What do I need to do to get (re-)started in filmmaking?

A friend of mine recently reached out to me and asked, “Help, I don’t know how to get back involved with filmmaking!” She is a great writer, but due to life’s circumstances, she has not written anything for a long time. She is now married with two small children that demand her attention. She had given up her writing to pursue her dreams of becoming a wife and a mother – very noble things. But, the passion in her heart for filmmaking never ceased. She was able to keep it at bay for awhile, but recently it’s called her gently out of her Hobbit hole. She does not share this same calling with her family, so it takes being around other creative people to help foster this longing.

I can totally relate, but for people like us we can never leave filmmaking on the altar for long. It’s more of a calling than a desire to just do film. Our goal is not a hobby, but a profession. But, she had been out of it for so long, she no longer knew where to look. Here’s what I offered her, which can be for a writer, actor, or filmmaker:

1. Find the local 48 Hour Film Project in your area. http://www.48hourfilm.com/ - they have them all over the world. People take them very seriously and really give it their all. I was very impressed about the team I found myself on. Or there are others, like the 168: http://www.168project.com/

The point here is really to surround yourself with filmmakers – reach out and make connections. Plus, you get to say you actually completed a project – how many writers/actors/filmmakers can say that?

2. I was a little skeptical about this next idea, but when I attended one – I found 25 other local filmmakers just like me. Check out the MeetUps in your area: http://www.meetup.com/.

The group had gear and desire – they are still meeting today making projects.

3. Just about every college out there has some type of film program. Look within their communications department. You can either a) take a class, or b) volunteer for student projects. Just reach out to them, let them know what you can do, and be a contributor when you get a chance.

4. Use social media to find filmmakers – from YahooGroups, to Google+, to Facebook (of course). Filmmakers know other filmmakers.

I have found most people out there have a desire to make things as professional as they can and they are willing to sacrifice for it. If you can't find a group in your area, I encourage you to step up and start a group then (be a producer). You never know, you might find yourself taking 30 days off work and doing a feature!

Here’s to making next year about doing projects!

What other advice would you have offered? Leave a Comment and share! 

Stay connected with us!

We are all over - how about you?

http://www.TheFellowsHipMovie.com http://www.OAPFilms.com http://pinterest.com/ronnukem/the-fellows-hip/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/40256188@N08/ https://twitter.com/OpeningActProd http://www.youtube.com/oapfilm http://thefellowshipmovie.blogspot.com/ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1669814/ http://thefellowshipmovie.com/film.html http://ronnukem.tumblr.com/

We have representation

The Highland Film Group has joined the team as our sales agent. We reviewed offers from several distributors and sales agents, but HFG was a cut above the rest. We’re excited about this partnership and looking forward to good things to come. Fellows Hip distribution is now in full swing!

Keep the buzz going! Encourage everyone to visit our IMDB page and YouTube trailer. Invite them to join our Facebook fan page too and follow us on Twitter.

Thanks for being with us on the journey, and be on the lookout for the latest distribution news!

What is a fan film?

http://fancinematoday.wordpress.com/

Fan Films are films that work off someone else's created content. I would suggest a true fan film, is one that does not spoof or act as a parody, but rather is a love of the content, and the film is an extension of that. It uses the same world and perhaps the same characters, but it’s not a remake.

They are generally not full length in time or scope as well - as they are not meant to be viewed as a feature, but more of a "side story"; with the goal of being a homage to the creator of the original content. 

A parody is generally something that runs along the same story, but creates a funny take on it. These are expected to be cheesy and pokes fun at the content directly.

Why make a fan film?

There are many reasons to make a fan film. If you are an aspiring filmmaker, but do not have much of a story yourself – it’s a great way to dive into an all ready known world, like Middle Earth, which helps you establish certain rules. It is also very easy to garner a strong fan base for the content, as someone has all ready done that for you. You just need to tap into them. Many times, if they are well done, they will really make the rounds.

The main reason I like this, as indie filmmakers struggle with building a fan base. This allows you to do that.

A big note. You must proceed with caution in developing a fan film. As this is not yours! You might make an original story off of something established, but you are riding on the success of the film (or comic, or book) you love, such as from Tolkien. And in doing this, those people that do have the legal rights to create the content, could, and sometimes do, take issue with you making a fan film. If it’s just a few friends in your back yard, it’s probably not that big of a deal, but the more professional it becomes the more it will get on their RADAR. Regardless – there are legal issues with fan films.

It does not matter if you do not plan on showing this to make money. This does not negate your responsibility to seek permission for what you are doing. Many times, they won’t mind you doing a fan film, but will simply give you a few things you will have to agree to.

What makes a good fan film?

Exactly what makes a great film! The story, the production value, and then how close can you get to the original content. So your props/wardrobe needs to be superb. Then your acting will speak volumes.

Some great Lord of the Rings fan films are: Halifirien, The Peril to the Shire, TheHunt for Gollum, and Born of Hope.

Our film however, “The Fellows Hip: Rise of the Gamers”, is for fans, but not a fan film. It's commercial in nature with the goal being an ROI.

You can find some other great fan films at: http://www.fanfilms.net/

(another good resource: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fan_film)

What’s a great one you’ve seen? Post below.

DVDs have arrived!

