Take Big Swings to Produce Your Next  Movie

Written By Lisa Cordileone & Shaan Dasani

This one’s for all of the indie producers out there.

It’s also for those of you who don’t consider yourselves producers, but are slipping into producer mode in order to make your movie. You might find yourself leaning into the role a little bit more after reading this.

This article is co-written by two filmmakers who met at a film festival and joined forces to produce a movie that went into production nine months later. We want to share our experience with you and a few tips along the way, and one resounding piece of advice:

Make big asks.

Before we get into the big asks of it all, the origin story of how we met is worth talking about.

(left to right) Kyla Garcia, Lisa Cordileone, Maxwell Hicks, Monica Raymund, Ryan Reilly, David Alan Madrick

Shaan Dasani: You know how at every industry panel or film festival you go to, someone will inevitably ask the panel advice about getting to the next level, and someone on the panel will inevitably say, “look around, network with each other.”?

Well, that is correct.

In August 2023, I flew into my home state of North Carolina for the OutSouth Film Festival. They screened my spy movie "Agents of Change, Project: Polymer"—a short narrative film about secret agents who fight environmental crime. It’s a movie I wrote, produced, and also star in.

At the event, I met Lisa, an actor, writer, and producer herself, who was also volunteering at the fest. We hit it off. I mentioned to her that I wanted to produce more, and she had a script. I didn’t jump on board right away, but we continued keeping the conversation going, and Lisa stayed patient and persistent. I liked her chutzpah.

I also couldn’t deny that I loved the story she was telling. It was something I wasn’t familiar with: The Lavender Scare.

Lisa Cordileone: In 1953, government employees who were suspected of being LGBTQ+ were hunted down by government officials for posing security risks to America because they were thought to have weak moral character and could be easily blackmailed for classified information. This time in our country’s history was known as The Lavender Scare.

I've spent the past years away from LA back home in North Carolina since COVID. Feeling isolated and searching for connection, I investigated in why women would’ve been shut out from society. I found my way to stories in our country’s history which connected me to my community through a new lens.

"Crazy As A Loon" is a short film and proof of concept for a larger series called Committed. My number one goal was to make an excellent film. I made a successful web series and short films that were never finished, and one feature—but I wanted to do justice to this story, increase my skill as an actor, writer, and producer, and challenge my capacity to execute [that excellent film].

That starts with a great producer. I knew I needed someone with production experience who could handle an ambitious script. Once Shaan came on to produce we were off and running.

That was a challenge for several reasons. Could it work as a standalone short film when it was written as a proof of concept? Could we find an experienced director who could handle the text, time period, and scope of the project as well as have film and TV experience? Could we raise the funds we needed to execute the project?

Lisa Cordileone

Shaan: Lots of questions [arose], but we decided to focus on “what’s our one next step?”

Fundraising. And finding a director.

Okay, two next steps?

Lisa had some ideas and some leads, and through a mutual friend, we got connected to Monica Raymund, a highly accomplished TV director and actor. Monica approached us like a pro. She came in with ideas on why she should direct this piece. It was great to hear how she was responding to the text.

To note: Monica is a member of the Director’s Guild, which has what’s called the Experimental Agreement, and that would allow us to work with a union director if our project met certain criteria. There’s a lot of flexibility in this agreement and that made it possible for Monica to be able to sign onto our project.

Lisa: I remember Monica emailing us “count me in” after our first meeting, and I was so excited to get to work with this experienced creative team.

Rule of thumb: Always surround yourself with people who know more than you. Our mutual friend asked if she could shadow the director, and from the start, this whole project naturally became a vehicle for learning.

But more on that later.

With our director on board, we moved into fundraising. Because of the scope of the project and my experience raising funds using crowdfunding and debt-equity [I.E. investors], I wanted to find the middle ground and go with high-level donors via a fiscal sponsor so that we could offer a tax-deductible contribution. This would streamline the process by steering clear of lengthy contracts for investors and connecting with people who were in a position to donate at higher levels than crowdfunding. Working this way as a producer is very exciting because you can set a deadline for raising funds. [I also helps] for production to work backward setting goals for how much you need to raise each week or each month.

Setting deadlines makes your mission clear. Makes your ask clear. And keeps things moving forward. Quickly.

The energy of raising money is just as important as raising it. I spent a lot of time building relationships outside of the entertainment industry, instead looking within local LGBTQ+ chambers of commerce that shared our mission-driven story with like-minded advocates.

My big ask became, "Do you know anyone who you think would be interested in supporting a project like ours?"

My goal is to start with one name, and build the branches of the tree from there. Asking for referral after referral all while sharing our story with everyone I met. Talking to everyone—Uber drivers, family, friends, people in the doctor’s office. I mean, be natural, be you, but don’t be afraid to let your story live with you everywhere you go. That’s how people will know who you are and what you’re all about. Once they know that they may just want to be in your corner because they can see you.

