Chris Pluchar: Line producer, producer and production coordinator in Los Angeles, California.

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.

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Thank you all for the support! And it's great to connect with you on here!

Thanks for the connection!

Jessica, the fastest way to shift gears is to start doing. It won't be fun at first, but it's valuable to lend your efforts to a handful of smaller projects when first starting out. This will let you sharpen your skills and get a feel for how things work on a smaller scale. I've seen a lot of people bite off way more than they could chew and they end up crashing and burning because they didn't realize X, Y, or Z. When you Line Produce, you're the logistical head of the production and you're also one of the key people responsible for the safety of the crew. If FILM LA sends the police over because of a permit issue, there's a very real risk you end up being "arrested" if the violation is confirmed and your Location Manager isn't there. If you go over budget, it's on you. If you go over schedule, it's on you. If the crew walks, it's on you. Basically, the buck stops...you guessed it...with you! All that said, it's also incredibly rewarding when wrap is called and you realize you've (along with your team) gotten a feature film across the finish line on time and on budget with everyone safe. If you're able to deal with the headaches and able to say "No." in a way that people accept it, you'll be fine in the long run. :)

@Michael, That approach would be understandable if he was a big name director or a professional with multiple feature films under his belt. If decides to take a smug approach because he's directed a couple short films, then he's not someone I want to work with anyway.

Yes, odds are against it but in this business most anything can and does happen, when parties sync. I've seen where all physical production is less than 10% of budget and they're usually the ones making the sacrfice and with no quid pro quo, when the picture becomes a blockbuster. I view reduced rates as sweat equity investment. That's the fair logical way to play the game.

Tony, you can get a budget done for an indie feature in LA for anywhere from $250-$1,500 with some variation in quality. For basic pitch packages, you don't really need the finer details sorted out as any potential investor generally only looks for the top sheet. If you're looking for a union budget, then you pay more for the expertise that comes with that. You might want to simply start by discussing with the director roughly how much you guys want to do it for and can feasibly raise. That'll dictate the rest as a lot of movies can be made at a wide range of budget levels, it just changes who you can cast, how many cars you can crash, how many cameras you'll have, how many days you can shoot, etc.

They will often rent such board rooms by the hour.

In addition to Lawrence's comment I would recommend to call your filming a student or no budget project to get better price conditions, if you negotiate with real estate companies. Furthermore, you could ask the local city administration for support. Sometimes they support local film projects with money or with permissions to film at places you never thought of.

Thanks for that information