I'm in the middle of thinking through these things on my debut feature film (as producer). We're starting to look at casting options. We have a director who's also a producer, so that isn't a variable in the equation. But the order of operations on this gets complicated when money's still up in the air. Thanks for this post, though--it's useful to get a sense of what gets priority, and when.
Hey Jeremiah, thanks for your comment! So you have a script and a director and is that all so far? What is the budget and genre? What are you considering to be next steps or deciding between what to do? A little more info and hopefully I can advise!
Sorry--reposting this comment as my first reply went to the wrong box....
We have a script (which is undergoing a budget pass revision), director, budget, and a core ATL production team, including our line producer and production designer. Budget is ~600k (horror).
Next steps once script revision is completed is to hone/finalize budget to that, then we plan two-prong effort to crowdfund + raise remaining private equity (we have some, but not nearly all that we need). We're also starting to create our wish list for casting.
Hey Jeremiah - at $600K I would prioritize what you're doing: honing the budget and raising money. At that low budget you probably aren't going to get name talent so I would focus on getting the best SAG talent for what you have. Think up and coming TV actors or ones with a strong social media following so they can help promote the release later. The good news is that Horror is such a marketable genre that if you make something with higher-than-it-looks production value you can hopefully get into some festivals and create a little buzz. Good luck and let me know if you have other questions!
Thank you! Yeah, we're pretty much at that same conclusion. We do have our sights on some great actors who have a following and could prove huge draws if marketed properly.
Very interesting share. I never thought about over-developing before. But it makes sense.
Thanks @Spyder glad you found it helpful!
Certainly did. Will keep following your content. Happy holidays! and go artists!
I'm in the middle of thinking through these things on my debut feature film (as producer). We're starting to look at casting options. We have a director who's also a producer, so that isn't a variable in the equation. But the order of operations on this gets complicated when money's still up in the air. Thanks for this post, though--it's useful to get a sense of what gets priority, and when.
Hey Jeremiah, thanks for your comment! So you have a script and a director and is that all so far? What is the budget and genre? What are you considering to be next steps or deciding between what to do? A little more info and hopefully I can advise!
Sorry--reposting this comment as my first reply went to the wrong box....
We have a script (which is undergoing a budget pass revision), director, budget, and a core ATL production team, including our line producer and production designer. Budget is ~600k (horror).
Next steps once script revision is completed is to hone/finalize budget to that, then we plan two-prong effort to crowdfund + raise remaining private equity (we have some, but not nearly all that we need). We're also starting to create our wish list for casting.
Hey Jeremiah - at $600K I would prioritize what you're doing: honing the budget and raising money. At that low budget you probably aren't going to get name talent so I would focus on getting the best SAG talent for what you have. Think up and coming TV actors or ones with a strong social media following so they can help promote the release later. The good news is that Horror is such a marketable genre that if you make something with higher-than-it-looks production value you can hopefully get into some festivals and create a little buzz. Good luck and let me know if you have other questions!
Thank you! Yeah, we're pretty much at that same conclusion. We do have our sights on some great actors who have a following and could prove huge draws if marketed properly.