Funding Structures: Investors' Returns:

• Difficult to predict 
• Need to find other ways of ensuring investor getting money back
• If market unpredictable (as it is at present) it is even more difficult 

Funding Structures: Guaranteeing Success/Reducing the Risk

• Prequel/sequel 
• Known director/scriptwriter/stars 
• Develop from existing format (novel, etc)
• Huge budget (can itself, create a 'buzz')
• Early teaser strategy established
• Release date scheduled carefully (Christmas, summer holiday, halloween etc)
• Avoid 'duplication' of similar genre released at same time (often impossible to know for sure) 

UK and US Funding Structures: Initial Issues

• Initial investment: A company, its machinery, sites and personnel have to be 'set up'
• The demand and supply must be 'constant' (you can't have workers being idle - it costs too much)
• Market research has to be paid for, the company need to know that the product is 'liked' by its customers
• Advertising and marketing must be employed (print, moving-image, radio and e-media) to keep the 'buzz' about the product going, therefore, keeping sales at a maximum
• Industry factors are not fixed; they cannot be accurately predicted; tastes change and this can be disastrous
• Staffing costs in the movie industry are huge as is the race to develop new technologies; this can cripple companies 
• The key word (in any company but very much in the film industry) is RISK