producer Marie-Christine Jaeger-Firmenich spoke about her entry into the film industry. The Swiss created the Robmar Foundation to pursue her interest in philanthropy and it was during her work with a charity that supports works to train animals to help disabled people, that inspired her first production. Gigi and Natewhich she executive produced.
“I didn’t have the slightest idea about the movie business,” he told delegates. “It was around 2014 and I was looking for someone to make this movie. I had the idea and thought we needed some cameras, some people, some actors and then I was done. But I discovered that it is a very different business.
After meeting Nick Hamm at a dinner, she recalled telling the director her idea, saying, “Nick looked at me and I think at that moment, if he could have killed me with his eyes, he would have, he would probably think I was another woman who “I thought I knew the movie business.”
Ultimately, Hamm would go on to direct that project. Gigi and Nate. Hamm is also in Zurich promoting his latest collaboration with Jaeger-Firmenich. William Tellan epic tale of the Swiss folk hero with a cast including Claes Bang, Ben Kingsley and Emily Beecham, among others.
Speaking about ROI goals, Shumaker said, “I don’t want to be flippant, but the first goal is not to lose money so you can continue investing. It’s not that deep but it’s a complicated process. We get into projects pretty much any time, from pre-production to some turnaround where a little bit of capital was needed before the movie was released, about two or three months before.”
Shumaker went on to say that “the standard is 20 to 25%; “We base our financial models on that.”
“For us, I see it as three different ways to get a return on investment and one of them is not to lose the money and earn something to be able to move forward,” said Lia Buman of Tango Entertainment, who has worked on projects such as Aftersun and his three daughters. “But the first one, it’s really about people. It has to be a positive experience that the film you make is the film you intended to make. Part of the joy of independent filmmaking is how difficult it is and how much you like being in the trenches with people you respect.”
Buman added that for his return on investment “we tend to go a little over 20% because of the cost of money… and how intense it is to invest money in a film that could take more than two years to recover that money. “You really have to think about it.”
He continued: “The third return on investment for me is how well it connects with the audience… that’s what cinema means to me: connectivity.”
‘ deadline.com ‘
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