A look into the work method of Dutch independent director/producer Joshua van ’t Hoff, who has a knack for shooting award-winning films. Indie filmmakers are in my book, much like the cosplay superheroes at Comic Cons. They create magic for others on a shoestring budget by sheer determination. I talked to Joshua van ’t Hoff of Apostrof Cinema, who has sixteen wins and ten nominations under his belt so far, to learn how he achieved that.

Funding

This Indie filmmaker's everyday alter ego has a part-time job as a night receptionist. He chose to work nights because he's a night owl who enjoys the quiet of the night. Earning more money at night is a nice bonus, and a smart move because now, with only part-time work, he’s able to sustain his hero’s journey. During the day, he can be hired as a freelancer to make corporate and promotional videos, video impressions of events, weddings, film portraits of houses for sale, and book presentations, thereby slowly finding a balance between his everyday and Indie life, like a certain web-slinger we’ve all come to know.

A Hands-On Approach

Joshua is more of an old-school-type filmmaker. Gadgets are avoided whenever possible. For instance, his mobile has no internet and never uses gimbals. He stabilized shooting during ‘Accelerate’ by wearing the camera’s strap around his neck, stretching it until it was tight enough so his body would be his gimbal.

Using gimbals makes him feel like he’s giving away control and creativity. Instead, he will attach a tripod to a camera while filming hand-held, adding weight and stabilizing it. Putting one of the tripod legs into his pants pocket is also a favorite. (see picture below) When panning the camera like this, the footage resembles a Steadicam's.

The advantage of working in this way for him is that he becomes and moves as one with the camera. He can pick up more subtleties and make more minuscule movements. Giving directions and standing behind a camera differs from how this Indie prefers to roll. He’s always part of the action.

Taking Risks

This started for Joshua when he discovered film while studying for a Bachelor of Arts in News and Media. Soon, he found his studies tedious and put it on a sidetrack. After gaining a Bachelor's degree, he decided not to continue studying for a Master’s but to become a master filmmaker. He remarked how nobody had ever asked him for his degree since he got it.

He took a triple risk once by traveling to Belarus with a friend to film a protest against President Lukashenko and the government, which was imposing taxes on the unemployed. They were journalists without declaring they were one or why they were there, nevertheless filming the protest. At least thirty-two journalists were arrested and detained. After escaping the violent police who attacked the demonstrators, Joshua eventually brought attention to Belarusian dictatorial problems with his Focus on Belarus.

‘Accelerate’ was filmed in four days during travels in Los Angeles. Mostly at night because no people would be around to hinder the filming. They had to watch out for the police because the actor was running on one side of the road while friends drove the camera car on the other side, with Joshua filming from the passenger seat window or sitting in the car boot.

Another time, he and his friend Rick Evenhuis wanted to compete in the Star Wars Fan Film Awards. Even though it wasn’t open to filmmakers from Holland and the film couldn’t be more than five minutes long, they created ‘The Path of the Greys.’ Instead of going for the European PAL-type file, they used the American NTSC and asked an American friend to enter it into the film festival, hoping to slip by. It did not work. But they would never have gotten a yes if they had not tried.

Before & After Editing

Make What You Want To See

After this, they decided to edit a new version according to their vision. This thirteen-minute version was entered into the 2021 L.A. Sci-Fi Film Festival and won.

It started to take film festivals by storm all over America. Joshua wondered if it could make it to all fifty United States festivals. An Indie quest had begun. Joshua keeps track of the film's progress on a green map of America, coloring every state where it had been selected grey. The new grey States are shared on social media with the slogan “Let’s make America GREY Again.” The (American) Path of the Greys stretches out more and more with twenty-one of the twenty-five worldwide official film festival selections being by American States. It has raked in thirteen wins, and nine nominations, and is still going!

Protecting Yourself

After having made the documentary about Truth and Privacy in the National Archive and starting an ongoing film project about the hidden heritage of Sobibor, He was called in by a family who wanted to learn more about their grandmother’s heritage, who had escaped from Prague during World War Two.

Just before COVID-19 hit, new information came to light that would give the family closure and the documentary its proper ending. But when the film was finally completed after three years of research and filming in four countries, the premiere was forced to be postponed due to the restrictions of the pandemic and divided into seven premiere screenings.

When Joshua decided to create a shorter documentary version, he and the family differed in opinion—but knowing that as director and producer, the film is his intellectual property, and having the necessary contracts to fall back on, he’s able to continue to show what he has worked so hard for.

Releasing Your Film

The short action film “Accelerate” is about a runner suffering from heart disease. The sick main character decided to run because he wanted to feel alive again, even though he knew it might kill him. Joshua scripted that the runner opens his arms just as he would at a finish line. At the point of utter aliveness, he would meet death. But a cut was made before the death, leaving an open ending.

It found a home at the Rare Disease International Film Festival in Rome, where it won the Heyoka award, the first prize for a best narrative film about a rare disease that addresses the themes of empathy, inclusion, and empowerment. The Italians interpreted the ending entirely differently; they saw it as him conquering his disease. Joshua learned that when a film is finished, it takes on its own life and finds its audience. It taught him that releasing a film means releasing your expectations for it.

Joshua showing his Heyoka award.

Believe In Yourself

Like any hero’s journey in film, life can’t always be good. Everyone has a dark night of the soul moment at some point in life. Joshua has his fair share, too. He’s been through a year-long burnout, has had to meet with his lawyer over unexpected difficulties, and sometimes feels doubts creep up on him while he’s in a dark room editing at night. But he always tries to remind himself about projects he’s done in the past that turned out well, picks his cape up, and sets off again.

Me and Joshua want to thank you for reading this. We hope it helps you somehow on your hero’s journey. See you out there!

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