Producing

Laura Notarianni Good morning,

I believe you're Italian, like me.

I'm also an audiovisual producer.

I'm looking for sponsors for both TV and film.

But I'm also willing to collaborate with other production companies to grow together.

I don't recommend selling your works to other production companies... they should produce them but not sell the rights. Like I do.

I have several formats and would like to launch my own program...

Thank you all for continuing the conversation and sharing your different perspectives and experiences. In this particular case, I've reached out to three of my favorite literary managers to read the script in hopes of getting this writer at least a meeting or two to potentially open an avenue to the right partner.

What a smart and generous solution! Good on ye, Laura

This is a great question and one of the quintessential dilemmas for a producer. As someone on the financing and producorial side, when I'm pitched an exceptional project that sits outside my lane, I look at this through a slightly different lens: Risk vs. Reward.

You mentioned it hits several "hard sell" categories. From a financing perspective, a "hard sell" isn't an automatic No: it's a high-cost capital project. If the script is prestigious and emotional, its value isn't in a massive opening weekend: it's an awards play with library longevity and talent attraction. If I don't have the specific contacts (distributors, foreign sales agents) for that type of project, by signing onto it, I'd be gambling with my time, the filmmaker's or writer's time, and my reputation.

If the opportunity is truly that good, I'd think about how I can leverage and look for a co-producer who lives in that lane. They should have a legitimate track record with that budget range and genre. I'd softly share the project to them, get their general feedback, and use them as a sounding board before making any decision. Thus, I'm building a bridge into a new genre space without getting over my skis, and with any luck, there may be a collaboration there with a qualified co-producer.

I'd rather split 100% with a partner than take 0% with no one by staying on the sidelines. The key is finding someone who has the relationships, the taste, and the track record in that specific lane. Then I bring value in other ways: maybe it's partial financing, maybe it's packaging support, maybe it's just being the person who connected the right people. But I don't let ego or fear of splitting points keep me from being part of something exceptional.

In those cases, if I'm totally stretched, I may just refer the project out for free. If I know I am genuinely the wrong person to champion this, and I can't add value as a partner, I will gladly introduce it to someone I know who is looking for exactly this. Good karma!

For many producers, I've seen it boiled down to: are you passionate enough to explore new territories and invest a lot of time to see this project get made? If they recommend it to other producers, it often means that the project is good but not good enough to get personally invested. The bar's been raised pretty high these days so producers are very discerning about what they take on.

Common amateur mistake. It’s better to have all your credits at the end. It’s a short— get into it quickly!

Also, when I screened shorts for a festival, I found anything over 20 minutes usually didn’t need to be.

true

Thank you for sharing Sebastian Tudores. I look as a project and I build a strategy like a business one. Each story has his own DNA, so for me I see it as a project, I am a filmmaker entrepreneur and that helps a lot. And you?

RB's blog is such a vital read—it reframes the question from "Is my script good?" to "Does my IP have undeniable momentum?" That shift is everything. Showing demand (a webcomic prequel, a tabletop game, a engaged social following) proves a project is more than a document; it's a living thing with an audience. I've seen writers develop companion podcasts or short prequel comics—not to replace the script, but to prove the world has depth. For you, what's one element of your current script that could spin off into another medium to demonstrate audience appetite?

Sandra Correia project it is for me, 100% agree - I actually realize it's not necessarily that different of a thinking than before when you'd plan for ancillary revenue. Only that was designed for 'after' the movie was made, while the ecosystems we're speaking about today become PART OF the entire journey of production.

Sam Rivera I love the tabletop game idea! :) super points, thank you. also appreciate you mentioning probing the depth of the story through these ecosystem elements. For me, I have a podcast series planned to examine the connection between the story of the film and real historical geopolitics.

Keep Them Away from Bright Light; Never Get Them Wet; Never Feed Them After Midnight - GREMLINS

Thank you, everyone.

Rich Terdoslavich - wow, you are incredibly talented. Would love to know more about your process when you are conceptualizing how you are going to put the art to the page?

