Why Community Matters More Than Gear in Indie Filmmaking

Notes From The Process

Some people think the key to making good films is having expensive gear.

And listen, if you’re a nepo baby, congratulations, I’m jealous, enjoy your

Blackmagic you got as a beginning camera. But the rest of us? Community

is the secret recipe.

When you’re starting out, most of the time you don’t have $10k cameras or

massive light kits. What you do have are people: your friends your classmates,

your collaborators, who care just as much about creating as you do.

A strong community lifts you up, but it also holds you accountable. Being

surrounded by people who are grinding toward their goals make you want to stay

focused on yours. The opposite is also true: if you’re surrounded by people who

don’t support you, you’ll end up asking so much mental energy just trying to stay

motivated.

BTS of Clark Kent - Juice James of KJ Founders and close friends Joe and Dom Krenz

Here’s the underrated part: you never who has what.

Your friend might know someone with gear. Someone else might be connected to

a location. Another might introduce you to your next client. When you help those

people, they help back. That’s how indie filmmaking works, it’s like a creative

economy built on goodwill and group chats.

Pro tip: if you know a sound guy, never let the, go. They are rare creatures.

Your community becomes the network that grows with you for years, and that’s

more valuable than any camera you could rent.