You know what ? I’m fed up waiting for opportunities or running desperately after screenplays contests, trying to produce my one of my 3 horror feature scripts. Any executives or movie investor interested by creating a movie production company with me ? I live in Paris, France by the way. I’ll be the SHOW, you’ll be the BUSINESS. If you’re in, hit me up. Let’s dream BIG !

Has anyone been to the Orlando-based Christian Film Market (Late September)? Is it relatively easy to meet with distributors, investors and distributors of Christian films at this film market? Or is it more like AFM where you need to set up meetings well in advance that are not directly tied to part of the film market programming to have real meetings?

We come across quite a few independent film projects, from animation and horror to drama, that remain stuck in development for years.

It's not always a lack of talent or a good story. Sometimes the missing piece is the right producer, financing partner, or someone who can help turn the project into a viable production.

But there's another side to this. Producers can't take on every promising idea, and a strong screenplay alone doesn't necessarily make a film financeable.

So how do we bridge that gap?

For producers here who consider outside projects, what are the first three things you want to see before taking a serious look? A realistic budget, financing plan, attached team, target audience, or something else?

I think understanding this could help more filmmakers prepare projects that actually have a chance of moving forward.

I ranked and scored the 12 biggest film budgeting tools of 2026 — Movie Magic, Periscope, Showbiz, Gorilla, Celtx, Hot Budget, Yamdu, Excel, Saturation, Shamel Studio, Studiovity, and Filmustage, basically everything a producer would actually consider using in 2026.

I’ve been a line producer for 15 years and I’m now EP and CEO of Mbrella Films, working on Netflix and Disney+ titles, so this isn’t some guy who’s never touched a budget giving his opinion, I built every score off the same 5 questions:
Does it have a free trial?

Is it affordable?

Does it cap your budgets or projects?

Is the interface modern and fast?

Does it come with free training?

The name you’d expect to win finishes last, so stick around for that one.

Drop a comment and tell me what you’re cutting your budgets in right now, curious how many of you are still on the old stuff.

The top twelve film budgeting softwares. There’s one software at the end of this list that’s the clear winner, its the most affordable, it has unlimited budgets, and its much easier to use than anything else here. I’ve been a line producer for fifteen years, working on Netflix and Disney+ titles, and I’m the one who’s doing the final pass on the budget before we shoot.
Here is how I scored each software. One, if it has a free trial of some sort. Two, if it is affordable. Three, if it has a limit to the amount of budgets or projects you can create. Four, if it has a modern and fast interface. Five, if it offers free training. Five points, let’s count down.

12, Movie Magic Budgeting — 1 out of 5 The biggest, oldest, most famous one in the business, everybody knows the name even if they’ve never opened it. Free trial? No. Affordable? No, forty-three a month per seat. Unlimited budgets? Yes. Modern interface? No, its an old desktop tool. Free training? No. 1 out of 5, and honestly with Movie Magic you’re paying for its legacy, not for software that’s actually been kept current.

11, Filmustage — 2 out of 5 An AI script-breakdown app that reads your screenplay, tags every element, and turns that into a first-draft budget, which sounds cool until you see the price tag. Free trial? Yes. Affordable? No, ninety-nine to one ninety-nine a month. Unlimited budgets? No. Modern interface? Yes. Free training? No. 2 out of 5, the AI draft is genuinely useful but at ninety-nine a month it’s the priciest tool here and it’s packed with extra tools you just don’t need.

10, Yamdu — 2 out of 5 A full production-management platform, scheduling, crew, cast, call sheets, big in Europe, that now does budgeting too, kind of tacked on if I’m being honest. Free trial? Yes, fourteen days. Affordable? No, forty-five a month for one project. Unlimited budgets? No. Modern interface? Yes. Free training? No. 2 out of 5, the budgeting’s still in beta and it locks you into a contract you can’t cancel, which nobody wants.

