Marcella Garcia: I want to understand how to approach this meeting with a director so I don’t overwork myself on this potential project.

• Define the real opportunity first. Decide if this is about the short itself or building a long-term relationship with a producer who can send future work your way.
• Given that shorts are flat-rate with endless notes and no real deadline, be clear on their expectations and be very clear on your own boundaries and guardrails as well.
• Whatever they say as far as what they're looking for and how long they think it will take, at a minimum, double it.
• Have a better understanding of the material, the creative challenges, and the problems that you need to solve for them to see if it is an opportunity or a distraction.
• Set logistical boundaries before creative ones. Limit days, hours, or weeks so the project cannot quietly expand into forever.
• Request the latest cut, not just footage to have a better idea of what you are getting into beyond the creative.

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