Indie Filmmaking Passion: Recent Episodes
Colm O'Murchu
When you are learning filmmaking, it is very important to get on Big Film Sets that are shooting movies or television drama or are commissioned by the Streamers. That is Prime Video. Hulu and Prime Video or any other streaming service. You will learn professional protocols. You need to learn how crews operate, how a […]
Why you need a really good trailer and poster for your film When marketing your short or feature film, there are two essential items you will require. The Trailer The Poster. You will need a poster and trailer for entering film festivals on Film Freeway website. Also, you will need a Poster and Trailer for approaching […]
Many filmmakers place their limited budget totally into Film Production. They ignore the equally important part of the process. That is finding your audience and marketing. Therefore only about 10000 people see their film when it should be one million people. Emerging Filmmakers place all the effort into making the film, but due to the […]
Today I want to break a low budget film production into five stages. Like with any goal, a film production is a goal and therefore you need to break it down into steps or stages. That is why, I will break down a film production into five stages. This way it become easy as you focus on just […]
On Thursday there were so many people in the line at the city newsagent. Even with exceptionally poor odds, each person hoped that they could win the $100 million jackpot. Afterall if you are not in, you cannot win. Right? ?? In the end, one man from Sydney won the prise and walked away with […]
Once you have made a successful Short Film, many filmmakers then set their sights on a Feature Film. How does one make this happen? How does a Filmmaker green light a film. You may choose to hang around and attempt to raise millions of $ as many people do. This rarely works out unless you […]
When you are starting out as a beginner filmmaker, it can seem daunting. As we have 5 Month Film Schools in Sydney and Melbourne and have run them for 27 Years, we have met a lot of beginner filmmakers. We have seen the beginner that has transformed into a successful filmmakers and they definitely have […]
Writing Screenplays can be a very enjoyable process, where you are the inventor of the Story. Over time you will find the best way for you, to write a screenplay One thing for sure is that the more screenplays you write, the better you will come. So many great writers said that they had to write […]
Working on you own and in isolation can prove to be a tough challenge for Filmmakers. That is why Experienced Filmmakers like to go to supportive events in the filmmaking Calendar.
Many like to go the Film Markets such as The AFM (American Film Market) or Cannes Marche happening now in the South of France or the Producers Guild of America special events. The reason for this is that you meet other filmmakers and executives and network with the business end of the Filmmaking Spectrum.
All great filmmakers have had a champion who supported their metoric rise. James Daly with Oliver Stone. Laurence Bender and Harvey Weinstein with Quentin Tarantino. Rodger Corman and Paulene Kael for Martin Scorsese All Great Filmmakers have had somebody or group that catapulted their film career. This is called the Champion or the person or group that champions a new filmmaker and brings them from obscurity to prominence.
There can be different phases in a filmmakers career. For example at the start a filmmaker may have a teachers or Film instructors who love the short films. o as they As the filmmakers progresses, a famous Executive Producer recognises their talent and decides to support their film financially and makes sure that the film gains world wide distribution. This is why it is very challenging to make it big in the filmmaking world totally on your own.
But with a champion, a Filmmaker can bring their film careers to huge heights building a fan base and creating a film directors name that is synonymous with quality and brilliant movies. Think about it. When you hear of a new Tarantino Movie, most people want to see his latest film. Yet all these filmmakers started out with nothing and obscurity.
So how can you you gain a champion. How can you find the mentorship that you require. It is challenging, but the most important part is
- to make low budget and micro budget films
- that do well at film festivals
- you keep an earnest eye out for the opportunities and people who can help.
- Network and champion yourself at film events
- Most importantly grab opportunities when fortune knocks.
You can start this process and learn all about the above, at our filmmaking Course and the Coaching and Mentorship sessions with a successful indie Filmmaker. This would be a great place to start.
Please go here for Full Information on our Filmmaking Courses
The Last 7 Days is the most important part of Preproduction. Seven Days out from shooting is when most of the preproduction happens. Why is that? The simple answer is Deadlines.
Deadlines force a filmmaker into action.
