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What is included in a Film Revenue Package?:

Film Revenue Projections

Extensive Film Revenue Projections
This Excel sheet auto calculates your Domestic Income, Foreign Income, Low- and High Calculations and Investor Return.

1000 Narrative Film Box Office Figures
70 Documentary Box Office Figures
Data includes Year, Genre, Budget, Domestic Income, International Income, DVD, Blu Ray, Production Company, Distributor and Release Pattern.

Highest grossing income by Genre
Data includes minimum, average and maximum budget for Domestic and International Audiences.

Distribution Contracts and Agreements

• Capitalization Table

Distribution Agreement (Feature Film)
Extensive 22-Page Distribution Agreement for Feature Films

Distribution Agreement (Foreign)
Film Distribution Agreement in foreign territories

Distribution Agreement (Internet)
5-Page Contract with filmmakers for showing their film on your website

Distribution Agreement (Not for Profit)
Contract with broadcaster on a not for profit basis

Exhibition Agreement (Cinema)
Exhibition Agreement in Cinemas

Film Distribution Agreement (Abbreviated)
5-Page Distribution Agreement for Feature and Short Films

International Sales Agents Directory
28-Page Directory of International Film Sales Agents with which genre they concentrate on, contact person, telephone, email and website address.

International Market Statistics
Theatrical Box Office statistics by country, attendance, ticket sales, demographics and technology.

Ext. Reference Calc.

Waterfall

So what is a waterfall? A waterfall is how money from foreign sales and domestic distribution deals flows to the filmmaker. The top of the waterfall is the money source, and the bottom of the waterfall is the filmmaker. They normally look something like this, if the buyer is paying an MG or a License fee to the sales agent.

Buyer License fee/MG
Distributors fees/wire transfer fees.
Sales Agents Commission (20-35%)
Sales Agent’s Recoupable Expenses (up to cap)
Producer’s Representative Fees (If applicable, 5-15%)
Production Company fees
Debt
Equity Investor Investor (Until recoupment+10-20%, then 50% of future profits)
Crew Deferments
Producer share

If the buyer is offering a revenue share deal (Rev Share) then the waterfall will look more like this.

Individual Sales (Total)
Buyer’s Commission (20-30%)
Distributors fees/wire transfer fees.
Sales Agents Commission (20-35%)
Sales Agent’s Recoupable Expenses (up to cap)
Producer’s Representative Fees (If applicable, 5-15%)
Production Company fees
Debt
Investor (Until recoupment+10-20%, then 50% of future profits)
Crew Deferments
Producer share

Generally, a Production Company won’t see ANY money until the sales agent has recouped their expenses. Once they have, that item is essentially removed from the waterfall.

The four subcategories underneath the production company are generally what happen after the production company receives money from the sales agency. Admittedly, the investor is at the top of that waterfall (if we exclude the payments made in production) but they’re at the bottom of another.

Each piece of the Waterfalll takes a slice of the film. For this example, we’ll assume the sales agent has already recouped their expenses. We’ll assume another 10,000 dollar sale has come in for easy math. So in the first waterfall, the sales agency takes 20% or 2,000 USD, then the remaining 80% (8000) goes down the line.

Then let’s say that your Producer’s rep has done their job and gotten a good deal for you. They charge the average price which is 10%. So the Producer’s Rep takes 10% of the 8,000 dollars, or 800, and passes the remaining 7,200 on to the filmmaker. The filmmaker then passes uses that money to back back investor, settle deferments, and then pay themselves whatever is left.

If that same 10,000 USD was the result of a revenue share distribution agreement, it would look like this. First, the distributor takes their 20%, then passes not he remaining 8,000 USD to the sales agent. Next the Sales agent takes 20% of the 8000 (1600) and passes the remaining 6,400 to the producer’s rep. The Producer’s rep takes 10% (640) and passes the remaining 5760 to the production company.

In both these examples I’ve ignored wire fees, but they can range from 1-3%.

One thing that you might notice is that the Sales Agency Commission is above their recoupable expenses. This does mean that they’re taking out their commission before they start to pay themselves back their recoupable marketing expenses. This is common, and while I don’t agree with it it’s a very difficult thing to negotiate. That being said, it doesn’t make as big of a difference to the bottom line as you might think. I’ve done the math, and it often amounts to around 4,000 to 5,000 extra for the sales agent. I know that’s far from nothing, but it’s the comparably small amount means there are better places to focus the negotiation.

reef above: https://www.theguerrillarep.com/blog/indiefilm-distribution-payment-waterfalls-101