This posting mainly addresses why I've started this blog in the first place. Although it is geared towards newbies, I believe even seasoned filmmakers can relate, since the challenges we face today seem blind to how long we've been in the business.
With the wonderful books and stories published about the Indie filmmakers of the '90s, it is not hard to fall into the many legends and fantasies that permeate our world. Below are a few.
1) That you can sell your organs, make your movie for less than 10 grand and wind up with a 3-picture deal in Hollywood.
2) That 1,000 dentists are willing to give you $1,000 apiece. You make your movie and sell it at Sundance, personally dropping $650K into your pocket.
3) That you can pass your script to Favorite Actor A while waiting on him at your restaurant job. He'll reluctantly accept the script, read it, love it, and ask you to direct it.
4) That by starting out as an intern, in a few years you can work your way into the director's chair.
5) That you will wait for the right time to ask your cousin's neighbor's uncle's rich friend to give you a substantial check for your project. After all, he's a friend of a friend, right?
6) That if you could just seduce that powerful executive with deep pockets, then you'd...okay, even if it does work, do you really want to put yourself in a position that you may regret for the rest of your life? What? You do?! Then what're you doing wasting time on my blog? Go hit up the gym, doll yourself up and stalk said producer. Be sure to keep us updated with scandalous Twitters every now and again, okay?
Why do we buy into these stories? Because on paper, they happened before, usually to someone we admire (though I'm not aware of too many admitting to number 6). I think it's safe to say that all that glitters isn't gold. And before anyone becomes defensive, yes, we do occasionally hear of these myths resurfacing today--there's always more luck to be found, right? But as the years have progressed, doesn't it seem as if these stories are more the exception rather than the rule?
If you're still waiting for any of the above to happen to you, I recommend reading books like Spike, Mike, Slackers and Dykes (1997) SMSD Reloaded (2004); Down and Dirty Pictures (2004), Rebel Without a Crew (1996), Shooting to Kill (1998), Breaking In: How 20 Directors Got Their Start (2001), etc. These are great, informative reads, and I still open them up from time to time because they have such valid points and are enjoyable. But take a look at those publication dates. Don't you think a lot has changed in the past 5+ years? Think about what digital video films looked like in 1997, or even 2004. Remember that in the '90s a 12-year-old had a shot at being an Internet millionaire. Now we hear stories of public school teachers with two degrees being laid off by the Board of Ed. Are you still going to tell me that times haven't changed all that much?
Don't be afraid or discouraged to have to change your mindset--who knows what you might think of today that could revolutionize filmmaking tomorrow?
So here's where you finally come in, dear readers: What are some books/blogs/resources that you feel Indie filmmakers should take a look at in order to prepare them for a more current and tangible reality? What have you found helpful and inspirational?
I myself enjoyed:
1. The Guerilla Filmmaker's Handbook (2006)--A good resource of actual people being interviewed about their jobs in film.
2. The Reel Truth (2009)--I'm about 75% done with this one, and I have to tell you, it's been very enlightening. I can't recommend it enough.
3. Ted Hope's blog has tons of articles and resources, check it out http://trulyfreefilm.blogspot.com/
(I will be browsing some more filmmaker's sites myself over the next few weeks and highlighting entries).
This post turned out a lot longer than planned. I hope you stayed with me till the end.
Signing off,
Liz
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