| If you have a good story to tell there | | | | submitted to film festivals, then people |
| is no reason why you should not make it | | | | will take notice. If a buzz is created |
| into an independent film. With the right | | | | about your movie, it can lead to a |
| film production techniques, the right | | | | distribution deal that is worth many |
| script, the right people working with | | | | times more than the money you invested. |
| you and a relatively small amount of | | | | After you have finished with all phases |
| money you can make a low budget movie | | | | of the film production process you need |
| that can compete with the best of them | | | | to find places that will show your film |
| on the festival circuit at places like | | | | to the public. There is a thing called |
| Cannes, Toronto, Telluride and the | | | | the film festival circuit and it is the |
| Sundance Film Festival. If your story is | | | | last bastion of hope for people who want |
| compelling enough people will forget | | | | to make independent films. Sure, the |
| that the production value is a bit | | | | celebrities and big studios have |
| challenged. | | | | recently invaded the larger events like |
| There are people all over this world who | | | | Toronto, Cannes and the Sundance Film |
| never gave up on their dreams to make | | | | Festival, but they still make room for |
| films, despite the difficulties that | | | | the little guys. Independent filmmakers |
| came with working outside of the | | | | are still the focus of film festivals no |
| mainstream film industry. They are | | | | matter how much publicity they receive. |
| passionate filmmakers who believe that | | | | Films like The Blair Witch Project are a |
| anyone with a compelling story to tell | | | | perfect example of how a film with a |
| has a right to make a movie. Through | | | | very small budget but a very clever |
| their struggles these diehard filmmakers | | | | story can make it to the big time. |
| have created cheaper ways to make | | | | This very independent film was a big hit |
| movies. This revolution was born out of | | | | at The Sundance Film Festival in the |
| frustration due to decades of having | | | | late nineties and it was all because of |
| their creative voices shunned by the big | | | | the storyline. The Film was shot and |
| film studios who favored commercialism | | | | edited on video and transferred to 16mm |
| over creativity. | | | | film only for the print that was needed |
| The commercialism associated with the | | | | for screenings at the festival. The |
| films that are being released by the | | | | independent filmmakers that made this |
| major Hollywood film studios these days | | | | film only spent about 40,000 dollars to |
| is very frustrating for any filmmaker | | | | make it and get it ready for Sundance. |
| who considers their work to be art. | | | | The production value was very poor but |
| Nowadays movies are tested extensively | | | | people could not stop talking about how |
| beforehand to ensure that the studio | | | | the story ended. It received a lot of |
| committing hundreds of millions of | | | | publicity and was subsequently sold to a |
| dollars to it will not lose money. This | | | | major film studio for one and a half |
| kind of testing tends to narrow the | | | | million dollars. The studio made 150 |
| field down to only a few kinds of movies | | | | million dollars on the film when they |
| that they will invest in which means | | | | blew it up to 35 millimeter and |
| there is no room for new ideas. True | | | | distributed it to theaters nationwide. |
| artists can never be happy when there | | | | Film festivals are places where the |
| are constraints imposed on their methods | | | | playing field is leveled for all the |
| and subject matter. | | | | players in the film industry. It is a |
| Although the film industry is a merging | | | | strange nexus between people who are |
| of story telling and commerce, the story | | | | hungry to get into the film industry and |
| telling part has always been the most | | | | people who have had too much of it and |
| important half of the equation for the | | | | just want to be a little less full of |
| audience. The big movie studio | | | | it. They long for the days when |
| executives seem to have forgotten this | | | | filmmaking was more of an art form and |
| fact as they continue to produce movies | | | | less commercialized. The result is that |
| that have more style than substance. | | | | they embrace independent filmmakers in |
| People would much rather see a good | | | | their raw form. When this happens there |
| movie with a low production value than | | | | is always a chance that one of the |
| they would a bad movie with a high | | | | little guys could be suddenly held up to |
| production value. | | | | the spotlight by the big players and |
| Talent and a good storyline are | | | | glorified. If this does occur it is |
| generally worth more to movie audiences | | | | always because the storyline of the film |
| than an expensive look. If you can just | | | | created a buzz, not the production |
| get a good story committed to film and | | | | value. |