Through this process, you start to learn more about your film as well as why you're telling [this story]. The integrity and passion you have for your project will be so palpable—it will overflow into your team as you continue to build it.

Shaan Dasani

Shaan: As fundraising continued, we asked Monica if there was a cinematographer she’d worked with that she’d love to work with again. Her mind went right to Daniel Patterson, who’s shot several award-winning shorts and TV series including She’s Gotta Have It (Netflix), Woke (Hulu), FBI: Most Wanted (CBS). When we had our first conversation with him, he had the kind of energy we knew a crew would rally around.

And they did.

With our director and cinematographer on board, we assembled our crew, locations, and cast. But, just a few weeks before the shoot, we hadn't found our key grip. The crew in the area is used to working either on corporate videos, commercials, or the one big movie or show in town—all of which would have paid a much higher rate than we could offer.

I called everyone in the state’s crew database, asking for referrals as well because [most of the local crew] were booked or unavailable. I needed help, so I called the Charlotte Film Office, who were our allies all throughout this process. The rep suggested I call the local IATSE office for help, even though we were non-union, just to build a connection and see if they had some suggestions.

I was cautious. I didn’t want to inadvertently raise any red flags with IATSE—we were very upfront and told them we couldn’t afford their rates, and, as a member of a sister union , SAG-AFTRA, I believed in supporting our crew base with the best possible rates. I hoped to build a relationship with them down the line. The local union rep thanked me for making the call, saying that most productions [couldn't help].

As it turns out, she happened to be involved with a program called Film Partnership NC. This is a film mentorship program that provides interns and grant support to use local productions as a training ground for underrepresented communities who want to get into the TV/Film industry.

While she didn’t have a key grip for me, the program provided our production with seven additional crew members, each of whom we needed on set. And a week before the shoot? We finally found our key grip, and he was happy to know he would have additional grips to help out.

This was a call that paid off, literally.

Lisa: "Big asks" don’t just come for money—they take all forms.

Every bit of information can be an asset. For instance, Shaan and I went down to Charlotte to scout early in production and stopped for food. We stumbled across a '50s Chevy that was parked outside of a local restaurant. It was the restaurant owner’s car, and it ended up in our film. And so did his friends.

Everything is an opportunity. Another friend said she overheard someone in her office that does "sponsorships" which immediately made me think, "flight sponsor?" Because of that referral, we secured some gift cards to fly our team into Charlotte from NYC, LA, and New Orleans.

I’ll be honest, this ask took more than one try. Rule of thumb: If I’m not moved to tears by the end of one of these passionate emails - I haven’t dug deep enough to communicate how crucial someone’s support will be to the film getting made. And when I ask someone for help, I don’t beg or plead, I show them why they are vital — and why we are too.

Sometimes, someone’s support will be to the film getting made. And when I ask someone for help, I don’t beg or plead—I show them why they are vital, and why we are too.

Other donations and in-kind trade included gear, catering, antique cars, and more. It’s our responsibility as producers to feel this energy and share it with our team, get everyone involved, because we’re all coming together to do one thing:

Make an excellent film. And have some fun!

Making a film no matter the budget, genre, location, scope, length, etc. will show you what you’re made of not just as a producer, but as a person. It’s an opportunity to learn more about the quality of your relationships, build new skills, and expand your capacity to excel in new ways.

"Challenging" isn’t the right word. It’s a constant barrage of obstacle which can be met with fear, patience, fear, grit, fear, and authenticity.

Did I say fear?

But what are we scared of? Hearing "no"? Everyone is going to say “no.” Until I get three “no’s” from the same person, I don’t even count it as a no. And even then I might reach out with one last hurrah.

Are we afraid of letting ourselves down? Letting our team down? In my experience people say yes because they are rooting for you, so let them, and root for yourself.

Being naive enough to believe that what you’re doing is possible isn't a bad thing. Being curious and humble enough to know you have a lot to learn is even better. If we strip out fear we can meet any challenge. Be patient. Be bold. Be honest.

As we write this, we’re in post-production and submitted our picture-locked cut just in time for Sundance’s late deadline. Is this a long shot? Yes. You know it, we know it.

But, hey, we didn’t get this movie made without taking some big swings.

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Crazy As A Loon is Executive Produced by Shaan Dasani and Lisa Cordileone, Co-Executive Produced by Gregory Rae (Martian Entertainment) and Stephen Baker, and produced by Shaan Dasani and Morgan Marcell. The Stem Cycle, LLC and Karma Theory Films, develop existing IP into narratives inspired by true stories/real events centered on tech ethics and climate justice.