We asked one of the UK’s most prolific film producers Jonathan Sothcott (We Still Kill The Old Way, The Krays – Dead Man Walking) for his top 5 tips for people wishing to become film producers.

1. SHOW ME THE MONEY.
With the advent of digital cameras you can make a feature film for £10,000.

Don’t try and raise a million for your first movie. It won’t happen. Start small but think big.

You need to raise some money – friends, angel investors, kickstarter – but once you’ve got it, you need to make it go a long way. Squeeze every penny out of your budget. Night club scenes without extras show up your budget. Make them move around. Production value is everything.

2. TALK YOUR FILM UP
You’ve raised some money, you’ve made a film – congratulations, you are now a producer! But don’t tell everyone you made your film in 6 hours for £300 on an iphone.

That just makes it sound crap. Why should someone spend the same money on that as on a Marvel film? Talk up how good your film is – you have to sell it at every opportunity.

3. HIRE FAMOUS FACES
Yes its great to give opportunities to new talent. Its something I do on every film. But famous faces really do make a difference and you can’t give people much of an opportunity if nobody sees your film.

I’m not talking about Tom Cruise but there are plenty of familiar faces from British TV who have never made a movie. Connect with them on twitter. Offer them a really different, meaty part.

Even if the money’s low they might jump on it. It never hurts to ask.

4. BEWARE OF THE FAKES AND THE MESSERS
I meet a lot of ‘film producers’ who have never produced a film. Its very odd as I never meet lawyers who have never practiced law or architects who can’t draw.

But the film industry attracts weirdos, oddballs and messers with delusions of grandeur and sometimes worryingly psychotic traits. These people will promise you the earth and deliver you nothing.

They always have a huge slate and imagined millions on the horizon but can never pay for a coffee. Listen to your gut instinct, its usually right. Beware groups who meet regularly to gossip and plot: its all they do. If you want to produce films, don’t sit around chatting about it – get on with it.

5. HAVE THICK SKIN
You will meet rejection, frustration and sometimes outright abuse. Being a producer isn’t a popularity contest.

It’s about getting a ship to port. Nothing else matters. This is a business.

If a bad review or someone moaning on Facebook is going to make you lose sleep, think about another profession because this isn’t the one for you.