One of the most common mistakes I see from Australian independent filmmakers is treating marketing as something that happens after the film is finished. You wrap production, do your post, submit to festivals, and then, maybe a few weeks before release, start thinking about how to get people to actually see the thing.

By then it’s usually too late. Building an audience takes time, and the smartest indie filmmakers start during production or even earlier. Here’s how they’re doing it.

Start During Development

It might seem premature to think about audience during development, but this is when you should be identifying who your film is for. Not “everyone.” A specific audience with specific interests and specific places they gather online and offline.

If you’re making a horror film, the horror community is your target. If you’re making a documentary about surfing, the surfing community is your target. If you’re making a drama about immigrant experiences, communities connected to that specific diaspora are your target.

Once you’ve identified your audience, start learning where they are. What social media platforms do they use? What publications do they read? What podcasts do they listen to? What events do they attend? This research informs everything that follows.

Production as Marketing

Production itself generates content that can build audience interest. Behind-the-scenes material, particularly short video content showing the filmmaking process, performs well on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts.

I’m not talking about polished production diaries. I’m talking about quick, authentic glimpses into the daily reality of making a film. A 30-second clip of the crew setting up a shot. A time-lapse of a set being built. A brief interview with a cast member between takes.

This content does two things: it makes the audience feel invested in the production before they’ve seen the film, and it demonstrates the craft and effort involved in filmmaking, which builds respect and goodwill.

The filmmaker behind one of last year’s most successful Australian indie releases told me they gained over 5,000 Instagram followers during production alone, simply by posting consistent, authentic behind-the-scenes content. Those followers became their core audience at release.

Festival Strategy as Marketing

Your festival strategy is a marketing strategy. Every festival selection is a press opportunity. Every screening is a chance to build word-of-mouth. Every Q&A is a direct connection with potential audience members.

When your film is selected for a festival, amplify that across every channel you have. Tag the festival, share their announcement, and create your own content around the selection. Thank the festival publicly. Share any reviews or coverage that result from the screening.

For Australian films, a strong festival run creates a narrative arc that builds audience interest over time. “Selected for SFF” becomes “Won audience award at CinefestOZ” becomes “Opening in cinemas October.” Each milestone gives you a reason to communicate with your audience and remind them the film exists.

Email Lists

Social media is important, but an email list is more valuable for indie film marketing. Social media platforms control your reach and can change their algorithms at any time. An email list is yours.

Start collecting emails from the moment you have something to show. A simple website with a mailing list signup and a logline can begin building your list during production. Offer something in exchange for signing up: early access to the trailer, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, or advance ticket booking for the premiere.

An email list of 2,000 genuinely interested people is worth more than 20,000 passive social media followers. When your film releases, those 2,000 people will buy tickets, attend screenings, and tell their friends.

Community Engagement

If your film connects to a specific community, engage with that community directly. Attend their events. Contribute to their online spaces. Not as a marketing exercise, but as a genuine participant. When you eventually have a film to share, the trust you’ve built translates into audience.

For documentary filmmakers, community engagement is particularly effective. If you’re making a film about a specific issue, the communities affected by that issue are natural allies. They want the story told, and they’ll help you reach people who care about it.

Don’t Wait

The common thread in all of this is timing. The filmmakers who struggle to find audiences are the ones who wait until the film is finished to think about marketing. The ones who succeed start early, build consistently, and arrive at release with an audience that’s already invested.

You don’t need a huge budget for audience development. You need consistency, authenticity, and a genuine respect for the people you’re asking to watch your film. Start now.