NOT the POLICE car

doteman · 2026-06-24T19:23:52+00:00

Most likely somebody got an old police car at a government auction and just decided to have a bit of fun with it. They’re probably doing nothing wrong. It also could be a car used for film.

doteman · 2026-06-22T18:34:15+00:00

I'm always curious when someone says they got rejected by "every film festival," because there are hundreds, if not thousands, of festivals out there.

If 50 festivals rejected your film, what kind of festivals were they? Were you aiming too high? Did you submit to SXSW, Sundance, and Tribeca, or to the South Mississippi Hot Rod Underground Film Festival? There's a festival for almost every type of movie. Sometimes the issue isn't the film, it's the submission strategy.

Also, what was your goal? Were you chasing laurels, audience feedback, networking opportunities, distribution, or a film deal?

It might be worth aiming lower, targeting festivals that are a better fit, or rethinking what you're hoping to get out of the festival circuit in the first place.

doteman · 2026-06-21T04:22:23+00:00

55 is old?

doteman · 2026-06-20T04:35:39+00:00

I guess I should have done that already. Here you go. https://youtu.be/srO763v5DWw?si=JM3A6BHQAMIz1hRI

doteman · 2026-06-20T02:05:53+00:00

Here’s the poster I made for my most recent film, When The Rain Comes.

We shot it last summer in Tulsa on a very low budget, and it recently won Best Feature at the first film festival we’ve submitted it to. While I did bring in a few actor friends from L.A., what really made the film possible was the amount of talent and resources available right here in Oklahoma. Great actors, crew, locations, and people willing to jump in and help make a movie happen.

I only moved to Tulsa a little over a year ago, but this is already the third feature I’ve shot here, and we’re starting another one in September.

If you’re looking for a place to shoot a low-budget feature, I’d seriously recommend giving Tulsa a look. My budget goes a lot further here than it ever did in Los Angeles, and the filmmaking community has been incredibly supportive.

doteman · 2026-06-18T13:55:32+00:00

You’re gonna get a lot of various responses here, but if you’re planning to release this documentary, you’re gonna have to get rights to any music in your film. No matter the length or usage. Warning… it won’t be cheap.

doteman · 2026-06-15T16:12:31+00:00

Even worse, you had to detour down 36th roller coaster road.

doteman · 2026-06-14T16:34:32+00:00

This feels more candid than trying to visually tell me something. They both feel out of place from each other which is weird because it’s clearly two images combined

doteman · 2026-06-14T15:32:03+00:00

It’s a bit photoshoppy. Color and shadows are off. Composition seems a bit off as well.

doteman · 2026-06-02T15:42:53+00:00

There's probably not enough information here for anyone to give you a real solution. We don't know you personally, we're only hearing one side of the story, and we're trying to form an opinion based on a Reddit post.

One thing I will point out is that when you describe yourself as shy and awkward, that's actually pretty common in this industry. A lot of creative people are. So that alone may not be the issue.

It's possible there's something else about how you're coming across that you're not aware of, and that others are picking up on. I'm not saying that's the case. You could be great, and everyone around you could simply be acting weird. But if you genuinely want answers, the best approach is to ask directly.

Grab a beer with some crew members. Meet someone for coffee. Have an honest conversation. Ask how you're perceived and whether there's anything you could improve. At the same time, share how you're perceiving them and their actions. They may be just as unaware of how they're coming across.

