Tag: authenticity

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Truly Free Film

Discovery and Appreciation: What Drives Them? A.S.A.C.A.

I think I look for a lot of the same features in apps as I do in live events.  I like things that take me to new things  that I appreciate.  Things.  Granted they are but a small piece of what I look for but things are a good start. Not being a material sort, my things might be different than yours.  My things are generally events, live or not.  Beyond those my eternal search often breaks down.  Why? The problem is that “I contain multitudes”.  No algorithm can  suss out what I really want. They fall far short of my identity, be it public or private. This true, thankfully, for most people — even if those motivated by the sale wish it weren’t so.

Curators struggle with it too.  But I go to festivals with the same hope I have when I look at twitter: show me that thing I did not yet know of that I will later cushion softly with fond nostalgia and invigorate later with aspiration for the future.  Can those qualities be defined? Yup. At least a bit.  They are the qualities we look for and hope to discover.  They are the qualities we appreciate and keep us coming back for more.  They are the qualities you want to have in your work, the presentation of it, the marketing.

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Truly Free Film

16 Recommendations For Filmmakers To Discover Best Practices For A Sustainable Creative Life

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Two weeks ago at The San Francisco Film Society we launched A2E (Artist To Entrepreneur), a specific line of programming designed to provide filmmakers with the necessary entrepreneurial skills and best practices needed to have a sustainable creative life.  We launched with A2E OnRamp, a workshop to allow filmmakers to budget, schedule, and predict possible revenues for their film throughout the direct distribution process.

Before we rolled up our sleeves to start the practical, I warmed up the crowd with a series of short lectures focusing on what all filmmakers should know about the film biz, the current culture, and recommended best practices for themselves.  Last week I shared with you what we discussed about culture in general.  Prior to that, I shared with you what I felt we had to recognize and accept, at least for now, about the film business.

Today, I offer you my recommendations on best practices in times like these if you want to have a hope of a sustainable creative life as a filmmaker.  Don’t worry if it looks like there is more than you can currently achieve.  It is a process and you are not alone.  It gets better. We can build it better together.

  1. Focus on developing Entrepreneurial Skills as well as the creative.  The corporate distributors don’t need your work to the extent that they will ever value it as much as you will.  If you want your work to last, engage, and be profitable, it is up to you to be prepared to use it to ignite all opportunities.  Armed with a good story and good storytelling skills, you should be able to profit if you know how to take responsibility for your creation.
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