A comprehensive guide to obtaining certainty amongst the brutal uncertainty of show business.
In the Art of War, Sun Tzu tells us, “victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win."
If your goal is to earn a living from your films, this is wisdom to live by.
I mean, what if you could virtually guarantee your film would be profitable before you ever wrote a word or shot a frame?
What if you knew—with a high degree of certainty—that if you engaged a particular niche, you’d be able to build a sustainable, enjoyable business by producing films for them?
That’d be pretty rad, right?
It’d take so much of the pressure off when it comes to raising money and distributing your films.
With that kind of certainty, you’d be able to focus more of your energy on telling stories you care about.
You’d be able to spend more time doing what you love, and less time worried about whether your efforts would ever pay off.
Once you work through the research strategies in this article, you will have that kind of certainty.
You’ll be able to win the brutal war for audience attention before ever stepping foot on the battlefield.
So let’s get to it.
Each solo episode of Filmmaker Freedom (not the interviews) has a complete written transcript so that you can revisit the ideas quickly and easily.
You can find those transcripts, as well as the full archive of shows, right here:
www.filmfreedomshow.com
Every Sunday morning, I send out a handful of stories, carefully picked to help you make films you care about, build a business, and master your psychology. Plus I share a short film I love, and various other bits of inspiration. Get it here:
www.filmfreedomshow.com/newsletter
Want to join a community of like-minded entrepreneurial filmmakers who will push you to grow and succeed? Then Freedom Fighters is the place for you.
Here's where you can learn more about this one-of-a-kind community and apply to join our ranks. (Don't worry, it's totally free, but there's an application process to make sure this community is full of the right people.)
www.filmfreedomshow.com/community
Thanks for listening, and I'll see you next time!
-Rob Hardy
Filmmaker Freedom is a new kind of filmmaking podcast. It's handcrafted it for those of us who like to think outside the box, to experiment, to walk our own path instead of doing things the way they've always been done. If you want to make make films you're proud of and make a living from it, this is the show for you. It's full of clear, focused, and actionable advice to help you succeed as an indie filmmaker in a constantly changing world.