Fans make your film a success, don't leave finding them to chance

It takes so much effort to make a film. After all the blood, sweat and tears, you want your film to be seen!

Lean Filmmaking doesn’t leave this to chance. 

We don’t wait until the film is finished before seeing if anyone wants to watch it.

We validate our ideas with fan feedback, research interviews and tester videos, right from the very beginning of the filmmaking process.

We investigate who is interested in the film (and how to reach them), before investing time, money and energy in production.

We revamp, pivot or discard ideas through Make-Show-Adjust Cycles until we have the best interpretation of a story that connects with our fans.

We do all this because understanding the fans as early as possible will increase the odds of a successful film release.

Who is a fan, you ask?

Great question!

 A fan is a person willing to invest their time, attention and money – the ideal customer who’ll buy, watch and recommend this particular film.

⚡A fan can be identified by psychographics like values, interests and lifestyle…and not just simplistic demographics like age, income or gender.

⚡A fan actively engages with a subculture or niche group…and isn’t just part of a generic mainstream audience

⚡A fan emotionally cares about the subject of the film…and isn’t just an industry peer or fellow filmmaker.

The squad gathers knowledge about these fans: their feelings, motivations and communication style.

The goal is to find repeatable ways of recruiting fans and consistently converting them into taking action, whether it’s giving feedback, sharing content or purchasing the film.

Don’t get us wrong, this doesn’t mean that the film can’t cross over to reach a more general audience.

It's just as an indie filmmaker, you don’t have the luxury of trying to reach everyone.

Appealing to a broad audience often relies on A-list star power, flashy production values and a massive marketing campaign. All of this dramatically increases the costs. This kind of high-stakes filmmaking is out of reach for the majority of people and disproportionately favours those with privilege and access.

Instead, make a film for passionate fans who support your idea and appreciate your creative effort.

The Art of Lean Filmmaking, book and course available now. Start making an indie feature sooner than you ever thought possible.