excitement over the prospect of discovering first-hand the fascinating world of cinema;

fulfillment and satisfaction that the project has advanced to this stage and that the team is now poised to produce materials that will be valuable tools in the hands of people involved in efforts to curb the epidemic and to improve the lives of those directly affected by HIV;

foreboding with regard to the many challenges _ faced by most of the team members for the first time _ of film production and distribution.

The sense of foreboding (exclusively!) is hardly justified, as your Scenarios team began to prepare the groundwork for this phase long ago _ during initial project planning _ and has been steadily reinforcing the foundation every step of the way.
By the time the selection phase comes to an end, the project team will be able to draw on the following accomplishments as it embarks upon film production and distribution. You are hardly starting from scratch.

C The project has generated a tremendous amount of energy and is riding a wave of momentum.
C A diverse, highly motivated team stands ready and eager to help out in any way it can.
C Funders and sponsors are on board.
C The leaders of the film-production teams, involved in the project from the outset and present during the selection process, are now extremely well informed about the context and relevance of the project, and comprehensively sensitized to the gravity of the epidemic and to the role they can play in helping combat it.
C A close, tried-and-tested relationship of partnership exists between the leaders of the film-production teams and the broader project team.
C Thanks to the timely input of specialists in the field of intellectual property and media law, the team approaches film production and distribution well informed and thoroughly prepared with regard to relevant legal matters.
C The film-production teams, from the person who professionally adapts the original scenario to those who put the film together in the editing suite, can seek guidance in jurors' detailed commentary on each winning scenario.
C The authors of the winning scenarios, whose involvement is essential during this phase, are now integrated members of the project team.

C You have established an impressive distribution network thanks to input collected during brainstorms of the project planning stage, by keeping your eyes open during multi-purpose fundraising missions, through observation in the course of the contest, and from targeted requests for advice made of jurors during the selection process.
C Distribution efforts will be facilitated, and potential opposition from censorship-oriented traditionalists defused, by vast networks of project partners in the media and in relevant state bodies.
C And finally, monitoring and evaluation activities relevant to film production and distribution will benefit from systems established and utilized in the course of preceding project phases.

So, film production and distribution efforts do not start at this point. Rather, you are simply continuing an endeavor that began many months ago.
The following chapter, in acknowledgment of the fact that technical aspects of this phase will differ dramatically from one setting and project to another, does not focus on technical details. Our objective is to present some fundamental ideas and lessons learned that might be useful in the context of a wide variety of Scenarios-type projects.