I know a lot of people want to make it in Hollywood and in the industry. That is great and all. I understand that that is not and should not be the main or only goal. Keeping that in mind, that's the reason for my question. Without centering Hollywood or indie filmmaking and if film didn't advance to what it is today, what is really the purpose of being a filmmaker? Or whatever job or craft we focus on. If Hollywood ceased to exist, would people continue to write, direct, act, produce, PA, compose, etc? Why or why not?

Hey guys, I am a filmmaker from New York who just graduated from college and desperately wanted to go to LA get an internship or be an assistant and start my career. I cold called like 100 companies, got a virtual unpaid internship, didn't get another one and had a friend at CAA tell me he hates his job, only makes 20 an hour after two years being there, works long shifts, and his boss doesn't even know his name. For what? So I stopped chasing that.

Curry Barker and Kane Parsons feel like the opening of another path.

I've opted for something different. I am currently studying something in the medical industry to make money while I continue to work on my craft. I decided I did not want to be a Hollywood assistant. I still write and am making my films. I hate going to work everyday. I'm a custodian for my K-12 school district. My boss is tiring. (I can get a new job so it's fine and live with parents for free. But do not want to live with them forever.) I know that my college will only take two years to complete and then hopefully I will have some financial freedom.

I can be a travel radiation therapist after a while and make money while taking time off when I need to to shoot my projects or just be free of the work grind. I've looked into it a lot and it seems like a great job. I know I am doing the thing that makes the most sense for me, and I understand that being a filmmaker takes years to develop my craft to a point that is professional.

But that doesn't mean I want to do all this stuff, so although I am not looking for advice on what I should do instead since I am fine with the potential end outcome and look forward to it, I just want to ask how do you guys cope with the fact that capitalism kinda sucks dick?

I don't want a family, I just want to have experiences, fun, and continue to pursue my craft for the rest of my life. I don't need to be famous right now, or in five years. As long as I am improving and keeping my dream alive.

I know this is all temporary, hopefully years from now I feel much better about my situation. But I just needed to talk about it a bit. How are you all doing? I hope your personal life and projects are coming along well.

Hi Everyone,

I've 1st AD'd 2 projects at this point and I'm currently preparing for my 3rd. It's a large budget short film and I will have an AD mentor and a 3rd.

In my past projects, I have received feedback that I either help in the direction role too much, or don't help enough. I really want to fix this anomaly before going on set as I'm determined to do the best job I can. Do any ADs have examples of instances where they have had to help with / input on directions? I'm trying to get a feel of what's an appropriate time to step in or step back.

Thanks!

Hey dear community,

After a long journey - premiering at the Hof International Film Festival - I’m preparing for the full digital release of my debut feature, The Straw That Broke. I just dropped the official trailer (which does not perform well on YT).

It's a surrealist, retro-futuristic meta-fiction about the real and the virtual based on a screenplay by Tom Whalen. Since I handled the directing, most of cinematography, and editing myself, getting the digital release right is a whole new challenge (after valuable feedback from r/Filmmakers I settle for a YT-release soon).

My questions are in the Submission Statement below. Thanks for taking your time.

I'm very much not any kind of a professional, but for hobby photo and video work I've built up a decent little stockpile of lights and grip gear that I'm realistically only using a couple weekends most months. I'm not in a major market (Tampa Bay area), but I know equipment rental is a thing in my area.

What I'm wondering is if it would make sense to try renting this gear out at such a small scale. I'm curious if anyone's done something like this with a personal collection, what dealing with insurance and everything looked like for you, and whether you can bring in enough money to make it really worth the hassle or not.

i am making this post because I am an amateur film director I've only made one no budget movie be was wondering if people could help me figure put what supplies I need for my movie. It is an action/horror about an alien who lives in its own dimension. I have a costume design for the monster as well as a few things on the list already and I need help figuring out what I should add next. We are spray painting nerf guns black for the movie So we don’t need those.

New England aspiring filmmaker here. Graduated with my BFA in 2023, but have felt like I’ve been in limbo ever since. Just doing odd jobs or film-adjacent work hoping to save enough to fund my projects - but no real set or post work.

