Indie Inspirations
I have been working indie film for almost ten years and I feel lucky to talk to hundreds of independent filmmakers, to hear their stories and then share them with others.
It’s no surprise to me that every filmmaker has a different story to tell about the struggles to get their film made. And there always seems to be a struggle. Some filmmaker tried to get studio funding and then finally after constant rejection, turned to friends, family, and their own bank accounts to get their film made. Others turned to private investors as the only alternative to keeping the vision of their film.
Or the all-too-familiar stories of the filmmaker who successfully made the film, won awards at festivals, found distribution, but then didn’t get the marketing needed to find the audience. I have yet to talk to someone who says, “Yes, I wrote the script, everyone loved it, I raised a million dollars and made my film. Easy.”
Whatever the story, luckily they all had a happy ending of sorts—the film was playing in a theater. Although all these stories are different, there is one thing that remains the same. Despite rejection (or because of it) these artists decided to take their film into own hands in order to get it made.
To me, this is truly inspiring and I look to these visionaries to keep me motivated as I strive for the seemingly impossible. There are so many times when I want to give up or give in but then I remember. There are no rules.
So to all the artists out there who are struggling, I say don’t be afraid to declare your independence. If you get turned down by studio, raise the money and make the film yourself. If you can’t find a distributor, you can self-distribute. If you don’t like your festival time slot, sign up for film listing and fill your audience. If you don’t know where to start, read interviews with other filmmakers who were able to complete their film.
I’m not saying it will be easy—it will most likely be the hardest thing you ever do... and the most rewarding.
Long live indie film,
Michelle
It’s no surprise to me that every filmmaker has a different story to tell about the struggles to get their film made. And there always seems to be a struggle. Some filmmaker tried to get studio funding and then finally after constant rejection, turned to friends, family, and their own bank accounts to get their film made. Others turned to private investors as the only alternative to keeping the vision of their film.
Or the all-too-familiar stories of the filmmaker who successfully made the film, won awards at festivals, found distribution, but then didn’t get the marketing needed to find the audience. I have yet to talk to someone who says, “Yes, I wrote the script, everyone loved it, I raised a million dollars and made my film. Easy.”
Whatever the story, luckily they all had a happy ending of sorts—the film was playing in a theater. Although all these stories are different, there is one thing that remains the same. Despite rejection (or because of it) these artists decided to take their film into own hands in order to get it made.
To me, this is truly inspiring and I look to these visionaries to keep me motivated as I strive for the seemingly impossible. There are so many times when I want to give up or give in but then I remember. There are no rules.
So to all the artists out there who are struggling, I say don’t be afraid to declare your independence. If you get turned down by studio, raise the money and make the film yourself. If you can’t find a distributor, you can self-distribute. If you don’t like your festival time slot, sign up for film listing and fill your audience. If you don’t know where to start, read interviews with other filmmakers who were able to complete their film.
I’m not saying it will be easy—it will most likely be the hardest thing you ever do... and the most rewarding.
Long live indie film,
Michelle
posted by indieIN | 10:31 PM
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