I ask the same question in every first call. What are your goals? Most people can't answer.

After working with many filmmakers, I see the same pattern. Most entered the industry through creativity first. Especially those who grew up in the 70s and 80s. Becoming a filmmaker was the dream. The optics were different than any other field.

If I ask a baker for their goal, they do not say make bread. They say sell bread. I rarely hear a filmmaker say increase revenue on streaming, grow market presence, or leverage results to raise capital. A filmmaker makes films. That is the passion.

Then social media rewired the game. You have the freedom to build an audience and you could be making real money with the right structure. At the same time, by the time you think of it, a million others have started. If you are on time, you are already late.

In the 80s, access was scarce. You needed an open door, someone on the inside. Today the ring is public. Any teenager with skill can jump in. The game leveled up.

This is the inflection point. Filmmakers now have to become business people with a plan. Your heart is in the same place. The industry is not. It says adapt or die.

What are your goals? Silence.

Passion matters. Vision matters. The flame matters. But only those who get ready for business and competition turn this into a living. Many still see festivals as the dream. Festivals can be beautiful, but most do not bring money. The audience does not care about laurels. Unless it is one of the very few top festivals, the chance of a distributor finding you is tiny.

The result is a lot of talented people who feel unseen and not taken seriously. Investors do not listen. Crowdfunds stall. Social posts feel like shouting into the void. With all their good intentions, they do not know what to do next.

The real problem is a disconnect. A gap between how the industry works today and the childlike dream of what being a filmmaker should be.

I once posted about getting your numbers and strategy straight before starting a film. Three seconds later someone replied. I made a film, I lost my savings, and I would do it again because it is worth it. That comment is the point. We have romanticized the struggle so much that losing everything can feel noble.

What about keeping the dream, building a plan, making the film, and not losing everything?

From what I see, this is what filmmakers really want, even if they do not say it out loud:

• To be taken seriously

• A clear path forward

• Visibility that leads to real opportunities

• Investor and buyer trust

• Proof that their work matters

• Less guesswork, more certainty

• Control without losing creativity

Old marketing died because it talks past these needs. The conversation turns in circles. Filmmakers stop listening. Investors back away.

So here is the invitation. Grab a pen. Sit somewhere quiet. Write your goals.

Make them practical and measurable.

Start with three lines:

• Revenue goal in the next six months

• Visibility goal you can track

• Capital or partnership goal tied to real meetings

Clarity is the first step to being taken seriously. The plan comes next. The work follows. And then the right people start paying attention.