Independent Filmmaking Step by Step

Don’t know how to get money? Don’t know how to calculate? How do you get your Hollywood-ready idea?

I will teach you all this and much more in this master class. This is about it.

How do I even come up with a story?

So how do I organize my screenwriting?

What are the major dangers of shooting outdoors and in the studio?

Why is post-production so tricky and how do producers and influencers even find out about my film?

Every filmmaker dreams of one day making the big picture. For many, a video business is just a means to an end to later make their own film. But that doesn’t have to wait until you have a few million available for a film.

With a few tens of thousands of euros, an independent film or a high-quality pre-production teaser can also be realized, with which one can later look for investors for the big film. Different steps have to be taken into account here than in a classic film production.

The first question to ask yourself is: is now the right time? On the one hand, whether you already have enough qualitative contacts that make up the team. On the other hand, whether you have collected enough money. Last but not least, whether you know enough. That’s more of a philosophical question.

For my part, I’m not only an expert in film production, but also always a student. I am teacher and student at the same time because I am aware of what I still have to learn. Nevertheless, there comes a point where book knowledge is no longer sufficient. The point where you just have to get started.

For example, I learned more from my pre-production teaser project Gotterdammerung than I could have ever learned from books or from a permanent job! Learning was particularly efficient for me because I evaluated successes and setbacks alike and recorded them in writing for my future work.

But before you start planning a feature film, you should think carefully about what you want your film to be: entertainment film or an inspiring film? Or something in between?

This is where the difference between independent film and that of the classic film business begins. In the classic film business there is a clear inclination towards entertainment. The German film world in particular takes it to extremes every now and then.

As an independent filmmaker, meaning someone not tied to a major production studio, you don’t have that limitation. Nobody talks you into your script and your concept. It’s all about the story you want to tell!

But don’t think that this freedom will make your path easier. It’s more of a constant struggle that never ends. You have to go on and on and never stop. That’s why famous filmmakers also say: You need the heart of a poet and the skin of an elephant – that’s how a director should be.

This not only applies to the external factors that keep trying to push you to give up, but also to the team members who, from a certain point in time, are passionate about the project and want to talk you into the story. If you decide to direct this project, then you have to keep your story together!

Who this course is for:

• To all filmmakers who want to achieve something really big with their films.