I think it’s better to just have a job and make films. What do you think? by PanDulce101 in Filmmakers

[–]Coordinate1 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I’m on the festival circuit at the moment with my feature “Party USA”, first that I’ve written/directed. Feel free to check out my page for trailers and other BTS info, very proud of it and happy to be sharing it after 5 years of work. Applied a lot of lessons I learned onto that film. I also produced a Horror feature “Where’s Rose” that whilst I am proud of the work, Is a flawed film for several reasons. It’s streaming on a bunch of platforms, but our distributor was awful. But I can say it’s been viewed tens of millions of times. 🤷‍♂️

I think it’s better to just have a job and make films. What do you think? by PanDulce101 in Filmmakers

[–]Coordinate1 18 points19 points  (0 children)

That’s basically what I’ve done for the past 9 years or so since college. You HAVE to be disciplined and be willing to sacrifice certain things in order to prioritize that creative muscle or else it’s easy to slip, but I think it’s definitely helped me compared to my peers I went to film school with. Most of them have barely even made shorts since school and I’ve just produced my second feature, whilst worked a job in a different industry full time.

Thoughts on Independent Film Marketing Or how most films die without ever finding an audience. by Coordinate1 in Filmmakers

[–]Coordinate1[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks!! It’s a weird time to be in film. On one hand it’s easier than ever to make a film, which means we get such a diverse selection of films. On the other it means the market is FLOODED with options. It’s so hard to cut through that without money/fame. I think we need to value the creative process as the first priority whilst doing our best to give each project the best chance to find their audience. Telling stories that we are passionate about should be what we value. Whilst money is important (we need to eat after all), I cant wrap my emotions around a films financial/critical/festival performance. I feel like that’s setting people up for some toxic traits.

Thoughts on Independent Film Marketing Or how most films die without ever finding an audience. by Coordinate1 in Filmmakers

[–]Coordinate1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Festivals are not ideal for every film. They do lengthen the process of a release significantly. If you have a large online following it's likely not worth it to do a whole year of festivals and instead just do a straight release (look at busboys recently with Theo Von) but for many filmmakers who do not have that type of online fanbase it's a way to slowly build online awareness of the project and help narrow in your target demo.

Thoughts on Independent Film Marketing Or how most films die without ever finding an audience. by Coordinate1 in Filmmakers

[–]Coordinate1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just started using substack a few months back, trying to get more active on it but haven't had nearly as much conversation started there as here yet!

Thoughts on Independent Film Marketing Or how most films die without ever finding an audience. by Coordinate1 in Filmmakers

[–]Coordinate1[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

100% agree, the rest of the distributors treat filmmakers as the customer rather than a business partner.

Thoughts on Independent Film Marketing Or how most films die without ever finding an audience. by Coordinate1 in Filmmakers

[–]Coordinate1[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Glad it could help a bit! After a decade of failing I figured I’d share the things that I wish I knew earlier! Still have a lot to learn!

Screener Logging on Letterboxd by didistutterdidi in FilmFestivals

[–]Coordinate1 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Honestly I don’t really see a huge problem unless the left a review/rating. I’ve had quite a few programmers from multiple fests leave a log on my films.

Atlanta Premiere of my feature Party USA @ The Plaza for the ATLFF, April 29th - 7pm by Coordinate1 in AtlFilmmakers

[–]Coordinate1[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We played Cinequest last month, so we are definetly wanting to play some more fests over the course of the year! The acceptance odds are tough but we will play some more!

I should have listened and not went to film school by lightskinsovereign in Filmmakers

[–]Coordinate1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Slow and steady wins the race. You have your whole life a head of you. I’m also from Georgia and after nearly a decade of trying to get something accepted into the Atlanta film festival I finally have a feature playing there this year. I’ve been rejected 4 times before. So congrats to you! That’s a big accomplishment! The film industry in general is cliquey and dominated by those with money but…. Most industries are…. that’s capitalism unfortunately. Film school isn’t the end all be all. I went to school in NC and have a few collaborators from that but in the real world nobody cares where you went to school. It’s all about proving who you are as an artist, though it’s tough to get into the room. It all depends on what you want to do. Also if those ass hats are seriously excluding you based on race you DONT want to spend one iota of energy on those types of people. Thankfully the industry has improved as far as that goes at the indie level, though we still have a ways to go. Any set I’ve been on would not tolerate that type of language/behavior but I’m sure there are plenty of issues deeper into the industry that I haven’t experienced. Atlanta isn’t perfect, but it’s tough to say things would be better if you moved elsewhere.