Sometimes a week out from shooting there seems to be an insurmountable amount of work to do. Sometime its 70% of preproduction. The big temptation for filmmakers, prone to procrastination, is to postpone the shoot.
Never do this. Always keep to the schedule and your deadlines.
The reason for this is that confidence from fellow cast and crew will evaporate, with each postponement. Also, you will get to the next scheduled shoot and find once again there is still a mountain of work to do. And then what? Do you postpone again.
Every postponement will lower confidence in the shoot.
Not only that, you will feel bad inside and start losing confidence in your own ability to pull off a film shoot. .So what should you do? Just get on with it. Seven Days out, make it happen.
If this is your first or second shoot and it is a 4 day shoot, it is a great idea to only have one day shoot on Weekend 1 This means you only have to organise one day of shooting initially. Once the first day happens, your confidence will explode and the rest of the shoot will happen smoothly. You can shoot 3 Days on Weekend Two.
Procrastinating a Shoot is usually a sign of fear.
Just get on with it and use our seven day out checklist on ourProduction film course found here.
Seven Days out, usually a filmmaking team finds the following
- They haver to finalise some of the locations
- They have to finalise some of the crew
- They have to book the Makeup artist
- They have to get Set Design and props organised.
- They have to finalise catering for the shoot days.
- They have to issue call sheets and check the schedule
- They have to have a Cast and Crew meeting.
- Location Reccies and Shot lists,
- And there is more. the list goes on.
The Seven day Checklist and how to do it, is Advanced Preproduction on our Preproduction FIlm Course. It seems like a lot of work, but it is fun work. If you have a day job maybe take a couple of days off just before the shoot, so you can focus
100% on it. Seven Days out from any shoot takes work.
There is an old saying in Show Business. “It will be alright on the night” This means no matter how hard the rehearsal process is. everything somehow magically works out on the opening night of the show. The same is true for shoots. 7 Days out, get ready to Make your Film Happen. Once the shoot happens, you will feel fantastic.
If you would like to learn Filmmaking and make films or improve your skills , please check out our filmmaking courses here
Why do you need a strong focused mindset? It is essential primary ingredient you will need, to get your film made.Without a strong directed and focused Mindset, it is very challenging to produce and make a film.
If you can recall a time when you really needed to succeed at a project, it generally has the following elements.
- Determination
- Focus
- Presence of Mind
- Deadlines
To make a film you will also need the following:
1 Determination: You need to decide that you are going to achieve the goal of Making a film. This film could be 10 minutes or 14 minutes or a Micro Budget Feature Film 80 minutes or a funded feature film 90 minutes. What ever it is you need determination to Make The Film and know what you want to achieve.
Also set an Eyeball Goal and it could be the following. For Example: A Short Film 1 Million or more people see the film. Feature Film 10 million or more people see it. You can set the eyeball goal. The eyeball goal is an essential part of Determination.
2 Focus: You need to focus on each step of making a film.
- The Plan and how much money you need.
- Screenplay –
- Casting & Preproduction.
- The Shoot and Postproduction.
When you are there in that phase of filmmaking. focus 100% and make it happen.
3 Presence of Mind: This is closely aligned with Focus. You need to live in the now to be truly successful in filmmaking and in life generally. A great sports person is fully present in what they are doing, when they play a competitive match. Likewise you have to be present.
Place your focus in the now of doing that activity and do your level best to enjoy it. When this happens success follows. When you are totally stressing out about an outcome, the results can be less than ideal. It is far more important to focus on the journey, be fullypresent in what you are doing now. If you do this, success will follow and you will increase dramatically the quality of what you are doing.
4 Deadlines: They are important as they cause action. Work out the phase you are in now of filmmaking. Say you want to write a screenplay. Three months is a very reasonable time to get a readable workable draft for an 80 – 90 minute screenplay.This gives you time to plan it and write it and rewrite it.
A 10 minute short film 21 Days or 3 Weeks to write a readable workable draft. We give this time frame because we know successful filmmakers do this. For a beginner, as they have to study the process, you might allow a month for a 10 minute screenplay and 4 Months for a feature screenplay.
