by Alex Cox
1. Don't do it! There are already too many filmmakers. It's a stupid job in a ridiculous business. If there's any chance you can make it as a veterinarian, or a paleontologist, or a plumber, or a linguist, go for the real job.
2. If you're incapable of being anything but a filmmaker, try not to get hung up on the 'film' thing. Most low-budget drama and almost all documentaries are shot on digital video. It's cheap and the equipment is readily available. You can edit the footage on your Mac, GNU/Linux box or (feh) Windows machine. And distribute via DVD.
3. Make it long rather than short. As a rule, people don't pay to look at shorts. Yes, there are lots of short films up there on the internet, but they were put there by people who made them as a hobby, for free. These people have real jobs: vet, paleontologist, etc. As a professional filmmaker you will need to make money from your work. And that means making feature films, in the traditional 85-95 minute format.
4. Don't cut pictures to your favourite piece of music. You aren't shooting a pop promo, you're making a film. This is quite different.
5. Work with actors. Unless it's a documentary, you have no choice about this. You and your family members will not suffice. If you can't stand to be around actors, please revisit #1.
6. Don't use scriptwriting software! Scriptwriting software is a scam. If you can't set two tabs and capitalise character names, give up now. And don't read books with titles like "The Art and Science of Screenwriting." What goes on inside the camera is science. What goes on in a writer's head is art. If you're making a drama, work hard on the script and get it as good as possible before you start. Every character should be clearly different on the page. If Carl, Faisal and Fanny all sound the same, fix 'em. Don't worry about camera angles – that's the DP's job. And don't think you can avoid the script, by improvising the dialogue on set. Have you ever seen an 'improvised' film you weren't bored by?
7. Don't wait around for the money to come. If you only raise half what you think you need, make the film for that. If you raise nothing, make it anyway. Filmmaking is about ingenuity, innovation, and intelligence, not money. As Buñuel said, "Sensitivity, paramount. Intelligence, paramount. Everything else, including money, comes after." [editor's note: If you don't know who Buñuel is, revisit #1]
8. Avoid film festivals. Sometimes you have to go to them, but they are normally time-wasting, hangover-inducing, and you don't raise any money at 'em. Whenever possible, send the producer or the actors to the festival, and concentrate on your next project instead. If you feel you must, apply to festivals where you know the food will be good: Tokyo, Venice, San Sebastian, Bradford. Avoid all cities not renowned for their cuisine.
9. If you're a 'young' filmmaker, quite likely you haven't seen many films made prior to STAR WARS. And if you live in Britain or the US, your exposure to foreign-language films will have been limited. Remedy this! Rent DVDs and watch films by Kurosawa, by Buñuel, by Ford, by Peckinpah, by Lindsay Anderson, by Emilio Fernandez. See THE WAGES OF FEAR and LONELINESS OF THE LONG-DISTANCE RUNNER and THE DEVILS and AGUIRRE – WRATH OF GOD. Sure, this is the cinema of old, sexist, white hegemonists (or their Asian and Mexican equivalents). But these guys were geniuses – fucking geniuses – and you need to see what they did.
(Alex's latest film, SEARCHERS 2.0, will premiere at the Venice Film Festival. For more info go to www.searchers2.com)