Need some advice...

H

Hermanator

Need Some Advice....

Hey, I'm new here and I don't want to B.S. around so I'll go straight to the point. I live in a town in the middle of Virginia. There is no way for me to get any contacts of people in the industry. I'm 18 and have finished my first screenplay a couple months ago. I'm thinking about doing this film, but I want to find a producer with experience who can help me guide my way through the whole process. Is there a way for me to find a producer willing to work with a first-time writer/director? Possibly online, since my chances of finding one where I live to be pretty slim. Anything helpful will be surely appreciated. Oh, and by the way, the only reason I don't move to LA, which I hope to do later, is because I have very little money, and I'm unable to find a job here.
 
Last edited:
Sort by date Sort by votes
Welcome to indietalk.

I think there are experienced producers willing to work with
a first time writer/director - just not where you live. I think
that getting an experienced producer from out of town to
guide you through your first film is not likely. I can't imagine
a producer moving to where you live and financing a film from
a first time writer/director. And producing (not financing) is
a very hands on job - not something that can be done on line.

You might have to do what all of us here had do to; produce
your own first film.

Of course, you can ask question here on the boards to your
fellow filmmakers who have produced their own films and read
through the post where producing and making a first film is
discussed all the time.

Is your first script a feature or short?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
What is it you think a producer does? I don't understand how you think that could be done online. How do you intend to fund this project? Let's go down and make a bare minimum budget... Let's say feature length = 80 Minutes. Shooting 5 pages a day, which is a decent pace, that makes 16 shooting days.

Crew/Cast:
Producer: $100/day
Director: $100/day
DP: $100/day
Audio: $100/day
Main Cast: $100/day x 4 actors
Production Assistants $50/day x 2
Total: $14400

Locations, Props, Costumes: $2000
Craft Services: $100/day = $1600
Total: $3600

That brings you up to $18000 to just complete your shooting, if your DP and Audio people come with equipment (which they likely won't, at that price). This also assumes you don't have to pay much for locations/costumes. You'll also have to add in about $4000 for production insurance. After shooting, you'll have months of editing and post production, which I assume you'll do yourself. Then you have festival submission fees, and marketing and duplication if you plan on self-distribution.

This is a completely bare-bones budget; I'd expect it to expand quite a bit once you go through the script and start pricing things out. It'd also be surprising to find a DP and Audio Recordist with equipment for that price, so you'll likely have to purchase or rent equipment as well.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I know what a producer does. You misunderstood. I'm not saying I want a someone to produce my film online. I meant trying to find a way to get in contact with producer. Hopefully someone near where I live. Like a directory of sorts. As far as funding goes, I have some money, not a lot, I have family members willing to contribute, and I was thinking about putting up a page for the film on sites like Indie GoGo.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Hermanator said:
Well, it's a feature, but I written it so that the budget won't have to be very high. The problem is that I have very little experience in producing and I don't know how to start.
Click to expand...

You and every one of us posting on indietalk. We all (no exceptions)
acted as "producer" on our first films. I have now produced (and
written and directed) many movies - all very low budget, most no
budget. Let me get you started:

Break down the script into shooting days: by location, by day/night,
by int/ext
Decide how many pages per day you need to shoot. SinEater mentions
5 pages per day - a realistic average.
Set a schedule. For example: you have 10 scenes in an apartment at
night a total of 16 pages. That would be days one, two and three. You
have 6 scenes in that same apartment during the day a total of 22 pages.
That would be days four, five, six and seven.

You keep doing this until you have a full breakdown of the script. When
you're done come on back for more steps.

Or you can hope that someone who doesn't know you will be willing to
do that for free and wait for them to become available.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Do a full, line item budget.
Make sure you have enough money to cover all costs.
Set your shooting schedule.
Secure locations.
Gather your crew.
Audition actors.

But let's not jump ahead. You have gotten at least a little of what
you asked for; "a producer (me) willing to work with a first-time
writer/director? Possibly online" Take your first steps - "I don't know
how to start." - and then take your second steps.

Finish your full breakdown and budget first.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Hey friends. It is difficult to get producers for new director with no experience or for the first film.
Many people now a days go after crowd funding. You can try it. just google around and you will get 2 top most crowd funding sites.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top