Getting Started In Filmmaking, Goals And Plans For Success

Why You Need A Plan
I have mentioned before that the biggest mistake for beginning filmmakers is trying to do too much to start with. Don’t make this mistake. The first thing is to ask yourself the classic question: Why am I wanting to do this?

Examine your heart and consider the things you really care about. There is no wrong answer and your plans may change over time but it is important to attempt to come up with an answer to this simple question. Then pin it up somewhere that you will see it often.

Getting started as a filmmaker involves a lot of time and dedication and you can’t do it unless the goal is something you really want. You might want to write it out as a “mission statement” as some filmmakers recommend.

What Is Your Filmmaking Plan
Now that you have defined what you want to do with filmmaking you possibly can start to plan how to get there. On 4Filmmaking.com I assume that you want to learn how to be a successful independent filmmaker creating films that are both artistically satisfying and financially successful. I am about to describe the classic plan that has been used in some style by most all of the successful independent filmmakers in the business. You can use it as a starting point to create your own plan.

The Awful Truth About Filmmaking
I would be dishonest if I didn’t begin by warning you that your chance at succeeding in becoming a famous and wealthy independent filmmaker are . There are many other students wishing they could do it and only a few are going to make it. You’ll have to be relentless in pursuit of your filmmaking dreams, make the most of your abilities, keep going despite discouragements and hope for some luck along the way.

The Not-So-Secret Plan to Success as an Independent Filmmaker
Step 1 is to make a series of very short films while you study, take classes, read books, meet other filmmakers and always do everything you can to get knowledgeable and hook up with filmmaking collaborators. Your films will be three to ten minute short films that you possibly can film in a day or two on a weekend, beginning using only your friends and the promise of free food and drink at the end of the shoot.

Creating films involves many skills and many helpers cooperating together. That’s why you must be looking for collaborators, other smart and talented people who share your filmmaking dreams and compliment your skills. The first step is where you learn the nuts and bolts of filmmaking.

Step 2 is to make better and better short films until you finally have one good enough to get you film festival exposure.

This will begin to get you noticed, give you more opportunities to network with other movie makers gaining more partners, and get feeling for audience acceptance of your films. You will observe that acquisition agents follow the festival circuit to buy the best indie films from the most talented filmmakers. This second step is about expanding your artistic filmmaking horizons and learning how indie films get marketed.

Step 3 is to keep developing finer and finer story ideas until all your friends are convinced you have a Great Idea.

The Great Idea has to be a story that can be filmed for very little money. You script it into a dynamite feature length screenplay. You’ll also make a brilliant short version drawn from the feature screenplay that can possibly be made for what you can pay out of your own pocket. You’ll show this short version at film festivals and to anyone who might be talked into paying for the feature length version.

This short film is a calling-card, a teaser and marketing tool to show investors fabulous you are so they will pay you to turn your Great Idea into the Great Movie.

Step 4 is to produce the movie, show it at festivals to great acclaim, sell it to distributors, and experience it becoming a huge success. At the same time you will need to be developing more ideas so you always have an answer to the query, “What’s the next project?”

After step 4 you will be on the map and you will get phone calls from agents who wouldn’t have given you the time of day last week but now they want to talk about paying for your next film. A variation on this plan is to skip making the short film version by coming up with a totally perfect feature film that can be shot so inexpensively that you don’t need a lot of money.

Does This Plan Work?
When you look in the Internet Movie Database you will see that George Lucas got started by making 5 very short films that have never been seen. Then while in film school he made a 15 minute SciFi short called Electronic Labyrinth THX 1138 4EB. The film got him first prize in the National Student Film Festival.

That allowed him to win a scholarship to work with Francis Ford Coppola at Warner Brothers. They became friends, created a company together and the first film they made was the feature length version of THX 1138. The small success of this film helped him get money to make American Graffiti. The larger success of American Graffiti got him money to make Star Wars.

Now George Lucas is the most financially successful independent filmmaker in the world.

ฉ 2007 Copyright, Jerry Anderson