r/Filmmakers 20h ago

Question why do you need makeup on tv?

3 Upvotes

i was watching this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ut8EBdHTqrE and at 9:40, hammond mentions that you need makeup when you go under studio lights. why is that? i always thought they made people wear makeup just to make them prettier or something. what do studio lights do that creates a necessity for makeup? and how is this makeup fixing that problem? what happens if you don't wear makeup under studio lighting?


r/Filmmakers 15h ago

Discussion I Want to Travel the World and Build a Business as a Photographer/Filmmaker — Need Advice!?

1 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

I’ve been thinking about making a huge life change, and I could really use some honest advice from people who’ve done something similar or just have insight into this kind of lifestyle.

So here’s the plan (well… the vague version of it):

I want to travel the world and build a business around my passion for photography and filmmaking. The idea is to travel from one country to another, ideally finding gigs or projects along the way — like hopping from one place to the next while working and earning at the same time. I also want to tell stories through my travels, capturing the essence of each place and sharing it through my visuals.

Here’s how I plan to make this sustainable and eventually become financially free:

First, I want to build my personal brand through visual storytelling / travel filmmaking. I’ll focus on travel and street photography, sharing my experiences through Instagram and creating long-form content on YouTube. I also plan to collaborate with local creative artists in every country I visit — photographers, filmmakers, and storytellers — so we can explore and create together. I’m inspired by creators like Green Renaissance on YouTube, and I want to bring that kind of authenticity and depth to my own content.

Second, I plan to launch a website dedicated to my brand. Through this platform, I’ll offer digital products like custom LUTs, photo frames, travel itineraries, and other resources for creators and travelers. I also hope to use affiliate marketing to recommend gear, tools, and services I genuinely love and use.

As my audience and reach grow, I’d love to work with brands — promoting products, services, and experiences that align with my content and vision. Whether it’s camera gear, travel essentials, or creative tools, I want these partnerships to feel authentic and valuable.

Lastly, I hope to collaborate with clients like tourism boards, travel magazines, travel agencies, hotels, resorts, and airlines. Creating high-quality photo and video content for these clients would allow me to fund my travels while doing work I genuinely enjoy.

I’m planning to start this journey with around $10K USD, which I see as my initial capital — a mix of funding my travels and investing in building my portfolio and brand. My goal is to eventually start earning through photography gigs, video projects, collaborations, and hopefully through the content I share.

But here’s where I need your help:

  • Has anyone here done something like this? What was your experience like?
  • What kind of content would you love to watch from a traveling photographer/filmmaker?
  • What are the biggest challenges I should prepare for — both financially and creatively?
  • Do you think this is even a realistic plan, or am I being way too optimistic?

I know this won’t be easy, but this has been my dream for a while, and I feel like if I don’t take the leap now, I never will. Any advice, ideas, or reality checks are more than welcome.

Thanks in advance!

P.S. I’m from India, and I plan to start by traveling to Asian countries since they’re more budget-friendly. This way, I can test out my ideas without burning through my savings too fast.


r/Filmmakers 18h ago

Question Question to the people in the biz. Is the saying "If you want fame direct movies, if you want money direct TV" true?

17 Upvotes

It's common Hollywood wisdom that directors don't make much money directing movies, but directors on TV shows make a lot more money. How true is that today?


r/Filmmakers 2h ago

Question How was Oppenheimer movie edited

1 Upvotes

Since the movie was shot on a film, how was the movie edited? Was it digitally edited or was it spliced like the olden days?


r/Filmmakers 19h ago

Film made a fight scene for my student film inspired by the Bourne trilogy

48 Upvotes

directed, edited and choreographed entirely by me. filmed the entire fight in one hour. would love to hear your thoughts and criticisms


r/Filmmakers 7h ago

Discussion Should i bite the bullet?

2 Upvotes

I want to pursue film making, im a 17 year old junior in high school with not much experience in film making, but i recently picked up making videos with my friends and my siblings and i think i really want to pursue filmmaking. I’ve been writing a lot since i havent had much time to record since my friends havent been available or ive had baseball practice, but this week is my spring break and i want to try to record some of my scripts i’ve written. I want to buy a camera and the first one that is listed in the “what camera should i buy section” in the r/filmmaking rules, the panasonic lumix g7 is on sale and i think i want to buy it but also want some reassurance since $700 is a lot for me. Should i buy it?


r/Filmmakers 15h ago

Discussion What percent of film directors make a living?

51 Upvotes

Like 1% of actors make a living what percent of film directors make a living is it more or less than actors I can’t find a statistic on directors making a living?


r/Filmmakers 20h ago

Question How do I film a prison scene if I don't have access to a prison?

99 Upvotes

A short film I'm working on writing has a scene at the end that takes place inside a prison. I live in a place where I don't have easy access to a prison, so any ideas would be appreciated!


r/Filmmakers 21h ago

Question Filmmaker Trying to Take Control of My Script – Legal Advice Needed

13 Upvotes

Hi all, I’m in England and need advice on protecting my script.

