Of all the filmmakers I meet in this journey, there is one piece of advice that repeats like a broken record: “land a name talent for the lead.”

The only problem is that good name talent is almost always unaffordable. Even with the new Low Budget SAG agreements, good name talent is out of reach. So, you end up with a great story, great production values, even great non-SAG actors, but no distributor will give you the time of day, unless you win the lottery and land your film in Sundance or Cannes, or some big name festival.

So, what do you?

Maybe you can find a well known actor who’s interested in low-budget projects if the story is right. Or, maybe you know someone who knows someone. Or, maybe you find a distributor who likes the project, and will give you some pre-sale agreement that gives you the extra money to land name talent.

Or, you pray.