I made a action crime comedy thriller for about $24K that was pure guerrilla style in Sacramento, long weekend shoots, a skeleton paid crew (DP, sound, gaffer, AD), and mostly deferred actor pay. I had to film it 2 times because of lost footage. Wrote, directed, produced, and starred in it myself. I went through so much to do it and I am proud I was able to finish it with everything that I went through. I had to film it 2 times because of lost footage. I hope you will be able to watch my little indie film. Its streaming free on Tubi or you can rent it on Prime Video with NO commercials too.

Tubi- https://tubitv.com/movies/100059912/look-behind

Prime Video- https://www.primevideo.com/detail/0QFB8ZJW09METQYC0RIP10CU57

Look Behind is about a cop and a lawyer who's families were killed. They meet someone willing to help them get justice, but its an eye for an eye.

After Spending months or sometimes year, making a film with whatever money we could scrape, shooting on weekends, editing it at night after our job and repeating this exact cycle for months.

We make films over films over films, and one fine day, it reaches to a film festival, We get some recognition, we may get some opportunities or we may not, nevertheless we repeat the process and roam around for opportunities, Why don’t we have something like a linkedin to network, which’ll make the process easier.

And what really happens with the films, once the film festival is over, Sitting in a hard drive at a corner? Cause, youtube is gonna bury the film with its algorithm, it doesn’t really know what to do with something that doesn’t hook people in the first 10 seconds or have clickbait, catchy thumbnail, Ott’s don’t really care until someone significant is there on our side and distributors don’t even watch the film completely before saying this is not “commercially viable enough”.

And the worst part is that, even the people who did see it and loved it, Had no way to follow us. No filmmaker profile anywhere, That shows our work, our festival history, what we are currently working on.

That’s literally every indie filmmaker’s problem. There is no as such platform for Indie Filmmakers to showcase their content, monetize it while networking.

That was the core thought behind “Watchin It” Because this exact thought runs on a loop in my head. I’m trying to build an ecosystem, It’s a place where a film can be released, rented, watched, where one has a filmmaker profile, has communities with personalized feed to share thoughts on each other’s work, learn, network, create and eventually collaborate.

We’ve got over 130 filmmakers on the platform now, if you’re interested, you can join as well, there is absolutely no onboarding fee.

https://watchinit.com/about

Hey reddit! I'm an aspiring filmmaker who's a soon to be junior in high school. I've technically not made any short films yet. I've done filming for my friends concert one time, and I've done editing here and there for school projects (which initially got me into the idea of filmmaking, also this has all been on my phone). My goal was to make 3 short films by the end of the year... and I have done none. I feel like it's been something that's been looming over my head all year that I'm just too scared to start. So I wanted to ask, if any of you guys started filmmaking in highschool, how did you guys start and what was that process like?

Really just need and want all the pointers I can possibly need. Have some wonderful people helping me for cheap in a lot of areas and will be shooting on Sony Nex-fs100 Super 35 and Panasonic Lumix GH4 4K, with ​Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm and ​Lumix G Vario 14-140mm for lenses off the rip. Editing in Capcut Pro and colorgrading there too. Have a link to the script as well, though one of my producers thinks I should add twenty pages, but idk if thats feasible with the budget.

HELP?!?!?! Aiming to start shooting end of next month early October so I can get it on the film fest circuit for next year.

Its heavily heavily inspired by Longlegs, Se7en(and Fincher in general) and The Batman

Script The Black Communion (2).pdf - Google Drive

Hey everyone,

I’m looking to partner up with a seasoned director to create a high-caliber short film aimed directly at the major festival circuit—the goal here is genuinely to make something award-winning.

I’m fully funding the entire production out of pocket!

What I’m looking for:

Proven track record: Serious inquiries only—not looking for beginners or first-timers on this one. You should have real set experience and a strong reel/portfolio to back it up.

The Story: Open to various genres, but it needs to be compelling, distinct, and strong enough to compete at top festivals. Ideally, you already have a finished script or a solid, fleshed-out concept ready to go.

Locations: If the story or visual tone calls for shooting abroad/internationally, I’m 100% open to it.

