How to be a Filmtrepreneur

Since graduating from film school Stephen Mulhearn has produced two award winning documentaries Eternity's Sunrise and Transcending the Storm. In 2022 Stephen has embarked on his first full-feature movie Highland Brave. Here is Stephens top tips for becoming a Film Producer.

Where to start?

Start where you know...what does this mean? As a student of anthropology and a long time lover of personal development Stephen created his documentary Eternity's Sunrise by interviewing his personal hero Joseph Chilton. This documentary revealed ancient wisdom exploring the very behaviours that are destroying life on earth. Eternity’s Sunrise presents a future without limitations.

Tip:

You can tap into your closest resources. Does the town you grew up in have a special story? Have you experiences a life changing event? Does one of your family members have a unique story?

How to build?

So you've decide on your story now to build your following. Make sure to document your journey and share it far and wide. Post photos on Instagram, reels of your breakthroughs and challenges, engage facebook followers with questionnaires, make sure to keep it simple but consistent.

This is where you begin to build your brand and your following which will be paramount when reaching out to actors, investors and ultimately be your customers when you finally release!

Attracting investment and key players?

Now you are expressing your creativity, sharing your story and have built a following. It helps to have names in business on your team when pitching to big distributors or getting seen at film festivals.

Networking is a fantastic way to get in the know! Stephen met many of the crew for Highland Brave either by attending film festivals, going to dedicated film networking events or reaching out via email.

It is important to have

1) Good pitch deck and elevator pitch

2) Know names and job roles of key team members before attending an event

3) Getting an introduction through friend in common can help when meeting new people

4) Don't forget to dress professionally and approach with confidence

Crowd fund yourself

They say that film is one of the most expensive arts. Film budgets can range form 8k to millions! A great way to source some of the budget yourself is through crowd funding, especially is you have a eager and engaged audience who want this film made. For Highland Brave we raised £34,000 via Indiegogo through offering various perks such as 'be an extra' or 'day on set' as well as merchandise like 'pre-offical download' and Highland Brave t-shirts.

Other helpful tips

Offering value can be a great way to make a good impression. Highland Brave is set in Scotland so Stephen offered speeches to students at both of Scotlands most famous Universities of Art. This way he gained direct access to Scotlands up and coming actors and film professionals.