Table of Contents: Click the links to view

I. Featured Independent Film and a quick rant on the mentality of independent filmmaking.
II. Freelancer Spotlight 
III. Behind-the-scenes insights!
IV. Industry News
V. Community Corner Submit content or success stories

Mentality of Independent Filmmakers

Here’s the rant I told you about.

There are a lot of great independent films. With festivals like Sundance right around the corner, it's important to give props to the people presenting their films because it took mental toughness, concentration, and accountability to get there.

I worked on a few independent films in 2023, and I think what gets misinterpreted is the word ‘INDEPENDENT.’ Some companies, directors, Writers, and Cinematographers think ‘independent’ means you don't do everything in your will to trick the audience into thinking you have a budget for lighting, set design, actors, props, etc..… should I go on?

Independent filmmaking has long been associated with shoestring budgets and gritty aesthetics, but the landscape is changing. The notion that an independent film must inevitably look low-budget is being shattered by a new wave of filmmakers rewriting the rules.

This is a reminder that Independent filmmaking should no longer be synonymous with a lack of production value. With the right mindset, strategic planning, and creative ingenuity, filmmakers can produce works that rival mainstream productions.

Featured Independent Film 😀 

Notable Independent film. Please Share your thoughts under the video or in the comments!

Here from the Director/Writer Alexis Garcia

Freelancer Spotlight 😁 

After speaking with a few creators, I wanted to mention a few specific names and projects. They are doing really cool stuff!

I would love to mention 100 people at a time, but obviously I can only do a few each reading. I hope you plan on staying subscribed long enough to see the other 97 people haha!

Photography: Instagram: @Jmulka

Great photographer, wholesome guy and his live event photography is unbelievable.

Cinematographer: Instagram @TyRogers.dp

It would be cliche to put my name here as a Cinematographer, but when people do amazing work you have to love.

Ty is a hustler and is great at what he does. He does various work with commercials, films and tv, but this will feature some of his sports cinema from USC

Colorist: Instagram @Yao Colorgrading

Yao from Beijing, China spoke to me about his background and how he started in 2012 self taught without a teacher. He stated, “In the beginning I did everything myself from sorting out the materials, color grading and output into films.”

Over a decade later, he has his routine taking the post production process step by step and feels that he is still learning more and more everyday!

Here is his reel!

Technical ‘behind the scenes’ Insights 🤔 

The Killer - Feature Film

A great line from this BTS video comes from Director David Fincher (IMDB) to the DP Erik Messerschmidt (IMDB) regarding if the tone was too dark for the film.

DF says, “There are things the audience need to see and then there are things they need to hear.”

I personally will add this quote to the notebook!

Industry News 🫡 

New Joker in 2024?

Todd Phillips Offers A New Look At Joker Sequel

ARRI Products

Cirro Lite

Community Corner 🙂 

Whats on deck for next month? We will have a few shoutouts, but we will focus on
* Behind the scene breakdowns of photography and video
 * How to bring style into your video editing