How Do Filmmakers Make Money? : A Little Monetary Advice

Following your passion is fine, but if you want to pursue it for a long time then you have to start with different ways to earn money. You have 2 options: A. where you follow your passion while doing a side hustle simultaneously (remember you only have limited time. Time is especially a barrier when it comes to making the film). Your other option is to make your passion, your profession.

If that sounds okay to you then hear us out. You might have seen that filmmakers are not making films just because they are passionate- it brings them money. You can earn money too. Just follow the following steps:

1. Get a Distributor for your film

Filmmaking is a business, and to survive in this competitive business you need help. Similar to business pitching, an indie filmmaker has to pitch his/her film to film distributors. If you attend some top film festivals you can find them there. They will evaluate your movie’s worth, and if you are in luck, then you might as well sell your movie to them and earn money.

2. Self Distribution.

You should be aware beforehand those film distributors are also here for the money. So if they don’t find your film fit for their profit; then you have to resort to self-distribution. This is where you promote, and distribute your film yourself. The bright side is you get all the profit.

There is a platform called CANVAS where you can self-distribute your film, and earn money from advertising revenue. You can check it out.

3. Go Corporate

Reality check: if you presume that your first movie will be screened at cinema halls and earn major revenue then you are in for a heartbreak. Sure, you can submit it to different upcoming film festivals and hope for the best, but that’s it. For the initial days, you have to do corporate videos to earn constant revenue for your project.

4. Low Budget, Decent Profit

“Netflix will pay you up to $100,000 to license your movie,” claims Weiss. “That’s great — if you made it for $30,000.” There is an article published on No Film School where a producer advice to keep your film budget low so that you can make enough profit.

5. Learn from the past

No filmmaker in this entire world has made only hit pictures, some of them were flops too. Still, they are making money and are successful. You might also have flop movies in your career, but never give up. Learn from your past mistakes, gather up money again, and make a better movie. This will be a hit surely.

Sure, there are more ways to earn money. There will be a second part as well. Stay tuned to WFCN to know more.