How to Make Money as an Independent Film Maker in the Philippines

Film making is an art; it is a creative way of telling a story through visual.  I got into film through photography. Film making is fun but at the same time it has always been a lot of work, pain and stress. In film you’ll learn about patience, team work, time management, organizing stuff and a lot more.

Film making in the Philippines has never been so much fun and inspiring. However, digital medium has come within the reach of many aspiring directors, writers and producers. And yet, film making specifically Indie films still continue to have financial challenges. If you want to produce a good film, you badly need a budget for it. Some people might think that making films is easy, however in reality it has never been an easy path.

It was year 2000 when Filipino film makers started to fear about losing Philippine cinema. The source of this anxiety was the decline in output of Filipino films during the early path of the 2000s compared with that of the 1990s. The advent of the film piracy in the 2000s hurt the mainstream film industry. Not too many were watching Filipino films in theaters, it did make economic sense to just buy pirated VCD or DVD at half to a quarter cost of the cinema ticket.  When digital revolution arrived pirated DVDs of foreign independent films, world cinema classics, and award-winning works outside Hollywood became readily available to local film buffs and budding independent film makers.

Screen writing workshop became increasingly popular. More and more young and enthusiasts film makers emerged, all are willing to learn the art and craft of film making. The youths indeed play a big part in making films since most of the new directors are young. Many of them make digital short films to upload on YouTube and other social media sites.

If you want to become a well-known film maker you need to think out of the box, think creatively and uniquely. There are a lot film concepts nowadays which I find mainstream or cliche. As someone who has a passion in film making I’d like to see something different, somewhat mind-blowing concepts that would awe the viewers.  I remember Danny Boyle (an English film director, producer, screenwriter and theater director) once said  “To be  a film maker you have to lead. You have to be psychotic in your desire to do something. People always like the easy route. You have to push very hard to get something unusual, something different.”

Film making might not be an easy path but there is money in it. Once you take film making seriously you’ll know the real value of it.  Doing what you love at the same time making money out of it is the best thing to do. You must not be afraid to dream big.  And so  if you are a film making enthusiast and you want to make money in it, here are some tips that might help you.

1. Explore more about your field
Learning is a process. Before you start marketing yourself, you have to make sure first that you have the skills to do it. Even if you feel like you already know everything about your field, there are still unseen things you have to explore and see for yourself. Learning should never stop because life never stops teaching. Keep in mind that it is always better to gain more knowledge on your chosen pitch. Remain curious and keep learning. So before you decide to go out and network, make yourself valuable first by developing a very diverse set of skills.

2. Learn how to sell
Use your ability to communicate effectively and make a sale,  without a doubt it is indeed the number one skill needed to make money in the film industry. But it has never been an easy thing to do because you need to make a great film and deal with your competitors.

There are many ways to earn money from film through internet right now. You can sell it on:

IndieFlix.com
IndieFlix is a new media indie film distributor and a community for filmmakers and fans.

Distribber.com
This service allows filmmakers to distribute through iTunes, Amazon, Netflix, Hulu and Cable VOD. They only accept feature length films.

SnagFilms.com
Focuses on bringing on-demand independent films to fans for free. Advocates of indie filmmakers and active in the film community. Shares ad revenue with producers.

Distrify.com
You embed their player on your Facebook page, blog or website. Users can buy a stream or download right from the player. So people see your trailer and they can immediately purchase a view of your film.

3. Make connections
One of the best thing to do if you are just starting out in film industry is to get recognition and attract the right connection. It is indeed important to develop your personal pitch, you may create your own website that will show clearly what you do and how you contribute to film. It will also allow you to display your portfolio and build a list of subscribers. Uploading your short films on Facebook and YouTube will help you create your own tag in film industry.

4. Be patient and persistent
Without patience and perseverance we will learn less in  life. Film making industry requires a lot of patience, most especially during tapings or shoots.

All of these take time to establish yourself within yet, it is indeed possible to make a living as a film maker.

Steven Spielberg once said “You shouldn’t dream your film, you should make it.”