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.