However, Deadlines are important and it is essential that they are reasonable but not too long. We know how long it takes and what you have to do, We train on our Filmmakers Courses and also supply Mentorship that helps beginners or emerging filmmakers get their film made. Check out our courses on this link.
The Filmmakers Winning Mindset A Strong Filmmakers Mindset is the most important requirement for the up and coming emerging filmmaker. A Strong Filmmakers Mindset helps the Indie Filmmaker to consistently make quality feature films that get seen. The most important part of mindset can be summarised in this sentence.
“I will make my film no matter what by this date.”
Most filmmakers would love to have millions of $ to play with when making their films. Having a full professional crew and a full professional production management team and a “Name” in your film, is a glorious set of circumstances.This scenario of course is preferable and what I always aim at when making my films is a multi million $ movie.
Raising millions of Dollars for any film whether you are experienced or emerging. takes time. Years can flash by without a film made. This is not conducive to a successful filmmaking career. Therefor I recommend the Two Prong Approach/
The Two Prong Approach is what I recommend to up and coming filmmakers, who have already made a micro budget feature film.
- Project One – Going via the film finance system searching out millions oof $ from Distributors and Film Investors.
- Project Two – Making a Film Now on a Micro-budget which will still attract donation investors and Sponsorship.
This way you are always making a film now and sometimes the making of Micro-budget Project 2 , opens up the way for Project 1 to happen and attract millions of Dollars. This way a filmmaker is always making a film.
If you make great micro budget film, the money will follow for the fully financed Project 1. This mindset of “I will make my film now no matter what”, is paramount to your success. It is why I teach micro budget filmmaking models, so the you can be making a film all the time when you want and green-lit by you
I was talking to Eddie Aryara a student of mine, who came to the 5 Month Filmmaking School in Sydney 12 years ago. He had no filmmaking knowledge and was a complete novice. He was so inspired by the 5 Month filmmaking School, he decided that he wanted to be a filmmaker and nothing else for the rest of his life. Now he is on his fifth feature film and already attracting finance for his sixth and the budgets are now breaking the $1 Million mark. In fact, one of his most recent feature film Risen, is in the the top 5 this week on Prime Video this week.
I always love to see successful filmmakers rise to the top and even more so when that filmmaker started with us on the Five Month FIlm School in Sydney or Melboiurne.
Now, you can benefit by enrolling on our 5 Month Filmmakers mentorship program taken from anywhere is the world, where you get one on one coaching. You learn how to make a film now and actually do it with the support of our 177 Video Tutorials and the amazing Filmmakers To Do List for that week . Please take a look here on this link.
Can you Make a Great Film this Year? Yes you can. Find out How.Can you Make a Great Film this Year? Of course you should and this post will explain why.
One never knows how a film will turn out? Sometimes an experienced filmmaker will make a film that they believe will be the greatest. They have lofty goals of making a Classic film whether cult or mainstream. They dream about the film being a smash hit and a critical success.Then the film is released and it is a flop. The Critics do not like it.
The IMDB scores are rotten as is Rotten Tomatoes. Every Filmmakers hates this scenario and it can be very humiliating. There is an old cliche that is farmed out when a relationship goes bad. It is better to have loved than not to have loved at all . And so it is with filmmaking It is better to have a made a film and flopped than not have made the film in the first place.
No one can tell what will work.
Sometimes a filmmaker makes a film that they do not think will do well. Maybe they have recruited as a gun for hire and they are making the film for money. A great example is Francis Ford Coppola and the first Godfather Movie. He did not want to do the job but needed the money for his studios. He ended up making a cinema classic and was very grateful that circumstance forced his hand.
The old filmmaking phrase “No One knows anything”, could not be more apt. No one knows what will be successful. You just have to Make your film and let the audience and the critics decide.
And this is the same for First Time Filmmakers. Many people will not make their first film now because they are afraid of making a crap film.This is called filmmaking paralysis. Most First Time Filmmakers do not make a great film. Often it is average and full of mistakes.
