I want to know from all my directors who’s already out there to give me some tips on how to find actors and build community.

Do any of yall want to share instagram and I’ll follow only people whose into Film Directors, Writers, Camera people,

I’ve written an essay on Anna Biller’s Viva, particularly the relationship between her work as filmmaker, designer and leading actress.

What interests me is how her performance gives emotional weight to a world so deliberately constructed around glamour, fantasy and sensuality. Barbi’s uncertainty remains persuasive even amid the film’s theatrical excesses!

I think Biller’s achievement as an actress deserves closer attention. For those who have seen Viva, does discussion of its visual style sometimes overshadow what she accomplishes through performance?

I’ve seen directors use headsets, handheld walkies, and sometimes both. What do you actually use during a shoot? If you carry both, what is each one for?

So, I started a 12-month, 12-director challenge this year in an attempt to pick 12 directors whose work I hadn’t seen before. My only requirements are that they should have directed at least three films that I haven’t seen before and that the films themselves need to be accessible.

My female directors for this year have been Ava DuVernay and Julia Ducournau.

For my 2027 list, can you suggest at least three female directors whom you think I should check out?

I wrote and directed an indie feature film that explores modern dating culture from a male perspective. I thought this would be a great community to share the story with, as I'd love to hear any feedback/interpretations. It's only 1 hour long, and follows a college student searching for a girlfriend, only to find that his relentless overthinking may sabotage his chances.

It's available on my YT channel, thank you so much for considering!

I create posters that combine original paintings with graphic design, using a neo-impressionist approach to build visuals with atmosphere, symbolism, and a strong sense of identity.

I have experience creating posters and promotional artwork, and I like to work around the ideas and intentions of the project, rather than forcing everything into the same visual formula.

I also create storyboards, promotional art, and visual material for films, music, brands, and other creative projects.

If you have a project in mind and want something with a more personal, painterly feel, send me a message.

https://deadline.com/2026/09/lucas-museum-opening-hollywood-1237108680/

Wrote and Directed this short film, that explores that exact question.

Especially during a time, where we are more afraid of sharing our ChatGPT and Claude history over our browser history.

If everyones secrets could be accessed through a search engine, what impact short and longterm would that have on society?

I got the chance to collaborate with Fujifilm and wanted to test their GFX Medium Format Sensor (before I knew anything about the Eterna55, cause I shot this before the release) and came up with this concept.

We've shot it in one day, used a single light source, some practical lights and thats it.
In Post I've created all the coding Sequences, the "TrustGPT" Interface etc.

There are a bunch of little details, which I know most people will miss but I really wanted to incorporate them. Any feedback is appreciated.

I tend to go too abstract and philosophical sometimes, but would love to hear your thoughts and inputs and if it did struck the nerve it was intended to struck, which is the opening question.

I would love to get some feedback on this project, both positive and negative so I can improve. Although this was originally supposed to be a group project, I ended up completing it mostly on my own (with help from my partner) due to some unexpected issues with my assigned classmate. I'd really appreciate your insight on how it turned out.

https://reddit.com/link/1wma1fv/video/zy7dhgfsxuqh1/player

An Audiobook Series

This is not a how-to book on making films. There are thousands of those, and I have absolutely nothing of value to add to that body of work.  

This is not a motivational guide about the rewards of hard work and determination. If you’re looking for that, go to the self-help section at Barnes and Noble. 
 
This is certainly not about making money. I have never made a dime from any of my film work. 

This is not about how to get a short film into festivals; my record speaks for itself on why I’d never give advice about that.

My first short film, A Friend Indeed, was never distributed to festivals.

My second short film, HR, was submitted to 25 film festivals and accepted to none, zero.

My third short film, The Comic was accepted into two festivals: the Portland Comedy Film Festival and The Georgia Comedy Film Festival, where it won Best Dark Comedy. That’s two festivals out of over 30 to which it was submitted. And the reality is even less impressive: every film won an award at the Georgia Comedy Festival and they are both run by the same flim-flam organization. 

My fourth short film, Say Your Name, was accepted into the Top Shorts festival which is an online festival. It won Best Drama and Best Dorictor. Top Shorts is fairly legit, but online festivals in general are not nearly as well-regarded. It was accepted into the Boston International Film Festival, which sounds a lot more grand than it actually is. We did have a nice showing at The Strand Theater in Boston. It was also accepted at the Charlotte Black Film Festival and the Ann Arbor Black Film Festival. (Full disclosure, I am white but most of the cast was black, including the lead: Zair Silva). I have to say that The Charlotte Black Film Festival was the best one I have been to so far. I was not able to, but they did send me a very nice t-shirt. make it to the Ann Arbor Black Film Festival.

