Knowing your story –  Telling your story

• Introduction to Creative Producing
• Introductions – participants introduce themselves and the projects they have in development.
• Personal branding  – values, vision,
• Business branding

Homework: Reworking your personal and business biogs

The Big Picture

• Putting the Australian industry in local and international context.
• Disruption of the business models
• Redefining audiences and markets
• Key financing mechanisms including funding bodies

The Producer

• What does a producer do? What are the qualities required in order to be successful?
• The role of producer in development, production, post-production and marketing
• Managing risk
• Producer/director relationship
• Types of producer – exploration of the different roles: Producer, Executive Producer, Line Producer, etc.
• How to take the first steps as a producer and what are the essential selling tools that every producer needs, eg short film, proof of concept pitch promo, trailer

Case Study

• The Dressmaker as an entrepreneurial business case

Project Development

• How to find an idea and the right talent – any red flags to look out for eg massive development debt already, already passed on by every distributor recently
• Securing a property – Optioning and rights deals in relation to plays, novels and “true stories”.
• Commissioning original scripts and the writer/producer relationship.
• Steps in the screenplay process and deals.
• Establishing chain of title.

Audience and Marketing

• Understanding the market, audience and film marketing
• Developing and monetising audience experience.
• Understanding key selling points and packaging your project.
• How to know what distributors are looking for and identifying gaps in the market/trends and even if this is the best strategy
• Understanding distributor and sales agent needs
• Comparative box-office.

Developing finance plans that make sense

• Understanding what a film should cost in relation to its ambitions and market reality.
• Understanding rights and how to strategically exploit them.
• Sources of finance.
• Attaching distributors and sales agents.

Pitching and packaging

• What you need to take your project to market (including getting development funding).
• Understanding the world of Film Markets and Film Festivals and how to capitalise on them.
• Taking a project to market, what’s needed, how to judge when to attend, who to meet and how to follow up.
• Pitching basics from the elevator pitch to the meeting with acquisitions executives.

Developing a slate

• Introduction to developing a production slate and running a production business
• Managing the business slate.
  How to make more than one film every few years.
• Strategies for sustainability.
  How can you make a business from making films?
• What sort of business do you want?
• Do you need to form a partnership/ larger company with peers?
• Screen Australia Enterprise Scheme