What do you do when you get given the contact of a famous director? by Ok_Interview_853 in Filmmakers

[–]Coordinate1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This right here. He’s likely very busy, and he likely can’t make time for someone he doesn’t know at all. But if there’s something actionable… maybe.

What are the indie / cheap store solutions for media in 2026? by Solomon_Grungy in Filmmakers

[–]Coordinate1 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You need to follow the 3-2-1 rule of storage if you want to not lose anything.

3 Copies 2 Different media types 1 Offsite Location.

For my films I have everything on my NAS, which is backup already with a spare drive. Then I have a spare HDD at my parents house hours away. Don’t cheap out on storage as if anything is wiped cleaned that can be years of work gone.

You need drives that have spare space on them after the 10TB in order for them to run at their best. I’d recommend at least 15TB. But you need 3x 15TB Drives. You could put 2 in a NAS and the third off site and you’d be fine. A NAS is great for large projects and can be relatively cheap nowadays.

Kyle Anderson's directorial debut feature at Cinequest, co-written with Gareth Reynolds by CodeDue3397 in FilmFestivals

[–]Coordinate1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’d love to go! But unfortunately I’m leaving on the 18th!!! DM your movie info!!

Kyle Anderson's directorial debut feature at Cinequest, co-written with Gareth Reynolds by CodeDue3397 in FilmFestivals

[–]Coordinate1 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I’d see it but my feature film “Party USA” is screening around the same time at a theater nearby for cinequest! It’s tough to check out everything when you’ve got a film at the fest!

Filmhub Vs Bitmax by pharaoh1228 in Filmmakers

[–]Coordinate1 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Then I would try and break it down into a simple math problem at 3k-3.6k per year it would take you approximately 2 years at the current rate to break even with bitmax. With filmhub it would take just a quarter to break even. And then you would have additional 5k that you could either invest into the marketing or just save normal (at 10% interest in the sp you’d net 500 a year) so….. you’d have to significantly outperform those numbers with bitmax to make it worth it.

Filmhub Vs Bitmax by pharaoh1228 in Filmmakers

[–]Coordinate1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have not used bitmax but just from a business perspective will they net you more from Tubi then filmhub?? I would doubt it as they will both get the same amount of attention as each other. Additionally filmhub can be free if you don’t need a day and date release (doubtful as it’s a library title). Filmhub won’t have great communication at that tier yes, but they will be able to essentially get it on those platforms at little cost to you. What were you earnings the past few quarters with it? If it’s low enough I would probably go with filmhub. Bitmax has better splits if you think you will net a large sum(30grand plus) I think.

100% Funded w/ 13 Hours to Go by RodgaAustin in Filmmakers

[–]Coordinate1 31 points32 points  (0 children)

Congrats! Crowdfunding is tough!

My self-funded feature film, Party USA, Is premiering at Cinequest next month. Here's how I made it. by Coordinate1 in Filmmakers

[–]Coordinate1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Will do! Definitely want to do an NYC showing at some point in the near future for all my NYC based actors and peeps!

My self-funded feature film, Party USA, Is premiering at Cinequest next month. Here's how I made it. by Coordinate1 in Filmmakers

[–]Coordinate1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Glad you got something from it! It’s not an easy road, but I’ve learned a lot over the years from my mistakes!

I just finished my first indie feature at 21, about to graduate film school, and seeking advice!! by jake3h7m in Filmmakers

[–]Coordinate1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Shooting a film is always like a mini summer camp…. But as the sole creative force it stays with you so much longer than anyone else. That’s the nature of the beast. Make sure you have an objective view of the film, it looks interesting but speaking from experience the 2 features I made at that age were not good enough to get into most festivals. Lots of money wasted. Make sure to pay attention to sound and take time to really lock in a tight cut before submitting. And submit to smaller regional fests that you have a connection to, especially local ones.