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Industry Finance Intermediate

Film & TV Production Finance: Budgets, Recoupment & Box Office Waterfall

Finance a fictional independent feature: build the top sheet, stack equity, presales, tax incentive and gap loan, schedule the cash, split the box office, then run the recoupment waterfall, the break-even and four scenarios, in 8 graded labs.

8 lessons 8 labs 1.9 h Certificate

  • One-time payment
  • 14-day money-back guarantee
  • Secure checkout with Stripe

What you'll build

What you will be able to do

Each lab ends with a concrete result that you build yourself and the checker confirms, cell by cell.

  • Total Saltmarsh's top sheet, add contingency and the completion bond fee, and see how much of the budget sits above the line.
  • Assemble Saltmarsh's finance plan, size the gap loan and test it against the lender's limit.
  • Schedule Saltmarsh's costs and drawdowns over six production periods and find how much bridge financing it needs.
  • Split Saltmarsh's domestic box office between cinemas and the distributor week by week and chart the split.
  • Lay out Saltmarsh's revenue windows, discount each to today and measure how fast the money comes in.
  • Run Saltmarsh's gross receipts down the waterfall: distributor, sales agent, lender, equity, deferments and the backend split.
  • Calculate how much box office Saltmarsh needs before its equity investors are fully repaid.
  • Run Saltmarsh's waterfall for four box-office scenarios side by side and chart who gets paid in each.

About this course

Why can a film earn millions at the box office and still not pay its investors? You find out by tracing the money yourself. You prepare a budget top sheet with above- and below-the-line costs, contingency and fees, then a financing plan combining equity, presales, an illustrative production incentive and a gap loan. A cash-flow schedule shows when bridge financing is needed. Weekly box office is split with exhibitors to get distributor rentals, and revenue from theatrical, streaming, TV and international windows is timed. The recoupment waterfall pays each party in order, worked backwards it gives break-even box office, and four scenarios from flop to upside are compared. For producers, film students and media finance professionals.

Curriculum

Course content

8 lessons · 8 labs · 1.9 h · final exam

  1. Budget Top Sheet: Above & Below the Line, Contingency & FeesLab13 min4 checked tasks
    Unlocked when you buy the course
  2. Financing Plan: Equity, Presales, Tax Incentive & Gap LoanLab14 min4 checked tasks
    Unlocked when you buy the course
  3. Production Cash-Flow Schedule & Bridge FinancingLab14 min4 checked tasks
    Unlocked when you buy the course
  4. Box Office to Distributor Rentals: the Weekly Exhibitor SplitLab13 min4 checked tasks
    Unlocked when you buy the course
  5. Revenue Windows: Theatrical, Streaming, TV, International & TimingLab13 min4 checked tasks
    Unlocked when you buy the course
  6. The Recoupment Waterfall: Who Gets Paid, in Which OrderLab16 min3 checked tasks
    Unlocked when you buy the course
  7. Break-Even Box Office: Working the Waterfall BackwardsLab13 min4 checked tasks
    Unlocked when you buy the course
  8. Scenario Comparison: Flop, Downside, Base & UpsideLab16 min4 checked tasks
    Unlocked when you buy the course
  9. Final exam12 questions, 75% to pass, unlimited retries.

Certificate

Finish with a certificate you can verify

Complete every lesson and pass the final exam to receive a certificate of completion for this course, with a unique credential ID and a public verification page.

  • Names the course, your score and the date of issue
  • A verification link for your CV or LinkedIn profile
  • 12 questions, 75% to pass, unlimited retries.

A Tutorvo certificate confirms that you completed a course. It is not an official or professional qualification.

Illustration. Your certificate shows your own name, course and credential ID.

Before you buy

Questions about this course

Is this a subscription?

No. You pay $9.99 once for this course. There is no subscription and nothing renews automatically. Prices are in US dollars; taxes may be added where required.

What exactly do I get?

All lessons and labs of this course, the final exam and the certificate, including later updates to the course, for as long as Tutorvo offers it. Access is personal and tied to your account.

Can I get a refund?

Yes. If you are not satisfied, email hello@tutorvo.com within 14 days of buying and we refund the course in full via Stripe. The guarantee does not apply once a certificate for the course has been issued to you, or where there are signs of abuse.

When can I start?

Right after payment. Access starts immediately at your request; for consumers in the EU/EEA the statutory right of withdrawal therefore ends once access has begun, while our 14-day money-back guarantee applies regardless.

Do I need Excel or other software?

No. The labs run in a spreadsheet inside your browser on a laptop, tablet or phone. Function names and syntax follow Excel.

Is the certificate an official qualification?

No. It confirms that you completed all lessons of the course and passed its final exam. It is not an official, state-recognised or professional qualification. The name is taken from your profile when the certificate is issued.

Full details are in our Terms · hello@tutorvo.com

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