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Filmmakers, if adding everyone you met on socials actually worked, your inbox would be full of opportunities by now…

Here’s what to do instead after every real conversation:

🔑 Write down 3 things (after getting their work email)
- where you met
- what they’re working on
- one detail you genuinely liked about them/their work mentioned

Then, send a two-part follow-up
1. Context + specific detail
“Hi [NAME], it was great speaking with you at [EVENT] about [SPECIFIC DETAIL]…”

2. Simple next step
“…if you ever need [SPECIFIC VALUE OFFER] I’d be happy to help.”

😉 Example:
“Hey Steven, it was great speaking with you at the awards ceremony, especially hearing about the direction and scale of the next film you’re releasing. I kept thinking about our conversation around practical-world texture and how important prep becomes on productions of that size.

If you ever need an extra set of hands on prep or physical production, I’d genuinely be happy to help however useful. I really appreciated our conversation and I am wishing you the best.”

No “let’s collab”, pitching your film, or 5-paragraph essays… be concise and be specific. That makes it impossible to forget you!

Let’s workshop your follow-up in the comments 👇🏼

#networkingtips #indiefilmmaker #indiefilmmakers #filmnetworking #filmnetwork

What we wish I knew before going to #AFI ⭐️

1. The relationships you build are the most important part.

2. The space to be creative is actually quite limited. Find time to protect your creativity.

3. Fancy gear means nothing if each department head is telling a different story.

4. Past work experience matters WAY LESS than being a good collaborator and communicator.

5. You’ll feel pressure to make films your peers approve of… but please make the weird story you actually want to tell (i.e that 80s teen comedy with the return of Satan, a “Snow-Dad that comes to life, or a war at a toy wedding).

6. Start your post-school plan before graduation: a 5-year outline, 2–3 projects, a list of people to network with and a few survival job options.

7. Learn how to ask for help, favors, meetings, money, feedback. Asking is a career skill!

8. Who you collaborate with is more important than what you collaborate on. If you can’t imagine sitting in a room with your team for 2+ years, they are not your people.

9. Use your status as a Fellow to get meetings with big names in the industry, cold call, cold email, cold DM!

10. You don’t have to do an internship… take a PT job, write your feature, recharge for semester 2.

What did we miss? And what do you want the deep dive how-to on👇🏻

#americanfilminstitute #peterstark #gradschoollife #filmstudent

Proof the driveway counts 😉

Hi, I’m Ella. I write, direct, and produce narrative films about what happens when someone stops performing for love.

If you’re a filmmaker, actor, editor, producer, designer, composer, or film-obsessed human:

Tell me
what you do
where you’re based
what you’re working on

Let’s turn this comment section into a tiny film community!

📸 @ohayo_sea

#IndieFilmmaking
#WomenInFilm
#FilmmakerCommunity

Filmmakers, if they ghost you in prep, they’ll ghost you on shoot day…

When you book a location, you’re booking the person who runs it too. Just as you’d get a collaborator on your team, you need to do the same with location owners.

If a location owner is:
- Taking days to reply
- Ignoring clear questions
- Forcing you to chase them for basics (access, parking, noise, power, etc.)

…that’s a preview of your shoot day.

Non-responsiveness in prep is a red flag because:
- Problems won’t get flagged early
- Last‑minute surprises become your problem
- Your crew waits while you “figure it out” on the day
- You can’t afford to gamble your schedule, budget, and reputation on someone who can’t answer an email.

When you see this red flag, walk away and find a location owner who actually behaves as part of your team.

Save this for your next location scout and let me know in the comments if you’ve already ignored this red flag and paid for it later.

#indiefilm #indiefilmmaker #filmmakingtips #filmproduction #locationscouting

Filmmakers: the business side feels hard because it is…
and ignoring it doesn’t make it go away. It just makes your art harder to finish, harder to share, and way easier to lose momentum on.

If you’re overwhelmed by “running yourself” and making films… here’s the shift: you don’t need to become a corporate CEO. You just need a tiny, repeatable system that protects your energy and gets your work seen.

Steal my systems:

1) Give your film a job
Before you write another draft, answer in ONE sentence:

- Who is this for? (genre lovers, a niche community, specific programmers, a grant)
- What do I need it to do for me? (get collaborators, open meetings, prove tone/genre, build a reel)

2) Make one “Studio” folder so future-you doesn’t suffer
Create ONE master project folder you duplicate every time.
(You don’t need to be organized. You just need a default.)
Check my highlight for the exact structure.

3) Reality Budget = what you can actually pull off without magical funding. Outline your current resources:

- locations you can access for free
- gear already in your circle
- how many shoot days your people can realistically commit to

4) Lead like a values-aligned director, not a “chill friend”
Being “chill” is how sets get chaotic.