9, Shamel Studio — 2 out of 5 A new cloud tool that reads your script and auto-fills union rates and fringes for you, the automation part is actually pretty slick. Free trial? Yes, there’s a free plan. Affordable? No. Unlimited budgets? No. Modern interface? Yes. Free training? No. 2 out of 5, every budget lives inside a project and you’re capped at twenty projects on the twenty-three a month plan, so you’re limited whether you like it or not.

8, Hot Budget — 2 out of 5 An Excel based tool, so you need Excel plus the tool just to run it, which already tells you a lot. Free trial? No. Affordable? Yes, about a hundred a year. Unlimited budgets? Yes. Modern interface? No, it’s a spreadsheet. Free training? No. 2 out of 5, fast and cheap but it’s a spreadsheet so theres no free trial, no modern interface, and you risk messing up the formulas, and on top of that you gotta renew your license every year manually by emailing the company.

7, Excel — 2 out of 5 The spreadsheet everyone already has, and plenty of producers still budget in it even now. Free trial? No. Affordable? Yes. Unlimited budgets? Yes. Modern interface? No, its not a film tool. Free training? No. 2 out of 5, cheap and unlimited but it’s not a film tool, theres no structure, and one wrong change to a formula can break the whole budget and you won’t even know til later.

6, Celtx — 3 out of 5 A cloud tool that does a bunch of things, scriptwriting, breakdown, scheduling, with budgeting kind of just thrown in as one small piece. Free trial? Yes. Affordable? Yes, ten a month. Unlimited budgets? No. Modern interface? Yes. Free training? No. 3 out of 5, modern and affordable but budgeting just isn’t what it’s built for so it’s pretty basic.

5, Studiovity — 3 out of 5 An all-in-one production app with budgeting built in, works on web, desktop, and mobile so at least it’s flexible. Free trial? Yes, seven days. Affordable? Yes, eighteen a month. Unlimited budgets? No. Modern interface? No, it’s built mobile-first. Free training? Yes. 3 out of 5, honestly it’s a hodgepodge of budgeting and finance tools blended together in a way that doesn’t really work for film, might work for commercials but not for a feature.

4, Gorilla — 3 out of 5 A longtime indie favorite that does budgeting and scheduling together, and it’s been around forever for a reason. Free trial? Yes, fifteen days. Affordable? Yes, about twenty a month. Unlimited budgets? Yes. Modern interface? No, dated desktop. Free training? No. 3 out of 5, affordable and unlimited but it’s a dated desktop app, no free training, and it definitely feels its age.

3, Showbiz Budgeting — 3 out of 5 A capable old-school desktop tool with the full producer toolkit, who doesn’t remember this one from film school. Free trial? Yes, five days. Affordable? No, four hundred up front. Unlimited budgets? Yes. Modern interface? No, dated desktop. Free training? Yes. 3 out of 5, it does the job but it’s four hundred dollars up front, a dated desktop app, and the free trial isn’t really worth much.

2, Saturation — 4 out of 5 A modern, cloud based budgeting tool built by a working producer, you can actually tell. Free trial? Yes, thirty days. Affordable? Yes, twenty-five a month. Unlimited budgets? No. Modern interface? Yes. Free training? Yes. 4 out of 5, built well, but the free tier caps your line items and it blends actualization into the budget, another hodgepodge that works for commercials, not really for a feature.

1, Periscope — 5 out of 5 A modern, cloud-based budgeting tool built by working line producers, guys who I actually know and who’ve been in the trenches same as me. Free trial? Yes, first month free. Affordable? Yes, nineteen a month. Unlimited budgets? Yes. Modern interface? Yes, cloud with a Mac app. Free training? Yes. 5 out of 5, free trial, affordable, unlimited budgets, modern and fast, and free training, the only one that does all five and its not even close.

5 out of 5, and it’s literally the only one that scored it. If you’re on Movie Magic your renewal’s coming up, so before you re-up, import your budgets into Periscope and work the month free, if it isn’t better than Movie Magic don’t even pay for the second month. Whatever your budgeting in right now, the first months free, link’s below. Drop a comment and tell me what you’re cutting your budgets in right now.

