5 Tools to Bring Out the Independent Filmmaker Entrepreneur in You Creativity and content entrepreneurship takes importance overproduction in independent filmmaking
By Rahul R •
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Can we call film making an Entrepreneurial task ? why not,when we look at the core definition of an entrepreneur we find that it's all about putting your capital to risk and what a film-maker does. From production to distribution it's all about risk taking rather all the early film-makers were attracted to it just to make money not because of the factor of art in it. It was all about making money as in those early days producers and directors use to be the same. The biggest example is the late Prithviraj Kapur who was a producer and director at the same time. He made money from the films and invested that money in Prithvi Theatre for the love of theatre.
Filmmaking also qualifies as an entrepreneurial venture considering the fact that your stories can be told creatively and could also potentially get the wider majority to think about issues you have presented through films. Now, an important aspect at this point in time is independent filmmaking; which means not compromising on your vision and presenting your take on a subject as it is; without interference from conventional producers who more often than not are commercially focussed.
Independent filmmaking is not necessarily making art (and award) films; these are more about you telling a story in the way you want it. You may or may not choose a full-fledged production house when you are independent filmmaker entrepreneur. In this regard, Entrepreneur India list 5 ways in which you could turn independent filmmaker in 2018 (and beyond) provided you have the right vision and a minimal team:
Go for a crowdfunded campaign: If you think you have a brilliant idea, to present your vision clearly, and when you have identified your right target audience; but conventional producers and production houses refuse to back you; start a crowd-funding campaign. Platforms which allow for this are plenty. Present your film idea correctly (not the script) on the crowd funding platform and afford some degree of creative freedom to people who contribute financially.
This does not mean that you should let your contributors interfere in your script, but let them access significant storyline and present insights whilst being the first ones to watch the movie when it's ready. You could incorporate these insights in the final script. Also, if possible offer identical returns on the investment made through the crowdfunding campaign when your film is set to release. Here, it is important to have a significantly smaller budget to your crowdfunded film.
Budget should be inversely proportional to your vision: Your vision should be the driver of change in your film. The budget needs to be kept conventionally low as you would dabble more in creativity rather than on shooting within lavish sets. You could minimize expenditure by shooting in known locations, and by roping in people who you know and connect with your vision.
Also, decide on what portion of the budget you would desire through crowdfunding. Always fix your share of the budget well before you implement the crowdfunding campaign. Make a whole number approximation of the budget up to the last possible decimal point, and ensure that the production does not exceed this limit.
Ensure your vision connects well: Speak with genuine well-wishers about your vision, get them onboard your entrepreneurial project and ask them to contribute only if they see a connect with your story. Repeat this process on a wider group of people; you could also use social platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to communicate to people on what your vision is all about and rope people in to fund your venture. Here, remember that this approach does not amount to begging; but rather connecting like-minded individuals and turning them into potential producers for your film.
Try to make a small trailer for your film, show this to people and analyse their reactions.
Start Small: When you feel that you are ready to turn a filmmaker entrepreneur, you need not produce extravagant movies. You could make a documentary (or a short film), low-budget obviously, produced entirely by you and genuine well-wishers. Use social media and ensure that your film reaches a wider audience. You could also target the film festivals and awards through these films.
If potentially, your film is viewed by a leading production house executive, and he/she likes it; then you could plan on taking the next big step and churn out films with relatively high budgets. Nonetheless, if you prefer to remain independent filmmaker entrepreneur, you could start your own production house through funds pooled-in from friends as well as money saved from the performance of your earlier films.Introduce the instinctual touch: When you are independent filmmaker entrepreneur, you should trust your instincts. Going by this, develop a script sans irrelevant content, and consider content as the king. Use technology (internet) and blog about your independent filmmaking idea and analyse the response from the world outside. This should let you make instinct-driven decisions while you are scripting or actually directing your independent feature film.