Minimum standards:
- real call sheet (sent 12+ hours before call)
- clear roles + chain of command
- humane conditions (healthy food, breaks, expectations, respectful communication)

5) Put “Follow-Up Friday” on your calendar (non-negotiable)
Every Friday: 30 minutes

- 2 follow-ups to collaborators
- 1 thank-you to someone who helped
- 1 outreach to someone you admire
- 1 logistics email you’ve been avoiding

6. Package early
Make the basics now:
- a one-paragraph synopsis
- a director statement (why you, why now)
- eight stills references or tone comps
- a logline you can say out loud

7. Decide release during prep (so it doesn’t die after picture lock). Pick one primary lane: festivals, online audience, or proof-of-concept for a feature.

Which are you stuck on?
#artbusiness #filmbusiness #filmtips #filmbiz #filmproducing

My Top 5 Horror Movies: Indie Set Edition 🍿😵‍💫

Indie doesn’t have to mean chaotic. If your set has any of these issues, here’s how to fix them:

1. “We’ll figure it out on the day”

Fix: Lock creative + logistics 1.5 weeks prior (shot list, blocking plan, props/wardrobe, schedule) and circulate a “final decisions” doc.

2. Serving fast food

Fix: Real meals + steady snacks (protein, fruit, hydration) + meal timing written into the schedule. Budget $15-$20/personfor daily meals and $10-$12/person for daily crafty in your first budget assumptions.

3. No “eyes on actors”

Fix: Assign a dedicated actor wrangler/2nd AD to have “eyes on actors” at all times: monitor actor check-ins, movements, relay 10-min warnings, holding updates. There is never an excuse to not know where an actor is…

4. “We don’t need a permit for that”

Fix: Budget for permits. Confirm permits/permissions in writing + have a backup plan (alt angles, interior cover set, move plan). “Winging it” is the best way to get shut down.

5. No chopping block for “nice-to-have” shots

Fix: Build a prioritized shot list (A = must get, B = Bonus) + pre-agree what gets cut first.

Which one is your personal villain? 👀

#shotlist #filmproducer #filmtip #filmpermit #microbudgetfilm

Your film isn’t opening doors because of THIS…

When you START developing your film, you need to run it through these 6 decisions:

1. Decide if the script has a clear genre, clear audience, and a strong hook.
- If you can’t explain what it is and who it’s for in one sentence, you can’t market it and you can’t sell it. (Check out my video on Loglines)

2. Decide if the script is built for production reality.
- Locations, cast size, set pieces, schedule, complexity, and budget drivers. Know how each part of your story drives your budget. If it’s not producible, nothing else matters… so decide the budget based on market reality, not wishful thinking.

3. Decide your funding path.
- Equity, tax credits, pre-sales, sponsors, gap, private money.
Pick your lane, then build your pitch, budget, and package to match it. There is a different pitch strategy for each of these funding paths.

4. Decide your package and casting strategy.
- Casting is a financial decision. The right attachments increase trust, reduce risk, and open doors. If you are not casting names, remember this: your casting has little to do with “the look” and everything to do with the emotional depth of the performance. If if the performances aren’t working, no amount of beautiful cinematography or directing can save your film.

5. Decide your marketing starts now.
- Marketing isn’t posting a trailer after Final Cut. It’s building your film’s audience from day one, this is an ongoing process from story idea to long after your films release.

6. Decide your distribution lane early.
- Festivals, AVOD, TVOD, SVOD, theatrical. Each lane demands different positioning.

Waiting around for someone to discover your talent won’t cut it in this industry, so tell which of these decisions you are stuck on 👇🏼

#afilife #americanfilminstitute #redcarpet #indiefilmfestival #spielberg


Filmmakers, its 10x harder if you’ve decided you’re “just an artist” and the business of filmmaking is only your producer’s problem…

Here’s your shift, so you art get seen and turns into your next opportunity:

1) Give your film a job.
Before you write another draft, answer this in one sentence:
- Who is this for? (Age group, interests, lovers of the genre, specific programmers, niche audience, specific grants, specific producers?)
- What do I want it to do for me? (get collaborators, open meetings, prove capabilities in genre/tone, build a reel)

2) Build your “Studio” foldersystem
Make ONE master folder that you duplicate every project: check out my highlight

3) Create a “Reality Budget” = what you can actually pull with the resources you have NOW… not when magic investor wizard appears on your doorstep
- What locations can you access for free?
- What gear is already in your circle?
- How many shoot days can your crew realistically commit to?

4) Run production as a values-aligned leader, not a chill friend
Clarity and authority makes people feel safe.