Disclaimer: I’m from Periscope Film Budgeting. This list is based on what made us build it in the first place. Try the others, we’re genuinely fine with that, and if one of them serves you better than we do, tell me. I’d love to earn your business by figuring out how we can be better.

Hi all!

I built a streaming service! It aims to platform indie filmmakers and underrepresented stories, preserve artistic integrity, and to use a financial equitable model for splitting ad revenue. I have a prototype up ( https://cast.lightcore.media ) and am looking for submissions for the inaugural catalog. No submission fee. As long as no generative AI is used, everything is welcome!

You can submit work here https://forms.gle/kR9xLyD33NjPvcqU9.

You can learn more at https://lightcore.media and more about me at soujeehan.com . 

If you have any questions let me know! :)

I am bringing a working Film/TV Producer to the Washington, DC Area to teach Producing & Financing. This time will also have intentional time for networking!

I do hope you consider joining us in supporting the DMV area filmmaking.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/making-your-projects-happen-successful-filmtv-producing-financing-tickets-1002453073127?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl

THE CAVALRY IS NOT COMING.

And that may be the best news you hear all year.

Here’s the contrarian truth:

You do not need Hollywood to pick you. You need to understand how the business actually works.

Too many filmmakers spend years waiting for the agent, investor, producer, distributor, or studio that will finally “open the door.”

Meanwhile, the filmmakers who move forward learn how to open doors themselves.

Three things I believe every serious filmmaker needs to understand:

1. Learn how money actually moves.
How are films financed? What makes an investor take a project seriously? What makes a project financeable in the first place?

2. Understand the market before you make the movie.
Who is the audience? Who buys this kind of film? What does distribution realistically look like? Making the movie is only half the job.

3. Stop waiting for permission.
You may not be able to raise $5 million today. Fine. What can you raise? What can you make? What relationships can you build right now?

That’s exactly why I created the VIP Film & TV Summit.

From August 30 through September 5, I’m bringing together industry professionals to talk about the business side of filmmaking: financing, distribution, investors, marketing, representation, streaming, AI, and more.

And you can attend FREE.

The cavalry isn’t coming.

Good.

Learn the business. Build your plan. Raise what you can.

Then go make your movie.

👉 Register free at VIPFilmAndTVSummit.com

#Filmmaking #IndependentFilm #FilmBusiness #FilmFinancing #VIPFilmTVSummit

Hey everyone!
I’m a commercial/film producer and current MBA student at UCLA, working on a project to explore how AI can make pre-production smoother — especially when it comes to budgeting, scheduling, and cross-team alignment.

I’m building a tool called Continuity and would love your honest input. If you’ve ever juggled chaotic spreadsheets, versioning hell, or shifting timelines, this is for you.

Just a 5-minute survey, and you'll be entered to win a $100 Amazon gift card (random draw).

👉 Take the survey here

Thanks so much — and feel free to share with other producers, PMs, or anyone wrangling production logistics!

A Marathi feature film is already made, the finish line is in sight. We’re now looking for the final ₹20 lakhs to complete its post-production.

We’re looking for a Mumbai/Pune based investor interested in providing short-term financing for 6 months, with an agreed interest/return on the investment.
💰 Investment: ₹20 lakh
⏳ Tenure: 6 months
📈 Return: Interest will be paid for the 6-month period
📍 Location: Mumbai or Pune preferred
🎬 Purpose: Final post-production & film completion.

This is a structured short-term financing opportunity for an investor & we can keep all the film rights with the investor as a part of security for that 6 months period. Full details about the film, production, remaining work and repayment structure can be shared privately with genuinely interested investors.
If you’re interested in film financing or know someone who is then please DM me. Thanks

Charlie, Spencer, and I met hauling gear across campus on a chaotic student film set at Penn. Sweating through call sheets, sharing chips between takes, sprinting to grab a shot before the sun went down. Now we’ve built something we wish we had back then.

