A film business plan
an investor reads to the last page.

Ten: an executive summary written last, the project and its attachments, the team, the market and comparable titles, the distribution strategy, marketing and audience, a budget summary, the financing plan, the recoupment waterfall in plain words, and risks with a timeline. The full budget, bios and letters of intent go in an appendix.

Pick five to eight films from recent years with your genre, a similar budget level and a similar cast profile, and include one or two that underperformed. For each, note the release route and what is publicly known about the result, with the source. Say where data is not public, as with most streaming releases.

The order in which money from the film is paid out. Typically the sales agent's fee and expenses come off first, then any loans, then equity investors recoup their money, often with an agreed premium, then deferments, and the remainder is split between investors and producers. Write it as a numbered list in plain words; the legal terms go in the investor agreement.

Usually several sources stacked together: private equity, tax incentives or rebates, pre-sales to territories, gap or bridge loans, grants and film funds, crowdfunding, deferred fees and in-kind support. The financing plan lists each with its amount and status, secured or targeted, so an investor sees how much of the budget their money completes.

Fifteen to thirty pages is a common length, plus a one-page executive summary that many investors read first and some read only. Keep the budget detail, bios and letters of intent in an appendix. If the plan needs more than that to explain the film, tighten the film's pitch first.

No. Show comparable titles, state your assumptions and explain the waterfall, but do not promise or project a return as if it were likely. Many indie films never recoup, and investors who know the business expect you to say so. How you describe returns is also a legal question, so check it with your lawyer.

The pitch deck gets the meeting: ten to fifteen slides on the story, the look, the team and the ask. The business plan is what the investor reads afterwards to check the money: comps, distribution, budget, financing and the waterfall. The lookbook shows the tone. In Storyflow all three sit on one board, so the numbers match.

For the raise, yes. Selling equity in a film is usually a securities offering, and the investor agreement, operating agreement or private placement memorandum should come from an entertainment or securities lawyer. The financial model belongs in a spreadsheet or LivePlan. Storyflow holds and drafts the plan and pitch materials; it gives no legal or financial advice.

As a draft you check line by line. Paste your logline, team, budget and comps into Storyflow and its AI writes each section into a document on the board, then a one-pager, presentation or lookbook PDF. It works from the figures you give it rather than inventing them, and when it drafts a PDF it lists what it still needs as open items.

Not completing the film, going over budget, losing attached cast, failing to secure distribution, and the market changing before release. For each, say what reduces it: a contingency line, insurance, a completion bond on larger budgets, a fallback release route. Honest risks make the rest of the plan more believable.

Not during early access. Storyflow is paid-only during early access, with plans from $7.99 a month billed annually ($9.99 monthly). A free plan launches before the end of 2026, and anyone a paid member invites to a board joins free, so a co-producer can work on the plan with you. Investors reading it pay nothing.