The Hidden Blessings of Being a Maverick Filmmaker

by T. LaBee

The term “trial by fire” comes to mind when thinking of a way to explain maverick filmmaking. After making one movie on your own maverick style you unknowingly just taught yourself how to run a studio. Just think about it, you have to do the casting, you have to do the location scouting, you have to secure equipment, you have to write the script, you have to manage all of the money being spent and, it’s possible that you will have to be the one who markets it.

It’s impossible not to learn all of the necessary components of making a film, in fact, some would argue that its’ the best way to learn. If you’ve ever carried three bags full of props and equipment onto three different buses to get from your house to your shoot location in another city and realized when you got there that you’ve forgotten to bring a specific prop or piece of equipment, once you go through that experience, you will never forget that item again. Plus you’re a lot more thrifty with your own money making you a wiz at staying on budget.

Robert Rodriguez said it best in his book “Rebel Without a Crew”, he says that studio heads don’t want people to learn that they can make a movie on their own without hiring a large crew and spending excesses of money. He says, that scares them, “be scary”.