Making and Selling Your Films

Creativity Coaches on Creativity

Source: Eric Maisel

What artist isn’t puzzled by these times? There are more opportunities than ever before, but also more products being produced than ever before. Nowhere is this conundrum more problematic than in filmmaking, now that virtually everyone on the planet can make something resembling a film with just their smartphone.

One film can cost nothing to make and reach millions of online viewers, while another film costs millions to make and sinks like a stone. What a time! In today’s post, creativity coach Nefeli Soteriou explores this theme.

Nefeli explained:

There has been no better time than today to plan and produce a film. Digital accessibility has enabled creatives to produce films of any length, from short-form to feature-length. Film festivals accommodate great films that have been photographed with smartphones. Distributing your film, either alone or with the help of sales agents, is possible.

Below are seven tips to help you meet your challenges and pave the way to making and selling your films.

1. First, know and accept that it is a road less taken. Clawing your way up as a contributor in the film industry may take a lifetime. That’s just the reality of the industry. No need to be discouraged, however, if you are determined to make filmmaking production work for you.

2. Spend some time writing down why this kind of work in visual storytelling is important to you. Save the document somewhere safe and keep it there for those times when you need a reminder as to why you are doing what you are doing. There may be times that it will be useful to pull the document out and read it for inspiration.

3. Draft a map of your long-term career direction. Certainly, nobody can predict exactly how life will unfold. Know that the more pragmatically you approach life, the more chances you have to succeed.

4. Keep the promises you make to yourself, strive to advance, and have great fun in the process! After all, you only compete with yourself in your cinematic life. Know that doubt can become a major opponent. Every time you face a setback, use it as an opportunity to sharpen your problem-solving skills. Keep pushing towards your goals and towards the finish line.

5. To further overcome your doubts, maintain awareness. You need to be in charge of your brain, your thinking and your feeling, and not the other way around. Choosing better, more useful thoughts coupled with manageable, consistent action steps is vital. This becomes easier when you work with a specialized creativity coach.

6. Before you even brainstorm ideas for the kind of film you want to plan, research the existing market. You need to answer in advance some important questions. For example, “What kind of audience will pay to watch my film? Who else has made a similar film?”

7. It starts with choosing filmmaking as the right path for you. From then on, in making and selling films, it is important to make each one the best you can before you move to the next one. I am rooting for you!