Indie Film Producing

First Published in 2012. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

The number of independent films produced each year has almost doubled in the past decade, yet only a fraction will succeed. If, like many filmmakers, you have no industry connections, little to no experience, and a low or ultra-low budget, this outsider’s guide will teach you what you need to know to produce a standout, high-quality film and get it into the right hands. Written by an entertainment lawyer and experienced director and producer, this handbook covers all the most essential business, legal, and practical aspects of producing on a low budget, including: Scripts Business plans Copyright issues Equity and non-equity financing Fund-raising Tax considerations Talent recruiting Scheduling Distribution Securities laws Film festivals And more Also discussed are the new crowd funding laws covered by the JOBS Act, making this book a must-read for every indie producer in today’s economy. If you want to produce a film that gets attention, pick up the book that is recommended or required reading at film, business, and law schools from UCLA to NYU. Whether you’re a recent film school graduate or simply a Hollywood outsider, Independent Film Producing will be like having a best friend who is an experienced, well-connected insider.

In this comprehensive guidebook, three experienced entertainment lawyers tell you everything you need to know to produce and market an independent film from the development process to deal making, financing, setting up the production, hiring directors and actors, securing location rights, acquiring music, calculating profits, digital moving making, distribution, and marketing your movie.

Original publication and copyright date: 1982.

Independent Filmmaking around the Globe calls attention to the significant changes taking place in independent cinema today, as new production and distribution technology and shifting social dynamics make it more and more possible for independent filmmakers to produce films outside both the mainstream global film industry and their own national film systems. Identifying and analyzing the many complex forces that shape the production and distribution of feature films, the authors detail how independent filmmakers create work that reflects independent voices and challenges political, economic, and cultural constraints. With chapters on the under-explored cinemas of Greece, Turkey, Iraq, China, Malaysia, Peru, and West Africa, as well as traditional production centres such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, Independent Filmmaking around the Globe explores how contemporary independent filmmaking increasingly defines the global cinema of our time.

In this fully updated second edition, award-winning film director and Slamdance Film Festival co-founder Dan Mirvish gives you soup-to-nuts, cradle-to-grave advice on every aspect of the filmmaking lifestyle and craft. He drops advice on playing the Hollywood game, and shows you how to finance, cast, shoot and show your indie feature, documentary, episodic series, short film, student film, web video or big-budget blockbuster. Once labeled a "cheerful subversive" by The New York Times, Mirvish shares lessons he's learned personally from film luminaries Robert Altman, Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas, Steven Soderbergh, Rian Johnson, Whit Stillman, Harold Ramis, Lynn Shelton, John Carpenter, Ava DuVernay, the Russo Brothers, Bong Joon-ho, Sean Baker and more. This revised edition includes brand new chapters on filming during a global pandemic finding investors and crowdfunding backers whether and where to go to film school how to get a big Hollywood agent self-distributing your film, even to airlines casting an Oscar®-winner as your lead actor and turning your garage into a 1980s New York subway Visit the extensive companion website at www.DanMirvish.com for in-depth supplemental videos, behind-the-scenes footage from Dan's films and bonus materials.

This is a comprehensive bible to low-budget film producing for emerging and professional producers. Structured to guide the reader through production meetings, every aspect of the film-production pro-cess is outlined in detail. Invaluable checklists -- which begin 12 weeks before shooting and continue through principal (and secondary) photography and postproduction -- keep the filmmaker on track and on target. Ryan is co-producer of James Marsh's Man on Wire, winner of the 2009 Academy Award for Best Documentary

Myrl Schreibman has written a comprehensive and practical, step-by-step guide for organizing and running a film from pre-production through post-production and delivery. This invaluable resource provides fundamental tools to produce a more thorough, more organized, and more professional film production. Packed with engaging and useful anecdotes, Schreibman provides a superlative introduction and overview to all of the key elements in producing for film and television. Useful to film students and filmmakers as a theoretical and practical guide to understanding the filmmaking process, Schreibman fills his manuscript with practical examples from his considerable personal experience in the film industry. Loaded with insider tips to help filmmakers avoid the pitfalls of show business.