This week, on The VFX Artists Podcast, my curiosity with how movies are made and brought to life, brought me to a discussion with London based film director, writer and producer Marcus Flemmings. On this episode, I find out about Marcus’ background and journey to becoming a film director, talk about his new film Blonde Purple, out on November 30th, and discuss realities of inspiration, competition, originality, ego, mistakes and more, in the life of an indie film maker. Marcus’s latest film Blonde purple can be watched on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Voodoo and on the Xbox. You can also find Marcus on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and IMDB Apologies for the occasional echoes in this episode. #indiefilmmaking #marcusflemmings #blondepurple Chapters: 00:00:00:00 - What to expect in this episode  00:02:46:23 - Host intro  00:03:23:21 - Marcus introduction & Filmography 00:12:01:14 - Filming during covid 00:13:11:15 - Process of bringing a film idea to life 00:16:14:19 - How to manage responsibilities leading a crew, as a director, during production  00:18:39:10 - How important is it for film makers to have connections to attain budget for a project, or during distribution 00:21:42:14 - Competing with other film makers for exposure on streaming channels like Netflix & Amazon 00:24:31:09 - What’s the end goal/desire as a film maker/creative 00:27:01:02 - Story vs visuals - which takes priority? 00:28:48:19 - Competition with other creatives 00:31:18:08 - How to produce original content 00:34:22:20 - How to catch a break/be recognised for what you do 00:37:00:22 - Dealing with the ego from constructive criticism and feedback 00:39:30:05 - Challenges of being a black creative 00:43:26:05 - Vision for the future 00:44:37:05 - Words of advice 00:46:17:14 - How to reach out to Marcus 00:47:12:23 - Question for the host - My role in the VFX industry 00:49:29:15 - Conclusion