Our
mission at MicroFilmmaker Magazine is to
connect and assist the ultra-low budget independent filmmakers
who, more often than not, seem to get lost in the shuffle.
Statistically
80%-90% of all Independent films are made for under $30,000.00.
Because
this budget is so low that Hollywood contemptuously considers
these films to be 'Below No-Budget', they have come to
be referred to as 'Micro-Cinema' films--or, as we've shortened
it further, Micro-Films. Micro-films are most often made
by people who are working a normal job and funding most
or all of their films out of their own pockets. These
are the sort of people who are so passionate about making
films that they might go hungry in order to be able to
make a film they are creating. These are the people for
which filmmaking isn't about money--it's about the magic
that can only come from their souls when they pour their
life's blood into the art of making films.
We
use the term 'film' loosely, because those who make films
for less than $30,000 can rarely afford the expenses of
actually shooting on 'film.' As such, they are the ones
who most often experiment with digital film, digital video,
and high definition mediums. They are the ones who are
pushing the envelope in ways that the current regime of
Hollywood could never stomach.
And
I have news for you, this isn't a new trend!
MicroFilmmakers
from the dawn of film have been pushing the envelope.
In the new short film compilation, Unseen Cinema: Early
American Avant-garde Film 1894-1941, we see
that fringe indie filmmakers were the ones testing the
newest technologies long before Hollywood ever embraced
them. (In fact, that's literally what the term avant-garde
means: 'ahead of the pack!') In 1896, there
were MicroFilmmakers experimenting with colorizing moving
films after they were shot, so that the projected film
was in color! That's forty-three years before the Wizard
of Oz, folks!
All
this to say, with as rich a heritage as Micro-Cinema has
(even though the name was coined only a decade ago!) it
was high time that someone created a filmmaking website
that focused on connecting Micro-Cinema filmmakers and
helping them improve their craft.
With
that in mind, we created MicroFilmmaker Magazine
to provide all the things that MicroFilmmakers need: how-to
guides on building steady rigs, dollies, and other equipment,
discounts on services MicroFilmmakers can really use,
articles on better filmmaking techniques from preproduction
to post, reviews of the newest cameras, software, equipment,
and adapters in a MicroFilmmaker's actual price range,
a community section for filmmakers to converse and help
one another, and even a critiques section on new Micro-Films.
The
last part is especially worthy of note, because, we at
MicroFilmmaker are so bent on making your films better,
we actually will do three critiques on a single film:
a rough critique, a semi-final critique, and a final critique.
The first two are designed to help you work the bugs out
of your film as your editing progresses, while the last
critique, is more like an actual review that you would
receive by Rolling Stone or Esquire. As such, you can
improve your film exponentially by availing yourself of
our site long before you ever submit your film to a film
festival or agent. (And for new filmmakers, you can avoid
a lot of mistakes by reading the critiques we do on other
people's films!)
And
because we are trying to help the microfilmmaking community,
we charge no money to our readers. The the only thing we charge any money for is a small fee to the film's director or producer for our in-depth critiques of their films.
Don't
hide in the fringes of society any longer! Be part of
the microfilmmaking revolution!
God
Bless,
Jeremy
Hanke
Editor
MicroFilmmaker Magazine