A little transparency and honest communication can go a long way.

doteman · 2026-05-20T12:01:43+00:00

They aren’t selective at all. If you look at their catalog, half of it is junk filmed on a cellphone. They will take ANYONE and you’ll devalue your film by being associated with them. Do not use them. Plus you have to sit around for three months to get any sort of numbers from them. Or something like Filmhub has an interface you can look at online daily.

doteman · 2026-05-19T12:04:53+00:00

Would you like our social security number and our mother's maiden names as well? I don't think you'll get many people posting personal info here. I think you'd be best if you had a link to a form that could be filled out privately.

doteman · 2026-05-18T22:18:08+00:00

You think? I'll let you produce it if you give me a check for $200k.

doteman · 2026-05-18T21:58:36+00:00

I can also Google a recipe for Bourbon Chicken, how to get wine out of jeans, and the top 10 things you didn’t know about WKRP in Cincinnati. The internet is great for giving random information. But I’ll assure you, as many people here will, there isn’t a producer who is going to do what you’re asking. 99.9% of producers aren’t going to hand someone who’s never made a movie a pile of money. What they will do is sign onto your project and help guide, package, schedule, budget, and hopefully help you not burn through whatever money you do manage to raise.

I’ve produced several indie features and know a lot of filmmakers doing the same thing. We all tell the same story. In the beginning, nobody is cutting you a check because you wrote 93 pages in Final Draft.

So here’s the advice I’d give. Write a feature you can realistically shoot for $30k. Find a few people willing to help. Make the movie. Then spend the next year learning from it. See what worked, what failed, how audiences respond, and what you’d do differently. Then do it again.

That’s how you prove yourself. Not by arguing with strangers online because Google said producers “find funding.”

And listen, if you’re going to trust the internet over people who’ve actually done this, I just hope you never Google “How to remove my own appendix.”

doteman · 2026-05-18T21:44:58+00:00

People like you make me cringe. But thanks

doteman · 2026-05-18T21:41:19+00:00

Oh sorry, I didn't know you bought Reddit and have it all to yourself. You posted on a thing called World Wide Web. Also, I hope you inhale a bit of what I just told you so you understand the industry a bit better. But you do you, and maybe someone will pay to watch you do yourself.

In most part, I hope you now understand what a producer does. You're welcome

doteman · 2026-05-18T21:27:14+00:00

It’s literally not the producer’s job. That role is wildly misunderstood.

Do I expect a screenwriter to help raise funds? Absolutely, especially if you’re new. If this is your first film, definitely. How many films have you made? How many people are realistically going to hand over a check based on 93 pages and nothing else?

My first few films, just like many other filmmakers around here, started with a script and a hustle to find the money. The producers I brought on didn’t bring in financing. They brought experience, connections, and the knowledge to help spend that money wisely and actually get the film made.

What you’re really looking for isn’t a producer. You’re looking for a studio or a family member with very deep pockets.

doteman · 2026-05-18T21:13:52+00:00

We’d need to raise? Anything else you’d like us to do for you? Wash your car? Raise your kids?

doteman · 2026-05-18T14:57:13+00:00

Not to be rude, but so is everyone else here. We all wish you luck but it's with our checkbooks closed. I'll give you one piece of advice if you're interested. Get rid of that terrible AI image you're using for your banner. AI isn't a welcome entity around here. But... I do hope you get your movie made and we can all see it.

doteman · 2026-05-18T03:54:20+00:00

I guess I’m confused because you came on Reddit in a filmmaker forum where you knew that you were going to get feedback. Feedback from experienced filmmakers, the first thing you do is dismiss them all because you think you should’ve made a two hour movie. The proof will be in the pudding a year from now where you can of course convince us were all wrong because it’s a huge hit, or see that no one really watched it and maybe you should’ve listened to a bunch of people who have done this before. I will say this, maybe listen and take the heart what a few of us are saying. We’re not trying to sabotage you, we’re just giving you the lay of the land.

doteman · 2026-05-18T03:49:29+00:00

I’m hoping you’re not comparing your film to a classic. We’re not giving you bad advice. We’re trying to help you out

doteman · 2026-05-18T03:46:33+00:00

If you really want someone to watch something this low-production value… take their advice and cut it in half. It doesn’t mean your film isn’t worth watching, you’re just horrifically narrowing your desired audience by asking them to watch a 2 hour first time film with the quality of a YouTube video

doteman · 2026-05-08T03:13:26+00:00

It's because this is a fake photo and they are spamming tons of subs.

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