E-mail from Raindance..

Joined up to the Raindance mailing list some interesting stuff comes through

10 Things Filmmakers Need Every Day

Dear Tahra,

We thought we'd put together a list of the 10 most important things we use every day, along with a few handy tips of where to find the best deals:

Enjoy!
1. A good mobile telephone

A good telephone will become your mobile office.

Get the best phone you can, one that can allow you to surf and accept and write emails, and take location pictures.

An invaluable tool that lets you stay connected even when you are on the fly.

A good website to find the best deals

2. A good email address and website

Yahoo, Gmail and Hotmail might be free and easy to access, but getting your own domain name means you can have an individual and bespoke email address.

Register a domain at whois.com, and get a basic package that allows you to create your own email address, like elliot@raindance.co.uk, and join the professionals!

To build a website, use a programme like Apple's iWeb and DIY. Doesn't need to be fancy, include a section About You, Contact Details, Current Projects and your Showreel.

The 7 Steps to Building Your Own Website

Get a good service package from as little as £3.18 + VAT per month with Nativespace (the hosts of Raindance Film Festival)
5 Tips On Building A Filmmaker's Website

3. A good laptop with a good battery

And load it up with a useful editing programme like Final Cut Pro, an office admin programme, like Word, and something you can make good presentations with. It is also really useful to have a software package that will let you resize and optimise pictures for the web.

Here's the computer I use: Apple laptop


4. FLIP Camera

At £145, 720 HD, and an 8 gig hard drive, this little beauty is a must.

- See the review video from Computer Now
- See a camera test
- How one blogger got over $20,000 of free publicity using a FLIP

You can get your FLIP HD on Amazon for just £139.99 inc VAT

Perfect for getting those spur-of-the moment interviews to add to your DVD extras.

Order online here
5. Building your social networking groups

Get tooled up.

Creating Facebook and Twitter groups that are interested in your projects will pay dividends when your movie gets out there.

Get in the habit of spending 15-20 minutes every day.

Join the Raindance Twitter group
Free article: Web A-Z for Filmmakers

6. Business Cards

Who said a business card needs to be made of paper? This one is made out of sacking cloth.

One thing to be very sure of is that your details can be easily read. If printed on paper, make sure the back of the card is clear and has a matt finish so details can easily be written on the back.

Some other ideas for business cards.

Presentation is everything too.

Here are some great ideas on how to present yourself.


7. Pitching Skills

Many filmmakers avoid pitching - likening it to snake-oil-salesmanship

Most movies start with a pitch, and if the gift of the gab evades you, chances are you won't get the money, the crew or the talent to participate in your film.

Here's a free article: Pitching Essentials Part 1
Once you've read that one, read the exotically named Pitching Essentials Part 2
Check out our Live!Ammunition! Pitching Competition

8. Fig Rig

Our good friend Mike Figgis developed a camera stabilization device called the "Fig Rig" for holding a lightweight camera. He first used it for making "Timecode" the digital feature made with 4 cameras running at the same time.

Watch Mike Figgis do a Fig Rig tutorial.

Camera stabilisers don't come better than this, and our good friends at PEC in London have come up with a super deal.

9. Get Networking

Join filmmaking groups and associations where you live. London is spoiled for choice. There is the New Producers Alliance, Women in Film and Television, and OTT Films.

Online groups where you can meet people and exchange ideas include Talent Circle, and Shooting People.org.

Raindance has several monthly events aimed at networking, including Boozin' N' Schmoozin, our Open House, 99 Minute Film School and Live!Ammunition! events.

Then there is Twitter!
10 Twitter Tips For Filmmakers
Twittiquette
5 Twitter Filmmaker Marketing Tips

10. Training

The best way to learn how to make a film is by doing it, but getting advice from someone who has made films and made mistakes will save you time and energy duplicating those mistakes.

Two people will approach the same project in very different ways. Raindance film training courses will help you to discover different ways to approach the challenges of filmmaking and give you the tools to succeed.

Here is a Raindance must when it comes to training:
Unless tutors have practical experience in their field they won't be able to show how the industry really works or how they solved problems in their own projects.

The Raindance way to learn is always through people who have first hand experience of working in the industry.

11. Bonus

Lots of times you might need some expert advice.

- draft cast and crew contracts
- sample business plans
- a short seminar on film finance
- script registration

Maybe not everyday, but enough times to make it essential.

Happy Filmmaking,