greenlighting

Greenlighting is the authorization within an organization to proceed with a project into production. In film and television, a green light is the formal approval that allows principal photography to begin, marking the transition from development to production. It is often the culmination of development, packaging, and financing, and can involve a full budget or conditional terms.

The process typically begins with development—polishing the script, attaching talent, and creating a preliminary budget. Financing is then secured from studios, independent financiers, or co-financing deals. Conditions may be attached, such as meeting milestones, securing distribution, or attaching key talent. When approval is granted, pre-production schedules crews, locations, and permits; production then commences, followed by post-production and distribution.

Decisions rely on several criteria, including expected return on investment, market demand, current trends, the track record of the creative team, the rights package, and risk assessment. In television, orders for pilots or series can be greenlit in whole or in part, with streaming platforms sometimes approving episodes or entire seasons at once.

There are variations on the term, such as a soft or conditional greenlight that grants approval subject to specified conditions. A greenlight package refers to a ready-to-go deal that includes talent, rights, and a budget designed to attract investors or distributors.

Beyond entertainment, the term is used in business and technology to denote formal approval for a project, product development, or a campaign to move forward. The concept emphasizes a go-ahead signal and the allocation of resources required to commence production.