Producer’s Masterclass

I’ve been reading posts on film blogs and have been signing up to email newsletters. Partly to pick up tips, partly to find out about networking and learning events around London. It’s good getting tips and projects straight into my inbox.

Just a few:

• The Black and Blue Blog
• No Film School
• Screenwriting Goldmine
• Adelaide Screenwriter

Chris Jones’ blog emailed about a Producing Masterclass. One weekend on Producing UK films. By signing up to the Masterclass, you get free entry to four sessions leading up to it: Starting and Running your Production Company; Pitching; Producing with soft money and tax breaks; a Q+A with Film Lawyers.

I, unfortunately, was silly, and didn’t write the lead-up sessions in my diary. So I double-booked myself with a dance class, and didn’t realise until I got an email thanking us for attending the first session and saying that the second had been delayed by a week. Whoops! Fortunately it was the Beginner’s Class I was going to, so I missed two classes and made it to the next two sessions.

I. was. blown. away.

In New Zealand, I went to Filmmakers Masterclasses. There were sessions for Filmmakers. Notice the difference yet? In NZ, everyone is multi-talented (please excuse my generalisation). You have to be. You know how to write, direct, produce, edit. The people who are making films are doing everything. How often do you see ‘Writer/Director/Producer’ on a short film credit? All the time. Rather than say ‘I write, I direct, I produce, I do everything’ you just say ‘I’m a Filmmaker’.

This was a Producing Masterclass.

As in, everyone there was a Producer.

Not a director. Not a DoP. Not a “I do everything, I make films, I’m a filmmaker”. I’m talking specifics. Producers. People who understand the importance of networking. People who can sell a film or a filmmaker and can get you enthused about it. People who know about all aspects of filmmaking and just want to get films made.

And I was in my element.

I’ve been feeling a bit stink about my filmmaking recently (oh the life of a creative. Where bouts of depression bring you down). And this bought me back up. This was me, this is what I do.

It was the Pitching Masterclass. Where the very act of getting up and talking about your project or about you is the very first and the only hurdle. I got up and pitched myself for 60 seconds. Why I’m awesome. To a room of about 60 people. It was nerve wracking, but dang if I didn’t feel alive after having done it.

I met great people, got some good tips, swapped some business cards.

I got a bit busy to finish this post – more to come…