How to be a successful black independent filmmaker- Part 1

First lets start with defining some of the terms we are going to be using for this article.

Success: Success as a filmmaker will be based on your personal definition. You make think success is making a film and have it be viewed by your peers or family. Another person may think success is having a theatre release, while some may think success is completing a personal film that allows them to express themselves.

Low Budget: Another relative term. A low budget Hollywood releases my mean 10 million dollars, while a privately financed film may have a budget of 10,000 or 1,000 dollars. Low budget is based on a personal perspective.

Independent: I like to define independent filmmaker as a person who makes films or movies outside of the Hollywood structure.

The environment has changed for the black independent filmmaker

The 90s ushered in the digital era for consumer products.  Digital cameras became relatively inexpensive compared to the previous decade, and non-linear editing programs became available for home use

Prosumer digital video is a product that was created during new era.  This product helped filmmakers because film stock is expensive and can only be edited destructively. Digital video lowered the barrier to entry for filmmakers and we rushed in.

Ex: Eraserhead 1977, shot on 35 mm film for 20,000, 85 min film

Ex: She’s Gotta Have It 1886, shot with an Arriflex 16 HSR, shot on 16mm transferred to 35mm for approximately 20,000, 84 min film

Ex: The Bay documentary, 2011, shot with an Canon XHA1S on DV for approximately 2,000, 54 min film.

If we compare the cost of each film based on dollars per minute.

Eraserhead cost 235 dollars a min

She’s Got to Have It cost 238 dollars a min

The Bay cost 37 dollars a min

The Bay was edited non-destructively, however the other two were not. Film stock can only be edited destructively.

Digital Video and non-linear editors allow indie filmmakers to professionally edit their movie, in a non-destructive fashion.

The digital revolution also brought about some bad changes in independent film. A low barrier to entry allowed almost anyone to make a movie. As a result the game was flooded with film, and many of them were not any good. However I believe that if one very good filmmaker can emerge out of thousands of bad filmmakers , it is a good thing. For years filmmaking was confined to the rich and the connected in Hollywood.

There are several ways in which black independent filmmakers can take advantage of the changes brought about by the digital revolution in respect to digital distribution and online viewing of their projects.

Digital downloads and pay per view players allow for producers to distribute their content very inexpensively and gives the power back to the independent producer. Historically distribution companies controlled these channels because they have the relationships with the theaters.

The home market and the mobile device market will be the next frontier for film and is the only battlefield in which we can compete with large scale films that cost millions to produce.

Scams, Stunts, and Black Independent Film

I remember my TV production instructor telling me to beware of the scammers you will meet in the film industry. He explained that one of the biggest scams was the guy who is always in preproduction for projects, however you can never catch the guy in principal photography or postproduction. This preproduction scam is designed to get money out of investors and sleep with women who think they will be cast in a role.

I have meet several scammers in my career as a black independent filmmaker.

One of the most memorable was a guy in Atl  who explained that he wanted to start a Hollywood style industry in Atlanta. The first clue was that he called me at 9:30 pm on a Sunday to pitch his business model and explain how he could distribute my documentary “The Bay”.

I recognized his scam as soon as he made an analogy to selling cocaine to describe why his business model for distribution would work. As I asked more questions, he went into how the Internet was controlled by Hollywood and I could not trust it. He also explained that his company asked for “partners” to pay a set fee into the production company and they would be guaranteed parts in upcoming movies. This practice was odd in my opinion. Why would you commit to an actor/actress just because they have paid you? What if they are not right for the role from the start?

I choose to pass on his distribution offer. I knew it was a scam five minutes into our conversation.

Another scammer is the guy who thinks he can find a producer on Craigslist. Hell you can barely find a legit production job on Craigslist. I have never contacted the person trying to find his Jerry Bruckheimer via Craigslist.  I think even the most naive person would understand that Craigslist is not the avenue to try to produce films.

In the film industry you have to really be on top of your game to discern the real form the fake. Many people are attracted to film for reasons other then telling stories and expressing themselves through the visual medium of film or digital video. Stay on point and watch who you are connected to.