Is this a good investment offer or is it a rip off?

At best, he's full of sh!t. At worst, he trying to scam you out of 40K.

Okay thanks. He has made two feature films so far, and he showed me one of them, the second is not released yet, but he has more experience than I do, so I thought I would listen at least.

He also said that if I am not interested in that offer, than he could help me make my script since I was having trouble getting enough cast and crew, and he could help me by using the cast and crew, that he would be able to get... but the only problem with that is, I would have to use his selections and he wants to play the main character.

Unless HE is giving YOU money to make your movie, he shouldn't have anything to say about the cast or crew.

No he's not giving me money or anything he is just saying that the cast and crew is better than what I was able to come up with, and I should take it.

Be sure you get an Associate Producer credit, and ask for NET points, not gross points. Gross points are for suckers.

Then watch "State and Main."

But in all honesty, with the state of your script (which is hopeless) and your inability to get any actors with talent or crew who know what they are doing, if you just give him money and direct a couple of scenes, you will be exactly the same place as if you tried to make your own movie. Basically, nowhere. You will be one of the many millions of filmmakers who made an awful film that no one beyond family and friends will ever care to see.

Because you ignore our advice to throw your script in the garbage and start over writing what you know, and start making short films, not features ... well, you are wasting your money either way.

At least if you give him money, you will get to direct some real actors for a few minutes. That's probably better than what you can do on your own. So, yes, it's a scam and yes he is taking you for a ride ... but you won't be any worse off than if you did your own film without him. Plus, you get a trip to LA.

I am up for making short film, I am not trying to ignore advice. I made one short film so far, and trying to make another though have had trouble finding people interested. As far as throwing a script in the garbage, I don't remember getting that advice on here, so maybe the majority of people who gave me advice on here, did not tell me to do that and it was just a minority?

You always say you're having trouble getting cast and crew. Pay them. People will work for you. Set a shoot date. 3 weeks/18 days. A cast of no more than 6 and a crew of 10. You won't pay a lot but when you offer pay and set shoot dates you'll get people to find a cast and crew.

That's what this LA director is going to do.

You don't direct a couple of scenes, you direct a feature. You find a good producer and you don't need a co-producer credit. An “LA production”? So what? Neither of the micro budget films you mention were LA productions. What you need to put in your portfolio is a feature YOU directed. Not a feature you financed for another director but shot in LA.

Okay thanks. I offer to pay. The problem is, is that when I set shoot dates, I do not get enough cast and crew applicants in time. It just takes longer for them all to apply to the adds. So how do I know when the shoot dates will be, when I don't know how long it will take enough of them to apply? I could set the shoot date four months down the road, to give everyone enough time to apply, or is that too long?

As for this offer by this director, he keeps tempting me, saying that if I invest all my budget, as a percentage of the budget on his feature, and me being allowed to direct two scenes in LA, I will learn more than I could ever learn where I am now.

And where I am now, isn't very good, so it's tempting. But as long as you are certain, that it's a rip off, and I am not missing out on a great opportunity to learn how to direct, as well as get a co-producer credit on a feature to add to my portfolio.