Social Media Ideas for Diy Filmmaking

How Two iPhones (And No Cinema Camera) Can Get Your Short Into a Festival

Every filmmaker, no matter how established, hits the same walls around budgets. Indie films in particular face the harshest constraints, with no... The post How Two iPhones (And No...

Why Filmmakers Should Start Making Zines

There's probably a reason so many of us love film art books or posters or even collectible figures and toys. We like to have something physical (beyond traditional physical media l...

The Ultimate Indie: How to Make a Sci-Fi Romance With a 7-Person Crew

Growing up, I was always the quiet kid in the back, doodling in a notebook. In 6th grade, instead of a yearbook, my classmates signed my sketchbook, filled with characters I create...

How to Make Your Low-Budget Film Look Expensive

High production value is one of those things we're all probably striving for, but it can be elusive. When we say that, you probably think that the story feels real and everything l...

Self-Made Virtual Production – What Do You Need to Get Started?

“Virtual production.” I would be surprised if you’ve never heard this expression before. For the past years, starting with “The Mandalorian’s” reveal of how they shot their first s...

No Crew, No Permits, No Problem: Guerrilla Filmmaking with the DJI Pocket 3

What happens when you mix I Love You Man with Weird Science, shoot it entirely on a pocket-sized gimbal camera, and drop it into the ultra-fast-paced world of short-form vertical v...

IFH 856: How to Make an Indie Film When You Have NO Money with Bob Woolsey & Darren Borrowman

Every independent filmmaker begins with a dangerous idea: Maybe I can actually do this. Not someday. Not after permission arrives. Not after funding magically appears. But now. Wit...

You Don’t Need Millions of YouTube Followers to Get Your Film Made

Filmmaker Selina Ringel has launched a field guide for indie filmmakers called "Start the Engine" aimed at urging creators to stop waiting for permission.

Indie Film Economics 101: Why Daril Fannin’s Kino Studios Model Could Change How Filmmakers Think About Budgets

In a conservative religious compound in the Southeast, a young Daril Fannin was told that television was the Devil’s tool—that Satan would... The post Indie Film Economics 101: Why...

Why The Hell Did It Take Me 15 Months To Shoot A 15-Minute Short Film?

Over the past 2.5 years, I wrote, shot, edited, and finished Pale Shelter, a 15-minute short film. Half of that time was spent shooting. That wasn’t some unfortunate accident. It w...

A free app for filmmakers to develop their ideas visually

I have always struggled with the way films are usually planned. When I start one, I almost never start at the beginning. Sometimes I can see the ending clearly but not how it opens...

How we shoot our car-to-car video, and how you can do it at home

Want to shoot high-quality car-to-car footage at a fraction of the price of a typical pro camera rig? Here is how we did it on a budget and with a crew of 2.

How Do You Get the L.A. City Council to Care About Your $30K Short Film?

"Valley Daze" is an exercise in short filmmaking as a community project.

Tax Tips for Independent Filmmakers: Deductions, Write-Offs, and Record Keeping

Being an independent filmmaker is a dream job for many, but it comes with its own unique financial challenges. From sourcing equipment... The post Tax Tips for Independent Filmmake...

How to DIY Your Own Outdoor Movie Theater

"Do Less, But Do It Better": Felicia Day on Making a Movie on Her Own Terms

Few creators have a stronger claim to the DIY, fan-funded playbook than Felicia Day. In 2007, she wrote herself the lead role Hollywood wouldn't cast her in and shot the first thre...

How two filmmakers built a 300-shot VFX pipeline without a Hollywood studio

This Star Trek fan-film series uses DaVinci Resolve, Fusion, and Unreal Engine.

We Maxed Out Credit Cards, Drained a Settlement, and Finished a Feature Film

There is a romanticized version of independent filmmaking that people often imagine — a passionate artist with a great script, a group of believers, and a dream that somehow finds...

Having Indie Discipline at Studio Scale: How Julia Swain Shot 'Voicemails for Isabelle'

Julia Swain arrived at her first major studio feature with indie superpowers at the ready. The cinematographer is an ASC Rising Star who helmed the camera on Leah McKendrick's inti...

How two Star Trek fans made three films using Unreal Engine and just an iPhone

The growing importance of new tech like Lightcraft Jetset for indie filmmaking.

How 'Obsession's Car Scenes Were Lit on an LED Volume for Almost Nothing

Obsession has grossed over $290 million worldwide on a budget somewhere between $750,000 and $1 million. Its driving scenes look like something shot on a major studio stage. They w...

The Micro-Budget Crisis: How to Create Big-Screen Tension Without a Hollywood Budget

Ask any indie filmmaker grinding through post-production right now, and they’ll tell you the exact same thing: money doesn’t buy The post The Micro-Budget Crisis: How to Create Big...

Why Your Editor Hates Your Footage (And How to Fix It)

If your editor dreads getting your footage, that's a problem. So, this is for you. Jesse Senko is a photographer and director with a background in advertising. He's had years of co...

Want to Enter the Backrooms? Here’s a Crash Course in Creating Your Own Backrooms Videos

It’s a movie that, for whatever reason, scratches an itch we as humans have never known we’ve had, or—more likely—never been able to explain what it is and why it’s there.Backrooms...