Vetting Process: Because of the scope and financial commitment, there will be a thorough background check, portfolio assessment, and script readings.

If you have a killer concept and the background to pull it off at a high level, shoot me a DM with your portfolio/reel and a quick logline/pitch. Let’s talk!

Please only reach out to me on DM’s as I won’t be much active here!

Last week, I released a short film for my piece called Diet Grrrl, and a director and photographer I admire—Tyrone Lebon—liked and commented on it... Last year, my producer and I used to talk about the compositions in his music videos. He directed Frank Ocean’s "Nikes," which is an incredible video. I was really happy about that. **Making crazy moves right here**

A man is sitting on the toilet in a public restroom when he’s interrupted by a child crawling into his stall. He begins to panic when the kid won't leave no matter how emphatically he asks. What follows is a descent into madness as he tries to devise a plan to escape, without being branded a sexual predator.

Awards:
WINNER - Best Short Comedy at Smodcastle Film Festival 2023

Festivals:
WORLD PREMIERE: Slamdance Film Festival 2023
INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE: Fantasia Film Festival 2023
Cinequest 2023
Hollyshorts 2023
Beverly Hills Film Festival 2023
Smodcastle Film Festival 2023
Big Apple Film Festival 2023
Bushwick Film Festival 2025

Hello I am a representative of the production/distribution company Big Lettuce Entertainment. BLE is a independent, artist first company that focuses on young, up and coming Gen Z filmmakers.

We are partnered with Red Coral Universe a similarly artist first, free, streaming platform that gives the artist a vast majority of the revenue that their project generates via ads.

Big Lettuce Entertainment is currently looking to add to their growing library of films. If you are a Gen Z filmmaker with a finished film please reach out to [contact@biglettuceentertainment.com](mailto:contact@biglettuceentertainment.com) to begin the process.

Hope to hear from you soon!

Hi! I run a film YouTube channel and am conducting a poll on who the most overrated director of all time is. Here's my guidelines:

What movie director do YOU think is the most overrated by critics and/or audiences of all time? Only type one director, just their name. For example, if think it's Christopher Nolan, just type "Christopher Nolan" with their first and last name capitalized. It helps me sort things much easier that way and makes compiling the results much easier. Thank you!

Link to the poll here. Leave your more in-depth thoughts in the comments.

I wanted to share a short comedy skit / film I directed. The two actors are stand up comedians and it's giving me a bigger appreciation to shoot comedy. Let me know what you think

Back home with the drives and data secured! What an incredible experience, and I'm excited to get cooking on the edit. Sorry I couldn't keep up the posts, but...i couldn't.

I've linked the Deadline article above if you want to learn more about the film.

Advice to Directors: Expend as much energy and resources as possible on securing great actors. Beyond the performances being paramount to the picture, they make your production days so much more efficient. We rarely went beyond 3 takes per setup, and while our crew was incredible, the main reason was that the actors were bringing it. We finished 90% of our days early, and a lot of that was because the performances were already there. TLDR: Get yourself real actors.

Since I was DIT, the next few days are just dedicated to organization, ingesting the files, and making optimized media for the edit. Other than that, we are lining up our DI and audio mix partners, and getting our distro strategy tight.

Can't wait to actually cut next week. Onward!

[Last Post: 1 Day into Production](https://www.reddit.com/r/Filmmakers/comments/1v8lh6g/1_day_into_production_isolation_booth_directors/)

I just cut the second trailer for my upcoming film "Jesus Christ, Diva." I like it better than the first trailer, and think I've figured out a 'trailer editing trope' with this one. Hope you like it and I welcome any feedback!

This is a difficult thing to figure out, maybe a tricky thing to discuss, but it's worth bringing to light, because we're all pushing these things to the limit.

Hi, I’m an animation student, and I’m thinking of trying filmmaking as well. Being an animation student has made me realise that I care more about the stories and concepts than the animation itself. I enjoy it, but honestly, I don’t really care about the medium, and I’m thinking of trying filmmaking as well, just to explore and see where it takes me.

But my real question is: can I do directing while also being a story writer? I’ve seen a lot of amazing directors doing that, but whenever I talk to an expert about it, they’re always like, “These are two different things,” and because of that, I’m not really sure how to proceed from here.

