Im responding to the independent filmmakers who post complaints on their socials who say that independent films are not a business...it's for creating art. Oh. Hell.
I find that thought process mind boggling. All I can say is to not worry about us then, this is not for you. You do what makes you happy.
I cannot apologize for my directness, but 24 years brought me here. We support indie film, everything we say, we say publicly, however, you gotta be tough, because I don't sugarcoat, I think its mean to lie. So as far as movies NOT being a business, even film schools sugar coat or do not cover the distribution business model so they keep students every quarter...
If you want to release your movie, AND earn back the budget at least, this Isn’t a Playground. It’s nothing BUT a Business.
Let’s make something clear: If you're making films on favors and fantasy, where people work for “exposure” and everything is “for the love of story,” (distributors, theaters and streaming could care less about story btw) which is fine, but my personal audience has seen that hasn't worked out for them in the least, they are sick of the same cycle for years on end they want their work out there and Filmmaker Berserk is for THEM, it is NOT for those who do not believe this is a business, although many ask for funding... Just as we respect your approach, please respect ours.
This platform is not for the hobbyist who see film as an art project and doesn’t budget a dime.
However, with all due respect, you don’t get to complain about those talented filmmakers who are done getting burned—who are done losing money because their film couldn’t meet delivery.
This course is for filmmakers who work with budgets. Who seek funding because it costs money to have people work for you. You can't have everyone work for free forever.
It costs money to rent and buy equipment, to feed your crew, to secure locations, to run generators for electricity, to fuel the vehicles that drive your team from location to location.
It costs money for office supplies, craft services, wardrobe, fake blood, props, stunt gear, visual FX,
and then—when the shoot wraps—it costs money for post-production, for editing, for color grading, for sound design, and for the software programs to do all that legally and properly.
And THEN you have deliverables, QC compliance, metadata packaging, and legal documentation that the platforms require.
You have to spend double the budget to market it!
You have to get investors and you have to have a business plan to pay them back!
So why are you complaining about movies being a business? That’s what they are. And if that truth makes you uncomfortable,
good.
This isn’t the space for people looking to play filmmaker on weekends. This is not for people who are working with equipment that will fail delivery specs.
This is for the ones who are tired of begging for deals from distributors who take advantage of lack of business knowledge, who are tired of begging for funding.
This is for our fellow Filmmakers who are tired of asking for free workers, who are tired of working as unpaid crews, who are tired of not taking care of actors, tired of burying their films in broken distribution deals.
This is for the filmmakers building empires—not portfolios.
🎯 Filmmaker Berserk is where your art gets weaponized. If that offends you, maybe it should.
Because this war room isn’t for tourists.
I wrote a 50 page ebook on using predictive tools to determine your films success before rolling camera. Link is above.
—Krista Grotte Saxon
Founder, Filmmaker Berserk™
For those who say this isn't a business- Lets take a look as these are all the departments full of hard working people here supporting dreams, these are all the departments that go into a feature...I'd think twice about working with anyone who doesn't think it's a business.
1st Phase is DEVELOPMENT: Writers, Producers, Directors, Executive Producers, Development Executives, Legal, (contract, rights, IP) Script clearance and ownership for legal delivery.
Pre Pro:
Line Producer/ unit prod. Manager
1st AD
2 AD
Production Coordinator
Casting
Location
Storyboards
Production Designer
Art Director
Set Design
Props Master
Costume Design
Makeup Artist
Hair
Cinematographer/DP
Camera team ( ACs Loaders, DIT)
Gaffers
Key grip/Best Boy
Sound Mixer
VFX supervisor
Stunt coordinator
Production Accountant
Legal and Insurance
Modern edition is Ai tool supervisors
Production
All the above and Craft Services
Set medic (if stunts or SAG)
Post Production
Editor
Assistant Editor
Colorist
Post production supervisor
Visual effects
Sound Design
Foley
Adr supervisor
Composer/ Music supervisor
Mixing engineer
Dialogue Editor
QC Compliance Team
Delivery Manager. Legal and Technical
Marketing/Distribution
Publicist
Marketing Director
Trailer Editor
Social media manager
Graphic Design
Distributor/Sales Agent
Legal/Rights Clearance
Ai marketing analysts (trend tracking, audience prediction)
Tech Roles:
Data manager
Metadata Manager
Digital Asset Supervisor
Audience prediction analyst and screenplay
Scanning.
Anyone who tells you this is not a business, they just want to make art (with technical equipment)
I would think twice about whether it will see the light of day.
Now negativity spreaders, please, we respect you doing your thing, allow me and The Berserkers to do ours.
One more thing, if you question the hijacked movie Nations Fire behind the Berserker rebellion,
Filmmaker Berserk IS the IP built from the ashes. And because I own the ip- and built this war plan- we are on track to make the budget back PLUS by mid 2026.
Now THAT is handling this Movie business like a BOSS. And that is what Im here for my community to do. I could have spent two years 16 hours a day developing many things. I chose this.
So many said.."Krista, let it go."
I'm a Berserker though. We don't 'let it go'.
Had I listened to everyone- we would have just been another failed and silenced film.
Krista Grotte Saxon
