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Indie Film Alchemy 101

Hey Reader!

I don't know why I picked the most expensive art form on the planet... or why I love the most expensive genres within it. When I was 11, I picked up a camera for the first time and started making fantasy movies in the woods by my home in Massachusetts. Over nearly 30 years, I've learned how to make little to no money look like Hollywood-level movie magic. And that's exactly what filmmaking is: magic.

Indie filmmaking, however, is not just magic. It's pure alchemy.

You don't have the time, you don't have the money, you don't have the resources. But through years of learning how to take almost nothing and turn it into something captivating, I've developed a taste, and perhaps a capacity, for what really is cinema alchemy.

Last year, we started posting about production to our old YouTube channel, but for technical reasons (algorithms, blah blah blah), my wife Renny and I decided to create a new venture called Indie Film Crew. We built a new Patreon, Discord, YouTube channel, Substack, and social media handles @indiefilmcrew. Of course, if you're reading this, you likely already know that. But what I really want to talk about is the creative pursuit of making world-class cinema... both the shoots we've already done and the ones we're currently working on.

One of the best examples of film alchemy: how we filmed several scenes for our future film, Alien Country, in just 48 hours. This included the opening and closing scenes, beautiful aerial shots, and second unit photography. With only a few thousand dollars, we added what looks like a million dollars of production value to our independent film.

The Alchemical Source:

But more than just the pursuit of world-class images and the craft of achieving them, I want to share something else. This was a stressful shoot on our relationship. We talk about how when things go wrong, you can end up at odds with your partner or friends because you lose sight of what's most important.

There are best practices for how to treat a crew well, and we discuss them in our most recent video. But truly having respect and friendship with the people you work with is essential, because magic doesn't come from nowhere. The real source of indie film alchemy is the trust and love you share with your collaborators, and the results of that over time. And I hope you can sense that when you watch our latest behind-the-scenes stories.

If you can think of a film friend who would enjoy this, please support us by simply sharing it with them.

Just that simple act makes all the difference in the world to us! Thanks!

Also for those who enjoy Substack, you can catch our udpates there as well: