How to Make More Films in 2022

We’re definitely starting to get into autumn and if you’re a busy filmmaker, you’re already thinking about next year

After everything ground to a halt in 2020, and then should have picked up this year (but didn’t really), 2022 is what everyone is planning for now

Which means it’s the perfect time to start setting a few things in motion so you can make more films next year – and make sure you don’t get left behind

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The production boom is on its way, so making sure you’re prepared is an essential to have on your to do list before the end of the year

The First Essential to Make More Films

The first essential is a pretty wide range of ideas. If you spent most of last year, and this year as well, creating, developing and writing then you should be good to go with this. If not, type ‘IDEAS’ in the comments and I’ll share my hack to create 15 pitch-ready ideas in 5 minutes with you

So in terms of ideas, you’re ready and raring to go, right?

But here’s the thing

So is everyone else

Everyone else had exactly the same standstill, everyone has a development slate bursting with ideas, and it means that the competition to even get producers to look your way will be even crazier than usual

But you know we don’t let competition or rejection get in our way here, so this is how you’re going to rise above that

Staying on Top

Start by organising your development slate

This is just a fancy way of saying organise your ideas

If you’re on the spot and know you have the perfect project to pitch someone, but you can’t really remember it then you’re missing out on a golden opportunity

So put all of your ideas in one place

I like using Google Docs, because you can easily add to it and it’s always accessible

Building Your Development Slate

Once all your ideas are in one place, start seeing how much info you have for each one. You might have a logline for some, scripts for others, outlines for others – all of which is totally fine, by the way

Under each idea, make a note of what you currently have and what stage it’s currently at

So if you’ve written the logline and you have a solid outline you’re happy with, you could put ‘completed outline’ as the current stage

Automatically this makes it a lot easier to see what you have at a glance, as well as sift through your ideas whenever you need to

So idea, current stage, and then I like to add in ‘next step’ as well

This is something I do with all of my clients, as we carve out their personal development process, so they always know the next step

If you’ve currently got the completed outline, the next step might be draft the beat sheet. Or it might be craft the character bio, or create a moodboard. Everyone’s process is different, so having a reliable, repeatable process you go through on each project makes your life a lot easier

Now when you look at your slate, you can pick any idea to pitch, or to start working on, because you know exactly where you got to when you last worked on it. You also know what you need to do next

And voila. Easy, efficient & organised development so you can be working on multiple projects at a time

This is going to be essential as production begins to ramp up again, and after such a long break, don’t be surprised if it feels overwhelming at first

Filmmaking, whatever scale, is always hard work. That’s why we want to make it as easy as possible for you to do what you do best

From Development to Production

So you have all your ideas organised, in one place, and you can put them down and pick them back up again whenever you like

But now how do you get them from sentences in a Google Doc, to a completed film?

The answer is pitching, and a lot of it

There’s a misconception in the short film space that you either don’t need a producer, or if you do, that you should post in Facebook groups asking for producers to email you

(I’m talking those ‘hi!! Short film ready to go, looking for a producer to attach. Must have two previous producing credits. Email us at blah blah blah’)

This is not the way to go

Not only is it pretty disrespectful to the producers you’re trying to work with, it’s also the total opposite of how filmmaking actually works outside of the low-to-no budget short film world

If your goal is to move onto something bigger, outside of that world, then you need to be pitching to producers

That is how films get from Google Docs to the big screen

Finding Producers (the easy way)

So first it’s about actually finding producers, right?

I’d love to say we all hang out in one corner of the internet and you can grab us all at once, but sadly not

The easiest way to do it, and my personal favourite way, is to find similar films to what you want to make, and reach out to those producers

Now this doesn’t mean sending out a bunch of cold emails with your script attached – those never go down well and at worst, they’ll never read another email from you again

Instead it means building a personal connection

So no mentioning of your projects, just reaching out to say you really enjoyed their film and would love to jump on a Zoom call or buy them a coffee sometime

Low-key, relaxed and friendly. That’s what we’re going for here

And this is the second essential to making more films next year

We already know that cold pitching is not the greatest thing to do (and you likely don’t feel great doing it)

But building connections with producers now creates opportunities for you next year to pitch them

I’m much happier receiving a pitch from someone I know compared to someone I’ve never spoken to before

Why? Because filmmaking is a personal business

It’s never just about the idea

It depends on how well you get on, can you work together & do you have the same vision for the project?

Read more: 8 Tips for Emailing Producers

Start creating those connections now, and it gives your pitches a much better chance in a couple of months’ time

So to recap: organise all of your ideas so you have a streamlined, efficient and easy development process

Then find producers who are already making films you resonate with, and start building personal connections with them

Sound good? Perfect

If you have any questions drop them in the comments or DM me. And I’m super excited because I have one slot available this month for a private Launch Your Film Career Intensive

This is a private, half-day call where you and I get on Zoom and overhaul your branding, build your slate, carve out your custom development process and uncover the best networking style for you

These tend to go pretty quickly so if you’re interested or just want some more info about it, drop your fav emoji in the comments, or better yet DM me about it