You Finished Your Film. Now What?
Finishing a movie is an accomplishment. But finishing the movie and building a future for the movie are two completely different jobs.
Congratulations.
You finished the film.
Now comes the question that catches far too many filmmakers by surprise:
What are you going to do with it?
Production gives you a clear objective. Finish the movie.
Post-production gives you another. Finish the edit.
Then suddenly the roadmap disappears.
Should you enter festivals?
Should you pursue distribution?
Should you try to sell it directly?
Should you put it on YouTube?
Should you use it as a proof of concept?
Should you approach managers or agents?
Should you start developing the feature version?
Should you build an audience first?
The correct answer may be completely different for two films of the same length and genre.
That is why filmmakers should stop thinking of “finished” as the end of the process.
It's another beginning.
The first question I would ask is:
What do you want this film to accomplish?
Maybe the goal is revenue.
Maybe it's representation.
Maybe it's qualifying for awards.
Maybe it's demonstrating that you should direct a feature.
Maybe it's building an audience.
Maybe it's getting a television concept noticed.
Maybe the film itself has commercial value.
Maybe the intellectual property has more value than the finished film.
Those objectives create different strategies.
A filmmaker trying to attract a manager should make different decisions than a producer trying to license a completed film internationally.
This is also why I believe filmmakers should begin thinking about the life of their project before production begins.
Who's the audience?
What happens when it's finished?
Where could it play?
What rights do we own?
Could this story become something larger?
Is there a brand partnership?
Could characters live beyond the movie?
Are there international opportunities?
Does this work better as a calling card or commercial product?
These aren't questions that diminish the art.
They protect it.
Because there's nothing more frustrating than spending months or years making something and then realizing nobody developed a plan for what happens afterward.
Film Faster is being built around a simple idea:
Your project should always have a potential next move.
The movie may be finished.
The opportunity isn't.
Film Faster Question: What do you want your completed film to accomplish for you?
