Is filmmaking your hobby or business? This depends on you and your goals for your film. And having coached countless filmmakers, I can tell you that many think solely about the story and forget about business.
“Isn’t business the film distributor’s job?”
Let me break it down. Waiting for someone else to come along and magically make your film successful is like waiting for the tooth fairy. It’s a beautiful idea, but in reality it’s, wishful thinking. Nobody is going to care about your film more than you. And nobody is going to hustle to get your film seen and selling, more than you.
Is Filmmaking Your Hobby or Business?
If you want to start paying bills with your filmmaking, you have to think of the process like a business. To put it simply, your film is your product. And you are going to take your product to market. If the stars align, you will license, sell and move your product. To do this, you need to plan your marketing strategy from day one.
- What is your revenue goal?
- How many units do you need to move, to hit this goal?
- How will you do this?
That last question is important. Here are some additional questions to help you: Where does your audience congregate online? Make a list of websites, podcasts, forums, blogs and offline publications. Then reach out to the people running that media. What do you need to give those influencers in exchange for attention?
If you can’t answer these questions, then you do not have a filmmaking business.
You have a filmmaking hobby.
