Filmmaking / Directing

Patio, pint, porsche, prosecution? haha

Greg Zawaski Porsche please!

Porsche, perfection, possible, pinnacle.

Pain, poor, plight, plunder.

That's great you are taking a couple of webinars. Yeah they cost a little bread but, considering what value our seasoned pros are telling and guiding us to our goals. Be sure to post the results!

Hannah Woolmer – Glad you found the ideas useful.

Curious to hear—what’s a film that absolutely nailed tension for you? Let’s keep the conversation going.

Nice tips! Thanks for sharing

This is an awesome post and thread. Love Hitchcock's "bomb under the table" example. I would always add ticking clocks. Like in the film DOA, a character getting poisoned who has 24 hours to find and take the antidote - every passing moment becomes more tense. How many times has James Bond saved the world as the timer on a bomb clicks down. It's a great source of tension.

GET OUT absolutely nailed tension for me, Vincent Weberink.

We had an incredible Community Wrap-Up today! If you missed the Wrap-Up or you want to watch it again, here's the link: www.instagram.com/reel/DFyKrjXSUjy

Thanks for sharing the link, Maurice Vaughan - excited to watch this week's Wrap Up!

You're welcome, Sam Sokolow. It was another fun, helpful Community Wrap-Up!

If you missed today's Instagram Live, you can catch the full conversation HERE: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFyKrjXSUjy/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&...

Vincent Weberink These 5 insights are more like using a common sense approach. To disagree with these concepts is detrimental, but the industry isn't changing for the times so independent filmmakers are kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"Understand Your Market : Know your audience and tailor your film to meet their expectations." Knowing your market should be easy enough if you are out to make an entertaining movie. Know your market shares according to genre is more accurate. Dramas usually hover around 4th-5th place in market shares coming in at just under 10% with about a 5:1 ratio of the number of films to hit the market. Therefore your budget needs to be smaller and you really need to push your filmmaking skills in order to compete with the pure volume of other films in your genre and the market share genres above you.

"Budget Wisley : Plan your finances carefully to avoid overspending and ensure profitability." This falls mostly on talent since equipment rental is mostly a constant and the crew, the working blood of any production, is sadly, the first people to be forgotten. Their salaries don't differ that much. Talent is where you get into trouble. "A-List" doesn't mean what it once did. More celebrities are content to upset audiences with their "superior knowledge" of life and according to Rachel Zegler, she doesn't need your business. They like to take the new stance that if you don't like their movie, it's your fault! Star power is dwindling. Just find some actors that are nice people in real life.

"Networking is Key : Build relationships with industry professionals to open doors and create opportunities.". Be careful what industry professionals you network with. Remember; you're all competing with each other and backstabbing is a negotiating tactic. Network with industry professionals that have skills you are lacking in and that compliment yours. Together you can work on something like a short that will show how you both meld together to be a force to be reckoned with. Film composers are great people to network with. Even if they have some snippets of music laying around in the void of their database, 15 seconds can change a scene. Just make sure you give them the credit they deserve and respect their art with bringing them with you on bigger jobs,

"Marketing Matters : A great film won’t succeed without a solid marketing strategy." A solid marketing strategy doesn't mean anything if it's implemented too late. With social media being bombarded with view farming content and five second attention spans that can't wait for the "Skip" to become active, commercial advertising has not only lost its reach, but companies in charge of marketing have no goals to hold them to as far as creating awareness and no accountability as to how many people they actually influenced. If you ask them for data, it'll just be another cost they can take off your film's revenue. AND if you do try and attempt your own self-promotion, then "You already gave away your film and it's no longer an exclusive." Meter your marketing plan. Create interest without telling the whole story. If you generate enough buzz, you can control your marketing costs.

"Stay Informed : Keep up with industry trends and adapt your approach accordingly." If you are trying to work for someone that wants a story and can't write it himself but will take your story and put in his little changes so he can feel important, that's fine. It's a job. Otherwise write what you think will look cool on screen and what you love. Trends are cyclical so you can write one genre and sit on it until the trend comes back around. That way, you'll be ahead of the curve. Just make sure you copyright everything with The Library of Congress because a WGA Registration can prove to be as about as useful as wet toilet paper.

That's the reality of this industry. You gotta love filmmaking.

Terrific post, Philip David Lee. Appreciate you taking the time.

