Through out my years as a filmmaker, one thing I have seen every filmmaker struggling with is the ability to market themselves and stand out in the industry.
And to be honest with you, so many who chose this path have given up even before they began simply because their efforts in the film industry seems to pass by unnoticed.
We all know that the path to success in any given field or career is always so challenging and sometimes very hard, but with a little bit of knowledge, hard work, experience and above all patience, every aspiring filmmaker can always make it to the top and become rich in their chosen filmmaking profession or career.
So having been around the industry for a while. I think I am in a better position to gather my experience and teach aspiring filmmakers how they can market themselves to become successful in this industry.
But before I do so, let us first and foremost look at the reason why you should market yourself as a filmmaker.
Why you should market yourself as a filmmaker.
Marketing yourself s a filmmaker is very vital because it is going to help you build your career and become very successful in the industry.
You need to understand that there are so many people aspiring to become filmmakers daily, and for that reason you need to stand out from the crowd, or else you will never have the opportunity to make it to the top of your career in this industry.
The one thing that will help you stand out from the crowd in this industry is the successful projects you are being credited for. But before you are able to do so, you need to understand that you need to start somewhere because every other successful filmmaker you have seen today started with no body of work to show.
The key to becoming successful lies in positioning yourself as a talented and passionate filmmaker who is ready to swallow all pride and execute any project you are being given, even if the pay is not attractive at the very start.
And with that in mind, let us quickly move on to see how you can market yourself as a filmmaker.
How to market yourself as a filmmaker.
Below are the ways you can market yourself as a filmmaker:
- Chose your own film profession or career.
- Create your demo video clips.
- Know your target audience.
- Build your portfolio website.
- Establish a social media presence.
- Network and collaborate with other filmmakers.
1. Chose your own film profession or career.
Filmmaking revolves around several professions or careers, and I bet you don’t want to become a jack of them all and end up as a master of none. As a matter of fact, no sane producer or director will allow you to take on more than one or very few profession in any given film production.
Thus, you need to figure out and chose any filmmaking profession or career you are passionate about. It could be a cinematographer, a director, production manager, gaffer, sound engineer etc.
Once you are able to chose your filmmaking profession or career, you can then go ahead to undergo the basic training that will enable you to become a professional in that career.
2. Create your demo video clips.
One thing you will discover when you start marketing yourself as a filmmaker is that potential clients will always seek to see any or more projects you have executed before they decide to give you an opportunity to get on theirs.
And for that reason, you need to ensure you have various demo video clips showcasing you executing your job in the best possible way.
You can get this video clips by always using your phone or an extra camera to record behind the scene footages showing you on the line of duty.
Later it is this demo video clips you are going to upload on your portfolio website and social media platforms as a means of showcasing your work.
3. Know your target audience.
If you fail to know your target audience when you are trying to market yourself as a filmmaker, you will show your body of work in the wrong places and end up not attracting even a single client and getting no jobs as a result.
Once you are able to figure out your target audience, you can then go ahead to connect with them and establish the relationship that will be fetching you lots of jobs.
4. Build your portfolio website.
One of the ways to market yourself as a filmmaker is to build a portfolio website. The main advantage of having your own portfolio website is that it will help you to showcase the jobs you have executed and moreover update your contact details that will enable those who are interested in working with you reach out immediately and directly.
You can go ahead to create a blog section and implement content marketing to enable potential customers organically discover you online.
For example, this website is my filmmaking portfolio, and as a cinematographer and editor you can discover the jobs I have successfully executed by following this link to my portfolio section.
However, building a portfolio website is cost effective because you will be required to buy a domain and hosting which you will renew every year, or in monthly basis according to the payment cycle you chose.
5. Establish a social media presence.
Social media platforms are another great places where you can establish your online presence and connect with people who can give you an opportunity to get on their next film project.
The best part of the social media platforms is that you wont have to spend anything to join as you can sign up for a free account right away.
6. Network and collaborate with other filmmakers.
The fact will always remain that there are other professionals who are presently working in the film industry, and being connected to them will increase your chances of landing a job based on your chosen profession or career.
And to connect with this professionals, you have to network a loot. You can do this by joining online communities, attending film events like premiering or festivals, etc.
Good luck!
