So you finished film school/acting school. You’ve got that amazing script/story you’ve been working on for years. Now is the time, you’re ready to shoot your first project. Time to go out and get things started to shoot, right? WRONG. One of the big downfalls in today’s art world is the lack of understanding about business when it comes to approaching your art. At the end of the day, yes, you are an artist, but the end-result is always a product. Unfortunately, many first-time filmmakers get so caught up in the creation of their story that they forget to take the necessary business steps that are crucial to a successful completed project. It all starts with a simple question: what do you want to do with your story and how can you get there?

Often times, at networking events, I find myself bouncing from person to person listening to their next “big project”. As an actor, I always weigh projects with five simple questions: What’s the story? Do I like it? Who’s doing it? Where is it now? And, finally, where is it going? That last question always stumps people. It’s usually, “I’m going to post it on youtube and hope for sponsorship,” or ”I’ll send it to festivals and hope for a win or distribution,” or even ”I’ll screen it here and there and hope someone sees it.” There’s a lot of “hope” going around. I’ve always had the mindset that those who hope will wait; those who need, will search. In the indy film community, there tends to be this thought that creating a project is enough and the follow-up plan is just throw it out there and see what happens.

I always tell myself there may be someone else taller than me, better looking, or even more skilled than me. Those are things I can’t control, but one thing I can control–and guarantee– is this: nobody will be better prepared than me. Preparation is the foundation of every project; you need to make sure your project is firm and well-grounded before moving forward. What do you want to do with your project and what can you do to get what you want? Are you, for example, looking for sponsorship for your web series? Which brands fit your story and audience? Perhaps your project is distribution. What is the market like for your type of project? Where are the potential buyers and what events do they attend? The resources are out there, it’s just a matter of putting in the work and finding them. Here are a few resources from various organizations and companies that offer tools for indy filmmakers:

NALIP
NALIP (National Association of Latino Independent Producers) is an organization dedicated to the ongoing support for the Latino independent film and video makers.
SagIndie
SagIndie is a division of the screen actors guild designed to help filmmakers cast their projects, find crew, equipment and resources as well as helping you walk through the contract process of using union talent.
Seed&Spark

Seed&Spark is a fairly new crowdfunding site that’s a bit like a marriage between indiegogo and kickstarter solely for filmmakers. Similar to a wedding registry, they help you break your production down into a list of what you need for your production. The unique thing here is they also offer a distribution platform where you can submit finished projects to be streamed online, so in essence they can help you fund your project and then distribute it as well.

These are just a few resources to help start your search to show that they are out there. Just prepare yourself and find the tools to get what you need to go where you want. If somehow you can’t find what you need or are looking for in the crazy world of the internet, ask someone for help and guidance! Ask me. Ask us here at LIFTT. After all, it takes a team to tell a story.