Guide in setting up your filmmaking goals and plans
Date Added: November 22, 2007 11:38:50 PM
One of the biggest mistakes that aspiring filmmakers could commit is to load themselves with too much of everything in the beginning. They are carried away of the glamour and excitement of this profession. Stop your drama! Don’t get carried away too much and don’t mix up passion from sheer curiosity.
Examine your motives and ask yourself why you are doing such things? Look inside your heart and point out all the things that you care about filmmaking. List all your plans and stick it somewhere wherein you can often see it. Of course it will change over time but it’s important that you carry the same passion as you religiously take steps in achieving your goals.
Filmmaking spells dedication and hard work. You will never make it to the end unless you really want the goal you have set. Some filmmakers fervently advise the aspiring filmmakers to write down their “Mission Statement”. But in order for you do that, you need to discover your filmmaking plans.
Remember I told you to identify what you care about filmmaking? Start building your plans following those desires and find a way to make all things happen. Apparently, all filmmakers want to create films that are unique and truly rewarding both financially and artistically. Here is a plan that has been used by most of the Hollywood independent filmmakers, use it as a guide to build your own plan.
Before we begin building your plan, let me be brutally frank with this odious fact about filmmaking. Your chances of becoming successful and famous filmmaker are extremely little. A lot of people tried to do it but hardly any of them make it to the top. But if you really are diligent in following your plans, utilize your abilities and resources; persevere despite of many stumbling blocks and grab every little chance that you may have, you will definitely find your way to fame.
Let’s begin with your first step. Basically, you need to take classes, read several related books and articles, congregate with other filmmakers and start forming strong filmmaking collaborators. Make a sequence of very short films while you are working on everything for your success.
Start making a 3-10 min short movie which you can probably film for 1-2 days depending on the movie requirements. You need not to spend a lot of money on that; in fact you can ask your friends to help you out and bribe them with free meal after the shoot.
The second step is to make advance short films until you produce one film that is good enough to be offered on film festivals. This is your chance to get more collaborators, gain audience recognition of your film and most especially gets notice by acquisition agents for bigger projects.
The third step is to develop more interesting movies with finer story that carries great ideas. Step four is the continuation of step three; it is about producing a brilliant film and have it shown in some highly praised film festivals. After this fourth step, expect a call from people who wants to pay you for your next amazing project!
