Filmmaking Stuff Filmmaking Stuff provides resources for independent filmmakers. The website includes articles on how to take a story idea from script to screen, including articles on scriptwriting, producing, finance, shooting, editing, directing, marketing, distribution and how to build an audience. Filmmaking Stuff also has articles detailing how to make money making movies – including interviews with Hollywood Producers, Directors, writers and other filmmaking professionals.

If you want to get ahead in the crazy industry of movies, you would be best to follow the following 5 tips for movie industry success:

READ

1. Read every business book you can, even the ones not related to movies. In fact, focus on business books not related to movies. Why? For many of you, most of your potential investors will work in other industries. You’ll want to know how to frame your movie project in such a way that it sounds like sound business!

Get a Job

2. If you have to take a job to survive, you may as well learn how to sell. I say this because no matter what you do, your success will depend on your ability to sell yourself and your projects. Plus, as an added bonus, professional sales people sometimes make more than doctors and lawyers.

Set Clear Goals

3. Have a clear idea of what you want to accomplish in your movie career. So many people are clueless. They go around and around, always saying things like: “This is going to be the year I really get focused.” Twenty years later, they are saying the same stuff. If you haven’t written down your filmmaking goals, you run the risk of becoming one of those people. Don’t do that.

Greenlight Yourself!

4. In the event you are between industry jobs, create your own project. These days, making short movies and uploading to YouTube is super inexpensive. There is no excuse not to make skits and try to gauge audience reaction. No good responses, then make another movie. Try to learn how to make things happen on the small screen, and the big screen will follow.

Become  a Marketing Machine

5. Finally, in ways akin to learning how to sell, you must also learn a thing or two about internet marketing. Distribution is changing. And in time, everything may well be video on demand. You need to prepare for this shift… In the future success will belong to the best marketers. (You still need to do good work!)

Hope this helps. And if you haven’t signed up for the free course offered by www.filmmakingstuff.com, what are you waiting for?

Posted under FILMMAKING

One of the biggest reasons I felt compelled to write this article was so I could specifically tell filmmakers how to build relationships with investors. When I first started, I asked everyone how to get money to make movies. And oddly the more I asked, the less people told me. I thought that was bizarre. It took my moving to New York and working with an indie producer to finally get the answers I was seeking.

Most books and “experts” tell you that a great way to raise movie money involves convincing dentists, doctors and lawyers to fork over cash. In this model, you are supposed to sell these folks on the excitement of filmmaking and promise that, even though the movie won’t make money, there will be a really cool wrap party and premiere. Let me get this straight… You plan to ask someone to throw (in some cases) hundreds of thousands of dollars of their hard earned money at movie so they can attend the party they paid for?

In order for this strategy to work, your potential investor has to be extremely wealthy, risky and a little crazy to participate. Now, I’m not saying these people don’t exist and that these methods don’t work – they do. Risky rich people exist. They can be found every day in Vegas, on the high rolling Blackjack table. But it’s my experience these folks are the minority.

Tomorrow, I’ll give you the scoop on what many investors look for in a project.

Posted under FILM FINANCING