The filmmaking myths that hold us back!
In filmmaking, our main job is to create stories and myths. But what about the myths that we perceive for ourselves and our careers? Today, I’d like to spend some time dispelling a series of old filmmaking myths. There are plenty. Most of these myths are promoted by film school programs and film festivals that are still operating in a pre video-on-demand (VOD) era. Most of these filmmaking myths point to the outdated idea that your career as a “filmmaker” can only be valued if you have a major film festival accolade, win gold trophies or are acquired at a Hollywood level. Now surely those things wouldn’t hurt to have, but let me be very clear; you don’t need any of it to make your movies, or to find commercial success as a filmmaker. Let’s explore a few more of these old ways of thinking.Here are some of the biggest filmmaking myths out there:
- Filmmakers need to move to Hollywood to make movies;
- You need a film festival accolade to get distribution;
- Getting into a major festival with your film is the only way to guarantee distribution;
- Movies always need movie stars and famous people if you want to sell your movies;
- To produce a quality product you need to spend a million dollars;
- Creatives can’t do things themselves. You need to hire seasoned professionals in every department;
- Film producers should only go union;
- Feature films are the only types of movies that sell commercially;
- Your movie needs a film distributor to distribute your film;
- Once you find a distributor your job is done. They will do everything else;
- Just make a great movie and you’ll be rich and famous;