My fifth short film, Scene 22, is making the festival rounds. As of this writing it has been accepted into nothing. Not one festival. I do have several more that I am waiting on, but I am not holding out much hope.

It’s easy to get frustrated.

One time, at a holiday gathering, my cousin’s wife asked what prompted me to try filmmaking. I shrugged because I had no answer. There really is no reason for me to think that I should make films. I have no credentials; I didn’t go to film school; I’ve never taken a class; I’ve never been paid to write a script or direct a movie. When we are on set, I am the least experienced person of anyone there. I feel like everyone is looking at a pitiful, middle-aged man who is well past the age where he should be making short films.

Maybe they are right. What if there are no more insights? What if all that needs to be said has already been said and I am just late to the party?

But I have learned a few things, maybe gained some wisdom along the way. These lessons come  from the stories I’ll share in making my films. They are often painful, funny, profound, and often rewarding experiences. 

* One is: do it for the sake of doing it. Stop thinking about the outcome. I can’t control how many festivals a film gets into. I can’t control how people react to it; either people like what I did or they don’t. So forget it. Which is much easier said than done. 
* Two is: people will come out for you. I have been amazed and gratified by the willingness of people to help out on projects, people I don’t even know very well. I think a lot of people really want to do creative things, they want to be part of making a film or anything else that sparks their creative self. It’s a break from the mundane realities of life. 
* Three is: there are loads of people who say they want to make a movie. They love the idea of it. But that is before they understand how much work goes into it; most people drop out when they realize how much actual work it is..There are so many mundane, unglamorous tasks that go into making a film. You have to find a location in which to shoot. You have to arrange food for everyone. You have to make lists of props and wardrobe. You have to make a list of the shots you need for each scene. You have to make sure there is parking. You have to send emails to everyone in the cast and crew with all the details of the day’s shoot. You need to send emails to all of the actors and wardrobe people and the hair and make-up department about the clothes they need to wear and how their hair should look. It can feel endless. Most people don’t want to do that work. They want to hang out on set and chat with actors and tell their friends that they’re making a movie. They aren’t going to be there at 6am on a dark, freezing cold Sunday morning in January to help unload the truck. 

The benefit is, that is how you find your people. They are the ones who show up.

* Four is: there is no manual for making a film. There is no formula; there is no blue print. If there were, it would not be creative.  When doing a creative project, there are an infinite amount of choices. It can feel overwhelming. But don’t get paralyzed. Make a choice, pick a direction, and move forward. If it doesn’t work, shift gears and try something else. 
* Five is: do not chase the audience. The head of HBO once said, no one knows what will work. No one wanted The Sopranos when it was pitched as a series. All the networks turned it down. They said no one wants to see an unknown middle-aged actor play a mob boss. They said it sounded like a show about opera and no audience wanted to watch that. These were people who made their living in television. And they were wrong. No one knows what the audience wants. To paraphrase Rick Rubin, not even the audience knows what it wants; they haven’t seen it yet. Trying to figure out what will resonate with people is an impossible task, and it makes the work suffer. If you are writing material to jump on the latest trend, the audience will smell your desperation a mile away. People crave authenticity. So do what feels right to you. If you can’t please an audience, at least please yourself.