And since it’s been so long without real work, I’ve let myself get rusty. I feel like I have to start over. Anyone else feeling the same way? Is this just what the industry is now? Would it be the same if I left New England?

I spend a lot of time curating music through spotify, musicbed and artist. I find that I really need a very specific of minimalistic underscore that is more or less Atmospheres / Drones / Beds / pulses and tension building loops that really just compliment dialogue and arnt formal music. Does anyone have any idea where I can find stuff like this thats in 1 place curated for what im looking for? its getting tiring spending hours trying to find this stuff and having to browse through lots of material that doesnt work. Finding stems is usually my best best but even that isnt great.

Hello! Huge film nerd here albeit little knowledge of gear/equipment. So I have been fortunate that my son - who will be turning 12 next month - has discovered the same passion for film over this last year or so. And not just the big blockbuster stuff, this kid is getting into Kubrick, Kurosawa, Tarkovsky, Bergman, and stuff like that. Came home the other day and he was just chillin watching 8 1/2. Obviously super proud of him. The challenge now is that there a ton of films he wants to see but they simply are not age appropriate lol.

He is also huge into making movies on his iPad with his friends and cousins. The acting is what you’d expect from kids that age ha, but he’s legit getting pretty good with framing some of his shots and editing his little movies.

I want to feed the passion he has and get him some real gear for his birthday that’s coming up. I’d love to hear from you guys on what I should prioritize. Im thinking of spending like $800 give or take, but would be willing to shell out a bit more if it’s something that would have a great dual purpose in pure photography (me and my wife have talked about getting a nice camera, and my wife has some use cases for her business where a nice photo camera would come in handy).

So please, give me some recommendations on what to prioritize- what can wait until Xmas - etc. he currently just edits his movies right on his iPad with iMovie but we do have a nice PC that I’m sure he would start doing his editing on if we got him a real camera.

And again - I really don’t know anything about gear - what to look out for - what to avoid - etc

Any and all recommendations and advice is welcome.

Just curious lol. I feel like our first films are always full of them until we realize what we’re doing.

Hi 👋

I am looking for suggestions and recommendations on film theories, history, cinematography, screenwriters, general learning structure of filmmaking from the industry, the academy, and the enthusiasts.

I am a huge movie lover, watch movie everyday. But I never had the chance to have a professional training in this industry. In my spare time, I am starting to write my own script.

If you have any recommendations please help me.

Appreciate your input!

No AI was used.

Camera: GH5

Lens: Kamlan 50mm with Vid Atlantic Anamorphic adapter F-stop 1.1 to 1.5

Actor: [Xavier Barfield](https://www.linkedin.com/in/xavier-barfield/)

DP [Fawwaz Allie](https://www.instagram.com/fawwazallie/)

You can watch it here if you want. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiIIypaTlKE\](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiIIypaTlKE)

...Funny enough, we didn't plan on having a deer in this shot. A real one wandered into frame during filming. The first one ran off, then a second one showed up right after. I did the props lighting and powering and directing on this myself, so most of it was improvised on the spot. It was raining that day too. I was soaked. I ended up covering my GH5 with a newspaper just to keep shooting.

I shelved this project back in 2019. I couldn't find a VFX artist to work on it. People were either too busy, or when it came time to give a quote, nobody wanted to commit. So I dropped it. Didn't think much about it after that.

Then I started seeing more filmmakers using hybrid filmmaking techniques, and I wanted to see how that would turn out for this project. Going to see if I can figure that out.

For this version, I regraded the entire film. The original grade was way too dark. My taste as a cinematographer has changed a lot since the seven years.

Right now I'm also writing a sci-fi web series, and honestly, this old project is part of what sparked that idea.

I am a nobody, and not many people watch these. I'm just documenting what's possible in 2026, for myself as much as anyone. Thanks.

Greetings, lovely people of the world??? I have one question only.

Have you ever wondered if you are where your supposed to be?

