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Investor protections

Capital first.
Then the film.

Every Indie Planet project clears a tight screen, ships with on-set financial control, and pays investors back before producers see a dollar. Here's exactly how we do it.

~5%
Of submissions greenlit
100%
Bonded for completion
Investors + 15%
Paid back before producer profit
Unlike traditional crowdfunding platforms, Indie Planet does not simply connect investors to filmmakers. Every project financed through the platform is subject to production oversight, milestone-based funding, compliance review, and delivery requirements designed to protect both filmmakers and investors.
01 — The screen

What every film must clear

We say no to roughly 95% of what comes in. The 5% we take forward have to hit every one of these — not most, all.

Script
A finished, locked draft that holds up on a cold read. No 'we'll fix it in prep.'
Filmmaker history
Verified prior work, festival history, and reference checks across cast, crew, and previous financiers.
Talent attached
Real letters of intent or pay-or-play deals from cast and key creatives — not wish lists.
Budget integrity
Line-item budget stress-tested against schedule, locations, and union obligations before it ever reaches investors.
Distribution path
A defensible sales and distribution thesis with comparable titles, target buyers, and territory strategy.
Risk profile
Clean chain of title, insurable shoot, and no red flags in legal, IP, or location logistics.
02 — On-set control

Our team is in the room

Vetting a script is the easy part. The real risk lives on set. So we live there too.

Budget control
Our production team has signing authority on the production account. Money moves when the schedule says it should, not before.
Schedule oversight
Daily reporting up to Indie Planet leadership. Overages get flagged in 24 hours, not at the wrap party.
Completion bond
Every film is bonded through a recognised completion guarantor. If a production stalls, the bond company steps in to finish it.
03 — Revenue waterfall

Investors get paid first

Pari passu. No cute carve-outs. No producer fees skimmed off the top before recoupment.

1
Investor principal
100% of investor capital returned, pari passu across the cap table, before any production-side payout.
2
Investor preferred return
An additional 15% premium paid to investors on top of principal — still before producers see a dollar of profit.
3
Profit split
Only after steps 1 and 2 are fully paid do remaining profits split between investors and the filmmaking team.

Pari passu means every investor recoups proportionally at the same time — no one ahead, no one behind. The 15% preferred return sits above the producer's share, not below it.

04 — Legal structure

One film. One vehicle.

Risk is ring-fenced film by film, so the performance of one title can't drag down another.

Single-purpose entity
Each film is set up as its own LLC — or the country-appropriate equivalent — formed specifically to produce, own, and exploit that title.
Jurisdiction-aware
Vehicle structure follows the shooting jurisdiction and tax credit regime, so investors get the cleanest possible position in each territory.
05 — Indie Planet Production Standards (IPS)

The rules every financed film agrees to.

Run by our Film Compliance & Production Oversight Division. Not to control creativity — to protect investors, filmmakers, and the platform. Every project signs on to these standards before a dollar is released.

01 — Staged fund release
No production ever receives 100% upfront. Capital is released in tranches against milestones — typically Development 10% · Pre-Production 20% · Principal Photography 30% · Photography Complete 20% · Picture Lock 10% · Delivery 10%. This single rule eliminates roughly half the risk in film finance.
02 — Financial budget review
Every budget is reviewed by Indie Planet — not creatively, financially. Are rates realistic? Is contingency included? Insurance? Completion costs? Fantasy budgets get caught before investors see them.
03 — Completion bond thresholds
Under $500K: Indie Planet oversight. Over $500K: completion bond strongly encouraged. Over $2M: bond required. Bonded by recognised completion guarantors — if production stalls, the bond company steps in to finish it.
04 — Minimum professional standards
We don't dictate hires, but key positions must meet qualification floors. DP and Editor: prior feature credits. Line Producer: demonstrated budgeting track record. Production Accountant and Legal Counsel: mandatory on every film.
05 — Production representative on every film
Not a creative producer — a compliance producer. Their job: monitor milestones, verify production progress, confirm funds are used as approved, and deliver monthly reports back to the platform and investors.
06 — Chain of title verification
Non-negotiable, pre-funding. Screenplay ownership, underlying rights, life rights, and option agreements are all verified by counsel before capital moves. Films fail here more often than anywhere else.
07 — Insurance requirements
Mandatory E&O, General Liability, Workers Comp, and Production Insurance — adjusted to the shooting territory's specific requirements. No coverage, no green light.
08 — Delivery requirements
Funding doesn't end at the wrap party. The film must deliver picture, sound mix, cleared music rights, full legal documentation, QC approval, and distribution materials. Anything less means investors funded an unfinished asset.
09 — Investor transparency dashboard
Investors log in and see exactly where their film is — Funded → Pre-Production → Shooting → Post → Completed → Released — with periodic milestone updates from the production rep. No black box.
10 — Completion reserve
5%–10% of total financing is held back and only released after the film delivers. It keeps the team motivated to finish to spec, not just to wrap.
11 — Greenlight committee
Not every film qualifies. The committee evaluates script quality, commercial potential, budget realism, team experience, and distribution viability before a project is ever offered to investors.

Want the full deal memo?

Detailed vetting checklist, sample waterfall model, and bond paperwork available to qualified investors on request.

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