credit: Willrad

When I was still in L.A., I was part of a screenwriting group. We met once a week and we would read portions of our script out loud to the group. We tore each other’s scripts apart. This was the fun part. Of course, it wasn’t fun when it’s your turn on the chopping block.

But I learned so much from my group and it was one of the few activities I looked forward to all week. The same concept can be applied to filmmaking. What most people haven’t thought of and would greatly benefit from is forming a Filmmaking Mastermind Group.

Mastermind groups are one of the secrets often used by successful marketing and business people. Through these groups, you gain allies and advocates. In essence, a mastermind group is like a “Book of the Month” club. Except that a mastermind group’s purpose is to advance the group members’ careers.

What does a Filmmaking Mastermind Group entail?

Meet at least once a week - Once a week meetings should be enough to keep in touch with the group and to give you enough time to prepare discussion points for the meeting.

Choose people at your level of experience - A Filmmaking Mastermind Group should be mutually beneficial. It would not be effective if the people in the group are way more advanced than you. That would be more of a mentor-protege relationship. You want people you can relate to. However, this doesn’t mean that a veteran can’t be the leader/organizer of the group.

Choose people you can work with - This is obviously a given. You have to be able to work and brainstorm with the members of your group. If not, you just end up wasting time arguing and trying to “one-up” each other.

Assign an organizer - You can either have a permanent organizer or a different one each week. The organizer’s job is to find the venue, remind everyone of the date and time of the meeting, and coordinate the flow of the session.

Change venues often - A change of scenery every week or every couple of weeks will help boost the group’s creativity and make the meetings more exciting.

Invite guest speakers - Eventually, the group members will get tired of hearing the same people talk every week. To spice it up, invite a local filmmaker to give a workshop.

Invite members of various disciplines - A roomful of directors is a bad idea. I remember when I was at UCLA taking a short film class and the instructor asked who wanted to be a director. Almost every single hand went up. How are we supposed to get anything done when everyone wanted the same job. To make your group more interesting and diversified, invite cinematographers, editors, animators, and screenwriters.

Keep the group small - Any group larger than 20 is probably pushing it. It would be a nightmare for the organizer to get everyone together. Twenty people in the group should be enough to make sure enough people are at the meeting even if some people can’t make it. A group of 15 - 20 people in a mix of 2 - 3 persons from the various disciplines would be ideal.

Give assignments - Segment your meetings into two parts. One part will be a discussion of personal work, the other will be a discussion of a movie assignment (sort of like the “Book of the Month” club example). If your group finds itself short on time, you can alternate these two segments on a weekly basis.

Present your work - Don’t be embarrassed to present your work to the group. They’re there to help you. Also, remember not to be defensive and take things personally. Play nice!

Join a group that’s not composed primarily of your friends - Of course, after a while, your group members will become your friends. But it’s best to start out with a group of strangers. This will help you open your mind to new ideas and personalities. Also, it will make it easier not to take things personally when they critique your work.

Advertise the group to invite members - Craigslist is probably the cheapest way to advertise for a new group. You can also post a classified ad in your local industry rag. Eventually, word of mouth will bring in more people.

Benefits of a Filmmaking Mastermind Group

Constructive criticism of your work - Take it with a grain of salt when your mom tells you your film/spot is great. Every mother thinks their child is good-looking. You need professionals to tell you how your work stacks up.

Networking - A major part of a successful film/TV career is who you know. A so-so director with great contacts will often find more work than a more talented one who knows no one in the industry. Who knows, one of your group members might be a babysitter for Steven Spielberg’s cousin’s neighbor’s friend.

Possible fools…I mean…crew for your next project - In all seriousness, members of a really good, tight-knit group will bend over backwards to help you along with your project. Don’t forget to return the favor.

Keeps you motivated - You’ve finished a script or a short film or a spec spot and everyone hates it. Your dog won’t even eat the pages of your script cuz it reeks. What do you do? Your group can help you stay motivated. Their advice will give you fresh ideas on how you can improve your work.

Holds you accountable for your work - When you were a child, what made you do your homework? Is it the sheer joy of doing it? No… It’s mostly because you have to turn it in to the teacher. Sometimes, as filmmakers (especially writers), we get lazy and procrastinate. Having to present to your group will get you off your ass and get your project done.

Learn from their experiences - Trust me, you don’t know everything. I’ve been directing for a few years and I have barely scratched the surface. I still make mistakes in my shot selection, presentations, and storyboards. In fact, a filmmaker never perfects the craft. That’s the beauty of it. We never stop learning.

So what are you waiting for? Go out there and start a group. It can be just 3 guys/girls who have coffee once a week to begin with. Just get moving on it.

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Tags: Filmmaking Mastermind Group, Films, Making Movies