The Monetization Problem in Creative Works: How Far Can Revenue Be Generated from Completed Projects?

Are Films “Finished” When They’re Done?

One of the joys of creative hobbies is making what you love at your own pace.

While DIY filmmaking has been around for decades, it seems that once such projects are completed, there’s little effort put into using them beyond the initial phase of enthusiasm. At best, creators might host a free screening to connect with other like-minded enthusiasts. Most often, however, the cycle ends with a private viewing or distributing DVDs among friends.

Having been involved in indie filmmaking since my late teens, with over 30 years of experience, I’ve learned an important lesson: even in a hobby-driven context, economic feasibility matters.

I understand the hesitation—profiting from a “creative passion project” can feel contradictory. However, I’m not advocating for “making something you dislike just for money.” Instead, I’m suggesting this: wouldn’t it be wonderful if your joyful creations could also generate revenue?

Sustainability in Hobby Filmmaking

When creating a film among friends, payment is often not an option. Participation is considered part of the fun, and actors or crew are asked to contribute voluntarily. As the producer, I typically cover transportation and meals, but funding everything beyond that is difficult.

Filmmaking, while relatively inexpensive as a hobby, still requires producers to shoulder costs out of their own pockets.

In this context, the ultimate goal of hobby filmmaking is long-term sustainability:

• To keep creating for years to come.
• To produce numerous works.

However, relying entirely on personal expenses and unpaid volunteers makes it nearly impossible to maintain continuity.

This is why monetizing completed films becomes essential—not just to recover production costs but also to provide even small tokens of appreciation for collaborators. Turning filmmaking into a hobby that is both enjoyable and financially rewarding will also make it easier to attract willing participants.

Challenges with Amazon Prime Video and Kindle Publishing

In previous newsletters, I discussed experimenting with Amazon platforms to monetize my hobby films, specifically:

• Amazon Video Direct.
• Kindle Direct Publishing.

Amazon Video Direct lets you publish films on Prime Video as paid content, but passing their approval process has become increasingly challenging.

I also created a “video magazine” Kindle book combining behind-the-scenes stories, original novel content, scripts, and links to the main film. However, this turned out to be the worst-performing book among my Kindle offerings—suggesting zero demand from Kindle readers.

That said, I believe this format—mixing making-of content, novels, and the film itself—still holds potential. For those interested, it’s available on Kindle Unlimited.

Recently, I’ve also started publishing on the video-sharing site “XCREAM,” thanks to recommendations from filmmaker colleagues. While I don’t expect sales, it serves as a platform should anyone wish to watch my work.

Is the Final Film the Main Attraction?

Independent films naturally revolve around completing the movie itself. However, for works featuring unknown actors, the most engaging aspect may not be the film but the behind-the-scenes content.

The “making-of” process could arguably be independent filmmaking’s most powerful asset.

This opens up another monetization avenue: turning production processes into educational content.

Using Udemy for Educational Content

Udemy, an online learning platform that has been rapidly growing, stands out due to its frequent promotional campaigns. I currently sell several courses there, with most sales occurring during discount campaigns. Some examples include:

• Practical Story-Driven Video Production: Overview.
• Video Shooting Techniques for Beginners.

By thoroughly documenting production processes and adding step-by-step explanations, one can turn them into educational courses.

• Filmmakers gain valuable insights.
• General audiences enjoy it as entertaining behind-the-scenes content.

Interestingly, most Udemy buyers don’t intend to apply what they learn—they simply enjoy the material, much like readers enjoying “how-to-write” books without ever writing a novel.

An ideal course format could include:

• Detailed walkthroughs of each production step.
• Useful tips and trivia.
• The completed film as a bonus.

For example, Dark Beast Wanigameater, a pilot project for the “Masuda-Style Super Previsualization Method,” was filmed with the making-of process in mind and can easily be transformed into a course.

Going forward, I plan to approach all future projects with educational content in mind—establishing a new style of indie filmmaking that’s both creative and sustainable.

I hope this serves as useful inspiration!