"Lean Filmmaking revolutionizes how filmmakers work."
—Melanie Rowland, producer Time Apart
"Lean Filmmaking kickstarts an entire generation of new voices to create important stories."
—Perri Cummings and Paul Anthony Nelson, producers Trench
The Art of Lean Filmmaking
An unconventional guide to creating independent feature films
By Kylie Eddy and David Eddy
What people say about the book
“This book is powerful. It’s accessible, fun and friendly, without a hint of wankery or pretentiousness. What Kylie and David have achieved is quite remarkable.”
—Rachel Bailey, writer
“It is extremely motivational and unlike any other book on filmmaking you’ve ever read before.”
—Gordon Napier, writer/director
“This deserves to go global and be picked up by filmmakers everywhere. It's an audience-focused, smart way to get past the tiny desperate artist inside and bring out a truly collaborative and tested film.”
—Simon J. Green, producer
“It’s so original, informative and (yes) entertaining. I love this book!”
—Shaun Miller, film lawyer/executive producer
“Wow, incredible. This book covers so much ground. I don’t know how they managed to reinvent the wheel into an all-new wheel yet they did.”
—Vanessa Burt, writer/producer
“If you’re looking for new ways to create a film or ever wondered about the intersection of agile and filmmaking, this book is for you! Excellent, intriguing and informative.”
—Brenda Leeuwenberg, agile consultant/co-founder
“Kylie and David show how you can use agile ethos to produce independent films, faster, cheaper and way more connected to the customer.”
—Dr Jen Frahm, agile change leader/author
“Your insights are ringing in my head. This is far beyond Agile Methodology, it's social justice in action - you've hacked the system to allow anyone to tell their story through film. I see what you're REALLY doing and I LOVE it!"
—Susan Eldridge, arts consultant/podcaster
Lean Filmmaking is an explosion of creativity
Writing a script.
Pitching to investors.
Surviving development hell.
Before even picking up a camera.
All while juggling a family, a social life and a day job.
No wonder making an independent feature film feels out of reach.
Lean Filmmaking is different.
It turns conventional wisdom upside down to vigorously shake out obsolete ideas revered by the traditional film industry.
It celebrates experimentation and inventiveness, while forging a sustainable artistic practice.
It saves time, energy and money (but it’s not just for low-budget or cheap ideas).
It takes advantage of surprising – often counterintuitive – strategies to dramatically improve the filmmaking process, including:
- Collaborating in non-hierarchical, cross-functional squads
- Working in ongoing iterative Make-Show-Adjust Cycles
- Validating assumptions with early fan feedback
If you’re ready to transition from shorts, series or online videos to creating independent feature films, go from idea to launch with the Lean Filmmaking Five-Step Method.
Get started immediately with tested techniques that will empower you to take action, bust through stumbling blocks and ignite your creativity.
Cheeky provocateurs and creative agitators, siblings Kylie Eddy and David Eddy have combined their filmmaking experience and agile coaching expertise to re-imagine the development, production and distribution of independent films in an uncertain world.
Find out more about author speaking opportunities, interview requests and bulk book orders.
Take a peek inside the book contents
Introduction: A new way to make films with creativity at its heart
Part 1: Core Values
The Lean Filmmaking Philosophy
Collaboration is key
Fan focused first
Story before production values
Learn by doing
Make-Show-Adjust Cycles
Values can transform creativity
What you need to start (and it isn’t money)
Part 2: Step by Step Guide
The Lean Filmmaking Method
Step 1: Form Squad
Start with a squad, not a script
Recruit for skills, not roles
Choose the minimum viable squad
Align squad goals
A squad needs transparency and moxie
You’re done with this step when...
Step 2: Discover Fans
Let’s talk about talking to fans
Start with a spark
Conduct research interviews
Draft a fan experience
Make tester videos
You’re done with this step when...
Step 3: Develop Drafts
Ceremonies empower the squad
Restructure work by overlapping activities
Delay decisions with just-in-time production
Construct the Story Scaffold
Run full-film draft Make-Show-Adjust Cycles
You’re done with this step when...
Step 4: Produce Polishes
Ask fans to pay for it
Scale the squad (but only if you really need to)
Prioritize with the Impact-vs-Difficulty Matrix
Run full-film polish Make-Show-Adjust Cycles
You’re done with this step when...
Step 5: Launch Film
Stop obsessing about film festivals
Demystify self-distribution
Run marketing and sales experiments
Release the film
It’s out, now what?
You’re really done when…
Conclusion
Glossary
About Lean Filmmaking
Acknowledgments
