A consulting producer offers expert guidance throughout your film’s production cycle. We bring a depth of film production experience, as well as industry standard tools, resources, and professional connections to give you a leg up in a competitive market. The right consultant will accelerate your production timeline, strengthen your vision, and put you on the path to getting your film made and in front of audiences.
There are two ways to get started. If your script is written and ready to be made, fill out our Budget Request form to get a full breakdown.
If you are interested in other Consulting Services such as Development, Line Producing, Post Producing or Distribution Strategy, submit your request through our Contact Page.
At Gotoma we work with filmmakers of all experience levels, and we are happy to teach our clients the basics if necessary. Everyone starts somewhere and with Gotoma you are in good hands to begin your journey.
Absolutely! We can help at any stage of production, and are more than ready to jump in and work with you, whether it’s putting out fires on set or coming to help with finishing/post-production, we can step in and get your project back on track.
Generally it can take anywhere from 6 to 18 months, but it can be longer depending on multiple factors including development time, shooting schedule and post-production schedule. Other considerations include the length of the script, the complexity of production needs, and the amount of money in the budget.
While we work to help develop your vision and strategize pitch materials, we can never guarantee your idea will be bought and sold for distribution, that you will get representation from a talent agency or get a meeting with a network. Our services are meant to give you a leg up in a competitive market and provide the highest quality tools and resources for you to succeed. It’s important to keep this in mind when shopping your idea to potential investors.
A consulting producer offers expert guidance throughout your film’s production cycle. We bring a depth of film production experience, as well as industry standard tools, resources, and professional connections to give you a leg up in a competitive market. The right consultant will accelerate your production timeline, strengthen your vision, and put you on the path to getting your film made and in front of audiences.
You’ll get a Movie Magic Budgeting (MMB7) file, a top sheet (PDF), detailed line-item notes and assumptions, a production schedule (Movie Magic Scheduling/PDF), and Day-Out-Of-Days (DOOD) if needed—plus a live walkthrough and investor-ready exports (PDF/Excel).
An estimate is a quick ballpark. A preliminary budget uses clearly labeled assumptions when dates, locations, or cast are still open. A final budget locks those variables with current quotes and an appropriate contingency so you can plan and share it to Investors with confidence.
The top sheet is a one-page summary of your total costs by category (ATL/ BTL). Investors, grants, and film festival labs often ask for this first — it’s the fastest way to understand scale before they review the full detail.
We combine current market rates, union benchmarks (when applicable), live vendor quotes, and comparable projects. Every important assumption is written down, and we recommend a sensible contingency based on the creative and schedule so your plan holds up in the real world.
A script or treatment (Final Draft/ Celtx), format/runtime, target dates, preferred locations, union/non-union posture, any must-have talent, crew, or vendors, and prior bids if you have them. If you’re earlier in development, a treatment + look book works—we’ll note assumptions until pages are locked.
Yes. We often present two side-by-side versions (lean and target) so you and your investors can choose scope without losing momentum.
Your package includes one structured revision after the review call. If the scope changes (new scenes, locations, stunts, or dates), we send a short change-request summary explaining impact on cost and schedule, then proceed once you approve.
We build with the correct overtime rules for your scenario and budget room for pickups/overages where appropriate. If things shift, we update the schedule and top sheet, walk you through options, and keep the plan aligned with the creative.
Engagements are flat-fee with a deposit. Longer scopes can use milestones/installments, and we sometimes offer an early-pay discount. Share your goals and timeline and we’ll right-size the package.
Deposit at signing, with the balance billed at milestones or on final delivery. We accept Zelle, ACH, wire, Venmo, Paypal, and major credit cards.
Typical turnaround is 2–4 weeks depending on complexity. Tight deadline? We offer rush options—tell us your date and we’ll propose a realistic plan.
Absolutely. We tailor top sheets and summaries for your deck, build simple finance scenarios and cash-flow/payment schedules, and—when helpful—join key investor or grant calls to back up the numbers.
Yes. We identify qualifying spend, estimate rebates/uplifts, align the budget to application templates, and call out timelines so your schedule matches program rules.
Yes. We regularly build multi-region budgets, document FX assumptions, and account for local taxes and fringes (GST/VAT, payroll) so comparisons are truly apples-to-apples.
Yes — we budget to SAG-AFTRA/ DGA/ IATSE (or non-union) as needed and note the rule sets used in your assumptions.
They can. We’ll add editorial, color/mix, QC, DCP/OTT deliverables, trailers, and marketing assets so you see the true cost of finishing, not just production.
Yes—we shape budget summaries for decks, align numbers to your story, and provide clean exports investors expect to see.
We advise on realistic paths (labs, grants, markets, festivals) and line-item what you’ll need to get there. When appropriate, we’ll suggest the right outreach lanes.
We do. Many clients add a template handoff + walkthrough or a short coaching block so your team can operate confidently after delivery.
Yes. We routinely work under NDAs, use secure, permission-based file sharing, and never circulate materials without written approval.
You own your IP and materials. We only retain working copies for the duration of the engagement unless you ask otherwise.
Yes—archival research, clip/music licensing, and legal letters can be scoped and tracked so there are no late-stage surprises.
Shorts, features, documentaries, limited series, and select branded work. We tailor the approach to your format, budget level, and timeline.
Definitely. We can do a quick budget audit for a sanity check or a full rebuild with clean notes and a clearer top sheet you can take to investors or grant panels.
Share your script/treatment, any deck or look book, dates/locations, budget targets, and prior quotes. A short creative brief—tone, comps, must-haves—helps us match the numbers to your vision from day one.
