Today’s GUEST POST comes fromfilmmaker, curator, programmer, and host Kristina Michelle, who had commented on this blog and I was so thankful to encounter her voice, enthusiasm, spirit, and practical approach. I asked if she would consider contributing further for to the discussion. I expect we will hear a lot more from her as this community grows.
Everywhere I turn these days, I am hearing people complaining about independent filmmaking. This isn’t the public opinion. It’s coming from the very people that make up this business, or people who once have. I remember when you could go to a film blog or meet up with other filmmakers and be inspired by what you read or heard, a time when the independent film community stuck together. Now, all I hear is, “Independent film is a dying industry,” or, “There’s no future in this business anymore, no money to be made.”
I understand that it’s a difficult economy right now, and it’s not so easy to get financing for independent films. What I can’t understand is why this has such an effect on people’s opinion on the filmmaking business itself. I’ve worked in independent film for quite some time now, and I can tell you that it is NOT a dying industry. It isn’t endangered or failing. Independent filmmaking is right where it’s always been – in the hearts of the filmmakers. Whether or not you can get the money you’d hoped to finance your film is not as big a deal as it seems, and it wouldn’t scare away a dedicated filmmaker. If anything, it will only push them harder.
It does not take millions of dollars to make a great film. In fact,
