I'm glad to say I completed the first draft of my feature screenplay, written with the limitations for cast and locations as AJ suggested. Limitations seem like things that can stop your progress at first, but they definitely give you a focus for your creativity. I wrote throughout September and finished on the 1st of October! So I just wanted to check in and let you guys know that I found the discipline of writing an enormously fulfilling process in itself. 📽️✍️

This week was about getting unstuck: turning a stage show into a feature, locking the legal/LLC steps without spinning out, and packaging projects so you can actually raise money (without waiting two years for a “maybe”). 🎬 PROOF BEATS PROMISES If you’ve got a live show, book, or reel, you already have a voice. Convert that into leverage with a feature you control. Keep the stage show alive—let the film and show feed each other. You’re not “cannibalizing” until you’re a household name; you’re multiplying touchpoints that sell the same core story and your merch. ⏱️ WHAT COUNTS AS A PROOF FEATURE Aim for 75–90 minutes. Character-forward, location-light. The goal is to prove you can hold audience attention over feature length. Competence plus completion beats spectacle you can’t afford. 📍 HOW MANY LOCATIONS Target three core locations and keep the total under six. Cluster them close to reduce company moves. Cars and nature are free production value and keep frames visually alive. 🧭 TURNING A PERSONAL STORY INTO A FEATURE Compress the world to what you already have: apartments, cars, phones, laptops. Keep the real spine, lose the expensive edges. You are the showcase, so build scenes that let performance carry the weight. ✍️ WRITING VS REWRITING Get the script to 90% functional, then move into packaging. You’ll keep rewriting in prep and on set anyway. Endless polish is a stall tactic—advance the ball once the concept is clear and producible. 🌫️ ABSTRACT VS CLARITY Style is great, but give enough context that we know how the characters got here. With addiction stories, show what the drug is covering. Deliver the feeling and answer the core “why.” 🎞️ RESHOOTS, OLD FOOTAGE, AND CREDITS If a sequence works, don’t reshoot just because a past collaborator is messy. Unless you lack a work-for-hire and risk a real legal challenge, keep the good scene and move on. A credit card at the end won’t sink your film. 🎭 CASTING DIRECTORS AS FORCE MULTIPLIERS When you need names or strong up-and-comers, a casting director’s relationships can open doors an agent won’t. Share a tight deck with archetypes and age ranges; let them bring you realistic, gettable targets.

Welcome to One Grand Filmmakers 👋 🎉 In this community, I'll show you how I turned a $1,000 feature film into 3 more features, a full-time career in filmmaking, and relationships with the biggest names and platforms in the industry. But first... Please, introduce yourself :) (EXTRA CREDIT: Like 5 other posts, and welcome other filmmakers to the community as well!) Let's goooooo! 🚀

1. As an actor in my 30s & 40s I did loads of casting director workshops. Ultimately I did get work from them, but only in the co-star & guest star realm where I still exist now, in my 50s. As a writer/director I've cold queried, submitted to one competition after another, joined networking groups, had films screen in festivals, etc. etc. 2. 4 decades and thousands of dollars spent and I'm no closer to attaining my dreams. I do actually have a career in the business and am fortunate to get to work on some really great projects with amazingly talented people, but not in the capacity I want. I often feel I'm merely a cog in a wheel helping to facilitate someone else's dreams. 3. My biggest takeaway is that I wish I would've come across your site 6 months ago before I spent another $12k on a proof of concept lol. 4. My biggest fear or concern is that the film I'm trying to get made right now (which requires real financing) is the most important story I have to tell and I may run out of time without ever seeing it come to fruition.

The Investorless Feature Film Course is Live Inside the Community Alright, filmmakers — this is the big one. The full Investorless Feature Film course (aka The Indie Film Flywheel) is now live in the Classroom tab. If you’ve been serious about making your first feature — without waiting for permission, investors, or “someday” — this is the step-by-step roadmap you’ve been looking for. Why you should take it (right now): 🎯 Clarity: Learn the only replicable career strategy that works for actors, writers, and directors — making a small, personal feature with the resources you already have. 🔥 Speed: Cut years of trial-and-error and get from idea → finished film faster than you thought possible. 📈 Momentum: Build a career flywheel where every film fuels the next — bigger audience, better collaborators, and more opportunities each time. 🚫 No Fundraising Required: Avoid the endless investor hunt. This approach is designed to keep you creating now, not waiting. 🤝 Collaboration: Learn how to attract the right collaborators without begging or chasing — and why the right people will want to work with you. 💡 Proven Examples: See how filmmakers like Greta Gerwig, Christopher Nolan, Robert Rodriguez, and Sean Baker used this exact principle to break into the industry. Plus, there’s a $500 reward if you finish in 5 days. This isn’t just a gimmick. I want to keep this community lean and full of action-takers. If you finish on time, you’ll unlock a filmmaking tool I’ve only shared with my private clients. This course is $1, but will be sold online for $47. Just to find filmmakers that are serious. 👉 Go to the Classroom tab now and click “Investorless Feature Film” to begin. Let’s get that first film in the can. – AJ Rome