Find a script. Find money. Hire people to make the movie.

To start you could find some other people in your area who are interested in making short movies, and handle the production side for them to get a better idea of exactly what's involved. But at the simplest level, your job is to find a good script and make the deals to make the movie happen.

Thanks!
I suppose it would be easier to start producing a short film? How much of an obstacle is it that I have no experience and am trying to get investors? If it's an impossible task then it's best to know up front!

The thing about shorts is that they don't have to cost much, so you can either scrounge things for free, or fund it out of your own pocket. If you have a good script, you can make a good short with a DV camera, a mike, two actors and a room... it's hard to make a good feature with those same limitations.

Plus it will almost certainly be easier to convince investors to give you money for a feature if you can show them a couple of decent shorts than if you start from nothing.

So, should I form a production company first, then advertise for scripts? Where would be the best place to get scripts from?

You need to start building your network of people to make films with. If you're just interested in producing, then you need to be meeting people who are interested in writing, directing etc. Even if you're interested in doing these things yourself, you should still be trying to meet others to help you.

Not living in London isn't going to stop you from making it as a producer, but it will make it harder (particularly if you also don't live somewhere like Edinburgh, Manchester, Liverpool, or Bristol).

If you're just starting out, there's also no point in forming a company - that will just result in you having to pay accounting fees etc. Get your hands on some short scripts and get a few DV films in the can. If you're still enjoying it, then maybe look at investing a bit more money in it (i.e. by forming a company or maybe doing a few courses).

Ben C.

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filmmaking.net
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