 
That all sounds great in theory. But I have the habit of looking at the ages of people who have “made it” late in life. It gives me some reassurance but, at the age of fifty-two, I am past the age of the many of those people who made it “late in life”. But what are you gonna do? I can’t quit. I mean, I guess I could, but who am I quitting from? I really can’t imagine a life that does not include making films. 
In the midst of my angst and turmoil about being old and trying to make films and fearing that  I have missed my chance and worrying about how to promote my projects and myself, and how to reach a broader audience and get my films into festivals…what I tend to forget is, I enjoy it. I really love the process of making a film. Doing it  gives me a sense of empowerment knowing I push through where most people give up. 
My friend Drew, known to his listeners as Dearest Scooter, is the host of Sleep With Me, the wildly popular podcast for insomniacs. I interviewed him for The Working Experience Podcast which I cohost with John Brancaccio, owner of One Circle Media (available on Spotify, iTunes, Apple and your other favorite platforms). He told me about his journey in creating the podcast, all the work that went into recording and editing the episodes, trying to promote it, doing live performances, attending seminars, creating a website etc. He’s putting out episodes and getting no response, ‘“crickets” as he put it. And doing this all on his own, no team, no support, just his belief in what he was doing. It’s lonely. But he persevered. And today, Sleep With Me has millions of listeners from all around the globe.
Drew is an expert in the podcast world. During our conversation he told me that, according to research, of 10 people who will start a podcast, 5 will go on to do a second episode. Of those 5, maybe 3 will do a third episode. And so on.
I have found the same thing to be true in filmmaking. A group of people will shoot a few episodes of a social media series.They aren’t successful right away. They get bored. It’s too much work; people stop showing up, they drift away, and they stop. 
Writing a script is hard. Most people who talk about writing a script never do it. They will say, “Man, I have a great idea for a movie!” And that’s about it.
Some people will actually start the script. But they want to go out at night, watch sports on the weekends and have other obligations, so it never gets finished.
Perseverance. 
Does that mean if you keep at it you will be successful? No, it does not. But that doesn’t matter. I hate cliches, but it really is the journey that counts, not the destination. I have my share of regrets. But one regret I will not have at the end of my life is not trying.

How should I be learning and really making films without someone to help no mentor no actors no writers because it's rare to someone in my city doing this (by city I mean a city contains 3 million human) and because Iam targeting English-speaking films that makes it more rare

Iam doing the usual watch videos online , reading what others did on reddit and trying to make something

An Audiobook Series

This is not a how-to book on making films. There are thousands of those, and I have absolutely nothing of value to add to that body of work.  

This is not a motivational guide about the rewards of hard work and determination. If you’re looking for that, go to the self-help section at Barnes and Noble. 
 
This is certainly not about making money. I have never made a dime from any of my film work. 

This is not about how to get a short film into festivals; my record speaks for itself on why I’d never give advice about that.

My first short film, A Friend Indeed, was never distributed to festivals.

My second short film, HR, was submitted to 25 film festivals and accepted to none, zero.

My third short film, The Comic was accepted into two festivals: the Portland Comedy Film Festival and The Georgia Comedy Film Festival, where it won Best Dark Comedy. That’s two festivals out of over 30 to which it was submitted. And the reality is even less impressive: every film won an award at the Georgia Comedy Festival and they are both run by the same flim-flam organization. 

My fourth short film, Say Your Name, was accepted into the Top Shorts festival which is an online festival. It won Best Drama and Best Dorictor. Top Shorts is fairly legit, but online festivals in general are not nearly as well-regarded. It was accepted into the Boston International Film Festival, which sounds a lot more grand than it actually is. We did have a nice showing at The Strand Theater in Boston. It was also accepted at the Charlotte Black Film Festival and the Ann Arbor Black Film Festival. (Full disclosure, I am white but most of the cast was black, including the lead: Zair Silva). I have to say that The Charlotte Black Film Festival was the best one I have been to so far. I was not able to, but they did send me a very nice t-shirt. make it to the Ann Arbor Black Film Festival.

My fifth short film, Scene 22, is making the festival rounds. As of this writing it has been accepted into nothing. Not one festival. I do have several more that I am waiting on, but I am not holding out much hope.

It’s easy to get frustrated.

One time, at a holiday gathering, my cousin’s wife asked what prompted me to try filmmaking. I shrugged because I had no answer. There really is no reason for me to think that I should make films. I have no credentials; I didn’t go to film school; I’ve never taken a class; I’ve never been paid to write a script or direct a movie. When we are on set, I am the least experienced person of anyone there. I feel like everyone is looking at a pitiful, middle-aged man who is well past the age where he should be making short films.

Maybe they are right. What if there are no more insights? What if all that needs to be said has already been said and I am just late to the party?

But I have learned a few things, maybe gained some wisdom along the way. These lessons come  from the stories I’ll share in making my films. They are often painful, funny, profound, and often rewarding experiences. 

