New Filmmakers Guide

I chat with filmmaker and host of the Filmmaking (Actually) podcast Koura Linda about the pros and cons of making your film independently or taking it to a studio.

This year I thought I would take it upon myself to curate a list of film-related gift ideas for the filmmaker near you.

Confidence is often spoken about as the "antidote" to imposter syndrome. Whilst I would agree that confidence is something that can help what are you meant to do when you're not feeling confident?

We all have goals and dreams for things we might like to do with our careers. For me, it's directing, but we never start off in that role there are ladders we must climb to get there. When we remain on one rung for so long, feeling comfortable and confident with how it feels, what does it take for us to move on to the next?

A great place to start to gain experience on set, observe the process in action and make contacts along the way. If you do a good job it can also be a good way to gain respect from others as most people will have done their time with the role at the start of their careers. I am of course talking about being a Runner.

Directors Notes or Treatments are a document that explains your film, why you're making it and who you're making it with. I thought it would be valuable to share some of the things I picked up during writing a Director's Notes for the first time.

It's certainly a new style of work that I am not used to in the slightest. Having always had externally provided structure in my daily life from school to university and into full-time work, this is the first time that I am 100% in control of how I want to structure what I do in a day...and it's really daunting.

Calling myself an aspiring director and only ever pursuing assisting jobs has firmly cemented in my mind that that is all I am worth and capable of doing. But why have I been doing this?

Unfortunately working in the film industry can sometimes leave you with feelings of doubt, impostor syndrome, and a general lack of self-confidence. But something you might notice in those that have moved their way up the film career ladder is that no matter how much skill you have or how much knowledge you possess, it's the confidence that sells it.