Making a Movie Without a Hollywood Budget and Big Crew

Most video seminars focus on the gear when talking about the DSLR as a movie-making tool, but few provide a case study, showing by example, how to take an idea, create a project and monetize it. There is a high demand right now for story-driven content, for the Web and beyond. We live in an age in which the content creator is king/queen of their content’s financial destiny—the gates to the kingdom are open to all who are willing to think outside the box and do the work.

This seminar provides the audience with information on how to take a personal project from concept to reality and maximize its potential in the marketplace. Gail Mooney uses her film, Opening Our Eyes, (Best Documentary at the 2012 Los Angeles Women’s International Film Festival, Best Documentary at the 2012 Orlando Film Festival, Utopian Visionary Award at the 2012 Utopia Film Festival and Best Humanitarian Documentary at the 2012 Bare Bones International Film Festival), as an example of how she made her project happen.

In the summer of 2010, Mooney and her daughter, Erin, embarked on a 99-day journey around the world, to make a film about people who were making a positive difference.

Mooney talks about how to make your film or creative project a reality:

• Recognize an idea and overcome inertia.
• Break the project down into manageable facets.
• Logistics: scheduling, travel arrangements.
• PR and press: find the niches.
• Build an audience with a project blog and utilize social media.
• Crew requirements: what you really need.
• In the field, the shoot: being prepared but flexible.
• Post-Production: collaborating with an editor, sound mixer, composers, and music licensing, composite artist
• Raise funds but retain your rights: crowd funding (Kickstarter, IndieGoGo), grants, sponsorships.
• Distribution options: sell your project, not your soul.