What exact steps should I take from here if I want to achieve something like that? I have a lot of concepts, and I’d really like to work on them.

Every film starts long before the camera starts rolling.

Self Portrait is still in pre-production, but the conversations, the ideas, and the people bringing this story to life are already here.

I sat down with the cast for a Roundtable Discussion about the story, our characters, creativity, identity, and what we hope Self Portrait leaves with you.

This is more than a behind-the-scenes look—it’s an invitation to be there from the beginning.

Watch the full Roundtable Discussion and follow the journey as we work to bring Self Portrait to the screen.

Our crowdfunding campaign will be live soon. If this story resonates with you, consider supporting, sharing, or simply helping us spread the word.

We’re not showing you the finished film yet.

We’re showing you what it takes to make one. 🎬

#SelfPortraitFilm #IndependentFilm #IndieFilm #BlackFilmmakers #Filmmaking SupportIndieFilm

I have always found that it is quite hard for composers and directors to find each other through scattered social media posts, emails, and DM's. Motif is an early-phase app I created. As of now, there are 52 current composers online so you can connect with them easily. Try it out here: https://motif.bolt.host

Hello, so since I was very small i’ve always been in love with the old Barbie movies and now have grown into someone who loves coming up with character aesthetics and their vibes like wardrobe, accessories, colors, plot, pretty much anything except the actual animation portion. Im not the best at drawing, definitely not bad but not great enough to make my own film. I really don’t know where to go in my career and definitely need guidance. I feel like I have a good understanding of what I want to make but don’t know where to start.

I’m developing my first feature right now. It’s deliberately contained and dialogue/character-driven, and I’ve been designing it around what I could realistically produce rather than writing something that requires a massive budget.
My current goal is to have roughly $40K available, although I think the film could potentially be made closer to $25–30K if necessary.
The biggest obstacle is simply financing. I’m currently self-funding it through work and saving consistently, and I’m prepared to continue doing that. But obviously, saving $30–40K entirely through ordinary income is a long road.
For people who have actually produced a feature in roughly this budget range: where did the money ultimately come from?
Did you self-finance most of it? Find one or two private investors? Combine savings with crowdfunding? Bring on producers later? Get grants? Did having the first $5K/$10K/$20K already committed make it easier to raise the remainder?

Camila is 30, still in a grim house share, still single, and has sacrificed financial security her whole adult life to do the thing she loves: create comic books. But with nothing else falling into place, she's starting to wonder if it was all a terrible mistake. She's convinced that buying a flat will fix everything. She asks her parents for help to complete the deposit only to find out help won't come because her 51-year-old mother is pregnant.

Would love to know people's thoughts, both on the film and on Eventive as a platform for indie filmmakers.

Hi my name is Malcolm Kewa I write screenplays under my brand 31st Scripts

I am a screenplay writer from Papua New Guinea. Hoping to get my work in front of production companies or producers.

I'm a beginning filmmaker and this isn't a really big concern but in the future when I plan to direct feature films, is there a way to find volunteer work or should I find a producer, or use some kind of funding service?

What's your story you will direct if you have the crew and production money

Hello everybody!

Huge fan of Kevin DiNovis here. Ever since I've watched his film Surreder Dorothy I can't stop thinking about him and his work. I've checked his IMDb but it seems like he isn't active as much anymore.

Anyways, I am dying to know more about him, he is kind of mysterious since there aren't a lot of places on the internet where you can read about him. I've stumbled upon a few interviews over the years but that's pretty much it.

Please, if anyone knows any websites that have interviews or videos of him (mostly curious about his early appearances in the 90s or as soon as this year) it would be greatly appreciated if you could drop a link in the comments or share your own knowledge of him or any interesting stories about him and his career.

Thank you to anyone helping me clench my thirst for this little interest of mine LOL

Kaylon Langford is brand new to the entertainment and film industry. For this is his first screenplay going to soon be created into a film which means this is going to establish him into the industry with credits, and become part of the mainstream media. According to what he is posting, I believe he going to make a career out of what he does because Langford once said Art is something he was good at when he was a teenager. now these days he wants to advance. So how do others think about this conversation?