Do you have a passion and burning desire to make films and tell the world your message? Whether you’re a screenwriter, producer, editor or short filmmaker, it takes more than just great skills to make a living in this industry, which is why you need to build a film network.

The purpose of a film network is to help you nurture your talents, to find friends and allies who can help you achieve your goals, but within that is a shared responsibility. Your close circle needs to be empowered in order to succeed. Teaming up with others can dramatically change your life and your income if you can focus on what you really want from your film network and how you can help others achieve their goals.

Having your own group, forum, club or gathering place is a great way to build your inner circle. Networking is an art that many feel obligated to do, but it doesn’t have to be a chore if you can start small. Sometimes the most important people in your life are the close friends that you have around you that can bring you advice on how to take the next step.

There are several approaches you can take to building a film network or a circle of people and sometimes you don’t have to start from scratch. On the web there are countless local groups in every major film city across the world you can join. You can join events that are taking place locally or even send out a message to people on forums stating what you are looking for. There are thousands of people sitting idle in hundreds of countries looking for a person like you to collaborate with.

To have a strong local network is more important at first than having contacts spread around the world. Remember, you need to get your projects off the ground where you live first.

Take a look at our film industry guides below to help you further in your career.