Impress Investors For Your Horror Movie Screenplay With These Tips

Posted on: 29 December 2016

If you and your producing partners are looking for additional funding for your upcoming indie horror film, then it's important that you be able to impress investors. Many of these investors might not be horror film aficionados, so they might not be won over by the script alone. What they want are reassurances that their investment will be worthwhile. So, with that in mind, here are three ways you can try and secure more funding.

Try And Attach A Genre Name

Horror is one genre where cult names are very important. Many of these actors are super recognizable by the audience base. They can attract attention to a film, but don't garner huge salaries. If you have a juicy role for an actor, often times you can land one of the iconic genre names. Many of these actors spend their entire careers in b-movies, or indies, so they are used to working on tight budgets. You can look for established scream queens (aka Barbara Crampton, Danielle Harris, Debbie Rochon) that have a huge fanbase. If you manage to attach one of these actresses, then investors will be thrilled since they generate tons of publicity within the horror movie world.

Set Up Pre-Filming Marketing

Another great thing to do is set up a marketing campaign even before the film has begun shooting. You can shoot a sizzle reel with your cinematography to showcase what the film will look like. A great example of using this to generate buzz was the slasher film Hatchet. A trailer (of footage that never even made it into the movie, basically an atmospheric boat ride through the Louisiana swamp) made the rounds at festivals and online and created enormous buzz about the film. You can combine the sizzle reel with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media accounts.

Digital Storyboard For The Key Sequences

Investors also want to see that you and your crew have a plan. Beyond a screenplay, what else can you show them that you have a blueprint for what the finished film will be. They might not want to sit down and read a script. What they will want to see are visuals. This is where a digital storyboard comes in. You can set up the big scenes (opening, final girl fight, etc…) and have a digital artist work with you and your producers to storyboard it. Then you can present this to the investors and give them a chance to get a real feel for what the finished film will look like.

If you want help with creating hype for your horror movie, try contacting a video company like DPA Photo.

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