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.

A decade ago, my goal was to make a movie and get it into the Sundance Film Festival. Back then, this was the only way you “made it.” Since that time, the entire world of indie filmmaking has turned upside-down.

Affordable camera technology coupled with Crowdfunding and Non-Discriminatory distribution has changed the ways in which movies are made, seen and sold.

Even with these changes, there is still a world full of people who enjoy watching indie movies. And one of the best places to get a finger on the pulse of technological trends is The Sundance Film Festival. But instead of looking for major deals, my focus will be finding out the latest news in Video On Demand distribution and crowdfunding…

And let’s not kid ourselves. There are other reasons to attend. The Sundance Film Festival is a great place to spend a weekend. That’s where I’ll be.

If you are headed to the Sundance Film Festival, look me up. I hope to participate in a few events, watch a few movies and hopefully meet up with you. (And yes. I will also participate in a panel discussion – more on this soon!)

Posted under Filmmaking News

If you’re looking for an eZine For Filmmakers – you’ve come to the right place. I have put together a resource that delivers some awesome filmmaking information – and now is your time to join the fun.

Fill in the form below to claim for free subscription to the Filmmaking Stuff, Filmmaking eZine. Packed with modern moviemaking tips and resources, you are bound to get at least one great filmmaking tip you can apply to your life.

And one more thing… Not sure if you are planning your filmmaking goals for the New Year – but now is the time. Make this coming year, YOUR year for making movies!

Posted under FILMMAKING

The new era of filmmaking has arrived. This is a world where you will need to create your own movies, find your own audience and compete with small filmmakers all over the globe for the same eyeballs. Gone are the days when upfront cash advances paid off your budget.

If you are going to succeed as a filmmaker, you will need a new strategy. What can YOU do today to build your audience?

Posted under DISTRIBUTION

A few weeks back my filmmaker friend Jared invited me over to help out with a short project. This is not new. Over the past few months, Jared has been cranking out short movies.

The reason for this? We are gearing up to make our next feature. And in ways akin to a boxer training for the big fight – Jared is working out.

In doing so, we are once again asking ourselves an important question: “Given the resources that we have right now, what is the feature that we can make this year?”

Every week, we are getting closer to an answer.

With that said, we are still months away from the next feature. So in the meantime, it is important to train. It is important to make as many short movies as you can. They don’t have to be anything overly complex, but they should be fun. They should be challenging. Most of all, you cannot be afraid to suck.

The reason for cranking out shorts quickly is to improve. This is a time to practice. Many of you could probably make better quality movies. The question is, why aren’t you doing it?

Once your movie is complete, upload it to YouTube. Find out if you can get some viewers. Monitor the comments and feedback.

Filmmaker Tech Specs: For those of you interested in our tech – the camera as was a Cannon EOS Rebel T2i and the scenes were lit with practical lights. And the audio came from this setup.

Jared says he has about a half-dozen more shorts in the pipeline. So I will continue to chart our training… Eventually we will have a story. And we will then test a crowdfunding campaign…

If you like this filmmaking stuff, make sure you sign up for the filmmaking stuff newsletter.

Posted under FILMMAKING

As a filmmaker, setting self-imposed deadlines on your filmmaking and life goals can help you get a lot done quickly. And blowing a deadline can make you feel like crap.

You’ve been there… It is one of these things when everything is moving along well with your project. And then life happens.

For the last six months, I have been writing like mad to finish my next filmmaking book. The book will provide you with some new filmmaking information.

I wanted to have a completed eBook by September 1st and then a physical copy by October 1st, but due to some unplanned speaking gigs a last minute article for MovieMaker Magazine and a surprise movie project – I had to alter my schedule.

This makes me feel like crap. While each reason is valid. It does not change the fact that I blew a deadline (even if it is self-imposed.)

What I learned from this experience is this: Your projects will always take longer to complete than you imagine. Make sure you give yourself enough time.

What are some strategies you use to meet your own deadlines?

