So you want to make a movie….
Good. That’s a start.
You’ve got your idea, a script, some equipment, money, friends and family to be cast and crew, or better yet, you’ve got some pros to get stuck in and bring your project to life. But what can you expect, especially from a feature film, at any budget level, as you begin production?
Making films for over 15 years now, we’ve learnt the things to expect every time. So, here are the ups and downs of filmmaking:
It’s exhausting
Working on a film set can be an exciting and rewarding experience, but it can also be stressful and demanding. Long hours, tight deadlines and unpredictable situations can take a toll on your physical and mental health. Scratch that, it’s not that they can, they will. I can’t think of a single time we’ve finished production and not felt like I’d run ten marathons back to back and needed to sleep for a year. Despite best intentions, you probably wont eat enough, drink enough water, sleep enough, or be able to use your full focus and creative energy throughout the project, because everything is setup to drain you.
It’s expensive
Unlike a band, where you practice, perform, tour and record together, spreading costs as an option – or photography, often a solo venture where you just incur the cost of one camera and then potentially printing costs – shooting a film and paying for it (yourself or through private investors) is incredibly financially draining. At the very least it’ll be ten times the cost of the two examples just mentioned.
Paying everyone a day rate, or even skipping this and only paying for food and travel, it all adds up. Because you can’t really make a film alone. It’s collaborative, and that’s why it’s great. But, every second adds up. Added to this, the odds of making back your budget are extremely low. Short films do not make money. Feature films struggle almost as much. The higher your budget, the bigger the risk. And if you’re paying out of your own pocket, you are going to notice that.
Realistically, people probably won’t see it
Finding an audience is hard. Even films with budgets of £2 million (sounds a lot right?) and the backing of large companies, struggle to get viewers. Getting screenings is difficult without support and expensive if you pay out yourself (average quotes we’ve had in the past have varied from £350-£1000 per screening). You have to fill those cinemas to make anything close to a profit.
So maybe you share it online for free. How do you stand out from all the free content out there? All the subscriptions and streaming models, where the consumer has the assumption that they’ve paid enough already, and why should they fork out £3-£10 on your film? – there’s A LOT of competition. Set your expectations at a realistic level. If being seen is all it’s about for you then maybe stick to social media instead of narrative filmmaking.
You will face criticism and rejection
So, you’re finished with your film. It’s shot well, it sounds great, everything is tied up in a neat little bow. Now you have to show people. And this, this is where most people crumble, where most people stop altogether. It can be hard to take feedback, it can feel deeply personal, even crippling, to read that a stranger hated everything about your film. It can be disheartening applying to 50 film festivals and getting into 3. But you have to be resilient. If making films is your passion, your obsession, what you feel you were born to do, then you have to do it for yourself, no one else.
Try to learn from any (constructive) feedback, reflect on how you can improve next time you make a film. Maybe don’t use that actor or editor next time if enough people agreed they weren’t particularly good. There are lessons to be learnt along the way.
Just know, this is an experience that everyone goes through. You are not alone.
BUT it may well be the most fun thing to do in the world (when it’s going well)
You’re bringing something into the world that didn’t exist before! You’re making lifelong friends in the process! You’re belly laughing each day, inspiring new ideas in each other, thinking about the world differently. When you’re making a film, you’re performing the impossible. That alone is incredible – it’s a miracle any film gets made. All the planning and the dedication and hard work is resulting in a film! Something people can watch together and have an emotional response to.
Anyone who has been on a set and witnessed the magical moment where the actions of everyone involved culminates in those few seconds where it all comes together – there is NOTHING like it.
First you enjoyed films as a spectator. They made you see the world differently and feel something. You laughed, you cried, you were on the edge of your seat…and now you’ve made something that can do the same for others.
It’s a wild ride, and it is all of the above…but above all else, it is worth it, because on the other side, once the film is done, guess what, you did it! You made a film!