This past session was delivered primarily by Isaac Botkin was on the subject of markets and production types for filmmakers. The session was packed with information, much of it very technical, but the primary benefit that Brett and I felt was the comprehensive overview of the many financially-profitable filmmaking alternatives for creative independent Christian filmmakers, besides the feature film.

Below are some brief summaries of a few of these opportunities:

The Short Film: There is a growing market for short films, but they have yet to make much money. The growing popularity of online video holds the possibility for short films to become more profitable. For now, they serve two primary purposes: As a learning ground for directing and writing feature films and to demonstrate that you’ve learned the skills necessary to direct and write feature films.

The Industrial Video: Industrial videos include wedding videos, filming events, sales or promotional video, employee training videos, and government video. Many of these opportunities can pay well. Provided you have the equipment, often all you’ll need is to look through the yellow pages (or around where you live) for a job. A creative filmmaker who can offer a unique service can do well here.

The How-To Video: How-to videos can take many different forms. It could be a video on how to use a product or service, a tutorial on how sell your book on Amazon.com, or even a video on how to start blog.

The News Feature: The news feature is short, about 1-7 minutes long. Filmmakers can offer freelance footage of news stories or human interest stories to local stations. As Isaac Botkin said, “There is a market for well-crafted stories about faith, family, freedom, entrepreneurial struggles, and community drama. Think about the [local] stories you would like to see on the screen and go out and tell them in the way you know they need to be told.”

The Television Documentary: A television documentary (or public affairs documentary) is an analytical news editorial that uses narration, exclusive interviews, graphics, and music to inform targeted audiences. An well-made and accurate documentary on a critical and timely topic can be powerful and effective. As Isaac said, “[the public affairs documentary] may be the best market to tap in order to hone your skills and earn production dollars.”