Evil Dead BURN Industry Leader Masterclass: “Making a Movie - The Real Deal”
The Screen Industry Guild is excited to present the Evil Dead BURN - Industry Leader Masterclass Series: “Making a Movie - The Real Deal”, a four-part series that takes screen professionals inside the real-world mechanics of making a feature film happen.
Led by highly acclaimed producer Rob Tapert, and featuring an exceptional line-up of international experts across film finance, entertainment law, deal-making and completion bonding, this series offers a rare opportunity to learn from people who have been at the centre of major screen projects and know exactly what it takes to get a film financed, protected and made.
Using Evil Dead BURN as a practical case study, the masterclass goes behind the scenes of the decisions that shape a movie long before the cameras roll. From pulling the finance together and getting a project bank-ready, to protecting IP, navigating deals, avoiding paperwork traps and securing the confidence needed to unlock funding, this is filmmaking from the inside out.
The Guild warmly congratulates Rob Tapert on the completion of another successful Evil Dead film. Rob’s career has helped define modern genre filmmaking, and this series gives Aotearoa screen workers a unique chance to hear directly from him, and from the experts around him, about the real deal behind getting a movie made.
Each masterclass is approximately 50 mins in duration.
Check out what's in this Series!
Part 1: Film Financing Overview
with Sarah Caughey and Rob Tapert
The series opens with one of the most important questions in filmmaking: where does the money come from, and what needs to be in place before it can be accessed?
Entertainment lawyer Sarah Caughey joins producer Rob Tapert to unpack the often unseen world of film financing. Sarah specialises in the “black arts” of structuring the money behind a movie, and will explain the documentation, legal frameworks and financial requirements needed to make a project bank-ready.
After all, it takes money to make a movie. This session explores how producers, lawyers, financiers and banks work together to move a project from creative ambition to production reality.
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Part 2: How to Make a Movie - (and not get screwed by paperwork)
with Rob Tapert
In Part 2, Rob Tapert takes participants through the trials, tribulations and hard-won lessons of getting a movie made.
This session cuts through the noise and gets to the heart of the matter: the key to making a movie is to make the movie. Don’t get paralysed by assumptions about what you think is needed before you begin. So much of filmmaking is learned along the way, from the practical realities of production to the legal and paperwork pitfalls that are easily dismissed until they become a problem.
Rob will share practical insight from a remarkable career in independent and international filmmaking, offering an honest look at how to keep moving, avoid unnecessary roadblocks and protect the project as it grows from idea to screen.
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Part 3: The Art of the Deal
with Rob Tapert and Mahdi Salehi
Part 3 brings together Rob Tapert and Los Angeles entertainment lawyer Mahdi Salehi of Hansen, Jacobson, Teller for a masterclass in the real preliminary art of the deal.
Before a project goes to market, the deal needs to be in proper order. This session explores what makes a deal workable, what agreements need to be in place, and why early legal and commercial decisions can shape the future of a film.
Rob and Mahdi will discuss the foundations of a strong screen project, including chain of title, rights agreements, intellectual property protection, and the key deal points producers and filmmakers need to understand before presenting a project to financiers, distributors, sales agents or other partners.
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Part 4: The Completion Bond
with Rob Tapert and Matt Warren
The final session turns to one of the most crucial parts of film financing: the completion bond.
Rob Tapert is joined by Matt Warren of FFI, who has spent 30 years in the world of film financing and completion bonding after first starting out in production. Rob and Matt first met on the set of Freaked, when Matt was an office assistant. From there, Matt worked his way through the industry, including time as an Assistant Director, before moving into the top levels of film finance and bonding.
This session explains how bond companies work with productions, what they look for, and what filmmakers need to know about getting a film bonded.
In many cases, the bank needs confirmation from the bond company before it will release funds. The reason is simple: half a movie is worth nothing. Completion is central to securing finance and fulfilling the deal.
At its core, a completion bond gives banks, financiers and distributors confidence that a film will be completed to an agreed standard, within an agreed timeframe and budget. Matt and Rob will explain “how the sausage is made”, what needs to be in place, and how the bond process supports a production from finance through to delivery.
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A Must-Watch Series for Screen Professionals!
The Evil Dead BURN - Industry Leader Masterclass Series is a standout opportunity for the screen sector to hear from an exceptional group of industry leaders with deep international experience.
For producers, production teams, crew and emerging filmmakers, this is an invaluable opportunity to better understand the business, legal and financial structures that sit behind the creative process - and to hear from the people who know how to turn ambition into a finished film.
This is a chance to learn from the people who know the real deal behind real movies that get made.
Watch the Full Series!
Want to understand what really goes into getting a film financed, protected and completed?
Visit the Screen Industry Guild website and head to the Workshops page to view the full Evil Dead BURN - Industry Leader Masterclass Series - "Making a Movie: The Real Deal".
Explore all four masterclasses and learn directly from industry leaders across film financing, deal-making, production strategy and completion bonding.
