Filmmaking is Madness

A film crew hauled a 320 ton steamship up a steep hill in Peru. An actor lay on the damp grown until feeling the beginnings of frost bite.

Filmmakers and film crews have completed physical feats which can be dangerous even with safety precautions.

Long hours and little sleep are standard in the industry.

For those of us making films on a micro budget, we work and save to make our celluloid dreams reality. The business model for most of these ventures is, save your money for two to three years and then film a no budget feature. Or take out vast amounts of credit card debt. Scrap together a cast, crew, locations, and gear on a budget that the industry would spend for one day of craft.

We put in long hours (of our free time) to produce and edit these films. And if we do everything right maybe a film festival will pick them up or maybe we’ll get one hundred views on YouTube. Meanwhile, much of the market is interested in Charlie bit my finger or the latest TikTok trend.

We put strains on our relationships, if we’re able to obtain a meaningful relationship and maintain it.

Some days feel like walking on broken glass.

When I was producing my first horror short film, I went to a bank and handed over my credit card for a cash advance. As the teller counted the money I told her, “I’m putting it all on red.” And I laughed. (I was in debt for four or five years after that, but it was a magical and stressful weekend shooting that film).

It’s a madness. If you’re not in it, it doesn’t make sense. If you don’t love making movies, you quit because there are no returns for you. There’s the potential of finding your audience, but you’re one salmon in a stream struggling up river against the current and a bear has you in its teeth.

Reality is a point of view

Reality is a construct by your social group. The Crusades were a sane and just thing to do, for the Crusaders. The Aztecs believed human sacrifice was for the good of everyone.

Filmmakers accept the madness because for us, these are just realities.

We love making films. We love telling stories. We love imagining a scare or seeing the images in our mind on screen.

Nothing makes me happier than going for a walk and thinking of a new image or seeing an idea for a scene and then writing it down when I get home. Nothing makes me happier than writing screenplays. Nothing makes me happier than that moment when I’m on set and I’m working with my crew and I see those images play out in front of my eyes. Nothing makes me happier than the moments of camaraderie on set. Nothing makes me happier than when I’m in the editing bay piecing all of these shots together and its starting to work. Nothing makes me happier than when I share these films with my friends and hear what they think about them. Nothing makes me happier than sharing these films with the world.

I was strolling home the other day after the grocery store and I felt giddy.

Nothing makes me happier than working on the next film.

It is a madness. But these touches of madness are sweeter than reality.

I plan on making a spooky micro short, a creepy short, and a horror / thriller feature this year. To make these films happen, I need you, your friends, and your creepy cousin. Filmmaking will happen in Chicago. If you would like to support this horror slate, please connect: lance@hungeranddread.com

Next week’s blog: How to Write Without Writing

Check out last week’s blog post: A New Direction — Horror Filmmaking