Want to know what a 1,000 DVDs look like?
DVD Video

Is piracy really a big deal?

http://my.spill.com/photo/movie-piracy

We've had people tell us to offer our movie for free and then ask for people to give (financially) as they see fit... really, that's a business model? It might be, but not one where you could stay in business for long or make more films. It might work once as a stunt, but it’s no way to do business. Part of the thinking was that people will pirate your film anyway, so give them the content so you can have some form of control over it. But is that really control? It’s seems like letting the pirates take over your ship. You’re still captain, but you’re locked in the brig.

I believe piracy is a huge deal and greatly impacts the film industry, especially the indies. I know the numbers are hard to find for an exact amount (financially) of the impact. Piracy isn’t good for anyone, but larger film companies can rebound from piracy and have more recourse and resources to fight piracy than small indie companies fighting to survive.

There are entire countries that do nothing to control entertainment piracy. You can walk the streets and order pirated movies, knowing they are pirated, and no one cares--it’s a way of life--and that’s a problem. Just talk to any deployed vet, or anyone that has visited China, Russia, Korea, Indonesia or heck even New York City. Just ask your friends. I would guess 3 out of 5 of my friends have pirated a movie, or supported pirating in some way, most innocently. They've downloaded a film at some point for "free." Or they've made copies for their friends after they themselves have paid for the film. All of this is “illegal,” really, and not good. 

If people say indies must compete with the studios, but then take away our chance for profit, how can we compete? With such a high risk investment already and a business model that offers your film for free and hopes for donations, as suggested, investors will flee in mass. Investors are hard enough to find in the first place, and almost every one I've spoken with has brought up piracy. So, I'm not concerned about piracy because of being stingy; it’s a concern of being able do business in the right way. My investors trust me and I need to do all I can to see they are protected.  No doubt the landscape is changing, and we have to adjust. But, chalking piracy up to "not that big of a deal" and giving up the ship to the pirates is not the way we should choose.

Now, what can be done? I'm not too sure. I know the studios are the driving force in this effort to combat piracy. I also know that local police departments and federal agencies are not going to do much unless it's so obvious and easy for them to handle. But the bottom line is still that it’s illegal. It may be a more socially acceptable crime, but it is more than civil. I don't think we lock someone up and throw away the key; that would be cruel. But giving them a fine and putting them on probation would be appropriate; and, more importantly, brining down the larger illegal entities that are the real pirates behind piracy. Shutting down the piracy sites. Put pressure on countries politically. It's a global issue with no easy resolution.

Piracy is a big problem, especially the more time goes by without anything being done about it, the more it's going to be acceptable and the more it will hurt us all. I'm in the filmmaking business, not some fashionable hobby. I also believe piracy is criminal and needs to be dealt with. This is not a victimless crime--filmmakers, film investors, and ultimately, film viewers are affected. See an indie film you like; it could be the last film by that indie company because of piracy.

More education on piracy is needed to help those who are innocently participating in it. But, to the ones who are sustaining it, shut them down.

If you enjoy a film, the worse thing you can do is not support it--or ask the filmmakers to put it out for free. I could be the end of the indie filmmaker.

This is just my two cents. What do you think?

  

Looking for some anti-piracy assistance? http://www.muso.com/home/

Copyright: http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ40.pdf

Report piracy: http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx  and http://www.iprcenter.gov/

Film Distribution - Times are a Changing

http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/movie-distribution.htm 

In the film industry, the world of the free internet is causing some challenges for filmmakers. I had someone tell me an option to get our film out there was to post it for
free online and then ask for donations. They shared an example of how one film did this and had over 1 million views and raised $10,000. Now that is a lot of money, unless the film cost you much more than that! How is this success? You spend $100,000 to make a film, but it’s all right to only get a $10,000 return? In any other business, including studio-made films, that would be failure!


As consumers we want what we want, when we want it and how we want it. But, filmmaking is a business first. If filmmakers cannot get a return on their film to go back to their investors, it will be a short-lived career. High-quality films are just too expensive to make and involve the livelihood of too many people to be able to sustain doing them at a loss. If you love a product, the worst thing you can do is get it for free. You should support your favorite film, by supporting it with your purchase of a ticket, DVD or a paid
download. It’s your “vote” of confidence that you’d like to see other films like it or by this filmmaker.

The market is now flooded with free content, and most of it looks free. This muddies the water for people trying to make it as a filmmaker, even an indie one. Indie doesn’t mean free, and we should protect it from that.

I actually had a filmmaker tell me I should be willing to sleep in my car, go to the bathroom in a bag and eat what I can just to get my film out there. I have no issue with hard work and sacrifice—and our team has put in its fair share—but it has to be balanced with sanity. What other industry would encourage that as a true, viable business or career option?

But, things are changing. No longer does the filmmaker have to take a deal where they never see a dime from some unknown “distributor.” We’ve been exploring many options, and here are some of the ones we are considering that actually pass some revenue on to you:

www.ATOM.com
www.BABELGUM.com
www.CREATESPACE.com
www.FILMANNEX.com
www.JOINFILMBABY.com
www.HUNGRYFLIX.com
www.INDIEFLIX.com
www.JAMAN.com
www.NETFLIX.com/SUBMITFILM
www.SNAGFILMS.com

Before you go free, check them out. You owe it to yourself, the people who supported you financially and to the indie film industry.

Let us know what others you are aware of. And, for everyone else, get out there and support indie filmmakers!

Express Your Indie ~