Thanks, Philip David Lee . This is a fantastic breakdown—your insights really cut through the surface and get into the realities of the industry. I especially appreciate your take on networking with complementary skills rather than just chasing connections. That’s a game-changer for indie filmmakers.

And your point about marketing timing is spot on—building momentum early makes all the difference. Appreciate you sharing your wisdom here!

Vincent Weberink Thank you, Vincent. I don't know how much wisdom I actually have, but these are just some additional ways to think about possible issues that may come up to help filmmakers in their many struggles.

The most important thing for the independent filmmaker is to make the most professional and, above all, entertaining movie for your audiences. Projections are fantasy football stats. Star power is on a dimmer switch. If an individual movie goer loves your work so much that they get a warm emotional feeling every time they view it, the success of your film will speak for itself. If you make a one and done viewing experience for a movie fan, you have failed that fan.

Making a film is a perfect cohesion of the cast and crew and while it can be stressful, it also has to be fun and satisfying experience for everyone involved so that they will continue their journey and build on their skills to keep the true creativity of filmmaking alive in the hearts of everyone that sacrifices so much to make a living from this expression of art.

Philip David Lee Appreciate the follow-up, Philip. You’re absolutely right—at the end of the day, it’s about creating something that resonates with audiences beyond just a single viewing. If a film can create that lasting emotional connection, that’s real success.

The industry’s shifting landscape makes it tough, but indie filmmakers have always been the ones pushing boundaries. Professionalism, passion, and collaboration go a long way in making that happen. The process should be challenging, but also rewarding—if it’s not, something’s off.

Really value your perspective. Filmmaking is an art, a business, and a constant learning experience, and conversations like this keep that creativity alive.

Leadership flows down, never up. If the bosses in charge dont care, the workers under them dont care either.

Thanks, Maurice Vaughan Reusing and recycling sets is a great way to save both money and materials—plus, it’s a fun challenge to get creative with repurposing props.

@Dan spot on—leadership sets the tone. Maybe another tip should be “Lead by Example”—when directors and producers make sustainability a priority, the whole crew is more likely to follow suit.

You're welcome, Vincent Weberink. Yeah, I think it'd be a fun challenge to get creative with repurposing props, like turning Action movie props into Sci-Fi movie props.

Also, if you've got safe left-over props food or hero food from a food commercial, there are a number of places to donate that. Offering it to cast and crew to take home is also appreciated.

Terrific ideas, Pamela Jaye Smith!

I am not entirely impressed.. I still think Pedro Pascal was a terrible choice for Reed Richards. He looks like a used car salesman in the trailers. The Thing looked okay but the kitchen stuff was dumb. Herbie is just a toy licensing ploy and Sue looked tired. The 60's vibe didn't make sense to me nor did I get the idea they were taking the story seriously. Robert Downey Jr as Dr. Doom is a half court desperation shot and a budget bloater. I'm hoping I'm just tired of having my fingers burnt and the film will be good, but I'm not feeling it right now.

Hi Sam, I can't wait to see

Gave me goosebumps!

The retro 1960's film style is going to help catapult it to some great Marvel profits. It doesn't have the ugly shiny news video sharp images that all Netflix movies have to abide by now. Author of Filmmaking for Dummies

Sam Sokolow, I feel the same way! As a huge comic book fan, I was SO pleasantly surprised by what I saw in the trailer. It actually got me excited for the movie in a way I wasn’t expecting. The tone, the visuals, the casting—it all feels promising. I wasn't very excited by Pedro's casting when it was announced. Don't get me wrong, I'm obviously a Pedro fan, but I feel like he's becoming a bit over exposed in franchises and I didn't really see him as Reed. The trailer changed that though, I was surprised to find that he didn't bother me at all in the clips that they shared.

I just really, really want them to finally get the Fantastic Four right. This is Marvel’s chance to do justice to these iconic characters, and I’m hopeful they’ll pull it off. I’ll definitely be there opening weekend too!

One of my favorite comic book podcasters broke down his thoughts on the trailer and they reflect mine so much that I have to share it here with everyone: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFvS_g_PesD/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&...

Brian is so smart and generous with his experience and knowledge. I can't recomment asking him your questions on this subject more.

How great that Stage 32 provides a platform for knowledgeable experts such as Brian. And thanks to him for passing on his insights.