Tip 4 Network – Surround Yourself with the Best Team 

Networking is one of the most important Film Maker Skills. There are two types of networking.

Networking to meet financiers distributors and people who are in powerful positions and can help your career.  The second one, which we will focus on today,  is networking to find your Film Making Team.

A Film Production is effectively a network of people that make a film. I love football, the round ball version and the premier league in England.  The director is akin to the Manager of a football team. The Director has the vision for the story directs the various departments in what he wants.

The Director needs to work with a team of players, namely

• The Screenwriter
• The Producer ( low budget – yourself)
• The DOP
• The Editor
• The Cast
• The Production Designer
• The Make up Artist
• The First AD
• The Wardrobe Person
• The VFX Person (if required)
• The Composer
• The Sound Designer.

This is your team and the Director will work closely with each person to create the dream and the vision for the film. Arron, a film course participant, who completed the course in early 2015 has now created his first short film.

The 10 minute short film has been selected by the worlds top Film Festivals including Toronto. How did he do this? He found the very best Team he could find.  He found the best DOP the best editor the best in every area and created an awesome short film that now has his name on it as Director and Producer.  It is his movie and he gets all the acclaim and cutes that comes with a successful film.

When I interviewed him for Indie Film Club, I asked how he found everyone. His answer was I googled them and paid them. He committed to a huge casting process which he learned how to do on the 3 month Film Course and found the best actors for his film. He used his network off the 3 Month Film Course and filled in production management and smaller roles such as grips and production assistants, continuity  from the course. His mum helped with the catering for shoot dates. .

 Your team is everything.   This is your network.

How do you find the network?

Firstly do a 3 Month Film Course where you learn to make a shot film by actually making a short film.  Then commit to making your short film as  soon as possible. Without the 3 Month Film Course, Arron would have been blind and would not have known who and what to find. He would not have known how to do a casting how to work with a DOP and crew.

With the help of the 3 month film course and his own commitment and passion, Arron made a world beater film and is now travelling the film festival circuit with his first 10 minute film.

Some people who do not have the budget to pay experts, often network on the 3 Month Film Course and meet other people on the course who do the crew roles.. That can work too. The team grows over three short film productions and by Film 3 will be making wonderful world beater films.

What ever way you do it, start with a film course,  build your network and find the best team that your budget can allow.

Colm O’Murchu      Director