Thank you, Amanda. Regarding conceptualizing, for this job, I received the script and started reading it. The setting of the script inspired me to go into a cartoon pop art style. Also, since the budget/deadline was tight, I selected certain scenes that I could interpret them as medium or long shots. My other focus was to make sure that each shot was composed at a variety of angles, to not repeat myself. Since this was for a client that was going to use my work for a presentation plus probably for the shoot itself, variety of composition/scenes was important to create a sense of dynamics, dynamic visuals. If one panel was a medium shot, the next one would be a full shot.

It was something I learned from comic book artists. Keep the pages dynamic, each panel should have a dynamic visual without compromising the importance of visual storytelling from panel to panel. Change up the angles, think composition, lighting and framing. Think design. One comic book artist I knew worked in film and taught me a lot about visual storytelling, the importance of not only telling a story through visuals, but to think visual, think design, think composition, think balance. I do the best I can and always enjoy working with film directors and producers. Have a great weekend!

great topic! For spec scripts I’m a firm believer in just writing! forget it all and tell the biggest best story possible and rewrite it until it’s crafted into a strong version. then if you are producing it yourself you can structure a production strategy that you feel works for the story and do a second pass of the story based on this structured framework. and if you work w a producer it allows them to shape the story into a producible framework.

if it’s an assignment or you have a budget you are trying to back into. it’s a hybrid approach where you have the framework already in mind but even so still allow yourself the opportunity to explore the story and in a second pass further shape it into a cleanly crafted framework that lines up w the budget.

basically what I’m trying to say is there’s so much to discover while writing - putting limitations on it initially can affect you when trying to first realize the story.

Abhijeet Aade, this is such a grounded and healthy way of approaching the dual role. Your process really highlights that the creative phase and the practical phase don’t have to fight each other; they just need to happen in the right order. Thanks for sharing this; it’s a great reminder that structure and feasibility should shape the story after the story has had room to exist.

Michael Wormser, this is such a strong way of framing the process and honestly, such a relief for writer‑producers who feel torn between “dream big” and “be practical.” I love how you put it: for specs, just write. Let the story be as big, wild, emotional, or ambitious as it wants to be, and only later shape it into something producible. That separation between discovery and refinement is something many of us forget when our producer brain jumps in too early.

Your last line really nails it: limiting the story too soon can choke the very thing you’re trying to uncover. Letting the writing lead first is such a healthy reminder for all of us juggling multiple hats. Thank you for sharing.

Sandra Correia Yes, writing on commission is exactly that. Ghost writers are essentially writing on commission. Though I don't ghost write. For example I was hired to do pilot script that had a specific actor in mind, following a specific set of beats and product placement moments the producer needed covered. Then as supervising producer, I had to rewrite a script from top to bottom two weeks before principal photography because the talent (an A lister who was doing them a deep favor on her rate) refused to come on board unless it was completely reworked with her brand in mind (she nearly got the director fired, too, the original was so poor.).

I’m not a producer, but I work as an AD and a writer, so I often see both sides of the equation.

Personally, I think it’s important to write the story first and figure out what the characters and the story actually need. Character, action, and location are deeply connected. If you start separating those elements too early because you’re thinking about logistics or budget, you risk limiting the story before it has a chance to fully exist.

For me, the producer brain comes in later. In the second draft or sometimes much later, you can start adjusting the script to the realities of production. By that point, you know which locations are truly essential, which ones could change, and where costs might be reduced without harming the story.

In other words: let the story breathe first, then solve the production puzzle. Yes it takes longer, but the outcome will be better.

Would love to connect with you and me and email at darkziperoxgmail.con

Great to have you here Cyrus! How'd you get involved in animation and post production?

Viper Cameron-Lovell Thank you for sharing! I've also sent a invite to connect on here as well, look forward to seeing where the conversation goes!

Amanda Toney it's honestly been a lifelong journey. My passion has always been in audio, I started listening and playing music at a young age, which led me to choir, band, orchestra, and even garage bands. Along the way, I discovered a love for filming with friends. As for animation, my co-owner grew up drawing and developed a passion for anime early on. We started collaborating pre-COVID on live-action projects, and eventually, that led us both to pursue school in audio and animation. The rest is still being written. How about you, what first drew you to animation and post-production?