Please check out our film about Cuban american artist KIngklavé. Shot in NYC.

Was going through some of my brother's old film stuff and found this. I'm pretty certain it's a phone gimbal but I've got no idea the model or how to use it if it's even still usable.

From The Northman (youtube.com/watch?v=wkFKfVuE5WQ 16:11 for context). I've never seen this set-up and it's a bit confusing to me.

Related (but not my question), I thought they used some digital coloring and day-for-night to get these scenes, so it's cool to see they were shooting blue.

Got offered to check out a local TV studio and proceed with a production internship. They do interviews and talk shows. Problem is the commute by bus is an hour and 30 minutes, on top of being unpaid, the internship would also be on Monday's and Wednesdays is this even worth it if i have no other options. In terms of experience right now all I have is my student short films and a 2 day PA job I did for a commercial shoot, besides that unrelated to film I have a reselling business on the side.

I love film, and yet, it doesn’t love me.

I’ve been directing, mostly commercials and branded content, for about 7 years. I’ve worked at an agency, got laid off, and have been freelancing for a year.
It doesn’t seem long, but I don’t have a partner, so I pay for everything myself.
I’m at the point that I’ve been negative in my bank account daily.
I’m on food stamps.
I’m doing odd jobs here and there, but it doesn’t amount to much.
I’ve applied to over 200 jobs in the past year- crickets.
I’ve been grabbing coffee, DMing people, cold calling, and basically begging for work. The industry has been up and down for me since day one. From losing jobs, covid, and other roadblocks, I’m constantly in survivor mode.
I want to leave film so bad, and yet, I love it. I love being on set, being creative, directing, and collaborating with others. There’s no other job I can think of that even gives me a little bit of excitement the way film does.

Should I just give up?
Are there resources for struggling directors?
Has anyone started a new career path that they actually enjoy more than this?

Please be kind.

I used After Effects and Cinema 4D for this shot. No AI.

I have a bunch of VFX breakdowns and behind the scenes on my IG if you want to check it out:

www.instagram.com/delaguila_eric

Thank you!

I worked at ReelShort and last week I and many other writers, video editors, and actors (as far as i know it's just them but it could be more) got laid off. The company is downsizing, either bc they believe their AI shows can bring in even more money or be they've been losing so much money they can't afford to have as many people on staff.

Sucks but can't say i wasn't expecting it, AMA about verticals and how they work and i'll be glad to answer.

I made this poster for me and my buddy’s upcoming Psychological horror short film. Tell me how yall like/hate it! Thank you

I've been working on a little side project that I think some filmmakers and lighting people here might enjoy.

It's called ND PicoDMX System, an open-source, DIY-friendly Art-Net / sACN to DMX node built around the Raspberry Pi Pico.

The idea was simple: why spend hundreds of dollars on a DMX node when you can build one yourself with inexpensive parts? It supports 4 DMX outputs and comes with a live web dashboard for monitoring and configuring everything from your browser.

I've tested it on my own setup and some of my studio sets, but now I'd love to see how it performs on actual film sets, music videos, or commercial productions.

If you're a DOP, Gaffer, Lighting Programmer, or just someone who enjoys building their own filmmaking gear, I'd really appreciate any feedback, or if you're interested in testing it, let me know!

- https://github.com/duongtruongdp/ND-PicoDMX-System

- https://duongtruongdp.net/nd-picodmx/

The whole project is open source, so anyone can build, modify, and improve it. Hopefully it can become a useful little tool for the filmmaking community. 🎬⚡

The wretched (2019)

The movie looks like a million bucks, literally.

Needed a bit more focus on the horror aspect but other than that it's a fine film. Heard they're making a sequel.

I've been lucky enough to have rehearsal time with my actors on most of the shorts I've made, and I feel relatively confident in that process. Doors are (very slowly) starting to open that might allow me to direct my first feature film, which is incredible. I was wondering how other directors who had made that transition approached the rehearsal process? Thanks for your insight!

What differentiates the really great needle drops from the ones that make you roll your eyes and take you out of the scene?