{{Short description|Decision to produce film or TV project}} {{Other uses|Green light (disambiguation){{!}}Green Light}} {{Filmmaking sidebar|Development}} In the context of the film and television industries, '''greenlighting''' is giving permission to proceed with a project.<ref name="Knox_Page_98">{{cite book |last1=Knox |first1=Dave |title=Strike the Baby and Kill the Blonde: An Insider's Guide to Film Slang |date=2005 |publisher=Three Rivers Press |location=New York |isbn=9781400097593 |page=98 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cQRwDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA98 |access-date=5 July 2023}}</ref><ref name="Hirschberg">{{cite book |last1=Hirschberg |first1=Jeffrey |editor1-last=Sickels |editor1-first=Robert C. |title=The Business of Entertainment: Volume 1, Movies |date=2009 |publisher=Praeger |location=Westport, Connecticut |isbn=9780275998394 |pages=1–14 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=auPNEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA1 |access-date=July 19, 2023 |chapter=Chapter 1: Behind the Greenlight: Why Hollywood Makes the Films It Makes}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/green-light | title=Green light (dictionary definition) | date=2020-05-02 | publisher=Encyclopedia.com | access-date=2020-05-11}}</ref> It specifically refers to formally approving its production finance and committing to this financing, thereby allowing the project to proceed from the development phase to pre-production and principal photography. The power to greenlight a project is generally reserved to those in a project or financial management role within an organization. The process of taking a project from pitch to green light formed the basis of a successful reality TV show titled ''Project Greenlight''.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.hbo.com/content/project-greenlight | title=Project Greenlight | publisher=HBO | access-date=2026-02-26}}</ref> The term is a reference to the green traffic signal, indicating "go ahead".
At the Big Five major film studios in the United States and the mini-majors, greenlight power is generally exercised by committees of the studios' high-level executives.<ref name="Wrap">{{cite news | url=https://www.thewrap.com/hollywood-greenlighting-power/ | title=Who Has Greenlight Power in Hollywood? A Studio-by-Studio Guide | last1=Lang | first1=Brent | first2=Lucas | last2=Shaw | date=2013-11-19 | publisher=TheWrap | access-date=2020-05-11}}</ref> However, the studio president, chairman, or chief executive is usually the person who makes the final judgment call.<ref name="Wrap" /> For the largest film budgets involving several hundred million U.S. dollars, the chief executive officer or chief operating officer of the studio's parent media conglomerate may hold final greenlight authority.<ref name="Wrap" /> In practical terms, greenlight power in the 21st century at major film studios means the power to commit the studio to spending about US$100 million, on average, for a feature-length motion picture designated for wide release for the North American market.<ref name="Hirschberg" /> Historically, this power was exclusively held by white male executives in Hollywood, though the status quo has slowly begun to change since the turn of the 21st century.<ref name="Barnes">{{cite news |last1=Barnes |first1=Brooke |title=Pledging to Tell More Inclusive Stories, MGM Remakes Orion Pictures |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/20/business/media/mgm-orion-pictures-alana-mayo.html |access-date=July 8, 2023 |work=The New York Times |date=August 20, 2020 |page=B1}}</ref> UCLA reported in 2020 that senior management teams at Hollywood film studios were 93 percent white and 80 percent male.<ref name="Barnes" />
Studio executives weigh many factors when deciding whether to greenlight films, of which a few include: the film already has a bankable star or director attached; the film has a "built-in audience" because it is related to an existing media franchise; the story resonates with a wide audience, evokes passionate emotions, or causes viewers to lean forward in eager anticipation of whatever happens next; the hero is likable and relatable; the film can be marketed to all four quadrants; and the film can be distributed widely through multiple windows and into multiple international markets.<ref name="Hirschberg" />
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Filmmaking paper trail}}
Category:Film finance Category:Film production Category:Filmmaking