Bottom line: producing a film is less about having a big budget and more about having a realistic plan, a story you can execute, and a clear audience — as a Nollywood producer, that’s how I approach every project. Every week, someone asks me how to produce a film. Others tell me they want to act in one, or write one, and they ask where to begin. I’m a film producer, founder, and CEO. I’ve financed, developed, produced, and distributed films, so I’ve seen the whole journey from the inside.
That’s why I’m doing a three-part series: producing, screenwriting, and acting. This week is producing because every film needs someone to carry it from idea to audience. Next week is screenwriting, then acting.
Producing is not organizing a shoot. It’s making the creative, financial, and business decisions that carry a story from concept to audience. Here’s the process.
Step 1: Start With the Destination. Before anything else, decide where you want people to watch this film: YouTube, Netflix, your own app, festivals, or theaters. The platform shapes the format, the storytelling, and the budget. A vertical 9:16 drama needs different framing than a 16:9 feature, so decide early.
Step 2: Know Your Real Budget. Ask what you actually have or can realistically secure, not what you hope to raise. Then include what people forget: insurance, permits, legal costs, music licensing, marketing, and a contingency reserve. Don’t spend everything getting to the last day of filming. You still have a film to finish.
Step 3: Secure the Story and the Rights. Define your premise, characters, and conflict. Then hire a screenwriter who understands your vision and your budget. Get the screenplay rights in writing. If the story belongs to someone else, secure those rights before you invest heavily.
Step 4: Break Down the Script. A screenplay is not a production plan. A script breakdown and a preliminary schedule show whether your budget and timeline are realistic. They also guide your choice of director, cinematographer, and production manager.
Step 5: Cast With Purpose. Choose actors who fit the role and your schedule. Cast can shape your marketing, but popularity should never be the only factor. Put agreements, compensation, and availability in writing.
Step 6: Win in Pre-Production. Decide locations, crew, equipment, transportation, accommodation, catering, call sheets, insurance, permits, and contracts early; the more you lock in before production, the fewer expensive decisions you face on set.
Step 7: Plan So You Can Adapt. The director leads creative execution, while the producer oversees finances, logistics, and operations. Locations fall through, actors get sick, and equipment fails. That’s exactly why you plan. And back up your footage.
Step 8: Finish Strong in Post. Post covers editing, sound design, music, color grading, subtitles, and quality control. Build your trailer as part of your marketing strategy, not as an afterthought.
Step 9: Treat Distribution as a Separate Business. Making a film and getting people to watch it are two different businesses. Choose your route: a streaming acquisition, a distributor, YouTube, festivals, theaters, or your own platform. Each has different financial, contractual, and marketing implications. Prepare your delivery materials, including the master, trailer, subtitles, artwork, metadata, music cue sheets, and rights documentation. And budget for marketing.
The Takeaway
You don’t need a million-dollar film to begin. You need a realistic plan, a story you can execute, a budget you can manage, and a clear audience. Whether you’re in Hollywood, Nollywood, or anywhere else, producing means taking responsibility for the journey from concept to audience.
Next week: screenwriting. Then we’ll finish with acting.
What’s stopping you most from getting started: the story, the money, the people, or not knowing where to begin? Tell me in the comments.