How an Independent Filmmaker Can Establish a Film Production Company with Minimal Requirements

While starting a film production company as a business requires the acquisition of all legal requirements and large-scale financial investment for commercial operations, an independent filmmaker can also start a film production company intended for personally funded films, student films, or low-budget independent productions. These films are primarily artistic projects meant for screenings in local and international film festivals. WIth such type of production company, the filmmaker doesn't need business permits and other business licensing requirements, unless the company gets involved in any commercial or business transaction.

A Film Production Company Represents the Filmmaker and the Film

A film production company represents the filmmaker in undertakings related to his/her film. The company name can get attached to the filmmaker to the point that future productions coming from the said company can already be associated with the filmmaker and/or the type of films made by the production. It can also create some kind of niche and branding to the films produced by the filmmaker and/or the company.

A production company for a student or independent filmmaker can be as simple as a unique name (usually ending in words such as "films," "studios," "productions," or "pictures"). Others also come up with a company logo, while others even create an animated opening billboard similar to what mainstream production companies use for their films. The important thing is that the independent production company has a unique and easy to remember name. Never use a name already owned by another production company.

An independent production company is typically used when a filmmaker gets a film grant and the film made is not primarily meant to be shown in regular theaters. If it becomes successful and there are offers for domestic or international distribution, another company, a distributor, pays the filmmaker for the distribution rights of the film. Since the film was produced by the filmmaker (whether through a grant, sponsorship, or personal funding), full distribution rights are officially paid to the filmmaker, the copyright holder. For such an independent film, the filmmaker always has the rights for his/her work, not the production company, unless otherwise noted that the filmmaker shares the copyright of the film to other people involved in the production, or if a fully-operational movie production company produced the film and shares partial or full rights to the film. When a filmmaker works with a mainstream studio, copyright issues are always addressed prior to the confirmation of the project.

For independent productions, the film production company often uses the filmmaker's house as office address. Production meetings happen in houses or hang-outs of families, friends, and colleagues, in restaurants, coffee shops, or other establishments.

The Business Side of a Production Company

In the case of a mainstream or commercial movie company, it is considered a business enterprise. All requirements for establishing a business must be realized prior to start of operation. In an independent film company, it may start as a small-time company solely used to represent the filmmaker and his/her film (using only its name and/or logo for the filmmaker's independent film transactions).

Once an independent film production company starts operating within a specific business model and/or starts gaining profit, it may technically remain as an independent movie company, but it should already comply with the regulations of establishing a business. This can be as simple as a sole proprietorship, a partnership, or a corporation.