This may be obvious to some people, but not to others... it came up because I gave this advice just moments ago and thought it might be relevant.
It doesn't matter where you live, there exists a pocket of artists. It's important to support these artists. True they may not be filmmakers, but filmmakers need all sorts of artistic resources. And you never know who you're going to meet. I've been so lucky to have worked in San Antonio's Arts District, Southtown, and so I have a lot of artist friends and most of them are pretty talented and I've brought them in several times on various film projects. On Ekstasis, I hope to be able to involve Agosto Cuellar (designer/artist) and Eric Fonseca (film animation/artist) if I can. They are both brilliant.
Artists are also your audience... these are the kinds of people who like films, especially independent films. Besides, we all know... connections are everything.. talent second. It's just how this world works. In my world, everything is neon and I have a pegasus as a pet. Unfortunately, we don't live in my world.
Go to art openings and film screenings and get to know your peers. There's always something going on and it usually involves free booze. Find something good in the calendar of your alternative paper tonight and enjoy!