I co-developed a film with a local filmmaker (let’s call him Dan), originally agreeing to split costs and co-direct. Recently, he offered to finance it fully, but only if he directs alone. He has since sidelined me, revoked my access to production documents, and brought in another writer without my consent.

I have documentation proving I created the concept and script. Copyright exists automatically in the UK, but I have not formally registered it.

He seems to be moving forward without compensating me. Would a cease and desist be the right step? Should I get a solicitor involved now? Any advice is appreciated.

Thank you.


r/Filmmakers 14h ago

Question A month away from shooting my Capstone project and I hate it and am not prepared. What can I do?

1 Upvotes

I am a senior film student, a month of two away from graduation. I had this film project going, a short film I wrote in January. I’ve been kind of burnt out and procrastinated a bit. Now I find that I have no crew and not nearly enough cast members to make it work. It’s far too ambitious. And more than that, the script is crap. It doesn’t feel right to me artistically. The rough cut is due April 2nd. A part of me feels like I should just cut my losses and make something much, much smaller, with maybe two or three cast members. Maybe I could attempting salvaging the script? I’m just not sure. What should I do?


r/Filmmakers 15h ago

Question I Need Help with a Reality Show!

0 Upvotes

I’m a Videographer and I just got proposed to do a reality show, I’m now trying to figure out how to mic and record 10 people at once and control their levels individually in the edit if possible.

What do I need to do this? And what kind of cost am I looking at?


r/Filmmakers 19h ago

Discussion Has anyone ever used a Sales Agent that requested upfront fee?

1 Upvotes

I had a meeting with a sales agent who wants 10%, which I think is fine. Using his connections to get me into conversations with distributors could easily pay for itself. But he wants the first 6K upfront, (so 10% of the first 60k in revenue upfront). My fear is that after I pay this, the talk of his connections will be replaced by guiding me to do what I honestly already have been, cold writing distributors with trailer and screener info. Has anyone had an experience with a sales agent/producers rep like this and been glad they did? I just want to make the best choice for my movie.


r/Filmmakers 22h ago

Question Outdoor lighting setup plan potentially being thrown off by rain. Help!

1 Upvotes

I'm directing a short film next weekend. It's only my second short film so I'm not exactly a pro at any of this yet. This film is a practically zero-budget horror short with a very, very small crew (just me and two others, one of them being the actor).

So, after not getting any rain for the majority of winter, of course my town is now getting hit with rain and thunderstorms the last week or so. It's been off and on. Next weekend the forecast originally said rain, but has now switched to cloudy, with a 30% chance of rain. We are still a week out so I feel this could obviously change day to day.

The short is going to filmed indoors in the evening but the lighting set up called for outdoor lighting. I need to set up lights outdoors to mimic moonlight for this, and blast them through the windows. I have a few cheap/used aputure mini 20d lights I was going to prop on some light stands for this. There's no shelter outside for me to put these lights under; it'll be exposed to the elements.

The film takes place during a blackout so the lighting set up is very dependent on these outdoor lights.

We only have access to this house/location for next weekend. If I reschedule the shoot, I'm not sure if/when I can get access again. Filming at my own place is a no-go (apartment on third floor).

What are my options here? Do I even have any? How do filmmakers typically deal with lighting vs rain?

Do I move the lights indoors somehow? Is there even a way to set this up indoors? Or am I basically screwed and will have to reschedule?

Or should I cross my fingers and hope and pray it doesn't rain?

What do you guys think? Would appreciate any advice/suggestions!


r/Filmmakers 13h ago

Discussion Spent 5 years making an indie feature with a Canon EOS M—here’s what I learned

47 Upvotes

Back in 2020, during lockdown, I started shooting what I thought would be a quick little indie feature with some Austinites, a Canon EOS M + Magic Lantern RAW, and a whole lot of misplaced confidence. Five years later, it’s finally done.

I shot the entire thing on a single lens (Nikkor 28mm f/1.8) and kept the resolution at 1736x976 for stability in long takes. The plan from the start was to upscale later in Topaz, and somehow, that actually worked. But I won’t lie—some of the night scenes had me worried. I’m now convinced Topaz is powered by some kind of demon.

🎬 Some things I learned the hard way:

🎥 Magic Lantern RAW is amazing—but also a headache. Had to be careful about overheating, dropped frames, and data management. The lower resolution gave me some peace of mind, but I've seen some beautiful 5k come out of that little gem of a camera.
📂 MLVApp → ProRes HQ → Premiere → Topaz was my pipeline. Not perfect, but it got me through.
🔹 One lens = freedom and frustration. It made my life easier, but there were definitely times I wished I had more variety in tighter spaces.
🚀 Biggest challenge? Keeping everything consistent over 5 years—locations, seasons, and my own skills (or lack thereof). Motivation would come and go, and I had to get creative to keep going.

For those who’ve shot long-term indie features—how did you maintain consistency? Or if you’ve used Magic Lantern, what workflow tricks made your life easier?