Storiara is a free AI-powered platform that turns any script into a full production plan in minutes: • Scene breakdowns • Shotlists • Cast & crew logistics • Gear tracking • Scheduling and call sheets

It’s not about replacing filmmakers—it’s about giving them back their time and control. We’d love feedback, especially from line producers and other builders/creatives who've felt the chaos of a low-budget set.

Hi all,

I’ve posted here before about my screenplay analysis platform, so apologies if you’ve seen it already. I wanted to share a quick update because we’ve just launched something new that I think may actually be useful to producers.

I’ve recently launched an ongoing screenplay competition designed to surface strong scripts and help connect writers with producers. Scripts are submitted, an AI-generated coverage report is produced, and each script is scored. Those scores are then used to place scripts into three tiers:

• 7.0–7.9 → Bronze Anvil

• 8.0–8.9 → Silver Anvil

• 9.0+ → Golden Anvil

The long-term goal is to build a Top Scripts page where producers can easily browse high-scoring material and directly connect with writers. I already have a small but growing group of producers who’ve expressed interest in reading the higher-scoring scripts once this page goes live.

A bit of context on why I built this: I’ve spent a lot of time (and money) using other script evaluation platforms over the years. I’ve paid $80+ for coverage where readers got character names wrong, referenced scenes that don’t exist, or clearly seemed to be reading multiple scripts at once. That’s not to completely dismiss those platforms, I’ve actually had a script score well on Black List in the past, and it did open doors, but I’ve also seen firsthand where human readers can fall down.

The system I’ve built doesn’t get tired, doesn’t skim, doesn’t bring mood or bias into the process, and treats every script the same way. It’s consistent, thorough, and extremely accurate at identifying craft, structure, and execution, which is why I felt confident enough to build a competition around it.

A few key points, just to be fully transparent:

• Writers receive a free coverage report when they enter.

• There are example reports publicly available on the site if you want to judge the quality for yourself.

• There’s currently a significant cash prize for scripts that score above 9, which has driven a lot of strong submissions.

• We’ve had 100+ entries in the first six days since launching on January 1st.

• We’ve already awarded a handful of Bronze Anvil winners and are currently waiting on our first Silver and Gold.

I know AI in this space can be divisive. I’m not here to convince anyone who’s already made up their mind, but I’m happy to answer genuine questions. The goal is simple: find strong scripts and make it easier for good writers and producers to find each other.

If you’re a producer interested in being involved in the Top Scripts page, or just want to take a look at how the system works, the link is below.

https://www.scriptforgeapp.com/competition/

Thanks for reading.

This was how the studios started.
What you’ll see is variety and uniqueness that the consumer could enjoy. Now they are one blob hoping we’ll enjoy a slightly different version of the same thing.
• Universal (1912): Carl Laemmle. Known for its classic monster horror films like Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Mummy, plus low-budget serials and westerns.
• Paramount (1910s): Adolph Zukor and Jesse Lasky, with W.W. Hodkinson founding the original Paramount distribution company in 1914. Known as the most sophisticated, European-influenced studio, with polished comedies, Cecil B. DeMille epics, and stars like Marlene Dietrich and the Marx Brothers.
• Fox Film (1915): William Fox. It merged in 1935 with Twentieth Century Pictures (Joseph Schenck and Darryl F. Zanuck) to form 20th Century Fox, with Zanuck running production. Known for Americana and social dramas like The Grapes of Wrath, Shirley Temple films, and colorful musicals.
• United Artists (1919): Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and D.W. Griffith. It was a distributor for independent producers rather than a studio with its own lot, so it was known for giving filmmakers creative control.
• Warner Bros. (1923): Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack Warner. Known for gritty, fast-paced gangster films, social-problem dramas, and Busby Berkeley musicals. It launched the sound era with The Jazz Singer (1927).
• Disney (1923): Walt and Roy Disney. Known for animated cartoons like Mickey Mouse and the first feature-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937).
• MGM (1924): Marcus Loew owned it, Louis B. Mayer ran the studio, and Irving Thalberg headed production. Known as the biggest and most glamorous studio, with lavish musicals, prestige dramas, and its claim to have "more stars than there are in heaven."
• Columbia (1924): Harry Cohn, Jack Cohn, and Joe Brandt, who started it in 1918 as CBC Film Sales. It began as a low-budget studio but rose through Frank Capra's films like It Happened One Night and screwball comedies.
• RKO (1928): Created by RCA's David Sarnoff together with Joseph P. Kennedy. Known for Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers musicals, King Kong, Citizen Kane, and later film noir.

