From a £6K Feature to an £80K Film with Peter Stylianou

Send us Fan Mail **How do you finance an independent feature film when you don't have a studio behind you?** Filmmaker Peter Stylianou joins Jim to talk about his journey from making his first feature, *Who Needs Enemies*, for around £6,000 to his latest film, *The Nice Ones*, made with a budget of around £80,000. Peter explains how he self-financed his first feature with help from his family, what he learned from getting the film into distribution and why it took seven years before he made his next feature. We talk about the realities of micro-budget filmmaking, the importance of having a body of work, finding private investors, approaching production companies, building a finance plan and understanding UK film tax incentives. Peter also shares the lessons he learned from shooting *The Lost* in just nine days, including why **time may be the most important thing you can spend money on when making a film.** And we get personal about filmmaking too, including the hardest day Peter has ever experienced on set, the moment he thought about walking away and the rare moments when everything comes together and you realise **this is why we make films.** A candid conversation about **making films, finding the money, learning from mistakes and gradually building a career as an independent filmmaker.** Check out the trailer for DRAINED https://youtu.be/pMzA6y1mCfE?si=UciPXgOIGxsHCdlF Have a look at Peters IMDB page: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4726444/ #IndependentFilmmaking #IndieFilm #Filmmaking #FilmFunding #FilmInvestors #MicroBudgetFilmmaking #FeatureFilm #Filmmaker #FilmProduction #FilmIndustry #FilmFinance #HorrorFilm #TheHonestFilmmaker Check out the re-release of Jim's first solo directing feature The Witches Hammer - out now on amazon  https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/video/detail/B0F235F4T8/ref=atv\_dp\_share\_cu\_r Support the show For regular updates and exclusive content - sign up for The Honest Filmmaker newsletter https://thehonestfilmmaker.co.uk/index.php/e-newsletter/ Join The Honest Filmmaker community on our Facebook Group or Discord https://thehonestfilmmaker.co.uk/index.php/join-the-community/ HONEST, OPEN ADVICE ABOUT YOUR FILMMAKING CAREER Are you about to leave Uni with a filmmaking degree? Or want to change careers and work in a creative industry? We want to give you the tools you need to enter the real world of production or freelancing. Honest and open career advice from people in the business. We also talk to those in other creative industries to discuss their careers, the potential cross over with film production and practical tips for a successful and fulfilling career. Join the community: http://www.thehonestfilmmaker.co.uk