Filmmaking Vs Paying the bills

ericparnell

ericparnell

Hey Everyone,
Question: How do you balance making movies with paying the bills?

I'm currently trying to build my video production business http://onethingproductions.com, and I'm finding myself researching stuff like "explode your client base" and "marketing magic" all cheesy stuff on the business building side of things.

And I keep finding myself thinking, Why am I spending all this time on this crap? I should be making shorts, or writing a screenplay, because ultimately my dream is to make movies.

But unfortunately that stuff isn't paying so well, ok it's not paying at all.

So how do you balance paying the bills vs pursuing your dreams? Or have you found there IS creative ways to make money while climbing the film making ladder as opposed to having to do stuff like Weddings, website promo videos, and all that "Video Production" kind of stuff.

I'd love to hear your feedback, thanks!
 
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ericparnell said:
Hey Everyone,
Question: How do you balance making movies with paying the bills?

I'm currently trying to build my video production business http://onethingproductions.com, and I'm finding myself researching stuff like "explode your client base" and "marketing magic" all cheesy stuff on the business building side of things.

And I keep finding myself thinking, Why am I spending all this time on this crap? I should be making shorts, or writing a screenplay, because ultimately my dream is to make movies.

But unfortunately that stuff isn't paying so well, ok it's not paying at all.

So how do you balance paying the bills vs pursuing your dreams? Or have you found there IS creative ways to make money while climbing the film making ladder as opposed to having to do stuff like Weddings, website promo videos, and all that "Video Production" kind of stuff.

I'd love to hear your feedback, thanks!
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It is extremely difficult to make money at making movies. The market is flooded with filmmakers, not that there's anything wrong with that. It's great to see so much inspiration out there. But simply put, it's mostly people who want or have to shoot something as cheap as they can.

It's all about supply/demand. If there were only a few people who wanted to do film either in front of or behind the camera, the pay would be higher. But...there's Millions who want it, therefore driving the price way down.
 
Paying bills? why I just signed a 10 million contract....


oh wait, that's another reality...;)



My films right now are pretty much no budget, and I try and put money away for new equipment(hello lighting!). My situation is my bills get paid and I can eat and keep a roof over my head. Depending on your income, it can get tough( I know I see some people here with X-1 whatevers and I drool; I have to make due with a Canon 930 and wonky tripod ;)). I don't think you do this with the idea you'll be a millionaire right off(though we can aspire :)), the love comes first, and it gives you something to do to get away from "real life" for awhile.

Of course if you work at a convience store, you can always do a Kevin Smith and combine your job/hobby...:lol:


Aceofspades70 makes a really good point-access to affordable cameras, editing equipment and venues(Youtube IE) has made it that just about anyone can make a movie(and I seen enough youtube to see that some people cannot be allowed near a camera-I thought I was bad!;)). Anyone has access to equipment that a decade a go only tv and film studios had. Really now it's about doing it for love first and foremost, and riding it from there.


Maybe we should all get together on this site and pool our resources to form our own company....hmmmmm
 
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Bills come first. Don't overextend yourself and plan on doing what your job can afford. That's where your writing gets very creative - balancing a story with the resources that you have available.

Of course, there are reckless people, like myself, who will rack up credit cards and home equity loans. :lol: But, these days the market is very tight and indies are not in demand. It's not the time to take big chances with your cash. Plan accordingly.
 
Perhaps not the "Pro" way of doing it, but I went to university and got a engineering degree and now I'm hoping to make movies during the evenings and weekends (besides, that seems to be when all the non-pro people are available anyway - unless your paying them).

My movies are funded by me so I have a strong urge to keep the costs as low as possible, but because I have a good job I can splurge a bit on capital. My hope is that my films will break even or a bit of profit so I can expand my movies and support the local indie scene.

So my suggestion is make sure your movies don't off-set your personal finances, making a movie is fun stuff, but so is eating out of the rain.
 
