The Perks of Being Independent Filmmakers

Filmmaking is bread and butter to most that specialize or aspire to do so in it.

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Filmmaking is bread and butter to most that specialize or aspire to do so in it. It is challenging even, to sustain in a cutthroat competitive world domineered and engineered by stalwart film and motion picture studios. Steady investment returns is hardly compatible a phrase to a bold career as this. Surprisingly, in spite of such setbacks, more and more aspirants are cropping up with some really compelling short films and documentaries. Finding an audience for such movies can be really challenging, for the target is already used to certain kinds and genres of movie presentations. While on the surface such an audience may not be visible, somewhere behind the apparent mainstream hungry perspective are ‘niche’ groups looking forward to innovative movie projects. Platforms for such presentations are available online, providing a perfect opportunity for budding filmmakers to exhibit their skills. They are also a cheaper means of publicity, which may work really well to capture the desired target.

The lifetime struggles of independent filmmakers are indeed laudable. With great patience and meticulousness, they go about budgeting and streamlining their projects, closely working with their team to bring to the intended message to the floor. If the multimedia promotions including streaming platforms are used to their advantage, an audience begins to recognize their efforts. A lot depends on the kind of message being put across, coupled with an unknown factor which most people recognize as luck. If this unknown factor functions in their favor, their voices may reach a global platform of recognition and acknowledgement. Many societies and organizations dedicate their resources to funding and promoting independent filmmaking. Quite a few filmmakers who are not a part of the bigger industries have received international awards for their contribution towards a new age pseudonym of a cinematic genre. Distributors pick up a scent of popularity when they do and wholeheartedly promote the film across a wider audience. With crow funding and other facilities, the post production quality automatically improves, providing a window of opportunity for out of the box filmmakers to reach out to their audience. While this is not of the scale of mainstream post production, it is definitely a sign of progress. 

Low funded filmmakers having won hearts and praises can take it ahead from there and expand their opportunities for production. Top quality filmmaking is a definite means of finding enthusiastic fund givers. With enough funds, the production team can be expanded to craft films in better quality. This enables flexibility in thoughts with fewer boundaries to cross in terms of execution. Care should be taken to not fall for misguided investments. If the debut project with a simple yet beautifully executed idea gathers a substantial fan base on the streaming platform, it would be preferable to invest wisely and carefully in the next. 

The stepping stones of success matter a lot as you make progress. The reviews and accolades one gathers on that platform set a path for their development. Such forums are also excellent mentors and serve as guidelines for strategic advancement.

Michael Duck is the author of this article on independent filmmakers. Find more information, about independent filmmaking here.

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