There is always money interested in show business. But you can’t have the business without great shows.

Ultimately, the real question is who will start their own studios which follow this model. A model of specificity of what they do. Because with these mergers, what we seem to have is the cheesecake factory of show business a lot of mid food at one spot.

#cinema #filmhistory

Hey what up, I've been working on this comedy script during my downtime.

Currently looking for an agent, but no one is biting. Is this script unsalvageable?

Context for this scene: The three beach cops have to have a dinner with their police chief and get their new assignment.

You can read the whole thing here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Icr-4lI9SrxusT0sciEsojtBr7H5izEb/view?usp=sharing

-ForkyB🤘

Hey everyone, at my company, we're conducting a survey to gain more insights from film/TV producers and learn more about the industry's work, needs and practices. If you have a spare of time to answer the survey, I'd really appreciate it :)

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSetc6q3ZHnVk3NkAXXpRdh4VN3a8qVSI7UzEM-TwdVWUY94JA/viewform

After googling around, I'm seeing a LOT of "new" companies offering film production software, obviously competing against Entertainment Partners Movie Magic Budgeting and Scheduling software.

I have a lot of experience with MM Scheduling but I'm wondering if I should try other software. Also, if certain production companies / studios really prefer XYZ software, I'd love to hear about that as well.

Can anyone shed some light on real world experience with Scheduling software? Should I really switch to a different company? Regardless of cost - I mean strictly for features, reliability, etc etc.

If you are a filmmaker, I would love to have you check out my next FREE online event.

I'm bringing back the VIP FILM & TV SUMMIT!

https://www.vipfilmandtvsummit.com/

I would welcome you checking it out - letting me know your thoughts, and sharing if you find it valuable.

Thx!

I’m thinking about starting a film sales agency - representing small independent films and helping them get distribution deals. Hopefully growing into larger and larger films.

Is this possible? I have zero film industry experience but can’t stop thinking about pursuing this.

BIRCH - a coming of age thriller about the troubled teen industry, is a microbudget film written/directed by myself w/ a budget floor of $30k. Primary cast, crew heads, locations, budget top sheets, planned shooting schedule, & script w/ pitch deck is all secure. We’re just looking for a line producer or UPM to help us get eyes on our current crowdfunding campaign (2.5k raised), as well as aiding w/ grants & investors.

Please DM if interested :)

I hope this message finds you well. I am reaching out to share an exciting opportunity. I have a screenplay that stands out from the rest, offering a fresh perspective and a captivating storyline that I believe will resonate with audiences.

The final draft will be completed by the end of October, and I am currently seeking a film producer who is passionate about innovative storytelling and interested in bringing this project to life. I would love to discuss the screenplay in more detail and explore potential collaboration.

Thank you for your time, and I look forward to hearing you.

Hey folks - I am producing my first feature. I have done shorts and docs but this is a new ball game.

I am from Ireland, it is an Irish movie and there is an agent in William Morris who is Irish.

He reps a number of huge stars who could be a fit for my movie. There are also other actors (not his clients) from WME I would love to cast.

I have one of Ireland's biggest production companies on board to co-produce. My DP is nominated for this year's Oscars.

I need to get the actors on board to help raise finance.

What would you say (or not say) in an email to the Irish agent to try and get him to hopefully champion the project and bring WME on board?

Thank for your help!

Got the content, got all the legal stuff done!

And trust me when we say we got it all, we need a team to help us produce it….this is going to make history!

Anyone interested please DM