Posted under Filmmaking News

As a filmmaker, your success relies on other people willing to help you realize your movie projects. The problem is, many would-be filmmakers surround themselves with toxic people.

The great motivational speaker Zig Ziglar always says, “You can’t fly with the eagles if you continue to scratch with the turkeys.”

And I believe this is true.

Take a moment and think of the people you spend the most time with. Are they helping you or hurting you? For some of you, the person you spend the most time with is your significant other. Is he or she supporting your filmmaking aspirations?

If not, then you have to make tough decisions.

Posted under FILMMAKING

The entire world of Independent Film Distribution is crazy. The demise of DVD sales channels coupled with the rise of Video On Demand has caused many filmmakers to feel frustrated and anxious.

A few weeks ago, I spoke about independent film distribution at the HollyShorts Film Festival in Los Angeles. I plan to share the information with as many filmmakers as I can.

If you know of a filmmaking event in your town where you think my “How To Sell Your Movie Without The Middle-Man” would be a fit, feel free to send them the following trailer:

And if you are looking for independent film distribution, check out:

The Indie Producer’s Guide To Movie Distribution — CLICK HERE

Happy Filmmaking!

Posted under DISTRIBUTION

To survive the volatility of indie filmmaking, you will have to change your strategy. As a filmmaker, you will need both a short term game and a long term game.

Short term, you will obviously want to finish your movie.

Long term, because the market is saturated, you will need to think of yourself as a mini-studio, continually focused on building your brand and sourcing your own audience. To achieve this, you will need to create multiple titles over time, resulting in a very genre specific movie library.

While creating a mini-studio may seem beyond the scope and scale of what you think is possible, setting your sights high is much more proactive than ignoring the fact that backyard indies are now competing for the same virtual shelf space as mainstream Hollywood movies. This is a time of change. This is the indie movie distribution equivalent of the automobile replacing the horse-drawn-wagon.

You need to man up.

There will come a day when all entertainment will be on-demand and cheap to consume. The question is, will you ignore this movement and continue to play your distribution lottery ticket in hopes of winning the dream deal?

Or will you start sourcing your audience today?

Posted under FILM FINANCING

I know what you’re thinking – Why is this filmmaking, modern moviemaking advocate of internet VOD distribution talking to you about how to design a DVD cover?

Because…

Regardless of distribution technology, your audience still values the visual representation of your movie as a tangible product. And in ways akin to marketing an eBook via Amazon Kindle, you still need a killer design to represent your movie.

To help explain this further, I reached out to my buddy Ian Hannin. If the name sounds familiar, it means you probably read popular comic books. Over the past decade, Ian is responsible for coloring some of the most popular comic books in existence for Marvel Comics and DC Comics.

But in addition to Ian Hannin’s comic book coloring experience, he also designs movie marketing materials, such as movie posters, virtual covers, DVD covers and the actual artwork that goes on a DVD disc to make it look pro.

Jason Brubaker
How important is having good movie art for filmmakers?

Ian Hannin
People judge a book by the cover. Same with DVD or virtual DVD. You need to have high end, awesome illustration.

Jason Brubaker
What components of movie marketing art are most important?

Ian Hannin
Make sure the design complements the subject matter and tone of the movie. A lot of filmmakers fail to think about their target audience when designing movie marketing collateral.

Jason Brubaker
What’s the biggest mistake filmmakers make in their design?

Ian Hannin
The craftsmanship of the DVD cover often leaves a lot to be desired. In the popular marketplaces, such as Amazon and iTunes, your movie will be competing for virtual shelf space with expensive studio titles. Your job is to create high resolution, easy to read and enticing movie marketing materials… Does the movie artwork draw you in and make you want to see the movie?

Jason Brubaker
A lot of filmmakers try to do this themselves. What is your advice there?

Ian Hannin
If you have someone in your team good at graphic art, awesome. Just make sure your art complements the movie and helps you attract your target audience. But if you don’t have a good guy on your team, you can always email me. Maybe I know someone.

