Learning path · Production
Producing and development
What producers do: developing and pitching, UK financing (BFI, tax relief, investors) and producing a short start to finish.
Free films in teaching order, for one craft. Watch, tick them off and test yourself. It's practice that prepares you for an Academy course. This one prepares you for Story to Screen Foundation.
Lesson 1
What Do Producers Do? — The Hardest Job in Film Explained
StudioBinder · 13:17 · original on YouTube
You will learn: Understand the producer's job from finding a story to delivering the film.
Note: US source: UK practice, law and terms differ. Check the UK guidance (HSE, Film London, the Production Guild). US credits differ slightly; in the UK 'line producer' and 'production manager' roles overlap.
By the end you will be able to
- Explain the producer roles and what each does
- Develop a project and build a pitch deck
- Explain the main UK finance sources, including the Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit, the Independent Film Tax Credit and BFI funds
- Plan, fund and produce a short film
Test yourself
Could you do it on a set?
4 real situations, one for each thing this path teaches. It's optional practice, not pass or fail, and your answers stay on this device.
Next: do it for real
This path prepares you for Story to Screen Foundation.
The story track for the Story to Screen Lab, with Screen Sisters CIC: idea, logline, one-page treatment, pitch, and the producing basics that get a short made.
It's coming next: register interest and we'll tell you when it opens. Meanwhile, start with Day One.
How learning with FIF works
Learning path. Free films in teaching order, for one craft. Watch, tick them off and test yourself. It's practice that prepares you for an Academy course.
- Learn onlineFree films, paths and Academy coursesYou are here
- Competency checkA short check with us, online or in person
- In-person practicalOn our unit at Pinewood or 3 Mills
- FIF CertificateFrom the practical only
The FIF Certificate comes only from the practical. How it works · Book a competency check
"We've got to keep aspiring for quality" | Jane Featherstone on ProducingBAFTA Guru · Lesson11 min.
Director's Treatment: The Ultimate Guide to A Winning PitchNur Niaz · Lesson11 min.
How to Pitch a Movie Idea and Sell Your Script With Style | Script Reader ProScript Reader Pro · Lesson15 min.
A Guide to Funding Your Film — How Development Works in Film [Stages of Filmmaking, Ep 1]StudioBinder · Lesson29 min.
Film Funding Explained — Producer Alex Saks InterviewStudioBinder Academy · Lesson56 min.
How the Audio-Visual Expenditure Credits work and the introduction of the AVEC for independent filmWelcomeScreenUK · Lesson58 min.
The BFI National Lottery Filmmaking Fund 2023-26 | BFI webinarBFI · Lesson50 min.
Master Series: Tips for Passing the UK Cultural Test and an Easy Application ProcessEntertainment Partners · Lesson1 h 7 min.
Master Series: Film Financing Explained: Equity FinancingEntertainment Partners · Lesson1 h 16 min.
Film Sales: What is a Sales Agent and why do you need one?Alexi Ouzas · Lesson10 min.
How to Pitch to Film Investors & Demystifying Film Finance, SEIS, EIS, Tax Credits, Recoupment & ...The Filmmakers Podcast · Lesson54 min.
BFI Film Academy Labs | Right on the money: Funding your short filmBFI · Lesson1 h 27 min.
Funding the Short Film | BFI Film Academy Labs September 2023BFI · Lesson1 h 15 min.
What you need to create a short film funding application | BFI Film Academy Labs July 2024BFI · Talk1 h 10 min.
Go further
Beyond YouTube, labelled honestly. Free first. Paid options are labelled.
- BFI funding and support Free
BFI. Current BFI funds for development, production and short films. - BFI NETWORK Free
BFI. Short-film funding and development for new UK producers. - Claiming Audio-Visual Expenditure Credits for Corporation Tax Free
HMRC (GOV.UK). Official guidance on UK film and TV tax credits. - British certification and the cultural test Free
BFI. How a film qualifies as British for tax relief. - Pact Paid membership; some free resources
Pact. UK trade body for independent producers; model agreements and business guidance. - NFTS short courses Paid (varies)
National Film and Television School. Producing and development short courses. - Introduction to Film Producing Paid (£395; bursaries)
NFTS. Two-day course. - Introduction to the Role of Development Assistant Paid (£375)
NFTS. Two-day course. - Producing Your Short Film Paid (£375)
NFTS. Two-day course. - Apprenticeship standard: Production manager (Level 6) Free to the apprentice (paid job; employer and government fund training)
Skills England. Shows what the apprenticeship covers; find live vacancies on Find an Apprenticeship.
For learners and trainers
Every lesson is a free video by its original maker, played from YouTube with privacy-enhanced settings. Found a broken video? Email [email protected].