👋 Your watchlist just got better.

• 🎤 Mike Birbiglia | 5.26

• 🎥 Karate Kid | 5.30

• 🎥 Bring Her Back | 5.30

Read time: 3 minutes | 538 words

TRENDING

• 🤖 Google's Veo 3 AI creates stunning video footage that could revolutionize filmmaking. More examples here.

• 🎬 Marvel's homework assignment for Avengers: Doomsday is getting absurdly long — here’s what you need to know. 

• 🏄‍♂️ Disney's live-action Lilo & Stitch just surfed to the biggest Memorial Day opening ever ($183M domestic). Here’s a list of past openings.

• 📄 Your mission: Download the best spy movie scripts ever written, like North by Northwest (1959), The Third Man (1949), and Casino Royale (2006).

• 🎤 Tom Cruise's hour-long BFI lecture dives deep into filmmaking craft and cinema magic — watch it all right here.

TOGETHER WITH BUZZTOWN

Filmmakers and screenwriters — is your screenplay or idea Pitch Ready?

Tired of waiting for that "lucky break" that might never come? Pitch Ready gives screenwriters and filmmakers a proven digital strategy to bypass traditional gatekeepers and get your screenplay in front of decision-makers NOW.

Stop submitting to endless festivals and competitions with nothing to show for it. Learn how next-generation screenwriters are breaking in FASTER with authentic, personal pitches that genuinely connect with industry professionals.

👉 Click to discover how to transform your screenplay journey from years to days. Limited-time enrollment for upcoming June cohort.

FEATURE

🎬 Richard Linklater's Movie-Funding Formula

How does a master indie filmmaker keep getting movies made?

Richard Linklater isn't just a filmmaker – he's a strategic hustler who has mastered the art of independent cinema survival. This fascinating look at the "Boyhood" director's funding philosophy reveals how one of America's most important indie voices continues thriving outside the studio system after three decades.

Even with five Oscar nominations and critical acclaim, Linklater faces the same brutal reality as every independent filmmaker: convincing people to believe in your vision with their wallets. But what separates him from filmmakers who fade into obscurity?

(Read about Boyhood’s 12-year shoot right here.)

🎭 His Strategy Breaks Down Into Core Principles:

• Be a Cheap Hustler - At Cannes, Linklater told aspiring filmmakers they must embrace the hustle with charm. This isn't about manipulation – it's about passionate advocacy for your art combined with scrappy resourcefulness.

• Accept Hard Truths - When projects get rejected, Linklater advocates brutal self-reflection: "If no one wants to support you, that just means you are not ready yet." This isn't discouragement – it's strategic recalibration.

• Authenticity Over Everything - The key insight: genuine conviction can't be manufactured. Investors smell desperation from miles away, but they're magnetically drawn to filmmakers who truly believe in their projects.

🎯 What Makes Linklater's Approach Work?

At his core lies strategic vulnerability – admitting that asking for money "is never fun" while refusing to let that discomfort paralyze him. From "Slacker" to "Boyhood" to experimental rotoscoped adventures, he's mastered the art of making his passion contagious.

The Linklater method isn't about having the right connections or waiting for luck – it's about earning belief through consistent excellence. His three-decade career proves that indie filmmaking success isn't about finding the right person to say yes; it's about becoming the right person others desperately want to bet on. 🔥

TOGETHER WITH THE DAILY UPSIDE

What Top Execs Read Before the Market Opens

The Daily Upside was built by investment pros to give execs the intel they need—no fluff, just sharp insights on trends, deals, and strategy. Join 1M+ professionals and subscribe for free.

Join 1M+ professionals and subscribe for free.

PUNCHLINES