Let's say you came up with an idea for a new film that you absolutely love. It's unique, it's meaningful, it's inspiring. You care so much about the film's story that you tell yourself, "I'm going to make this one myself!"

Then, what's next? How would you get started? What would be the first big hurdle you'd have to jump?

After many years talking with independent filmmakers, it seems they often face the same major obstacles. One big hurdle: making a film requires time and money (and usually a lot).

Here's a story from one of our filmmaking friends that sums it up.

Our friend is an experienced filmmaker, who's worked on shorts, features, music videos, commercial shoots, etc. He knows his way around a camera, how to organize groups of people on set, and how to transform a creative vision into a film.

For years, he's been sitting on a great idea for a short film that he genuinely wants to make come to life. He's done the budgeting, and it will cost around $30K to make. He works a full-time job and dedicates time and energy to his family (with children).

He doesn't have $30K in savings.

He doesn't know someone willing to invest $30K.

And, he doesn't know how to make an extra $30K.

Even with his experience, skills, and passion for film, our friend is still faced with the challenge of funding a film while maintaining his other responsibilities and priorities. So, for now, our friend's film idea is just that—an idea waiting to be brought to life in a film.

If you're already using all your time and money for your daily life, how can you also make a movie? Many aspiring filmmakers and returning filmmakers have the same challenge.

Our friend is not alone.

In the U.S., 60% of consumers lived paycheck to paycheck as of August 2023, according to research by PYMNTS and LendingClub. We're in the same boat (and we don't even like being in boats 🥴).

We'll be transparent here: our financial runway—the amount of money we need to pay bills and living expenses—runs out in less than two months. And, because we manage our own client-based business, our runway will continue to shrink until we find another client.

When we say we're sharing the filmmaking process from the beginning, this is what we mean.

Taking time and making money are common hurdles at the start, and we're no exception. Figuring out how to make enough money to pay for our time is the actual beginning of our filmmaking process.

Now, let's say you're ready to make that beautiful idea of yours into a film. You may likely have a similar challenge with time and money.

You’re not alone.

We're showing how we make money as the first step, instead of starting at the traditional "beginning," like the screenwriting stage. This way, when you're ready to start your film project, you can follow us to see one example (we're not saying it's the only way) of how to truly get started.

If we decide to start a YouTube channel, we'll show you how we make it.

If we need a website for our film, we'll show you how we design it.

If we create an online film summit, we'll show you how we did it.

Practical examples of how to actually get started.

Because who has $30K lying around to get started whenever they want? We sure don't.

Take care,
A Creative Duo