Each One Teach One at ABFF

If you're an independent or aspiring filmmaker, it's no longer enough to be good at your craft. In the digital age, where content reigns supreme and the lines between advertiser and distributor are blurring, you need to build your own audience well before you go knocking on Hollywood's door.

At least, that was a common belief among the experts who gathered during the 2011 American Black Film Festival (ABFF) held recently in Miami. For all you filmmakers out there pounding the pavement, here are three commandments to help you break ground:

No. 1: Thou shalt understand the game has changed

Black filmmaking hit its peak in the '90s, when movies with predominantly African American casts and storylines were more abundant (see: 'Boyz n the Hood,' 'Love Jones,' 'The Best Man,' 'Set it Off'). During the festival, several prominent actors and filmmakers spoke out about the mere two studios that tend to distribute black film: Lionsgate (which has an exclusive partnership with Tyler Perry and has brought a number of his films, including the Madea franchise, to the big screen) and Sony Pictures ('Jumping the Broom,' 'The Karate Kid' -- the one with Jaden Smith).

This means black actors are vying for a limited number of roles each year that are created with multicultural characters in mind, and with that, there's a limited number of options for African American audiences who are looking for more relatable storytelling. If you understand how the game has changed, then you can work to change the game.

No. 2: Thou shalt see thyself as a content creator

Whether your craft is acting, directing, producing or some combination, you hereby have the right to see yourself as a content creator. What does this mean? This means you think more broadly about your creative product and you how it can be adapted across any screen-whether web, social, video or mobile.

There's an explosion of brand integrations (consider the number of brands you see in music videos, TV programs, as well as the sponsors who are weaved into the blogs you read), and it's not going anywhere anytime soon. Viewers will always want to see engaging content, and they're willing to watch it on just about any screen - whether it's online, on their smartphone, or on the big screen. Actor Laz Alonso (pictured above with Mekhi Pfifer) touched on this in a one-on-one discussion hosted by Rolling Out and sponsored by Cadillac. "The ones who truly excel in this business are the ones who create content, and the more opportunities you have to create the content, the more opportunities you have to own it."

Meanwhile, brands want to be attached to engaging content that attracts an audience. Demonstrate that you can effectively build and engage audiences and the path to distribution will follow. That said...

 

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