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On this week’s Q&A, we covered everything from budgeting strategies to whether or not short-form “vertical shows” are worth your time (spoiler: they’re not). If you missed the call, here’s a breakdown of the biggest lessons I shared and why they matter. ✅ Characters Over Environments One of the most important reminders I gave was this: focus on your characters, not the world. As soon as you try to “open up” your story with a ton of locations, big costumes, and expensive set pieces, your budget skyrockets and you bury yourself in logistics. But if you keep the story personal—tight around your characters—you can pull off something powerful without the bloat. This is why microbudget films work. They strip filmmaking back to what matters most: story and performance. ✅ How I Think About Budgets Budgets intimidate a lot of filmmakers. They either don’t know where to start or they get hit with a number that feels impossible. But here’s the truth: the same script can be budgeted at $100K or $1M depending on how you scale it. Here’s the way I do it: - Break down your script line by line. - List every prop, wardrobe piece, location, gear need, and actor. - Assign day rates and multiply by the number of days you’ll need. - Add insurance, food, and contingency. That’s your production budget. For post, rough out costs for editing, sound, and color, then decide what you’ll DIY versus outsource. The real trick is to start from what you already have access to. That’s how you stay in control. Most filmmakers write aspirational scripts and then get stuck in “fundraising purgatory.” I’d rather see you write for the resources already in your pocket. ✅ The Proof Project Advantage Through the Proof Project model I teach, filmmakers can realistically offset between $65,000 and $190,000 worth of budget just by being strategic. The catch is that it only works when you follow the method as a complete system—writing, prep, and production all designed to support each other. If you cherry-pick one idea, it won’t have the same effect. The power comes from the structure.

I bought dinner tickets for the www.luxurygala.com organized by Samira Kazemeni, President and organizer of this event in March 2026. Early bird ticket is $350. Lots of food, fashion show, dancing, singers, and other entertainers. Also, celebrities that include producers, directors, actors, singers, and others .Great place for networking.

Bonus points if you also include what you need for your next project!

I’m collecting some short video testimonials to show what the One Grand Film experience is really like — through your eyes. Whether you’ve taken a course, joined a challenge, been on a mastermind call, or just soaked up lessons in this community — I’d love to hear what you’ve learned and how it’s impacted you. 👉 If you send me a short video testimonial, I’ll send you a link to book a free 1-on-1 Zoom call with me. We can talk about your current project, strategy, career next steps — whatever will help you most. What to include in your video (roughly 1 min is perfect): 🎬 Who are you? (Name, what kind of filmmaker you are, where you’re at in your journey) 🎬 Why did you join or participate in One Grand Film? (What were you hoping to solve?) 🎬 What did you learn or take away? 🎬 What was your experience like working with AJ? 🎬 How do you view filmmaking differently now? 🎬 Anything else you’d want someone considering One Grand Film to know? How this works: ✅ Record your video (selfie-style, simple + authentic is great — don’t stress perfection) ✅ Upload it (Google Drive, Dropbox, or DM me the file) ✅ Once I receive it, I’ll send you the 1-on-1 call booking link If you’re in, drop a quick “I’m in” below — and I’ll DM you with the simple next steps. Thank you in advance — your stories will inspire a lot of filmmakers who need to hear them. — AJ