Minimum standards:
- a real call sheet, sent at least 12 hours before call times
- clear roles + chain of command
- work conditions (energizing food, breaks, clear expectations, respectful communication)

5) Put “Follow-Up Friday” on your calendar.
Every week, send 5 messages. Block off 30 minutes on your calendar, there is no “I forgot/was too busy”. Follow-up is how you build career momentum.
- 2 follow-ups to collaborators
- 1 thank-you to someone who helped you
- 1 outreach to a new person you admire
- 1 logistics email you’ve been avoiding

6) Package early
Make the basics now:
- 1 paragraph synopsis
- 1 director statement (why you, why now)
- 8 stills references / tone comps
- a short logline you can actually say out loud

7) Decide your release plan during prep
Pick ONE primary lane:
- festivals
- online audience
- proof-of-concept for a feature

If this hit a nerve, tell me in the comments, I’m here to help 🤗

#artbusiness #filmbusiness #filmtips #filmbiz #filmproducing

Being creative is great but…
unless you start treating your filmmaking as a business, your films won’t lead to your next opportunity.

Let’s change that! Here are a few of my systems you can steal:

1) Daily “Career Needle” (15–30 min)
- 1 outreach email/DM (producer, DP, actor, programmer)
- 1 submission action (lab/grant/festival shortlist)
- 1 asset action (update logline, deck slide, EPK, website)
- 1 relationship touch (follow-up, coffee, congrats note)

2) Project pipeline checklist (so every short isn’t a one-off)
A repeatable flow:
Idea → Script → Package → Prep → Shoot → Post → Deliverables → Festivals/Release → Outreach → Next project

And each stage has a checklist + folder template so you’re not reinventing it every time.

3) “Micro-slate” system (90 days)
Instead of “one perfect film someday,” you run:
- 1 main short or feature with a date for Day 1 of Principal Photography
- 1 tiny exercise (1–2 min)
- 1 writing seed for next project

4) Festival targeting system
- Build a list of 20 aligned festivals (not top festivals)
- Rank A/B/C by fit, premiere rules, cost, prestige
- Submission calendar + deadlines
- Notes on what each festival actually likes

5) Outreach CRM system (aka the grown-up spreadsheet)
Columns like:
Name | Role | Where met | Last contact | Next step | Project fit | Notes
Goal: 5 meaningful touches/week with scheduled ongoing and consistent follow-ups aka… #networking

6) Packaging system (assets you always build)
For every project, you make:
- logline + 1 paragraph synopsis
- director’s statement
- lookbook/deck (5–10 pages)
- EPK folder (stills, poster, bio, credits)
- trailer + 15s/30s cutdowns

7) Weekly review system (pick one day to weekly reset)
- What moved forward?
- What stalled and why?
- Next 3 priorities
- One scary action (like the email you’re avoiding)

8) “Core crew” system
A doc that tracks:
- your go-to AD/DP/Producer/etc
- their strengths + availability
- how you onboard + expectations (rates, boundaries, vibe rules)

Which one seems the most daunting?

#filmmakingtips #filmcareer #filmfunding #indiefilmmakers

Indie filmmakers, don’t make this locations mistake!

OVERSTEPPING BOUNDARIES
Once you lock a location, that does not mean it’s a free-for-all.

(Before you sign anything) You need to clearly outline:
• what areas are off limits
• what can and cannot be moved
• what furniture/art stays untouched
• who approves rearranging anything
• where crew/equipment can and cannot go

Assuming you have free-range of a location or “we’ll just move this really quick” without permission is how you lose trust, damage relationships, and make owners regret saying yes to you. Planning this in detail in prep, saves you headaches on the day!

Let me know if you want my Top 3 Indie Filmmakers Locations Tips next, in the comments!

#filmmaking #indiefilm #filmlocations #filmproducer #indieproducer

Indie filmmakers: a “locked” location can be pulled at any moment.

Location Mistakes Indie Filmmakers Make | Part 3

NOT ASKING FOR PERMISSION
Trust me, it will bite you…

A tech scout is not a free-for-all… don’t show up with 15 people (including actors) and shoot your visual storyboards 🫠

If the location thinks you’re:
- just walking the space with a small crew
but you’re actually: blocking scenes, photographing everything, bringing actors, staging shots…

…you’ve already broken trust.

Fix: be painfully clear before you arrive:
How many people? Who’s coming? What are you doing? What rooms? How long?

If you need anything beyond “walkthrough + measurements,” ask for permission upfront and get it confirmed in writing.

Because the fastest way to lose a location is to surprise them.

Part 4 is next

#filmmaking #indiefilm #filmlocations #filmproducer #indieproducer

Indie filmmakers: a “locked” location can be pulled at any moment.

Location Mistakes Indie Filmmakers Make | Part 2

OVERSTEPPING THE AGREEMENT

Here is the fix:
1. Be painfully specific upfront: what days you need (prep, blocking/rehearsal, shoot, strike), scouts, art team measurements, everything.

You negotiate > find mutual agreement > sign the agreement and that’s final.

No “can we just squeeze in one more thing?” texts. Constant extra asks is the fastest way to turn a yes into a no.

Part 3 next!

#filmmaking #indiefilm #filmlocations #filmproducer #indieproducer