Acting

Ramping up for 2018 – Indie Filmmaking

First off Happy Holidays. Some of us have just finished Hanukkah as some are ramping up to the Christmas weekend. But regardless of where you are this holiday season, I can guarenty – “What’s next for 2018?” has popped into your mind at some point over the last few weeks.

In terms of filmmaking, 2017 has been an incredible year for Indie Film Factory. We released our last feature Alien Domicile in March, and have really great gains in the market on several of our past films with our distribution partners. Moreover, we are looking at two new major market releases in January. One in RedBox and the other in Walmart. As I sit back and think how far we’ve come this year, my mind often wonders to what’s next, and how can I use this year’s successes to help other filmmakers moving into 2018 with the precision of a laser pointer.

So here it is.

MAKE A MOVIE IN 2018
The market is really on your side this next year. If you have a script that you can get some resources together on, do it. Don’t wait. Make 2018 the year you push your project into reality. At this past November’s AFM, the industry seen huge spike in demand for new genre driven content. Some of the usual players in the biz were actually acquiring more titles instead of developing them from the script. So as an outsider, its perfect time to get into the game. Don’t wait!

MAKE THEM LOW BUDGET
Every filmmaker I have met has a issue with budget identity. We equal success in our career based on the level of budget we produce at. Some filmmakers are sheepish or embarrassed at their low budgets, but don’t be. This year, fewer films were being acquired in the $200k-$1 million range. The industry is starting to discover that names are not as important (as they were a decade ago) in selling over seas. As long as the content is good, and the genre makes sense you can land some great distribution deals. So do yourself a favor, aim to produce lower budget films and don’t be afraid to make things happen on a shoestring. Lower budget films are becoming profitable investments.

WORK IN FEWER LOCATIONS
Going with budget, making films that require fewer locations is a skill that I encourage all of you to work on. If you can master (and I’m still trying to) the art of working in a box, your films will not only be manageable and affordable to produce, but you will see longer term success as a commercial filmmaker.

In closing, I truly hope that this next year can bring forward-motion with your projects. That said, I’m off to the races on a new film, more to come on that shortly. But for now, Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

-Kelly
Indie Film Factory, LLC

Kelly Schwarze is an Emmy © Nominated filmmaker who has written directed and produced 6 feature films, dozens of music vides and commercials, and has owned successful media companies in Las Vegas.

Kelly also does one-on-one consulting for filmmakers. Click here for more details.

Kelly Schwarze