Holy Crap! It’s November! And with the year end looming ominously close, what about all those resolutions you made ten short months ago? Rather than a guilt laden revisit, why not try a brand new set of independent filmmakers’ resolutions for November?
Commit to Writing Regularly:
Try a little bit every day rather than a long and tiring 18 hour blowout over a weekend. It’s different of course if you are working on a deadline. But even 15 minutes a day of focused thought and applying your fingers to a keyboard or a touchscreen on your cell will help tonnes. And you’ll be amazed what you can do in a quarter hour every day. You’ll also be amazed how you can quickly build a broad and diverse portfolio of ideas just waiting for that intense 18 hour finishing stroke.
Expand Networking:
They say about the creative industries that ‘it ain’t what you know but whom’. Attending netorking events like the Raindance Boozin’ N’ Schmoozin’ or our film classes isn’t about collecting dozens of business cards. It’s about building meaningful relationships. From those relationjships mighty collaborations can grow. And opportunities will start coming your way.
Improve Technical Skills:
Imagine if you had decided to develop one new technical skill every quarter over the past year. You’d be pretty good at 4 new skills. Staying updated with all the changes is exhausting without a clear plan. And your up-skilling doesn’t need to be a technical knuckle-buster either. How about learning How To Write A Sex Scene, for example? Short – it’s a single evening class. Fun. And you might get some hot tips for your personal life. A double whammy, so to speak.
Focus on Marketing:
Whoever says that marketing is flyers and newspaper ads is stuck in the 1980s. Your marketing exercise is two-fold. First, how are you going to promote your film project, whether completed or not. And second, how are you going to market your own amazing talent to potential clients and collaborators. And of course, today you need to learn some basic skills. Like how to harness the power of SEO. And don’t forget the golden goose of marketing: Content marketing. Off you go now. Start figuring that out.
Apply for Grants and Public Funding:
Why not research grants as a form of funding. Of course, this route is going to be easier if your film or script idea deals with social impact, education or culture. There are many different ways you can secure funding from corporations, charities and of course public funding initiatives in the UK, Europe and abroad. Beware, however, this is a time-consuming process. And there is a lot of heavy lifting required to fill out all the forms. You might want to browse our eBook: 13 Film Finance Models
Attend More Film Festivals:
Ah – the lure of the red carpet! It’s not just the humongous festivals like Cannes, Toronto, Berlin and SWSX you should attend. It’s also the local festivals near to where you live. Often these festivals are a day or two long. And the reason they are so good, is because they are more intimate. It’s far more likely that you will develop meaningful relationships at a smaller festival. Plan to attend a mix of major and niche festivals, regardless of whether you are exhibiting a film. Festivals are invaluable for observing industry trends, understanding market demands, and gaining exposure to different types of storytelling.
Set Realistic Goals:
Break down your filmmaking process into manageable targets – such as completing a draft, filming one scene per month, or editing a segment each week. This approach can keep projects moving forward and prevent overwhelming bottlenecks.
Here’s how you could plan your next 100 days.
Practise Self-Care:
Get a routine that you are comfortable with. Learn what your boundaries are. Energy is your number one resource. What are you able to do to maintain your energy? Can you set boundaries between your filmmaking and screenwriting work and your personal life? Staying mentally and physically healthy is essential to maintain creativity and deal with the stresses of a creative career.
Fade Out
The secret is to believe in yourself. This will reduce the human nature of procrastination. And you will start to deliver regularly. And remember: The world is demanding content. And in these troubled times, the challenge to you and me is to create content that helps our fellow human beings know how to deal with these vast and fast changes.
What’s this thing called Raindance?
Hey! When Raindance started in 1992, there was no internet, no emails and no websites. Now look!
Raindance has these different ways we can work with you:
- Join Raindance! Your annual fees let us provide more cool things. You also get freebies and discounts on courses.
- Our Evening and Weekend courses on writing, directing and producing independent film.
- Our Raindance Degree Programmes in filmmaking, acting and directing.
- You can Donate Here.
Are you interested in the next era of storytelling? Get rid of the fear!
Get on the inside here!
Photo Credit: Bertie Watson
I founded Raindance Film Festival in 1993 because the British film industry was closed, polite, and congratulating itself while shutting new filmmakers out.
I co-founded the British Independent Film Awards in 1998 because British indie film deserved more than a shrug, a pat on the head, and a Tuesday night screening.
Raindance didn’t start as a brand. It started as a rebellion: film training without gatekeepers, a festival without permission, and a community built by filmmakers who weren’t waiting to be invited in.
Later, we took it global: Toronto, Vancouver, New York, LA, Berlin, and Brussels, because independent film doesn’t belong to one city, one class, or one accent.
I’ve produced 700+ short films and seven features, including Deadly Virtues (2014) and ALICE, which won the SXSW Grand Jury Prize (2019) not because someone “discovered” us, but because the work earned its place.
I’ve written three books used by filmmakers worldwide because too many courses taught compliance instead of survival.
In 2009, I was awarded a PhD for services to film education, ironic, given that most of my career has been about tearing down the rules that education insisted you follow.
I don’t believe in waiting for permission.I believe in making work, building systems, and forcing the industry to catch up.
Specialties: Independent Film (the real kind) · Producing · Writing · Film Education · Festivals · Breaking Broken Systems
Check out my new Substack for in depth Free Articles:
