Advice

Dear Doc Doctor:

Is a short film the obligatory starting point of a filmmaking career? If so, what can I do with it when it’s finished? It doesn’t seem to make financial sense to make a short.

Filmmakers are often touted for their “vision”—their singular sense of how a movie should look, sound, and feel. But every film starts on paper, with a screenplay or even just an idea for a character or a mood. A director must partner with a cinematographer, a production designer, and others to translate that idea into a compelling, visually sophisticated narrative.

The word “edit” has a bad reputation. To lay folk, the word brings to mind overindulgence, censorship, and the property neighbored by “File” and “View.” But people in film know better.

One of the great truths of media is that there is no such thing as bad press, but how to get even bad press can be a mysterious process for filmmakers without giant, studio publicity machines behind them. There are filmmakers who seem to produce very little work, but are constantly finding their way into articles, while other good works are passed over.

Whether it’s Sundance or Seattle, Outfest or Newfest, film festivals are a powerful marketing platform for independent films. But many filmmakers, especially first-time filmmakers, do not fully take advantage of these opportunities created by festivals. Too often filmmakers make the mistake of thinking that the real work in making a film is, well, making the film.

The press kit is the most important tool for any filmmaker seeking media coverage, but many independent film press kits are either overstuffed with irrelevant information or seriously lacking vital data.

Ever wanted to pitch an idea to one of the PBS strands but didn’t know how? Well The Independent has put together this rundown of the programs that keep their doors open for ideas from indie producers.

American Experience—accepts pitches

For almost every independent film its first exhibition space will be a festival screening room.

Dear Doc Doctor: I have a fifteen minute cut of a one-hour documentary, and the editor and I are not sure about the main storyline and characters. Should I have a test screening? How many should I have?

Copyright is the law that protects the creations of artists and authors by allowing them to have exclusive rights to their creative work, and to ensure that only they benefit financially from exploiting these rights. As an author of a written work, you are the only one who has the right to exploit that work.