A good filmmaker is a prepared filmmaker. If you want your work to be seen, whether in movie theatres, TV cable channels, web channels, via download or DVD from an online site or some variation thereof, you need to plan. And, ideally, your planning should start even before you shoot your first frame.

It’s the Wild, Wild West out there right now, and in most ways, a really good time to be an independent filmmaker. The landscapes of marketing and distribution and ways in which to secure financing for your film are changing rapidly into new paradigms that, literally, didn’t exist a few years ago.

For the independent filmmaker, keeping abreast of latest developments, options, and opportunities is key if you want to find your audience. Overwhelming? Certainly. But really doing your homework beforehand will ensure that your masterpiece will be seen. That is why we make films, after all.

Oftentimes, you will not only end up being the writer / director, but your own producer, as well—a producer who needs to know about the business and legal side of filmmaking. Like me, you probably didn’t go to a traditional film school. And if you did, you learned lots about aesthetic and technique, but not much about the real nuts and bolts of what it takes to get something marketed, distributed, and seen. To start, a really good resource for your library is The Independent Film Producer’s Survival Guide by Gunnar Erickson, Harris Tulchin and Mark Halloran (Schirmer Trade Books).

Besides maxing out credit cards and hocking your fine jewelry, finding the money to make your film is one of the biggest challenges you’ll face. Granted, making a film these days can be surprisingly cheap—you can do a lot for very little money. Step one, in my opinion is this: do your research and get familiar with as many grant-giving and funding institutions, both large and small, that give money to the arts, specifically film. You can start with the biggies like MacArthur or the Ford Foundation, but better yet, use web sites like www.lib.msu.edu/harris23/grants/3arts.htm to familiarize yourself with the funding institutions most likely to give you some money. Money begets money, so if you can find a private investor or two (a rich uncle, a friend on Wall Street with some extra cash who’s always wanted to make a movie) to give you some starting funds, grant-givers will more likely pay attention. Look for fiscal sponsorship programs to help you administer your funds. For a small percentage, you can have the benefit of 501c (3) status so that you set yourself up as a non-profit—investors can, in turn, make their “donation” to your project a full tax write-off. Be sure to draft an agreement between yourself and any investor (even if it’s a relative) so that they know exactly what they’re getting for their money and what kind of return (if any) they might expect to receive when your work starts generating a profit. Throwing in an Associate Producer credit doesn’t hurt, either. This is why most films these days have eighteen thousand producers attached.

The whole “build it and they will come” philosophy is also very effective. Create artwork, a good title, a killer postcard / poster with a compelling tagline. These are ways to create excitement and have something tangible to give to people—it gives an idea in your head heft and weight. If you can, shoot some test material or create a short trailer you can post to a web site—again, there are effective ways to generate something out of nothing to get potential investors excited about your project before you’ve even storyboarded anything. The sooner you have financial support or backing, the better. Learn how to do a budget; find out what things cost. I can’t emphasize this enough. You must be savvy about what it takes to create buzz and give potential investors a feeling that they’re dealing with a professional who’s done her/his homework. Of course, if you are to be taken seriously, you must back that up with something compelling and be ready to roll once funding starts coming in. Because getting the money isn’t enough—that can be squandered in a heartbeat. It’s knowing what to do with that money once you get it and making it last as long as you can that’s the key.

Learn how to explain your project in a couple of minutes or less. If you should be so lucky as to meet someone who can help you finance your film and they give you their ear at a party, a networking event, a screening, etc., it’s best to be as buttoned-up as possible, ready to sell, sell, sell your vision in a succinct, articulate and compelling way. If you’re excited and passionate and believe in your heart of hearts that the world needs your film, then someone else will believe that, too.  The money’s out there—you just need to learn how to ask for it.

And if you don’t already belong to some kind of film community, that should be a priority, as well. If you’re in or near New York, L.A., San Francisco, Chicago, or other large metropolitan areas, there will be a few indispensable resources in terms of support, education, and film-related events, both professional and social. If you live far from a major metro area, the web can provide endless resources—hook yourself in to an online community. For documentary filmmakers, join the International Documentary Association and Doculink. For narrative filmmakers, check out Film Independent (FIND), Independent Film Project (IFP), Women in Film, American Film Institute (AFI), ITVS. Check out the Directors Guild of America, the Writers Guild of America. The list is endless and there are, literally, thousands of resources out there—take advantage of this to network, look for mentors, crews, and advisors to help you wind your way through the gauntlet of raising financing for your project(s), crewing up for shoots, assistance with grant writing, finding good producers who specialize in the type of project you’re creating, creative partners, or much-needed inspiration and moral support. Create from the heart and you’ll do just fine. But for goodness’ sakes, please read the fine print on anything you sign!

Pamela Cohn is a freelance multimedia producer and documentary filmmaker and DP based in Los Angeles, California. She is a “have-camera-will-travel” kind of gal and has several international projects in development and production. Her documentary with Lisandro Perez-Rey, "La Fabri_K: The Cuban Hip Hop Factory,” recently screened at the AFI International Film Festival in Los Angeles and is currently being marketed at Cannes. She graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in New York in 1993 with concentrations in poetry, American history and Italian language and literature. She welcomes any questions on any aspect of the process, creative, logistical or otherwise, and will be happy to share resources, ideas and technical information. She can be reached at pamela@thefilmlot.com.