As I was stumbling into this business five years ago and building my network within it, I noticed that the probability of actors getting roles just because they had the talent, or screenwriters having their scripts picked up just because they were great, etc, was low. Very low.
Then I read that the trend (again, I was a newcomer, so it was fresh to me then) was for A-list actors, directors and screenwriters to become producers of their films. The advantage to them was that they could control their content. What a wake up. Even A-listers who could always get work weren't happy with what was "out there."
So I ask, what about Indie filmmakers like us?
What are some of the ways that you stay moving forward and creating stuff that you love AND, perhaps, get noticed?
Let's share these practices so that others (including myself) can find a few pearls and put them to work.
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One thing that helps is not waiting for permission to create. Develop projects that can realistically be made with the resources and relationships you already have, while continuing to build the network around the next, bigger project. A finished film, even a small one, can often open more doors than a great project that remains only on paper.
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That was my thought as well. Why wait around for someone to buy my scripts? I have several that can be made in my local area for very cheap. Why not become my own producer? Unfortunately with zero funding I am applying for arts grants and things like that. They are available here in Canada but with no projects to my name they are very unlikely to award them to me.
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I am still pursuing the initial objective of selling scripts but I have decided to take the process in to my own hands and am going to publish an ebook series based on scripts already written and see if I am good enough creatively and smart enough promotionally to create an audience that would be valuable. This approach suits my personality and addresses multiple creative aspects of my mind to present an awesome and exciting journey. My first series rolls out Memorial Day '27.
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Hi jack would you say its getting noticed thats the hardest part?
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zoltanZoltán Varga I totally agree… and in the process, we build contacts as we build our reels.
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Adam Delmonico An industry friend, director, told me early on that waiting for public funding is a motivation killer. That was enough for me to shoot my first short with my own funding. It could beat film school
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Darrell A Pennington Thats a great approach. you build credibility as you polish your craft. Good luck with it.
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Thomas Lee Getting noticed is certainly a challenge. I also think that showing people you hustle is as important as showing them your craft.
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Here's the funny thing I have found. A-listers don't always get the opportunities that people think that they do. Pick one A-lister and watch their "in development" section on IMDb Pro. You will see a pattern over a period of months where their projects come and go and get further along or die in the water. The key is A-listers were able to get to that level by scrounging around trying to find projects or generate their own projects and by working almost in a panic mode all the time believing that the next project might be their last. They have been able to continue to generate projects for themselves by thinking this way. So I would say, work like an A-list actor and realize that in order to keep moving forward, you need to keep trying to push old stuff, make new stuff, hear about new stuff that you can get into too, and know that even the A-listers need to do that stuff too.
One thing I’ve seen repeatedly with indie filmmakers is that filmmakers who can also write tend to have much more control over their careers—and are often able to keep themselves much busier. They’re not entirely dependent on waiting for someone else to hire them or bring them material. They can create something for themselves and actively push it forward.
I would push back a little, though, on the idea that A-list actors or directors simply “become producers” and suddenly control their careers. They certainly have an enormous advantage: their attachment can help get a movie greenlit, and they can often attract other talent with a phone call. But they’re still competing for the same limited number of financing, studio and distribution slots as everyone else, and plenty of projects developed by major stars never get made.
Producing gives talent more agency, but it doesn’t eliminate the fundamental difficulty of getting a movie financed and made. For indie filmmakers, I think the more useful takeaway is to generate rather than wait. Keep writing, develop your own material, find collaborators and keep creating opportunities for yourself rather than relying entirely on incoming work.