People dream of making films. And behind every finished film is a producer. Filmmaking has always been part business and part creative. Many have written about the creative part. What about the business? How does one become a Film Producer?

A rare and thoughtful question landed on my YouTube channel recently:

“Movie producer engane akam? Athinde step enthokeya” (~translation, “How to become a movie producer? What are the steps involved?”)

—Kuttettan1

Two Paths to Becoming a Film Producer

If you’re interested in becoming a film producer, the first thing to consider is what draws you in. Are you mainly interested in the business and management side (funding, organising, bringing projects to life), or are you also interested in the creative side (writing, directing, shaping the vision)? If you’re focused purely on the business side, you’ll need to partner with creative people, like the classic example of Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Jobs was the business mind, Wozniak the creative engineer. Together they built something bigger than either could alone.

On the other hand, if you’re drawn to both the creative and production side, you might take the path I took—producing your own films. I started small, making films with just ₹1,000 or ₹2,000, often just covering food for the team. Over time I worked up to ₹5,000, ₹15,000, and eventually crowdfunded ₹5 lakhs for my debut feature film. If you want to read more about how I did that, I’ve written a detailed blog post here: https://iashik.com/funding-a-low-budget-feature/

In my experience, the best way to learn is by doing and practicing with your own hands. But only you can decide if that approach feels right for you.

Concrete Steps for Aspiring Producers

To give you concrete steps on how to become a film producer:

1. Start by making very small short films with next to no budget. If you can’t direct or write yourself, produce for someone else who’s eager to make films. Even a 2-minute short film teaches you about budgets, teamwork, and problem-solving.
2. Gradually move from small budgets to bigger projects. With each project, increase your ambition slightly. This builds confidence and practical know-how.
3. At some point, you may find, like I did, that you hit questions you can’t answer just by doing. And that’s when formal study can help.

After 10 years of making shorts and a feature, I realised I needed deeper knowledge of film production. I joined Neo Film School in Kochi for a 3-month Film Production Management course, which cost around ₹1 lakh. Yes, that is expensive. But it gave me answers I couldn’t reach on my own on how to become a film producer in the Malayalam film industry.

Now, the next step for me is to put that knowledge into practice as I make my next film. And I know that will bring up a whole new set of questions, which I’ll keep learning from.

Perhaps for you, the appropriate order might be to first formally learn how to become a film producer. And not the last like it was for me. Nonetheless, I hope knowing how I went about it helps you on your journey. Wishing you all the best!