It is a donation, not an investment
This was the most repeated point in the thread, and the person asking accepted it. Short films do not recoup, there is effectively no market that pays for them, and several replies said the honest framing is closer to buying a piece of art or paying for someone's tuition than to backing a business. One reply drew the useful distinction that an investment need not be financial — it can be in a person — but that expecting the money back is the error.
What to ask for
- The script, and any previous work, which tells you both what this film is and whether they can finish one.
- A budget breakdown, and who else is funding it — whether you are filling a gap or carrying the whole thing.
- The schedule through post and delivery, not just the shoot. One reply warned specifically about films that die because nothing was set aside for post.
- The plan afterwards: festivals, distribution, what happens when it is finished.
- Insurance, and confirmation they have permission to film where they intend to. One reply raised liability directly if something goes wrong on an uninsured set.
How to release the money
- In instalments against milestones rather than as one payment — shooting, then editorial, then festivals.
- As matching funds, which several suggested as a test of whether the filmmaker can raise anything themselves and makes them accountable to more than one person.
- With a written agreement covering three things: your role and credit, the amount, and what you expect in return.
- With ownership stated explicitly, including that the filmmaker keeps it if that is the intention.
How much a first short should cost
Two replies put a number on it, and both were low: a first film from someone without experience should be in the low thousands, with one suggesting two and a half thousand as a more sensible figure than five. The reasoning was that a first film is a learning exercise, and that a filmmaker who makes two or three cheaply before asking for real money is the one worth backing.
On the subject matter
The original question was whether declining over content would be controlling. The thread's answer was no on both counts: you are under no obligation to fund anything, and asking what a film is about before paying for it is not interference. One reply noted that taking a position in your work can cost you patrons, and that learning to balance that is part of the job.