Take Quentin Tarantino , a master filmmaker with so many great films to his name.His first film was called “ My Best Friends Wedding” It took him a couple of years to make and it was awful. He tried to burry it, as he was so ashamed of the film.But he did say. “It was the best filmmaking School there is”
If he had not made the film, he would never have made Reservoir Dogs. It was a necessary first step in his film career that led to great success. So Should you make a Film now if you a beginner. Yes Yes and Yes.
But make a short film. Learn to make good films first by making a short film and as soon as you make a great short film, move to feature films. Making a Short Film now will be the best filmmaking School there is. And you never know you may make a really good film the first time out.
But you will need mentorship and coaching. This is an essential component and will dramatically increase the chance of making a good film and doing it right the first time. Make sure you enrol on the Filmmakers Mentorship program. where you learn to make film now and get “One on One Coaching”.
Details Here
Green Light your own film anytime.Today, I would like to show you how you can catapult your Filmmaking Career. That means you start to Make Films at will and now. In other words you Green-light your own Films.
So many filmmakers go cap in hand around to various sources of finance begging to get their film made. Some are lucky after many years of toil and stress. But most and if not nearly all of them fail. This is called the boulevard of broken dreams.
So many beginners and emerging filmmakers are taught that this is the only way and I would like to ask you this Question. You do not want to be one of them. Correct?
Today I want to talk about a way forward where you make a film at will when you are ready and when you want to. Many people who work with us make a feature film every 18 months to 2 years. If you are making a short film, you could make two a year or as many people do, one per year. They put everything into making it and perfect it. The choice is yours, but money should never be the problem or the block.
As you saw in my video that teaches you the prime Directive of Filmmaking, finance comes in many forms. I also talk about our film Tabernacle 101, that had no budget and we made into an amazing film.
I have taught filmmaking at my Film School for 27 years now in both Sydney and Melbourne Australia. We have seen everything in that time and trained many successful filmmakers that now make muti-million $ movies. One charateristic they have in common, is that they do not wait around for finance.
They go and make their film now. Watch these two videos for Inspiration
But how do you do this.
First Set the Goal. Decide on what you want to Make A Feature film if you have some experience or if you are starting out and are a beginner, a 10 minute Short Film
Second, learn Filmmaking via making a Film. You need to learn how to do this either at an expensive film school or on set of other peoples films.
Third and most important of all, get Mentorship from a Filmmaking Coach or Filmmaker If you do not know a filmmaker this is impossible. Or is it?
Have a look at our Filmmakers Mentorship Program that is available now for a limited time. Please see the details on this page.
One of the interesting things about Filmmaking is that it is a marathon.The process is far more involved than people think. There are Five distinct seasons in every professional Film Production.
Season 1 Development and Screenplay
This is the time when you germinate the story idea, premise and storyline. Then you write a screenplay and attract Finance or the means of getting the film made. Once the Film is developed you are ready to go and make the Film, you are green-lit and can move to the next season.
Season 2 PreproductionThis is where you cast and crew the film, find locations and book film equipment and build sets if needed. It is an intense time where it is all about getting ready to shoot.
Season 3 The ShootThis is the obvious. It is where you shoot the film and you will have a set amount of days to shoot.This is the shortest and most intense season and it is also the most fun and challenging in so many ways.
Season 4 Postproduction
This is where the film is edited, coloured, titled and any VFX is completed. This is also where you complete Sound Post with Dialogue perfection, Sound Effect inserted with background atmospheres and music. All these tracks are mixed to produce the Soundtrack that makes your Movie a Movie. Once complete, you test and Export the Final Film.
Season 5 Audience
You enter Film Festivals, win awards and find a great Film Distributor. In collaboration with the Film Distributor, you plan your Release and get millions upon millions of people to watch your Film.
That is Film Production in a nutshell. There are many moving parts and that is why I have developed an amazing film production tool.If you are Beginner or Emerging Filmmaker or Advanced Filmmaker, I want to give you this free and invaluable filmmaking tool that I and my team use every time when making movies and it works.
It is called the “The Filmmakers Production Road Map”
It shows you where you have to go and how you get there when you are making a Video Production or Short Film or Feature Film. Just like a Roadmap it is an essential tool for getting from A- B when making your movie.
