1. Creating Online Courses: With the changing trend in the ways we receive education, people are turning more and more towards online courses. The director could create courses on filmmaking, storytelling, and script-writing, capitalizing on their vast experience and expertise. The courses could be hosted on various platforms like Udemy, Skillshare, or the director's website.
2. Offering Masterclass Sessions: Building off of online courses, the director could also provide tighter, more focused online masterclasses. Special one-off educational experiences where they share industry insights, tips, and personal experiences would be attractive.
3. Speaker Engagements: Film festivals, screenings, award functions, and creative summits are always looking for knowledgeable and experienced speakers. A director could monetize their standing in the industry by speaking at such events.
4. Book/Memoir Writing: A director's unique vision, experiences, and lessons learned over the course of their career can be penned as a book or memoir. This not only generates income but helps establish a legacy and inspire future filmmakers.
5. Merchandising: Merchandise related to director’s popular films could generate significant side income. This could include t-shirts, posters, replicas of props, etc. licensed through established retailers.
6. Consultant: Offering consultancy services to emerging filmmakers and film production companies could be a lucrative practice. The director could provide advice and guidance on anything from script-writing, casting, to directing style.
7. Virtual Film Tours/Talks: In the era of digital reality, the director can offer virtual experiences of their film sets, behind-the-scenes stories, or even narrative walkthroughs of some of their famous movies.
8. Podcasting: Starting a podcast discussing films, the film industry, reviewing scripts, or conducting interviews with other industry professionals could generate profit from sponsorships and ads.
9. Crowdfunding Projects: The director can also delve into projects by raising funds from the public. Given their standing, they could leverage their position and launch exciting projects.
10. Entering into Franchise Agreements: If the director has some iconic movies to their credit, these can be turned into franchises, with successive sequels or spin-offs, licensing deals for TV shows, theme parks, and video games.
11. Starting a Production Company: If the director has the funds and the desire to control creative aspects, they can start their own production company, investing in and producing other filmmakers' projects while taking a percentage of the profits.
12. Brand Collaborations: The director could work in collaboration with brands they align with. It could include media appearances, advertisements, product placement in films, etc.
Each of these methods provides diverse income channels with a varying amount of active involvement, risk, and initial investment required. Some are relatively passive and less risky such as offering online courses or writing a book, while starting a production company or getting into merchandise will require more involvement and higher risk.