Matthew Ward's Lounge Discussions

True.

Not true. People who routinely drop hundreds of thousands for productions know they have to attract and retain the trust of very creative people (hence the reason for, among other things, this site). If the moneybags are also the knowitalls on a project then everything turns to sour grapes.

It's good to be aware of both sides of the coin. Thanks!

Matthew, the best advice is to get out there and make what you can as you can. If the specific script you mentioned is too big to make on a small budget, chances are you'll have trouble getting the funding for it since you're both an unknown writer and unknown director. Hopefully that's not discouraging, but should help you focus on what you can do now. Pitch Fests and Screenwriting Contests are great for getting your work out there, possibly striking a deal, or possibly finding representation. None of these are really there to land you a job as the writer/director per se. If a production company takes an interest in your script, they're going to want to option or buy it and then attach the crew they want to it. Insisting on being the director is a surefire way to limit the amount of interest you might otherwise see, especially if you're an unproven quantity.

3 important tips Money Money Money

Regina Lee thanks! Yeah, my budget isn't $10mil that's for sure. More like $100-200k. And I have talent in mind that are up and coming and still willing, at there stage of careers, to take a risk on a first time feature director.

Try to be sure the emerging actors are marketable enough to raise $200k on their market value. Break a leg!

Matthew, Fine tune your script for a 1-week shoot...Drop the budget from $100K-200K to $10K-20K.and direct your first movie...

Although this is the 7th time you mentioned this Dov S-S Simens I have no intention of reducing my budget under $20k, shooting schedule or taking your class. Thank you for your input.

Mathew, you should fine tune your script, make it one location, one actor only, shoot it in your room, and lower the budget to $50 dollars (for coffee, donuts, etc...) and you could act yourself for your first movie... LOL