Every Step that you need to Take to Get your Film Made is down in order of when you need to do it. Nothing is missed. This Free Tool is the Ultimate “To Do List” for Filmmakers
From Screenplay to Finished Movie, every Step is itemised. It is 8 pages long and once you have it, you will not miss anything when making film. This is the Ultimate Road Map for Filmmakers and it is Free Now.
Get your Copy Now on this Link Here
Today I would like to focus on the Casting Process and how important it is for the success of your Film. Casting is one of the key components of any Film Project. Whether it is a short film, a micro budget feature film or a big budget film, ,casting is one of the key cornerstones of […]
Setting the Eyeball Goal for your Short or Feature Film is essential for the success of your film.
It is so important as a Producer and Director to pick the best successful screenplay and therefore in the last post, we established that it was essential to learn how to write a screenplay. This would in turn help you, the producer director, to pick screenplays that will be successful. Alternatively, you could choose to […]
Should you learn How to Write a Screenplay? Our Sydney and Melbourne Five Month Film School is now a month into the course, having started in July. Our Flagship Online Five Month Film School starts Worldwide on September 1st Our starting point on all of the five month film school is always […]
Yes you can make a ten minute short movie in five months. It is a realistic time-frame and makes the goal realistic and specific. The most important part of the process is to “Set Deadlines” for each stage of the production. I have broken down the action steps over Five Months, needed to achieve the goal as […]
Film Festivals are really fun way to get your film out to the world. The great thing is that they get screened on big screens and many people around the world see your film.
Message from Colm O’Murchu I hope you are following your Indie Filmmaking Dream. Making Films is always a fun activity that brings you to locations that you would never have gone to normally. Also, you meet so many talented people that you would never meet in other parts of life. That is why we love […]
Writing the Script is a lot easier than you think. It will takes time effort and commitment, but in a few short weeks, you will have your script complete. Creating a High Quality Story that brings the audience on a journey is the First Step in Making a Film. Story is the reason people go […]
Tabernacle 101 Premium is now available on Vimeo everywhere outside the United States. We are live on Vimeo on Demand. You can watch the First Twelve Minutes Free Here Now The Film has won Five Best Film Awards in International Film Festivals including the prestigious Directors Cut Film Awards. We have had cinema release in the United States and […]
Tabernacle 101 won Best Film at The Directors Cut International Film Festival in Canada. That brings the grand total to Four Best Film Awards at International Film Festivals and fourteen Official Selections. A few weeks ago, I sat down and have ventured back into post production editing on Tabernacle 101- 2021. I have been very busy working […]
Gaining the best performance from your actors is essential and so important for your film. Here are my Top 10 Tips for working with your actors in your film. 1. Cast really well. Make sure you get the very best actors you can at your level. 2. Rehearse really well with your actors, scene by […]
Today, I would like to highlight the software and sites that I use for making my films. We also use them on our 5 Month Filmmaking Courses. Some are free and some cost , therefore I will clearly indicate which is which. Please use the ones that are relevant to you Software 1 WriterDuet – […]
When should I make my First Feature Film? I get this question on many occasions from keen enthusiastic emerging filmmakers. The answer is as follows. One should go as soon as you have made a successful short film of 10 minutes – 20 minutes, that wins Film Festivals and gets seen on major online Platforms […]
What is on at International Film Base (Indie Film Passion) – October 2020 5 Month Filmmaking Course – Starts Thursday November 5th 6.30pm EST -Zoom This is the amazing compact course that you attend and make a film at the same time. You keep to committed deadlines and make a 10 minute film at the […]
Another great episode from the Directors Chair. Robert Rodriguez interviews top Film Directors and in this episode, he interviews the Famous Nee York Director Martin Scorsese Credits include the following Taxi Driver Good Fellows Casino Cape Fear The Departed The Aviator The Wolf of Wall Street There are many more, but the above are some of his best known favourites. Watch this […]
Why you need great Production Design for your Film. Many new and emerging filmmakers forget about Production Design. This is to detriment of the film. Production Design on a lower budget really involves two areas. Area one — Location Scouting and finding a great location that is visually appropriate.Area Two – Props – The Colour scheme […]
