I’m sure by now you’re asking yourself “What is this filmmaking 2.0 thing he’s always going on about?”
I can assure it isn’t just social networking or a way to raise money. It’s a philosophy. A new way of thinking.
It’s both audience building and community building. It’s a testing ground to see how a group of people responds to your story, film, book, or idea.
For several years I have been a huge fan of podcasts and new media programming. To be quite honest, with the exception of NPR, I’ve been “off” terrestrial radio for about five years. If I want to hear a song or album, I buy it and put it on my MP3 player of choice (those who know me know exactly which MP3 player that is). Podcasting provided a way for me to find original content…from real people, like me.
Podcasters, for the most part, neither speak for one specific product, nor work for one specific company. They can (and do) speak for anything they want. Their loyalty lies with their intended audience. And no matter how narrow the niche, an audience is out there.
As many of you may know, out of podcasting came Podcast Novels, which were serialized audio books, traditionally released chapter by chapter. There are a lot of writers and storytellers out there with an unpublished book, some with entire series of books that they have written. These writers want to tell their story, but don’t want to wait the sometimes years it takes to grab an agent or publishing company’s attention.
The podcasting of fiction became a huge success and authors such as Scott Sigler, J.C. Hutchins, Seth Harwood and James Melzer have all been able to turn that success into actual book deals with big Publishing companies. How did they do it? In every instance the author took the time and did the leg-work to build theiraudience. It’s no secret that having an audience makes selling your story much MUCH easier. It’s why “Zombie Ninjas from Outer Space 2” has a much better box office return than the first installment, even though true critics know the first one remains the best Zombie Ninja movie of all time.
So, this is where Filmmaking 2.0 comes in. I started thinking about how I could build an audience for a film that does not exist? At first it seemed impossible. It seemed like even trying would be a waste of time. So, I thought long and hard about it…and it hit me. Not just a light bulb over my head, but a lightning bolt to my brain. I kept seeing and hearing it over and over in my mind’s eye.
Filmmaking 2.0…Let’s Make This Thing…Filmmaking 2.0…can it work?
Hell yes, it can work!
And in the next blog post, I will explain how…
Before I go, I want to thank all of you for reading and for your heart-warming encouragement and support. To every one that has donated money to this cause, or bought one of my short stories in the store; it is YOUR overwhelming response that has convinced me that this project can and will work.
Thank you for everything,
M
