Is There Glory?

I think that at least some of the members here will agree that making an Indie film has less glory, more responsibility, more multi-tasking, and vastly less money for both cast and crew than the cast and crew get who make studio productions.

If people who try to get into an independent film think they are going to be pampered, they will get a rude awakening.

With that in mind, is there glory in making a small patatoe film?

I just did this, though small potatoes meant a chunk of cash, two years of my life and the greatest woman in the world working extra shifts. I finished the film in early december but had sent out three unfinished copies to 3 festivals, got my first rejection just before xmas... I made a ton of mistakes, regret two tons of directing decisions and haven't got a clue if anyone will ever see it... so yeah, no glory. That said, I just sent out the first draft of my follow-up, and no I don't have a rich uncle- I do have a lot of writing credits/experience and have inherited the family superpower - perseverance. If you are after Glory, you are more likely than not, totally fucked.

If you mean short film, nope, no glory. It is dead the moment you are done with it. You may squeeze some life out of it on the film festival circuit -- but most likely you'll post it on YouTube then realize it takes work, serious work, to get people to even watch it . . . then . . . it's dead, 157 views. R.I.P.

Feature films are different though.

Wait a minute -- what?! You're saying that the micro-budget filmmaker is going to have a different experience than those working on big-budget movies in Hollywood? Somebody should've told me this!

Of course there is. Its just reserved for a very small number.

Oh man, oh man oh man. You're giving me some horrible flashbacks. My co-director runs everytime theres work to be done on a project. He just doesn't understand how much work goes into films and believes directing is as easy as the BTS always make it look.

That said when a project turns out much better than planned there's a HUGE satisfaction in it. When you make it in the big leagues, you are the director and sometimes writer or cinematographer. But here in the Indie leagues you're the director, producer, writer, cinematographer / DP, editor, stunt coordinator, costume department, investors and financer, location scout, make up, special effects artist, grip and gaffer, etc.

There's a HUGE amount of pride when it goes right. That being said, some people that watch the film (regular viewers and sometimes even industry professionals) do not care one bit about what went on behind your indie movie, they just care about the final product. That said, it shouldn't affect your pride and motivation.

Thank you for your input on this matter people.

There was some shock in my last production when the cast was told they had to take care of there own makeup and hair because there was no budget for people to take care of that for them. Also, we didn't have a budget for a AD, a gaffer, or sound mixer. My DP did all the lighting by himself. But since most of the shooting was outdoors, he only had to worry about the lighting for the greenscreen shooting. I'd say with such a small crew, we moved slower than a big budget production with a big crew. My actors got by doing their own hair and makeup. Some even did some of their own tailoring of their costumes to make them fit better when the costume company screwed up the cutting of the costumes.

We did what we did with shared hopes that our production will capture the interest of a cable TV network. There was a lot of heart that went into mmaking my lastest production by everyone. Hope is what kept us going. Hope will keep us going to completion and fingers crossed it will interest people with deep pocket.

I was amazed to see how the cast appreciated how I gambled all of my funds to bring me to the near poverty level that I'm at now by self funding something I believve in. It was so nice of them for thanking me for considering them for something they had a good experience working in together.