LEARN: Developing a "Down and Dirty" Filmmaking Mindset

Down and Dirty filmmaking is not so much a set of specific filmmaking tactics or techniques, but rather a 24/7 mindset that should permeate every aspect of your filmmaking if you have limited resources.  (And let’s be real, almost all of us have limited resources.)

One of the guerrilla concepts I discuss in the Indie Film Boot Camp DVD series is that if you are limited on resources and can’t afford a certain filmmaking tool, just ask yourself 2 core questions:

1. What does this tool actually DO?

2. Is there ANYTHING else that can ALSO do the same thing or come close?

I’ve been blessed to work and teach in an environment of young, creative (and broke-ass) filmmakers for a decade now and I am constantly amazed at how the best of them come up with simple and effective solutions to the many obstacles of filmmaking.

However, many filmmakers I come across repeatedly mis-diagnose their filmmaking problems, because they haven’t learned to develop a Down and Dirty filmmaking mindset.  When you internalize and take a Down and Dirty approach to filmmaking, all of a sudden all kinds of creative, simpler, cheaper, and faster options open up.  As I always say:

Free Ya Mind and Ya Budget Will Follow

But look at me telling you when I could be showing you instead.  Here’s an excerpt from my Indie Film Boot Camp 6-DVD set that I think drives home the point…

Indie Film Boot Camp Excerpt: Maximizing Your Resources from Anthony Artis on Vimeo.

(*Please forgive any minor compression or sync issues in this online clip. The original DVD is at full-quality with perfect sync.  Post-production is not my forte.)