This is a great episode from the Directors Chair. Robert Rodriguez interviews top Film Directors and in this episode, he interviews the Famous Australian Director George Miller. His Films include the following. Mad Max ( Road Warrior ) Mad Max 2 (Road Warrior 2 The Twilight Zone Mad Max 3 Beyond the Thunderome Witches of […]
Editing is one of the most important parts of the filmmaking process. One could have an amazing script, great actors, a wonderful shoot. Then a terrible edit and postproduction. The net result is a terrible film. It is so important to get this part right. I believe the most challenging area in filmmaking is not the shoot. […]
Making Your Film Happen Now Today’s post is about making your Film Happen anytime you want. What is the mental state you need to see a film from story creation to the shoot and on through post production . Finally, finding your audience is a key component for any successful filmmaker today. As I have […]
Short Films: How to get your film out there and seen by one million people around the world. Are you a short filmmaker who wants to get the most out of his or her film? Do you want to get the film seen by the biggest possible audience? Many people have that sentiment when making […]
Creating an effective Shot List for Your Film One of the most important directorial skills is Shot Listing / Storyboarding. The main purpose of shots, are to cover the scene, so as the editor and the director can create a complete edited scene in postproduction. When starting out or when you are inexperienced at shot-listing, […]
Key Actions to Take to be a Successful Filmmaker Make Films: This is the number one. Nothing gets you further than a film you have produced and directed. Every Film Course or School number one objective should be to make students make one to two short films per year. Now, you can do this on […]
Today I decided to share this article from Deadline. In case you are not aware of the film industry publication Deadline, it is well worth reading. The Film industry magazine outlines how the film business is happening, day by day. This article I am sharing today, is one of the most important. It is about […]
Tabernacle 101 our new supernatural thriller has had a good week with official selection in three different Film Festivals and one major win for Best Feature Film, We are now officially selected and scheduled for opening night film on Friday 28th August 2020 at the ScFi Film Festival. This particular film started out as a challenge […]
The Peter Jackson story is inspiring. He is living proof that anyone from any point of the world can make it big in Hollywood. He has now created three of the biggest films of all times. He made ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy and won numerous Oscars in the process. He came from nothing […]
How do you get the best result when using Film Freeway to enter Film Festivals Find out how in this post.
How successful was the 5 Day Virtual Cannes Market? – Why this is important for you. Part Two The major difference with my Indie Film Passion blog/podcast, is that I believe an up and coming filmmaker can eventually end up making and working on big movies. To do so, it is very important to be […]
The Virtual Cannes Film Market Taking Place This Week Online Is Changing The Film Industry For Ever. Cannes Virtual Film Market started yesterday June 22nd 2020. Normally the physical Market takes place in Cannes in May. Due to the Covid-19 Panic, it was cancelled this year and replaced with the virtual Market Film Markets happen on five […]
Cinemas around the world are opening up again. The big change is that we are going to have plenty of space as social distancing restrictions bite. With all film releases in the cinema, there is a huge amount of luck involved in the releasing schedule and release weekend. What other movies are releasing that weekend? What is the […]
How to work with your actors to get the best performance Directing Actors is a very undervalued skill. There are many films made by emerging film makers where the director is too shy or lacking in confidence to actually talk to actors about their performances. This comes from lack of experience with actors. Over time […]
Paramount and Apple finance new Martin Scorsese Movie. Why this is a game changer for the Movie Business? This week I noticed the huge Hollywood Deals are back and one in particular stood out. Paramount and Apple have committed to finance the new $200 million Martin Scorsese movie. Why this is a game changer? As of today, Apple are […]
Podcast 06: Shooting your short or feature film on your Mobile Phone This podcast explores Mobile Phone Shoots for your short film or feature Film. This is a viable option for the up and coming filmmaker. In fact, Oscar winning film director Stephen Sordenberg shot his recent films using mobile phone cameras. In the podcast, […]
With a Backlog of top notch movies to be released in the cinemas soon, it is going to be a great time to get back to a night out at the cinema. Cinema is now beginning to open up again. Film Productions are on the move again in June 2020 and shooting on sets will […]