Writing Screenplays on Spec and Making Indie Movies without a Safety Net
Writing Screenplays on Spec and Making Indie Movies without a Safety Net
Writing screenplays on spec and making indie movies without a safety net can be stressful at times. Being stressed out is not good for anyone.
It’s nice when a good friend reminds you to relax and have fun doing something you enjoy in life – making indie movies.
Most indie filmmakers and screenwriters cannot keep a positive attitude all the time we’re all only human, but the more we have positive thoughts the better off we are and our projects will be.
Sure, it’s a lot easier said than done, but I still like this quote.
“Don’t sweat the small stuff…and it’s all small stuff.” ― Richard Carlson
Right now Slice of Americana Films is involved with 3 different projects in post-production. In the big budget studio world we would have a team of post-production working around the clock.
In the world of making indie movies a majority of people involved have other jobs to pay their bills. That’s cool because it means people at the indie level working on a project are not just there for the money.
With indie cinema production there will always be hiccups along the way due to different circumstances.
Some will be directly related to the film budget and others related to job or family commitments outside of the project.
Talking with other indie filmmakers and screenwriters there is a common thread shared by many in the trenches producing entertainment on limited budgets.
Sometimes friends and family don’t get why we would put ourselves through this grind. Most indie screenwriters and filmmakers are not rich or famous. They’re out there producing entertainment because the enjoy it.
Screenwriting for me is a solitary process. I don’t work with a writing partner. I enjoy the quiet of creating a story in my own words at my own pace. I’ve never been bored writing.
Production of an indie film is more chaotic because all the moving pieces happening with budgeting, scheduling, shooting, editing, and movie distribution.
This where stress can easily creep up on you because you don’t see a safety net when producing indie entertainment. Studio budget films create safety nets of cash for their projects.
A really good friend outside of the entertainment business recently told me to relax and enjoy the production journey limiting creating drama out of each problem.
Go with the flow and have some fun while taking care of business is what I got out of our talk.
It’s a creative rush to write a screenplay or make an indie movie that gets finished. Getting stuck in the mud happens to many screenwriters and indie filmmakers.
Getting out of it feels great. Stress and pressure pass. If it was an easy hike to make indie movies or write screenplays there would be more hikers out there doing it.
I guess what my good friend was telling me also is to try to focus more on what went right with a screenplay or movie than what went wrong with it. Have some fun writing your screenplay or making your movie.
This is indie filmmaker Sid Kali typing FADE OUT