Are You A Professional Or Amateur?

I was thinking around New Years Eve, 2009, looking at all the bits and pieces I had managed to do out of the Raindance office - it was quite a collection. The I realised I was nothing more than a hobbyist - I had ony spent an average of 2 hours a week. In 2010 I moved up the scale to 'talented amateur' with a grand total of 10 hours per week.

What makes semi pro?

read more details about my quest to move from amateur filmmaker to professional

Major Film MArkets

Berlinale starts this week, and with it, the European Film Market - the first major film market of the year.

Here's a job for Sunday: research and plan all the events where films are bought and sold in 2011 and see which one's dovetail into your career plans and budget!

The world's major film markets: http://bit.ly/gmcdMS

9 Ways Filmmakers Develop Legendary Careers

OK it's the W/E and I have had a proverbial few. All this by way of trying to explain that I hop I am not sounding too pompous.

Anyway - the farmer side of me - the side that looks at patterns, has come up with somethiong I thought you would be interested in:

9 Ways Filmmakers Develop Legendary Careers

Apps for Fillmaker: The essential Dozen

OK - really brief:

Apps are great. smart phones are great.
Here are the 20 top apps for filmmakers

10 Key Film Trends for 2011

My 2 main pre-occupations are the Raindance Film Festival and the British Independent Film Awards. Every waking moment I, and the fabulous Raindance team, do nothing except watch films, read scripts and talk to filmmakers, agents, financiers and distributors.

There were a number of troubing and currently unresolved issues this year. The continued implosian of the world's bankers thanks to their indiscriminate greed coupled with awe-inspiring lack of judgement. I fear they haven't changed a thing, and that we could be in for another total whammy.

And secondly, what we are doing to the environment causes me huge concern. And finally, what of our personal freedom and the freedom of the internet as ably and aptly pointed out by the entire Wikileaks fiasco. In fact I think there are many things filmmakers can learn from Julian Assange's Wikileaks.

Here are the key things we think matter to the world of independent film, in no particular order:

1. Alternative Content in Cinema

Digital and 3D screens are being installed in many British cinemas in a trend which will sweep the world.

Read the rest...

Film Finance Primer

The basics of film finance are actually quite simple. It's hard to get the money, but I have outlined the basics in my Film Finance Primer.

If You Think Filmmaking is Hard, Try Distribution

Everyone knows how demanding and difficult it is to make a film, but it's a cake walk compared to what distribution is all about. When I started Raindance in 1992, the process was much simpler: get some money and make the damn thing, enter a few film festivals, fob it off onto a sales agent who'd send you some money from home video and tv sales, and you could do it again.

Not now. The distribution world has changed dramatically. And what about all these new terms like 'hybrid' distribution and trans media?

So you get swept into the swirl, don the all-black wardrobe, start wearing sunglasses day and night, and before you know it you are committing The 7 Deadly Sins of Self Distribution