Producing An Independent Film From The Grassroots Up
Michael Gottwald
Lessons
Class Introduction
17:31 2What is Grassroots Producing?
16:37 3The Different Types of Producers
10:58 4The Producer/Director Relationship
14:59 5How to Get Into Producing
23:13 6Connecting with People
13:27 7The Script
19:09 8Get the Funds for Your Film
41:12Logline Critiques
06:02 10How to Approach Film Budgeting
24:56 11How to Approach Film Budgeting
14:29 12Find a Grassroots Cast
19:26 13Locations with Casey Coleman
16:35 14Scheduling & Shooting
14:20 15Who is Your Film's Audience?
29:30 16Film Festivals
11:36 17Grassroots Film Distribution
20:48 18Watch Movies & Read Books
12:05Class Description
Producing an independent film takes an enormous commitment of time, money, and energy – but there are steps you can follow to make the whole undertaking more productive and less overwhelming. Producing An Independent Film From The Grassroots, Up is your guide to reducing friction during every stage of independent feature film production.
In this class, Michael Gottwald, a producer on the OSCAR®-nominated, Beasts of the Southern Wild, will detail the process his team used to bring this sleeper hit to life. By exploring the independent film production process through the lens of Beasts of the Southern Wild you’ll learn how to generate your own independent film success.
Michael will teach you how to:
- Find optimal material to produce
- Engage private and social fundraising resources
- Craft a production plan suited to your existing resources
- Distribute and market a finished film
Whether or not you have industry connections, or live in traditional “media centers” (such as New York or Los Angeles), you can still give life to a project that will impact the film industry and artform. You don’t have to blindly navigate the rocky terrain of grassroots film production alone. Michael will offer the insights you need to tackle common challenges during every stage of the producing process.
Producing An Independent Film From The Grassroots, Up will show you how to create films that, if positioned properly, rise above the current indie film marketplace "noise."
Class Materials
bonus material with purchase
Ratings and Reviews
a Creativelive Student
A top-notch presentation on indie film making. I learned a lot from this course which I hope to soon put into practice as I'm about to embark on my first indie film - as a screen writer for the first time out, but eventually I hope to write, direct, and produce my own film. Very easy to follow the presentations in this course, and the handouts I received when I purchased the course are quite useful.
A-Rae
Such a great course! Being an indie "Grassroots" filmmaker in the middle of three projects, I found what Michael shared to be very valuable. The way that he described the different aspects of producing and illustrated with examples was very clear and fresh. The course really opens you up to examine your own processes, what works / what doesn't and stirs up some new ideas on how to move forward. Thanks CreativeLive team for making the class happen!
user-5e0444
This is a tremendous introduction to grassroots filmmaking. Michael takes you step by step through the various elements of film production and offers those so inclined a cursory understanding of what is required. Because filmmaking is a creative pursuit, the direction the individual filmmaker takes from there is entirely up to each. I would highly recommend this course to any one starting out in filmmaking. Well worth the cost. David W. King, Michigan Movie Magazine
Student Work
Related Classes
Videography