I have a similar question to this. I am just leaving college and badly want to enter the creative side of the film making or some type of production in the end. I am from a suburb of Michigan and would love it if I could make it work here. I was in L.A. this summer and it really wasn't for me, I am thinking possibly Chicago in a few years but I want to get in the business in MI and find a way to pay the bills from there. I will also continue to shoot and produce short films and such and see what happens in a few years. But with a girlfriend that wants a house and babies i need to get a well paying job first.

So to anyone that has been through it or plans to go through it, what do you think is a good starting job where I can learn the most, get paid decent, and have the ability to move up the ladder with the skills I acquire?


(sorry for moving the thread in a different direction, hopefully it's not too off topic, but it is something I think about constantly)
 
I know a lot of my filmmaker friends get by doing a combination of things. They'll have the casual job that's guaranteed money, they'll do some freelancing, they might teach short film courses, shoot the odd gig or wedding, win a cash prize for a filmmaking contest, etc.

And on top of that they rent in a share house, grow their own veggies and use public transport. Sometimes they have to go to their parents to be able to eat but eventually they'll get some money again.

I guess you just have to live an impoverished and uncertain existence for a while and hopefully one day it will pay off.
 
I make money in film crewing. Although I am a Director, I gained experience in another interested field of mine, assistant camera. Although this is not my career goal, I'd be happy doing it as my career, knowing directing is very difficult.
 
I've mananged to pay the bills for a family of 5 for the last 20 years or so. Peaks and valleys. It's just a matter of surfin' em.
 
I've worked as a freelance videographer for the past few years and it pays OK, sometimes more sometimes not enough, but realized I can do all the video work I want (weddings, web promos etc.) But when I send my resume to the UPM on the next major motion picture coming through town, they're concerned w/ one thing. Am I a union member? No. So I don't get on.

Now don't get me wrong I'd like to be making my own movies, but to be able to make a decent one I figure I could use the experience of working on a real set. learning all the little industry tips and tricks that I can't pick up no matter how many issues of moviemaker magazine or "forget filmschool" books I read.

So I've temporarily relocated to Albuquerque, NM to get trained on how to do things to industry standard and make those connections to get on set and be able to join the union. Then I hope to crew 1 or 2 movies a year, do freelance video work, and make Indie projects.

Now in the midst of all that I still find myself struggling between how much do I focus on the Art and how much on my video work that does pay bills. Kind of a silly question though I guess, I suppose you focus on the business enough to get by until you really make it doing what you love. It just seems to be kind of tempting to work harder at the business side, to do better than get by, live more comfortably. But at the cost of losing the Art, I don't think that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.
 
Bills come first, but passion can compensate... and not only bills, but also life. Wife and kids (I don't have kids) demand attention. So if you work like me on a normal business then you need to use the spare time... and they are not so happy that I use week-ends to film or edit.

Also it allows me to get better gear, although still looking for micro-budget items.

One of our friends/team member has his own production company as the one you are working on. He loves filming and working in films, but when paid jobs come along we can't count on him. Whenever he has the time and we can get the equipment, then he joins us.

Also this has an impact on the time you can spend on a film. So quality will be compromised... but that's real life. If you can't manage time/budget it will be hard to make a big project when the time arrives.
 
I'm not one to generally plug books, but this one really helped me focus what I wanted out of my film making career, and how to balance gigs that pay the bills against gigs that really get my motor running, so to speak.

http://www.amazon.com/My-So-Called-Freelance-Life-Professional/dp/1580052592

It was a little odd reading a book clearly written to speak to a feminine audience at first, but after a chapter or two you don't notice. Besides, women have been forced to read male-centric writing for years, so meh. :D

Also, her focus is more on web designers, writers, etc - but the essence of being a "creative for hire" carries over to our industry as well. Some of the info on taxes and such may be a little remedial if you have been freelancing for a while - but it was the info on balancing the boring work against the exciting work and the info on goal setting and maintaining the plan for "world domination" along with stuff on managing clients and project selectivity that I found most helpful.
 
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