Producing : How do I properly solicit a film director? by Donnalyn Vojta

Call his agent. They may ask for your financing, so have a bank statement ready. Another way is to hire a producer that has this kind of connections.

Money seems to be pretty good bait. If you're coming at this as a relative unknown writer, let your Agent/Manager do the leg work for you. Most of the top-o-the line Directors I know of are pretty well committed for the next several years.

Congrats Donnalyn! I didn't realize you were writing up a screenplay (about the Teddybears I assume). That's fantastic! Not in contact with any 'name' directors myself, but I would suggest running an ad on S32 and see who you can nab in the way of a well known indie director, if not a bigger name.

As has been said you need to contact her or his agent. There are numerous issues involved in attaching a director which go beyond interest and availability. What's important is that you establish your project in the mind of the agent because while the director you have in mind may not be the right fit for the project, the agent may be able to present you with alternative directors that are good fit for the project and satisfy investors needs. It is by dealing with agencies initially that you put your project in best position, and if you have multiple directors at multiple agencies to court, murmur of interest and competition rarely hurts. Having seed money and a casting director in place cannot hurt, particularly if said CD has some initial interest for your project among established actors.

How about partnering with an experienced producer with contacts to such people, who can help you get this off the ground. One with at least five producing credits on IMDb . That might be a good start. There is most definitely strength in numbers ... especially ones that have done it before.

Agents just want sure things. Do it yourself. If you're passionate about your story then you were meant to get it done so go ahead and approach.

Hi Donnalyn! Do you have a particular director in mind?

No, but someone attractive to great actors is ideal. Big shock! Do you know who they might be?

Donnalyn - get yourself out there, belly up to the bar, press the flesh - get personal, know the 'right' people. You're in Chicago - not Hollywood. Do the best you can with what you got - or move to Hollywood (bad idea). Directors worth their salt, with a cadre of top-of-the line available talent are few, far between and pretty well booked solid for the next several years.

Hi Donnalyn, here's what I would do if I were in your shoes. Put together a directors list of about 5 to 10 directors who you like for your project. Some may have had recent festival success or perhaps are TV directors looking to break into features. Be realistic about your choices. Once you have that list assembled consider investing in an imdb pro account or some other database that allows you to access see who their reps are (if any).

Look them up and contact their reps - managers are generally more accessible than agents, so keep that in mind. I would suggest calling their reps rather than email (emails are easy to ignore) and be ready to introduce yourself, talk about why you like their client for this project, and pitch the project over the phone. Their reps are probably going to want some sort of money offer in order for their client to read, which is a hard thing to battle through if you don't have financing in place. Honestly, they may take the submission and they may not. They're the gate keepers and they're difficult - but not impossible - to get by.

Thanks, Jason! This is great, and thank you for the encouragement, too~~

Director

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