Indie filmmaking: where the community is as important as the camera

“Every film starts with someone having an idea,” says Jack Adair, our European Broadcast and Cinema Marketing Lead. As a statement, this might seem a little… obvious. But in the world of independent filmmaking, the idea itself might be the hill you die on and where you go from there can be an epic tale in and of itself.

“And the idea can start with anyone,” he adds. “They might be a producer, a director, a cinematographer or a writer. Even an actor”. The point is that the idea starts the ball rolling, but no person is an island and that’s where this end of the industry becomes fascinating – when you’re starting small, you naturally need to be more resourceful. “More often than not, these people then need to find others to make their film happen. And that’s where film festivals are really important.”

While we all know of the breakout successes, filmed with next to zero budget and the smallest of crew, this isn’t the norm. And the bigger the idea, the greater the ambition, the more support – and budget – is needed. So, networking becomes an essential part of the process: to find the skills and financial support you need to get your film off the ground. It’s also a way to access the kind of expert advice that can be priceless for those new to the industry.

This is very much Jack’s world and through many years of meeting and working with grassroots and indie filmmakers, he’s learnt to recognise the well-trodden paths. It’s meant that he and his colleagues have been able to valuably contribute to that journey through partnerships with festivals like Raindance in the UK, where the Canon Lounge has welcomed filmmakers old and new, offering everything from advice and introductions to support with equipment. “We champion independent cinema and know it comes with a level of creative freedom that you might not get with a large studio production,” he explains. “They can be small teams; sometimes even a team of one. So, though they have the belief in their idea, getting the right group together to make it happen is just as important. At Raindance, for example, someone might need a post-production editor or cinematographer for their film and finds them by going around and introducing themselves to people.”

If it sounds very DIY, that’s because it is and this is something that Jack particularly loves about indie filmmakers. “It's a beautiful community that always comes together when it needs to. However, all films cost money and I think, deep down, all creators want the biggest budget they possibly can”. There are a few different routes that can be taken – film finance companies are the primary source of funding, but there are also grants, crowdsourcing activities and private investors to consider. Some aspiring filmmakers simply save for years to fund their project, so they have complete creative control. “In this respect, I think it would take a lot to curtail the independent film industry because they always find a way to make something happen,” he smiles, adding, “to fund a project might take years, but there’s a ‘never give up, never say die’ attitude”. And this, he says, is where Canon can offer support, again via the festival network, through the loan of cameras and lenses. “It can free up budget up for better locations or another actor.”

This intrepid approach also shows itself through agility – the hallmark of the indie filmmaker – doing things differently, having ideas which don’t necessarily lend themselves to the slower pace of studio productions. More and more creators are now turning to vertical productions, for example. That is, filming in portrait for mobile audiences. “We're going to see a bit of a boom in it,” Jack says. “Because technology like the EOS C50 and EOS C400 lets you shoot horizontal and vertical simultaneously. You can have a copy ready for YouTube or Netflix at the same time as a version for TikTok or Instagram”. ‘Micro dramas’ (sometimes called ‘vertical dramas’) are already a multi-billion dollar industry in the US, China and other parts of Asia, and, according to Jack, proposals for similar content are on the rise in Europe. “Traditional cinema or streaming for television isn’t going anywhere,” he adds. “But vertical is coming. Indeed, it’s here already.”

As creative and adaptable as it is, independent filmmaking is a business and Jack is keen to stress that no matter how sensational your idea, you need to be able to sell it. “You need to be ready to show evidence – have a business plan, a pitch presentation or even a proof of concept,” he says. “You want to make a feature film? Perhaps begin by making a short version. Enter it in to film festivals and if it does well, it can progress”. Again, the networks and events play a far bigger role in reaching the goal of having a film made than you might realise. “That's the wonder of the community. It pulls together to get these projects made, no matter how long it takes,” he says. “There's a big umbrella covering what independent film means, how it's pitched, how it's proposed and how people work within it. But underneath that umbrella, things are always changing – and not just the ways people film, but how they pitch their film. It's a forever developing industry.”