Last month I suggested that maybe the best person to produce your project was you: you, the person who believes in it the most. Don’t give the thing you’ve slaved over to somebody who won’t give it 100% of the same love you can.
It’s daunting, though. It seems easier to just ask somebody else to do the bits you don’t know how to do – but in doing so, you’re potentially compromising your own work. And why would you do that if there was another option?
No, I’m not the writer of the 8 Sided Films scripts, but nor am I the only one working to get them made. I’m a cog in a machine, one which will always include the writer. I’m better at some things than the others are, so I wound up on board, but their ability to ask me to join in the madness was a long time in the making.
I’ve learned a lot though, not the least of which is what I’m telling you: nobody will love your script like you do. Don’t hand it off somewhere else, be a part of it – I promise you it’s worth it.
Alright, so say you’re listening to me, but you haven’t got the first clue where to start. Don’t worry, there’s no shortage of help for you! Here’s a few things to get you started – every one of these is something I make use of, though it’s only a smattering of the whole so please, feel free to add your own in the comments below:
- I highly recommend reading through this site – yes, this site you’re on right now. It tells you a lot not just about what goes on behind the scenes, but also in front of the camera. Get to understand actors, writers, producers – they’re unique creatures, and you need to learn about them if you ever want to work with one.
- The DevelopMental Breakdown – is Tennyson E. Stead, co-founder of8 Sided Films, dishing the dirt on the entire process, one column at a time. Worth the read. And as an aside to that, you’re very welcome on the 8 Sided Forum, where you can ask questions of any of us.
- John T Trigonis – crowdfunding maestro with Indiegogo, Trigonis not only has a very good book which you really ought to read, if you’re going to do any crowdfunding, but also just for advice on building an audience. He’s also a very decent guy, and will answer questions.
- Film Courage – lots of articles and video interviews from people all over the industry, talking about how they did their thing, offering advice on how to do yours. Read. Watch. Learn.
- Social Media – there is one way and one way only to connect with your potential audience: find them and talk to them. There are no shortcuts, no easy ways out, and if you’re bad at this then you need to brush up on your skills. Why? Because you could somehow manage to persuade some bored billionaire to finance your film, get you the best cast and crew and locations, the best sound and editing and everything else. But who in the hell will ever know about it, if you haven’t put hours – many, many hours – into engaging the people who might want to see it. And then engaging their friends. And then their friends. And giving them things to be excited about, things to share, reasons to trust that your film will be worth their time to see amongst the countless others. Get yourself on facebook, and especially twitter, and start finding the audience, and the rest of the indiefilm community. Without them, you have nothing. With them, you potentially have all of their connections. BUT, very importantly, read a little about the etiquette. In fact, why not start right here.
There. Now you have some places to begin. Remember this, however: nothing is guaranteed, nothing is set in stone, and nothing ever runs smoothly. If you do this, prepare to get your heart broken, your stress levels tested and your sleep interrupted. Prepare to get promises broken, see success turn into failure, and test every single one of your relationships to the max.
There are ways to handle everything, the biggest of which is simply: Don’t Give Up. You already did something pretty amazing by creating something you think is worth turning into reality. Why quit now?