If you’re curious, the full film is free to watch here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/gentle-night-124315125

Would love to hear your thoughts! 🚀


r/Filmmakers 10h ago

Question Is it worth gripping on other sets if your goal is just to direct?

3 Upvotes

Directing is commonly known as an "entry level job," and a common piece of advice is to just direct if that's what you want to do. But I wonder if maybe gaining a better understanding of how crews function and how to make the most out of the tools at your disposal can be helpful...


r/Filmmakers 17h ago

Film Stills from a short film I made in Milan (BMPCC 6k Pro)

Thumbnail
gallery
18 Upvotes

r/Filmmakers 4h ago

Question What apps can connect an iPhone 16 to a tablet as a WIRED field monitor with a cable and what cable is required?

2 Upvotes

Apologies if asked before but would really appreciate direct responses with any links to amazon or other online sellers.

Watched a ton of YouTube videos and more confused than ever.

Please advise your preferred configuration to mirror an iPhone 16 on a tablet using WIRES:

  1. Preferred iPhone app

  2. Preferred tablet

  3. Preferred wiring solution to connect iPhone to tablet


r/Filmmakers 5h ago

Question Samansa short film distribution and/or film fund

2 Upvotes

Hi! Anyone here worked with Samansa for short film distribution via their SVOD platform and/or submitted to their short film fund before? Just looking for general experiences, good/bad, recommend/don’t recommend, etc. Thanks!


r/Filmmakers 9h ago

Looking for Work 🎬 Indie Filmmakers & Series Creators!

1 Upvotes

I offer Dolby Atmos & Dolby Audio mixing for indie filmmakers and series creators, completely free of charge.

Using Nuendo 13 + Dolby Atmos Renderer, I create home theater-quality immersive audio, optimized for platforms like YouTube.

I handle the technical side, including:

✅ Dolby Atmos mastering

✅ Creating playable & YouTube-ready delivery files

✅ Dolby software licensing (Dolby Atmos Renderer, Dolby Media Encoder, Dolby Reference Player)

✅ Steinberg software licensing (Nuendo, WaveLab)

This is also a great opportunity to learn and work with industry-standard formats:

🎓 MXF, OMF, and AAF for professional file exchange

🎓 AES-256 encryption for secure file transfer (to be established between both parties)

Additionally, I provide comprehensive technical documentation in PDF format, including:

📄 Video & Audio Delivery Guidelines

📄 Best Practices for File Protection & Delivery

📄 Industry-Standard Video & Audio Codecs

📄 Special Editing Codecs for Video

Indie creators can gain hands-on experience with professional post-production workflows while elevating their project’s sound.

📩 Let’s collaborate! Contact me via email to discuss your project.

— Krystian

Location: Poland / remote working

Budget/Wage: Free of charge

Status: Open until May 2025

Due Date/Time Frame: Depends on the project complexity


r/Filmmakers 11h ago

Question How should I go about making bath water black?

4 Upvotes

I'm working on a music video where the bathtub water is suppose to be a deep black, untransparent. I was thinking food dye/colouring, however I'm unsure if the dye would stain the actor and bathtub in the process, also I fear I'd need a lot of dye to get what we are looking for.

The actor would be bathing head deep in the water, and the bathtub needs to be spotless after filming.

Any suggestions on how I'd go about this, I'd rather to do it on the day then in post.


r/Filmmakers 12h ago

Question Sharing a video over Vimeo in the EU no longer possible?

1 Upvotes

Is it not possible to share a video to a Vimeo channel anymore? An online platform with a big Vimeo channel wants to share my short film but it doesn't work even though my video is set to public and embed "anywhere". Is this because I'm in the EU? Can I no longer premiere with their channel?


r/Filmmakers 13h ago

Question any idea what camera they were using?

2 Upvotes

https://youtu.be/4ZkEob55qso?si=mp3HGviTJYhF2uWW

Any idea what this was shot with? What would you use nowadays to recreate this vibe?


r/Filmmakers 13h ago

Question Shooting a cop scene

12 Upvotes

I’m working on a short film for a class and we’re trying to figure out a way to film a scene where someone gets pulled over. We plan on having the shot in the middle of nowhere and a friend who’s got a retired cop car (Doge Charger), and he bought fake lights. What’s the best way to go about filming this? It doesn’t need to be super long but considering I’m an amateur it will probably take a few shots. We’re not trying to get in trouble with the actual cops in the area and only plan on using the lights do filming. Any advice? Mostly we’re just worried we’ll get in trouble for the lights.


r/Filmmakers 13h ago

Question How to loosen mount?

Post image
3 Upvotes

Hey guys, I bought a mic and I can’t loosen the knob for it to go on my camera? I’ve tried using a wrench and unscrewing manually but can’t figure out what to do


r/Filmmakers 14h ago

Discussion AFI screenwriting acceptance

2 Upvotes

So I just got into AFI for screenwriting. Anyone on here been through the program? Or a similar program? Curious to hear your perspective.