Herbert Midgley's Blog: How to Make an Independent Film

How to Make an Independent Film

Goals. Those that have goals can achieve them. Those that don't have goals, achieve that as well, nothing.

Making a Sci-Fi film has been a goal of mind since I was a young ensign, (back in elementary school). I love starships, robots, laser beams, and the stories that can only be told in Sci-Fi.

A film has many parts, first you have to write a script that you can shoot on your budget or go raise a lot of money. Then cast for talent, find locations, make props, find wardrobe, cars etc.

Then the first of principle photography begins. The next 20-30 days are full of shooting the film. From 8 to 16 hours a day. The first few days are fun, then you start to run out of gas even if everything is running smoothly. Faster if not!

The last day of filming, everyone is happy, either because you had a great time or you never want to see those people again ever in your life. Hopefully the former if you have great per-production. If not, at least you did something instead of sitting on the couch all summer and didn't do a worth while thing.

Now the fun of post-production begins. You edit the film, lock the edit, work on sound, which takes forever, compose a soundtrack, color correction, which takes forever, etc. Burn the DVD or Blue-ray, which takes for ever!

So after about year, maybe shorter but probably not by much, you have a film. You find a location to premiere your film. Hopefully everyone will really like it, or love it! Then you find some kind of distribution, or at least there is YouTube. Pray for Netflix is an option too.

There you have about a year plus for a 70 to 90 minute film, with tens to hundreds of people that have worked on the film. Your pocket book is a bit light as well.

And in the end, you most likely lost money! Then you are off to make another film!
Not because you care about making money, you are making art! A shared dream that only a handful of people that can do. You are one of the chosen few that makes films!

In the end you never make money on an independent film, if you do, it is like you hit the lotto! You best bet is to use this film as a calling card so you can raise a larger budget for your next film. Yeah!

June 3, 2012, I will start this journey with some great friends. It is going to rock! A full size UFO and Robot. Four great actors and hundreds of extras all in Nacogdoche Texas! Rock and Roll! 2012!!!!

Look for "The Rise of The Robots" in December 2012!!!