Hey Producers Lounge!
We know your mind is racing with scripts, budgets, schedules, and ideal casts, so tell us: what are you PRODUCING right now?
Whether you're packaging a feature, developing a TV pilot, prepping a short film, or navigating the madness of pre-production, we want to hear about your journey. From indie thrillers to rom-coms with bite, grounded sci-fi to true-crime docuseries, this room is the perfect space to share what you're building.
Let’s talk shop:
• What project are you currently producing or developing?
• What genre or format has your attention right now?
• Spotting any trends? What's getting traction in pitches, markets, or streamers?
Bonus prompt: If you could greenlight anything with unlimited resources, what would it be?
Let’s get the ideas flowing, celebrate each other’s creative hustle, and maybe even spark a new collaboration. Your slate could inspire someone else’s next move, and vice versa.
Let’s light up this Lounge with what’s next!
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Sandra Isabel Correia, our new Director of Dev Services, Geoff, recently shared that Thrillers and Horrors are REALLY hot right now. As are features in the $2.5–$3.5M range.
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Thanks for sharing, Ashley Renee Smith. Yes, I saw it and I am in the comments feed :)) It's a great sharing for whats HOT now :))
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On the indie financing side, Ashley Renee Smith is absolutely correct: We’re seeing a huge surge in demand for feature film genre content: thriller, horror, action, and sci-fi. In the industry as a whole there’s also been an increased popularity with the limited series television episodes (Adolescence, Queen’s Gambit, The Residence). Both these genre films and limited series could be the result of an even broader trend of audience’s shortened attention span due to the advent of short form content. These days, audiences want high entertainment value in a short amount of time, and the content that can deliver will succeed.
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Grady Craig, you nailed it! Ashley Renee Smith point about the genre surge is spot on, and your expansion brings real clarity to the shifting landscape. The appetite for thrillers, horror, action, and sci-fi is undeniable, especially in the indie space, where bold storytelling can thrive without the constraints of studio formulas. It’s a challenge, but also an opportunity: creators who can deliver cinematic intensity in a compact format are poised to lead the next wave. Whether it’s a gripping 90-minute feature or a tightly woven 6-episode arc, the key is resonance and velocity.
Thanks for sparking such a sharp insight. :)
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Working on packaging a slate of films (two to start with, three more to follow). We have interested financiers, but getting the correct actor and territory data is a bit of a challenge without a sales agent attached. We'll get there.
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I love that Michael Fitzer, MFA :) Lots going on there. Why don't you hire a casting director to help your team?
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Sandra Isabel Correia What you focus on really depends on your objectives. If we’re talking specifically about film, box office trends give a good sense of direction. Looking at the top 150 films from 2024, the four most common genres are:
-> drama 44%
-> thriller 33%
-> action 30% and
-> adventure 28%.
That’s based on how frequently those genres are tagged across the dataset. The only caveat is that different sources sometimes classify films under slightly different genres, which can cause small variations. But overall, the outcome remains consistent — those four genres dominate from a frequency standpoint.
If looking at top 20 from a weighted worldwide gross standpoint, the order might vary but we still see 2-3 of these 4 in the mix.
GK
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Sandra Isabel Correia we did. So far... not helpful because typically, casting agents do not have access to the data we require to package. The thing about a casting director is that they can get to agents and actors all day long. They can make offers and potentially set meetings. But rarely is an actor going to read the script unless you're financed. That is the first question they ask. Not financed... next!
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Kenneth George, Thank you so much for sharing genre trends and how the industry is evolving. It's useful to know, especially when screenwriters want to write their own scripts or producers are looking for them. Many thanks.
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Oh Michael Fitzer, MFA, I didn't know that. So financing is everything in this industry. Okay, so you're still looking for it. In my business life as an entrepreneur and new business scout for business angels, we prioritize project quality because money is easy to come by if the project is good. The project is first, followed by the money. I hope you find what you were looking for :)
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Sandra Isabel Correia Sure. It can help you be more intentional whether writing or producing. If you want to get in the top 5 films by gross receipts in any year, then you probably from a probability standpoint want to ensure it has some element of 'Adventure'. That seems to be very consistent across just about any year you look at. Obviously there are other factors like your marketing, cast, directing, writing etc but most of the top 5 or 10 films all tend to have this.
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No doubt, Kenneth George, and I see that we need also to be consistent in our approach and process. Thank youuuu