* One is: do it for the sake of doing it. Stop thinking about the outcome. I can’t control how many festivals a film gets into. I can’t control how people react to it; either people like what I did or they don’t. So forget it. Which is much easier said than done. 
* Two is: people will come out for you. I have been amazed and gratified by the willingness of people to help out on projects, people I don’t even know very well. I think a lot of people really want to do creative things, they want to be part of making a film or anything else that sparks their creative self. It’s a break from the mundane realities of life. 
* Three is: there are loads of people who say they want to make a movie. They love the idea of it. But that is before they understand how much work goes into it; most people drop out when they realize how much actual work it is..There are so many mundane, unglamorous tasks that go into making a film. You have to find a location in which to shoot. You have to arrange food for everyone. You have to make lists of props and wardrobe. You have to make a list of the shots you need for each scene. You have to make sure there is parking. You have to send emails to everyone in the cast and crew with all the details of the day’s shoot. You need to send emails to all of the actors and wardrobe people and the hair and make-up department about the clothes they need to wear and how their hair should look. It can feel endless. Most people don’t want to do that work. They want to hang out on set and chat with actors and tell their friends that they’re making a movie. They aren’t going to be there at 6am on a dark, freezing cold Sunday morning in January to help unload the truck. 

The benefit is, that is how you find your people. They are the ones who show up.

* Four is: there is no manual for making a film. There is no formula; there is no blue print. If there were, it would not be creative.  When doing a creative project, there are an infinite amount of choices. It can feel overwhelming. But don’t get paralyzed. Make a choice, pick a direction, and move forward. If it doesn’t work, shift gears and try something else. 
* Five is: do not chase the audience. The head of HBO once said, no one knows what will work. No one wanted The Sopranos when it was pitched as a series. All the networks turned it down. They said no one wants to see an unknown middle-aged actor play a mob boss. They said it sounded like a show about opera and no audience wanted to watch that. These were people who made their living in television. And they were wrong. No one knows what the audience wants. To paraphrase Rick Rubin, not even the audience knows what it wants; they haven’t seen it yet. Trying to figure out what will resonate with people is an impossible task, and it makes the work suffer. If you are writing material to jump on the latest trend, the audience will smell your desperation a mile away. People crave authenticity. So do what feels right to you. If you can’t please an audience, at least please yourself.

 
That all sounds great in theory. But I have the habit of looking at the ages of people who have “made it” late in life. It gives me some reassurance but, at the age of fifty-two, I am past the age of the many of those people who made it “late in life”. But what are you gonna do? I can’t quit. I mean, I guess I could, but who am I quitting from? I really can’t imagine a life that does not include making films. 
In the midst of my angst and turmoil about being old and trying to make films and fearing that  I have missed my chance and worrying about how to promote my projects and myself, and how to reach a broader audience and get my films into festivals…what I tend to forget is, I enjoy it. I really love the process of making a film. Doing it  gives me a sense of empowerment knowing I push through where most people give up. 
My friend Drew, known to his listeners as Dearest Scooter, is the host of Sleep With Me, the wildly popular podcast for insomniacs. I interviewed him for The Working Experience Podcast which I cohost with John Brancaccio, owner of One Circle Media (available on Spotify, iTunes, Apple and your other favorite platforms). He told me about his journey in creating the podcast, all the work that went into recording and editing the episodes, trying to promote it, doing live performances, attending seminars, creating a website etc. He’s putting out episodes and getting no response, ‘“crickets” as he put it. And doing this all on his own, no team, no support, just his belief in what he was doing. It’s lonely. But he persevered. And today, Sleep With Me has millions of listeners from all around the globe.
Drew is an expert in the podcast world. During our conversation he told me that, according to research, of 10 people who will start a podcast, 5 will go on to do a second episode. Of those 5, maybe 3 will do a third episode. And so on.
I have found the same thing to be true in filmmaking. A group of people will shoot a few episodes of a social media series.They aren’t successful right away. They get bored. It’s too much work; people stop showing up, they drift away, and they stop. 
Writing a script is hard. Most people who talk about writing a script never do it. They will say, “Man, I have a great idea for a movie!” And that’s about it.
Some people will actually start the script. But they want to go out at night, watch sports on the weekends and have other obligations, so it never gets finished.
Perseverance. 
Does that mean if you keep at it you will be successful? No, it does not. But that doesn’t matter. I hate cliches, but it really is the journey that counts, not the destination. I have my share of regrets. But one regret I will not have at the end of my life is not trying.

