About Independent Film Producing from Start to Finish
Stop guessing. Stop waiting. Build a film that actually gets made, gets seen, and starts working for your career. Independent Film Producing from Start to Finish is a fast-paced, 5 week evening Zoom course that dives into the art and business of indie filmmaking the Raindance way: bold, resourceful, and creatively driven.
You do not have a filmmaking problem.
You have a system problem.
Most filmmakers spend years circling the same loop. Writing scripts that never get produced. Shooting films that never get seen. Waiting for permission from an industry that is too busy to notice them.
This course is the interruption.
Five weeks. Start to finish. No fluff. No theory without application.
You will leave with a working blueprint for a film that can exist in the real world, not just in your head.
Why This Course Exists
The industry has changed.
- Platforms have changed.
- Attention has fractured.
- Gatekeepers have multiplied and lost power at the same time.
And yet filmmakers are still operating like it’s 1999.
- Waiting for funding.
- Waiting for approval.
- Waiting to be “ready.”
That model is broken.
This course replaces it with something else:
A system that moves you from idea → execution → audience → momentum.
What You Will Build in 5 Weeks
Not inspiration. Not notes. Not “a better understanding.”
You will build:
- A film idea that is actually producible at your level
- A clear genre and audience strategy
- A realistic budget and execution plan
- A distribution pathway before you shoot
- A repeatable framework you can use again and again
This is not about one film.
This is about becoming someone who can make films on demand.
How the 5 Weeks Work
Week 1: The Idea That Survives Reality
Most ideas die the moment they meet budget, logistics, or audience reality.
You will learn how to generate and pressure-test ideas that can actually be made and sold.
What you do:
- Identify your creative lane
- Build ideas around constraints, not fantasies
- Lock genre and audience early
- Kill weak ideas fast
Outcome: One idea worth pursuing. Everything else eliminated.
Week 2: Design the Film Backwards
Amateurs start with story.
Professionals start with audience and distribution.
You will reverse-engineer your film from how it will be seen.
What you do:
- Define your audience precisely
- Map realistic distribution pathways
- Align concept with market reality
- Shape your story around visibility
Outcome: A film designed to be watched, not ignored.
Week 3: Build Something You Can Actually Shoot
This is where most filmmakers collapse.
You will learn how to scale your film to your resources without killing the idea.
What you do:
- Create a contained, achievable production plan
- Build a realistic budget framework
- Understand cast, crew, and location leverage
- Design for speed and control
Outcome: A film that fits your reality, not your fantasy.
Week 4: Execution Without Chaos
Shooting is not the hard part.
Finishing is.
You will learn how to move through production and post without losing momentum.
What you do:
- Plan your shoot for efficiency
- Avoid common production bottlenecks
- Understand post-production flow
- Keep control of your film
Outcome: A finished film, not a stalled project.
Week 5: Get It Seen or It Doesn’t Exist
If nobody sees your film, it does not exist.
This week fixes that.
What you do:
- Build a festival and release strategy
- Understand publicity vs marketing
- Create attention before and after release
- Turn one film into ongoing momentum
Outcome: A pathway to audience, not silence.
Who This Is For
This course is for people who are done waiting.
- Writers who want their scripts made
- Directors who want to stop overreaching and start executing
- Producers who want clarity, not chaos
- Actors and creatives who want control of their own work
- Filmmakers stuck in development loops
If you are looking for inspiration, this is not for you.
If you are ready to build and finish, it is.
What Makes This Different
Most courses teach filmmaking like it’s an art class.
This teaches it like it’s a system.
You are not here to express yourself into obscurity.
You are here to:
- Make work that exists
- Get it seen
- Build momentum
- Repeat
This is the difference between hobbyists and professionals.
What Happens After the 5 Weeks
You do not go back to guessing.
You leave with:
- A repeatable filmmaking framework
- A clearer creative identity
- A project that can move forward immediately
- A pathway into festivals, platforms, or direct release
And most importantly: You stop being someone who “wants to make films.”
You become someone who does.
Call to Action
You can spend the next five years thinking about your film.
Or you can spend the next five weeks building one.
Join Indie Film A–Z: From Idea to Audience in 5 Weeks
And replace uncertainty with a system.
About Simon Hunter
Simon Hunter is a highly accomplished director and show-runner known for his strong visual storytelling, particularly in the realms of outdoor and travel themes. His debut feature film, *LIGHTHOUSE*, a $2.5 million British thriller, garnered critical acclaim and won multiple awards at European film festivals. It was lauded by the *New York Post* for its intense suspense.
Following the success of *LIGHTHOUSE*, Simon joined the renowned London-based commercials company Infinity, where he directed high-profile commercials for major brands like British Airways, Coca Cola, and the British Heart Foundation. His ability to bring captivating visual stories to life was further demonstrated in his 2005 science fiction film *MUTANT CHRONICLES*, starring Thomas Jane, Ron Perlman, and John Malkovich.
In 2017, Simon pursued his passion project, *EDIE*, starring Sheila Hancock. The film became one of the most successful independent British films of the year, receiving numerous awards and theatrical releases worldwide.
Simon’s recent work includes the 2022 World War One love story *CAN YOU HEAR ME?*, featuring Peter Facinelli, Sir John Standing, and James Cosmo. The $5 million film is currently in post-production. In 2023, Simon expanded his expertise into television as the show-runner for *COLD MIND*, a TV series centred around a series of gruesome murders on the Portuguese Algarve. The series, currently in post-production, is set to be previewed at MIPCOM in October 2024.
Simon is represented by United Talent Agency in Los Angeles for his work in feature films and television.
Simon also teaches the Film Directors’ Foundation Certificate and the Advanced Film Directing Foundation Certificate, and in person the Hands On Directing Masterclass Part 1 and the Hands On Directing Masterclass Part 2
Did you know?
- Raindance members save 30% on this course?
- You can join online >HERE< and start saving immediately
- This course is FREE for our HND and postgraduate/MA/ students
- You can book a free 1-1 consultation about our full-time degree courses HERE
- We don’t teach ‘filmmaking’ at Raindance. At Raindance we make filmmakers.
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