2022 Goal: Learn the Business of Filmmaking – Here’s How

MZed Education

by Slavik BoyechkoDecember 29^th, 2021

Now is the time when we all set our new year resolutions. Here’s our suggestion: make 2022 the year you focus on the business of filmmaking.

Learning about the craft of filmmaking, and all the fun gear that goes along with creating videos, is definitely essential to becoming a better filmmaker. But there’s never enough discussion on how to produce films and make a living as a filmmaker. From working with budgets and financial investors, to dealing with insurance and payroll, the gritty side of filmmaking is what will enable you to flourish as a creative.

Here’s a few courses at MZed that will help you learn the business of filmmaking. In 2022, set a goal to watch these courses and apply the lessons to your own career, whether you’re a freelance filmmaker, a staff video producer, a crew person on a production, or even a Youtuber looking to break through this year.

Producing is at the Heart of the Business of Filmmaking

Your passion is film production, but where do you even begin to learn about the administrative details of a film production? Producing from the Front by Graham Ehlers Sheldon will teach you everything you need to know.

Graham Sheldon is an award winning producer who has worked on many types of film projects, including reality TV, feature films, indie shorts, news spots, brand films, and many more. It’s no question that Graham knows how a film project is produced, from the first idea to the final delivery. In this course he takes you through the thrills and challenges of the business of filmmaking, sharing every step of the way.

In this course you’ll learn about pitching, fundraising, and budgeting for your film, all the legal aspects of how to setup your film company, insurance and payroll, tax incentives, contracts and unions, and how to distribute your film and pay your investors. Plus, there are interviews with industry experts who help clarify some of the common questions about producing video and film.

This six-hour course should be mandatory for anyone who is jumping into the film industry and needs to learn about the business of filmmaking. If you’re going to seriously pursue filmmaking in 2022, whether it’s for a scripted production or a nonfiction TV or web series, you ought to do yourself a favor and watch this course. 

Watch Producing from the Front at MZed – the first lesson is free to watch.

The Business of Indie Filmmaking

Are you about to make your first indie film? Watch out – there are so many roadblocks, that many filmmakers get burned out and never make another film again. But thanks to The Indie Film Blueprint with Rubidium Wu, hopefully you won’t have to make the same mistakes that thousands of other filmmakers make, over and over again. 

Rubidium guides you through the entire indie filmmaking journey, step by step, while providing his advice on how to launch a sustainable career in filmmaking without falling for the common traps and pitfalls.

You’ll learn about the pitch, screenplay, and film development stages, along with budgeting, raising money, and assembling a team. Rubidium also guides you through the legal and insurance requirements, locations and schedules, gear and transport, and the all important casting step.

Once you’ve shot your film, the massive task of post production, marketing and distribution will put you head-first into the business side of filmmaking, including hiring and project management, working with film festivals, finding distributors, and getting your film onto streaming platforms.

Your goal is to make your film, but the industry wants to ensure they can make money from your film too. This course will give you the complete picture for how to marry your creative passion with the business of filmmaking.

Rubidium has navigated several indie films, running into all the familiar barriers along the way. The lessons in this course will help you avoid a lot of the mistakes that first time indie filmmakers run into. If you are hoping to make 2022 the year you get serious about indie filmmaking, watch this course first.

Watch The Indie Film Blueprint at MZed – the first lesson is free to watch.

The Business of YouTube Filmmaking

For many creators, making videos for YouTube is either a fun way to connect with others in a niche, or it’s a marketing tool for your business. But if you want to turn YouTube into an income-generating business, you’ll need to learn from the professionals.

In Starting a YouTube Channel, YouTube guru Kitty Peters guides you through the entire process, from choosing a niche, setting up your studio, breaking through the constant challenges, and figuring out how to make money along the way.

Kitty Peters runs a filmmaking empire, Atola Visuals, which includes her leading YouTube channel, along with a boutique video production business, active communities on Twitch and Discord, and popular social media accounts. She certainly knows how to make YouTube the heart of her business, and in this course she goes through all of the aspects of the business of filmmaking for YouTube.

You’ll learn about how to maintain a schedule and workflow, how to promote and collaborate, how to stay motivated and treat YouTube like a business, and most importantly, how to make money with ads, affiliate programs, brand partnerships, sponsorships, and monthly supporters via Patreon.

If you want to make YouTube part of your overall business growth in 2022, watch this course and let Kitty show you the way.

Watch Starting a YouTube Channel at MZed – the first lesson is free to watch.

The Business of Wedding Filmmaking

It’s no doubt that wedding filmmaking took a tumble during the pandemic, with many events being canceled or limited to small gatherings. But with social distancing and lockdown restrictions now easing, it’s time to start planning for a busy 2022 wedding season.

And what better way to plan for the season than by looking at the big picture? From overall planning and client communication to detailed instructions on how to shoot and edit a wedding, Ray Roman guides you through the entire wedding film in Master the Moment Wedding Masterclass.

Ray Roman is unique in the field of wedding films in that his clients book some of the most luxurious weddings on the planet. Ray is one of the top wedding filmmakers in the world, so it makes sense that the highest of the high-end clients seek him out. But now with this course, Ray shows you how to market yourself to the higher end clients in your area too.

There’s a lot to learn in Master the Moment. It’s one of the most beautiful courses at MZed, and the production created a full mock wedding in an outdoor location to show you precisely how to shoot a wedding. But the advice Ray provides for advancing up to a higher tier of clients is the magic potion in this course, so if you’re looking to grow as a wedding filmmaker in 2022, this course will help you achieve your goals.

Watch Master the Moment at MZed – the first lesson is free to watch.

Full disclosure: MZed is owned by CineD

What are your 2022 filmmaking goals? Let us know in the comments below!