Jason Brubaker
You mean like you?

Ian Hannin
Maybe. HaHa!

Jason Brubaker
How can filmmakers hire you?

Ian Hannin
Go to www.IanHannin.com and contact me through the contact page.

Jason Brubaker
How much do you charge?

Ian Hannin
Depends on the package. Just email me at www.IanHannin.com. Let me know what you’re looking for.

Jason Brubaker
Thanks for stopping by Filmmaking Stuff!

Ian Hannin
Thanks. Happy to help filmmakers in need of art!

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Next time you need to make your filmmaking stuff look awesome, reach out to Ian Hannin and see if he can help you. Oh, also, in full disclosure, I am friends with Ian. He will probably buy me a burrito for any business I throw his way.

Happy Filmmaking!

Posted under INTERVIEWS

The Amish Do Not Watch Movies Image via Wikipedia

As a filmmaker your success depends on your ability to stand up and proclaim “I have a movie idea!” The trick is figuring out which of your many movie ideas actually have a chance of flickering across the big screen. And beyond imagination, which of your many movie ideas have the best chance for success?

As a serious entrepreneurial filmmaker you may have heard a lot of different advice when it comes to making movies. In fact most filmmakers will tell you it’s better to take action and do something rather than doing nothing. And while I agree with this sentiment, in a world flooded with cheaply produced backyard indies, I urge you take a few moments to consider your chances for making money.

Choose Your Movie Based on Demand

Before you turn your movie idea into a movie, I recommend that you consider your niche audience and create a marketing plan for reaching them.

What is Niche Movie Marketing?

Niche movie marketing is simply taking the time to evaluate how your movie ideas will relate to a very targeted audience. For example, the horror genre is very broad. It includes slasher flicks, stalker flicks, gore flicks, zombies, vampires, psychos and killer aliens. But using this example, your goal is to find a niche within the genre. Killer Clowns would be an even tighter niche. And Killer Clowns From Outer Space would be even tighter.

In the same regard, finding your movie marketing niche is not solely defined by the genre. For example, you might choose instead to market your movie to a particular demographic, such as college students. And in doing this, you may opt to focus all efforts on college publications and hosting screenings on campus.

You might even break it down further. Maybe you will choose to create an Amish Teen Horror movie and focus your marketing towards the Amish communities of Pennsylvania, Ohio and Idaho. In this context, your movie marketing niche would revolve around geography. By the way, I do not recommend creating an Amish Teen Horror, as the Amish are not a culture who watch movies.

So what is the major benefit for finding your movie marketing niche?

Movie Niche Internet Traffic

Many movie marketers have found out that trying to market to everybody is cost prohibitive. It is far easier to find your niche and concentrate all efforts to spreading word of mouth and encouraging audience engagement. In the years to come independent filmmakers will become increasingly dependent on internet traffic to drive movie sales.

If your movie website does not “speak” your visitor, then they will bounce off your movie website and never come back. It is significantly easier to sell your movie to someone who already loves the types of movies you’re selling. For example, a teen love story is not going to appeal to the same audience as the Killer Clown movie.

When you choose a movie idea that already has an established niche audience, it is much easier to optimize your movie website to not only attract your intended visitor, but convert these folks into paying movie watchers. These people come to your website because they are searching for your type of movie. And the cool part? Utilizing several internet traffic estimators, modern moviemakers can find out how many people are searching for movies within a particular genre.

Building Community Around Your Filmmaking

With the emergence of non-discriminatory movie distribution, you must remember that YOU are responsible for building your audience. The amount of people who know you and like you and buy your movies will determine your success.

If you don’t mind the idea of becoming “that guy,” creating several movies marketed to a well defined target audience makes it much easier to develop a following of people who enthusiastically devour your movies. And once established, having a following provides you with the opportunity to really get to know your audience. Which makes it much easier to say: “I have a movie idea.”

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If you liked this article, you’ll love the independent producer’s guide to Movie Distribution.

Posted under DISTRIBUTION