This is the first entry in a conversation we’re having with filmmakers on filmCENTRAL about the role of the internet in filmmaking. Today’s post is written by a good friend of the festival, filmmaker Beau Leland. Beau co-directed Rainbow Around the Sun with our programming director Kevin Ely. You can read more of Beau’s thoughts over at his own blog, http://invisibleartsonline.com/

When I was younger with aspirations of becoming a filmmaker, I knew it meant a lot of things. I knew it meant I needed to man up on my film history, the craft itself, the newest trends, etc. But what I never expected to have to master was this business we call “the internet.” I’m not sure any of us knew we would. But today making a great film is only half the battle. Today you must become one with “the internet” in order to create an audience for your film (this may not be the case for well-established filmmakers, but it certainly is for less-seasoned ones). Sure, marketing has always been a part of filmmaking, but in today’s indie world and today’s indie lack-of-money disorder that plagues so many of us, the use of DIY internet marketing has become a crucial survival tool. And guess what. This can be very difficult for someone who, for lack of a better term, LOATHES the brainless droning that social networking can be. Maybe loathe is a strong word, because I can’t stop checking my facebook or twitter every minute or so. But it seems that this week, I’ve had an epiphany. Social networking doesn’t have to be used for dim-witted darkness, it can be used for the powers of good. But it’s still a jungle out there, and I have a lot to learn.

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