Be the Train
The Mindset and Tools You Need to Make Your First Feature Film
From an award-winning filmmaker who writes, produces, and stars in her own projects—an actionable, motivational guide to everything you need to know (and how you should think) about making your first feature film.
As an aspiring actress, SELINA RINGEL waited for years for her train to arrive. She did everything “by the book”—went to film school, attended endless casting calls, and searched for an agent. Then, instead of waiting to be chosen, she chose herself.
She realized she had to become the train—creating momentum by inspiring others to join her own projects. Regardless of where you are in your career, Selina will teach you how to bring your projects to life and will give you the most important tools that filmmakers need to succeed:
- The relentless mindset needed in creative industries
- How to get funding—and how to get things done without it
- How to build and steer the right team into the station
- How to find joy and fulfillment in the process
More than a traditional filmmaking manual, Be the Train is a powerful blend of real-life examples, practical advice, and a call to action for creatives to take control of their art. Stop waiting for permission—get your projects on track. All aboard!
Selina Ringel
Selina Ringel is an award-winning writer, producer, director, actress, and entrepreneur whose work includes three feature films, a comedy special, and a digital series.
Her first feature, The Best People, was sold to Samuel Goldwyn Films (MGM) and distributed in more than forty countries. She won the Award This! honor for Best Indie Drama with her second feature, Single Mother by Choice, which was sold to HBO and doubled its investment in the sale. Her stand-up comedy special, 2 Moms, 1 Mic (with Kaela Crawford), and her digital series Tuning In are both on Amazon Prime. Her third feature, You, Me & Her, has a 100 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes and has won fourteen awards.
Over a fifteen-year career, her scripts have won or been finalists at Slamdance, WIF, and the Blacklist, and she has been a guest judge for festivals including Film Outside the Frame and Tilt Up. She is a graduate of AFI’s MFA producing program and runs her own production company, Two Hands Productions, with her husband and business partner, Dan Levy Dagerman.