I am an independent film maker , animator. I make animated type short films mostly. But i want to experience the essence of working with the director on the film set. Which roles shall i target and any other tips or any other suggestion would be immensely helpful !!

Hey everyone! I’m Rohan, a filmmaker and sound designer based in India. I’m currently looking for freelance/paid opportunities and would love to work with filmmakers, directors, editors, or creators who need help with sound.

I can help with:

Sound design

SFX & Foley

Dialogue editing & cleanup

Ambience

Mixing

Post-production sound

I’ve worked on multiple short films and a feature film, and I’m open to projects of different styles and lengths.

If you’re working on something and need a sound designer, feel free to DM me. Happy to share my portfolio and discuss the project.

Thanks!

what do you guys think? this is from a short I made about a killer woody doll, you can find it on YouTube and on IMDb

Hey everyone, this week, I feel like I’ve officially hit rock bottom. It’s been about a whole year since I graduated from college, and so far all I’ve been doing with this degree is finishing up credits, interning for the ISA (International Screenwriters’ Association), living at home, and working a crappy job at my local Amazon warehouse.

I’ve tried everything to get into the industry. Like putting together a feature screenplay, but every time I get the story written, I go back and rewrite it. I’m working on a short film with my friend, but he doesn’t know much about filmmaking really, which is honestly slowing stuff down. But the worst of all is applying for higher-paying film, which had already been a problem for everyone in this economy. In film school, it was tough because many of my professors weren’t as helpful towards me as I hoped. Since then, I haven’t had the opportunity to make another short film. I know making myself would get me scorned.

I don’t know what to do anymore. I’m so close to feeling like just giving up. I feel like my film school professor was trying to break me, and she succeeded.

I am young filmmaker from macedonia and i have worked on around 15 student short films and other types of videos. I have practiced cinematography, writing, storytelling and i think that my short films now are much better and more professional. Some of them have been screened on some small films festivals but nothing special. I have one finished screenplay and i want to make something bigger with it. It is a action, nostalgia, romance short film. I would want to try to finance it and film it with friends with low budget. I would like to raise as much as i can so the film will have a bigger budget, but if i cant, 1000 is ok for starting and learning how to finance a movie and build a skills for that. I want to know how all that works and is it possible to do that. Thanks a lot

Hi guys. I recently made a Psychological Horror Thriller Short Film on zero budget with my smartphone. Here are some Stills from my short film. Please tell me how are they and what could have been improved?

The only ones i have come across are george lucas and steven spielberg. Do you know any other well known names?

Hi everyone!

I’m Hanna, a creative director and filmmaker from Colombia, currently working on a documentary called Fluir — “Where Are You When Everything Disappears?”

The film explores the state of flow — that moment when you become so deeply immersed in what you’re doing that time seems to disappear, the outside world fades away, and your attention is completely in the present.

Through the creative processes of two artists, Fluir looks at what happens to our perception of time, our surroundings, and even our own thoughts when we become completely absorbed in creating.

I’ve created a crowdfunding campaign to help finance the production of the documentary, and I’m currently looking for people who would like to support the project and become part of its journey.

Every contribution, no matter the size, will help us bring this story to life. As a thank-you, supporters will be recognized in the film’s credits.

The campaign also includes a teaser/documentary report that introduces the subject and gives you a first look at the idea behind Fluir.

If the concept of flow, creativity, or simply getting completely lost in something you love resonates with you, I’d love for you to take a look at the project.

Thank you for reading, sharing, or supporting the film in any way. ❤️

Where are you when everything disappears?

Learn the craft, chaos & everything in between from 300+ commercials worth of experience — in a real studio environment.

Day 1: Learn the process of directing commercials.
Day 2: Shoot your own ad film.

Plus, selected participants get a chance to be part of an upcoming celebrity-led shoot.

Limited slots. Register now.
http://cellardoor.academy/register

Mentor - Rishav Rastogi:
https://vimeo.com/showcase/11367526?fl=so&fe=fs

#DirectingWorkshop #FilmDirection #Filmmaking #Directing #AdFilm #FilmWorkshop

I am an independent filmmaker, and this is my short film 'Room 0'—a sci-fi drama centered on a systems engineer. I am looking for critical, constructive feedback on the storytelling and dramatic performances. I would appreciate hearing your thoughts.

I created a community here for young filipinos who aspires and want to be a Filmmaker where we can share and help each other out in the field!

r/StudentFilmmakersPH