If you’re just starting out on your filmmaking journey, please know that my story certainly won’t be yours. But if, like me, you’ve been doing this for a while, indulge me this rant (sorry).
Award-nominated short. Good, but you need to win one.
Award-winning short. Good, but you need a feature.
Feature made. Good, but it needs distribution.
Distributed feature. Good, but you self-financed it, so it doesn’t really count.
Second feature, someone else’s money.
Good, but have you worked with anyone recognisable?
So you take all of that and you try to get it in front of someone. Anyone.
No unsolicited materials.
Fine. You find a platform designed to solve exactly that problem (thank you Stage 32). You get perfect and near perfect pitch scores. You get read requests. You get great feedback.
Still nothing.
How far up is the last rung, and what does it even look like? Getting signed (you need a producer)? Producer attached (who’s the cast)? Cast secured (can they close finance)? All of the above?
Where are you on yours? I’d love to know I’m not alone in this. And if you’ve found the top rung, I’d genuinely love to know what it looked like.
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You're not alone. That ladder is real, and the worst part is the goal post keeps moving. You hit one milestone, then the goalpost shifts to the next thing you don't have yet. It's exhausting. For those who've climbed higher, did the top rung feel different, or is it just another place to keep climbing from?
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Schuman Hoque Filmmaking is an entrepreneurial business, and each film is it's own business in fact. With 35 years in the industry, I will be honest for the sake of every aspiring professional here. There are two sets of filmmakers. The largest group by orders of magnitude is composed of people who run after "industry" validation and studio money. This is the amateur group and by definition they do not and will not be paid. A couple of them may eventually sell a script. But they pay for entry, for coverage, for contests, etc. and 99%+ of them will stay in that space. The second group are professionals, and usually from the beginning of their entry into the space. They understand that film is a business of entrepreneurs. The only validation they are looking for is revenues from the film they make. They don't care about awards, they hope an audience will like their work but really don't care so long as they pay for it. They especially don't care about validation from other filmmakers of any level, or from "producers" who themselves are actually employees of studios and who couldn't produce a successful short without their bosses telling them yes, no, maybe so and giving them the money to do it. "But self financed so it doesn't count..." That's an absolute joke. All studio films are "self financed" and self distributed by definition. I am frankly stunned by the implication that you accepted that BS as a criticism rather than as recognition of the fact that you did something half the studios in town cannot do by themselves. Every person who told you that is an idiot, and a jealous one at that. "Self financed and distributed" means YOU are the industry and therefore what you say goes, and words to the contrary are just plain stupid. As for directing (this being the directing lounge), the advice from Cameron, Schumacher, Tarantino et al is all identical: "Get a camera, shoot a scene, now you are a director. Now it's just negotiating your fee." As for producing, get a project, make it somehow, within the resources you can pull together, and get it to a paying market. Now you are a producer. Yes, it's that simple. But that simple mechanic cannot be done by people who don't or won't understand that seeking validation is a game for wannabes. Truth: Studios and other producers are your competitors, not your friends." They may be collegial or they may possibly be project partners with other professional producers but they ARE your competitors. Why seek validation from such parties? It's an industry pathology. That idea seems a quantum leap in mindset for most people, but it's a required one if you are going to make it professionally. It's a difficult industry but, as I said, its for entrepreneurs. As Nike says: just do it.
Schuman, this is such a real and honest perspective—so many creatives experience that shifting “ladder,” and you’re definitely not alone in it. The key is continuing to leverage momentum from those strong pitch scores and requests into targeted follow-ups and relationships, and we’re always here to help guide and support you as you navigate those next steps!