I want to squash the idea that making movies is only for showbiz types with entertainment connections. Maybe you are someone who enjoys watching movies and have their own hot story idea that would make a great flick. The First Movie Is The Toughest is for aspiring Screenwriters, Directors, and Producers along with the casual movie viewer with their own great story idea for a movie.
I never went to film school because I kind of was living a little reckless in my wilder earlier years, but I always had a passion to make movies that grew out of watching them that never went away. Life runs different directions. Despite what ever I was dealing with in my life, I would always take time to write short stories and later scripts. That helped me clear my mind from the day-to-day grind.
Out of nowhere I have been fortunate and lucky enough to be able to write, direct, and produce different movies, reality programs, and content for mobile devices under the banner of Slice Of Americana Films with my amigo Tim Beachum. Like with most indie film endeavors his role ranges from editor to SEO guru to give the titles a strong online presence with viewers.
None of these projects were made in Hollywood on a large studio budget, but thankfully every title produced has sold. They are being distributed domestically and internationally on DVD, Pay-Per-View (PPV) and Video-On-Demand (VOD). I’m not a Hollywood player yet, but I am out here making movies.
The digital movie distribution revolution has shaken up the way in which an indie producer can make money. It has given content creators direct access to paying viewers without a traditional distribution deal. In no way can I knock signing a deal with a distributor. I have been involved with deals that were very financially sweet that made nice money and others that were not so sweet. But the knife cuts both ways. If a producer knows they have a title that lacks production value, they can’t really expect to find meaningful distribution or sign a deal that will pay them. We invest real cash into our movies to boost production value. So, in turn we know when we are getting a BS deal based on money spent that was invested.
But with digital movie distribution it is possible nowadays to shoot a movie for less than a $1000, edit on your home computer, promote and sell it online yourself if that is what you want to do. My advice is to always think how you will market your movie online using SEO tactics first. No matter what your budget is, this will improve the quality of your script. This is indie filmmaker Sid Kali typing CUT TO:
