Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Finding Your Producer

So you have screenplay and you've reworked it to a point where it's presentable to someone.  Who is that someone?  I wish I had an answer for that.  It could be anyone.  If you don't know anyone, find someone.  What are you looking for in this person?  Someone who can be a producer.  A producer is someone who does all the crap we don't want to do.  To me it's the worst job in the world.  To them, there's nothing they'd rather be doing... which is great... because it's a really tough job to do.

How do you find yourself a producer?  You may be just out of school, you may be already working on sets in the middle of hell as a production assistant (ahem, did I write that out loud).  Maybe you're just out after winning best short film at your film school!  Congratulations... you're qualified to PA!   Unless your dad is the head of a studio, your mom starred in a studio film, your brother is a working director of photography, or your best friend loves to give away $3 million dollars at a time just for fun... you're so screwed.  You're probably going to PA next.  Now don't get me wrong, there are people who PA as a living and love it.  God bless them.  I tried it.  It was horrible.  But more importantly and simply put, it's just necessary.  Think of it like pledging a frat/sorority or being initiated into a club.  It's your best chance at two major things: Learning how a set works and networking.  Why network?  To find your producer!  And we've come full circle!  That's how I did it, anyway.  That pain-in-the-ass first AD that hired me actually became my friend... then believed in my script... then simply believed in me.

I'm not going to say this is how it must be done, but it's definitely a way it can be done.  There are so many ways to reach an already tough goal.  Here's the one that worked for me: I begged this one first AD I worked for to watch my shorts, having no idea where this could go.  One of his friends I also worked with saw it and raved about it.  That's what got him to finally come over and watch (I guess that's a decent strategy).  Anyway, he was impressed.  Then I gave him Trust Us, the time travel script I've been working on forever.  I had to really annoy the heck out of him to finally get him to even read that.  It worked, and he loved it.  We haven't shut up about this project since.  Now that's love for something!  That's the dedication you need to find in your producer.  Find a #1 fan of your work.  I was just darn lucky to learn that this one aspiring producer is one hell of a pitcher, and more importantly his motivation actually matches mine.  These are people you NEED to surround yourself with, because everyone gets discouraged... most quit.  But, remember, people like us are terrible quitters... good!  It's the most important quality for a filmmaker to have, especially since the odds are flat-out unfair.  We need to keep that 22 year old college graduate who's never PA'ed attitude, otherwise we'll fold.  And after so much rejection, it's not so easy at first.  Make it become easy or you'll go crazy.

Again, that's one way to do it.  This person who believes in your project can come from anywhere.  So many various people have come in and out of my production and festival life.  There's too many to count in the last ten or so years... seriously, it's crazy!  Most of them are just interesting people you meet, but the more of these people you meet, the better your chances in finding someone else who loves your project as much as you.  Best advice I can give on making connections and networking that kept me going:  people will break promises they made to help you 99% of the time.  But that one percent... that one in a hundred, can really help you.  Maybe it's one in 500.  All I ever needed to start was one.  I met other directors, producers, small budget financiers, aspiring crew members, PR people, and even theater owners... they all at one point or another said they'd help.  I'd call to follow up (this is a must) ... maybe we'd go back and forth a few times, then eventually... nothing.  This is so normal.  So many people with big ideas, but such a small percentage see the light of day.  Don't get discouraged.

How did I catch anyone's attention?  There's the strength of the script, but I also wrote and directed two short films, one in college and an indie short just out of it.  I think they were really good.  If you don't have anything like that, and now with the cheaper costs of video, you really should make a short film or two to show people you can make a movie that works along with your rewritten and rewritten, finished script.  Just finishing a quality short film that makes sense and moves people in some way is such a huge accomplishment.  Then using that to enter the festival scene only helps. 

So I find a good strategy is to look around... be involved... network as well as you can.  I usually hate networking and I hate pitching even more.  Although I'm confident about my screenplays and all I want is for people to read them, it's awkward for me to sell myself.  It's something I need to work on.  But when you're on set and you start to know people, it's much easier.  You may find another PA who's also just getting started, who wants to produce some day.  A PA who wants to be a producer... that actually makes me laugh because anyone who wants to produce actually should start as a PA.  Directors... not so much.  At least not for too long.  But anyway, it's so important to find that person who doesn't want to direct but wants to make a project happen.  It's the perfect team.  You find the right person who makes phone calls, will search for potential investors, will help guide your script and make it better... and maybe most importantly you find someone you can trust.  Then you're in great shape.  You can split your duties and use each others strengths to make this happen.  Remember, a team of two is twice as strong as a team of one.

So you have a script and a producer... what's next?  I quickly learned it's time to find another producer.  Seriously... you expect this producer of yours to do everything?  He/she will kill you first!   Besides, another producer may be a gateway to other opportunities.  His or her contacts are your contacts.  By the way, do you at least have some money in the bank?  You're going to need it...

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