Our email inbox and phone answering machine is full of busy filmmaker questions. At Raindance, that means a lot of great new content is created and published and read – over 348,000 web visits in the past 30 days. That’s a lot of visits and makes Raindance the 2nd largest film .org website in Europe after the fabulous and hard-to-beat BFI.org.uk. At Raindance we answer questions.
As any filmmaker knows painfully well, some stuff you create is blockbuster worthy. And other ideas just fall flat on their face.
I wanted to make sure you haven’t missed out on some of the most read posts and hotly anticipated coming events. Our number 2 page was for festival submissions: Over 22,000 people read that this month – submissions are now open for 2025 so I won’t be including that one.
Take a peek and catch up!
And I hope to see your comment on Twitter or Facebook, or see you at a Raindance event soon.
Yours answering busy filmmaker questions,
Elliot Grove
Founder/CEO, Raindance Film Festival | British Independent Film Awards
1. Film Set Madness: How Etiquette Matters (Or Not)
With film production racing into high gear, we get scores of complaints and queries about incidents and situations on a film set.
Our inspired and fabulous interns wrote 2 articles that went viral and between them counted over 100,000 reads alone.
The first, 15 Things Everyone Does On A Film Set was hilarious, I thought, and has prompted many a comment, tweet and message.
The 2nd, 10 Things Never To Do On A Film Set was written based on our experience on the film set of Deadly Virtues, our Raw Talent production.
2. Getting Film Work
Unsurprisingly, a new batch of job seekers are hitting the campaign trail. But even seasoned hacks need help to get work!
There is something about the Raindance community spirit that seems to draw loads into our network. Be at at the monthly Boozin’ N’ Schmoozin’ – here in London, or in NYC, LA, Montreal or Toronto that seems to get people work. Or maybe it’s the next 2 hottest articles about getting film work:
How to Get Film Work Without Experience
3. Questions Answered
Film training at Raindance
Getting tooled up seems to be one of the most basic questions we answer in the office. The phone rarely stops ringing.
The 3rd most asked questions are about our revolutionary Postgraduate Film Degree, our HND our BA, or about our Open Classes and Fast Track incubator programme.
We are so proud of tour students and their work.
4. How Filmmakers Should Approach Investors
I’m currently planning my trip to the Cannes Film festival where we have a massive Villa Party on Sunday May 19th.
The number 4 question Raindance gets asked is ‘Tell me about financing my feature, my short, my documentary or web series”.
Number 4 on the most asked question this month is an article yours truly wrote called The 9 Ways Filmmakers Should Approach Investors
But there’s more. If you really want to get you act together and get money for your film you should really take the Producer’s Foundation Certificate – 5 Tuesday nights with each evening’s information rich class dealing with another layer of the paperwork you need in order to fund your project.
Want a one night crash course? Try the How To Fund Your Film class (It’s FREE to Raindance members)
5. Don’t lose your precious work
Your website could come under service denial attacks. I finally put together all the stuff I have learned into an article. Hope it helps.
A filmmakers guide to being hacked.
Fade Out
Ok, so there you have it. Was there a post that caught your eye? Ping it into the comments box below. it only takes a second, and it’ll help get you noticed too.
The Raindance Film School pathway
A taster evening; 99 Minute Film School – a single evening explaining how the film industry works.
A taster One Day Masterclass: Saturday Film School – discover the ins-and-outs of writing, directing and producing a film in an information pacted and entertaining day
The Raindance 2 year Higher National Degree: a students entry point to Higher Education
Study filmmaking or acting over 2 years at one of our 3 international campus’! This is a full-time University level course. Through Raindance, students will have the opportunity to attend renowned courses delivered by industry professionals and attend our networking events to develop further opportunities.
The Raindance BA in Filmmaking or Performance: The Raindance Film School Top-Up BA (Hons) in Film and Performing Arts Practices is a one year practical course. It’s been designed to provide aspiring, and existing, Film and Performing Arts practitioners the opportunity to develop their existing academic or professional experience up to BA level in a chosen pathway or pathways (producing, directing, screenwriting or acting).
The Raindance MA: Study your MA in Filmmaking or Screenwriting at Raindance Film School (accredited by De Montfort University). They are 21st-century degrees for filmmakers, entrepreneurs, creatives and future academics wishing to upskill or transition into the film and digital media industry. These programmes provides a unique opportunity for you to benefit from the experience of Industry Experts across the world, whilst developing your personal professional practice, as well as your research and independent study skills.
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
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