Filmmaking Through Community

"Filmmaking Through Community"

That's what we came up with, in a PR meeting with a dozen people, over a beer (of course) at Trinity Brewhouse. I think it was Chris Magdalenski who suggested it, but beer and memory do not mix.

We were there to boil down our identity into a sound byte. "What do we do?" we asked. What is the fundamental purpose of this group?

We make films. We enable filmmakers to reach the resources to make their films. We network. We educate. We build community. We drink (someone shouted).

Nah. That wouldn't look good on a letterhead.

We do a lot of different things. How are these things connected? Ultimately, we make films and we build community, thus: "Filmmaking through community."

Of course, everyone knows I'm gonna like it. Anthony Ambrosino often accuses me of being a communist (I actually consider myself a social libertarian). After a brief debate, we all agree. That is what we do, in soundbyte form: Filmmaking Through Community.

Why? Because you can not make movies alone. Believe me, I have tried. Okay, maybe you can, but they will most likely suck. To make a good movie, you need people.

It used to be you needed money, but now in the middle of a digital revolution, you no longer need money. But you still need people. People make movies. That is the greatness of filmmaking.

I was never much for groups. My nature is to be a loner. For years I avoided other filmmakers like the plague. They can be pretentious, difficult, annoying, self-important. I avoided other filmmakers for ten years until I realized I can no longer do it alone.

I have had days on set where I had the camera on a tripod, adjusted the lights, hit the Record button, walked in front of the camera, clapped the board, placed it on the ground, yelled "Action" to myself and said my lines. I am pretty sure that is not how Spielberg does it.

For me, I had to put aside my ego and decide that being a part of the human race is not such a bad thing..... if it helps me make movies. That is what was going through my head when I held that first meeting at The Wild Colonial Bar, the 2nd Tuesday in November.

A year and a half later I am a part of a community. And I found out, after avoiding them for ten years…. I actually like filmmakers. Sure, they can be pretentious, difficult, annoying and self-important. So can everybody else. I like how passionate they are about their films. I like how willing they are to give up their weekends to work on something just so they can watch it.

In a way, we are not much different from Hollywood. Hollywood is a community that makes films. Only their community is held together by money. With this new digital HD world we live in, a shit load of money is no longer necessary. Maybe Hollywood is not necessary either. Maybe the country can be covered with film communities, all mini-Hollywoods all with their own stars, filmmakers and audiences.

Maybe we are at the beginning stages of a revolution in the way films are made... Or maybe that is my communist/libertarian anarchist talking. Maybe it is the beer.

Either way, I am sticking to the soundbyte.

"Filmmaking Through Community."