I recently read a post by Samantha Simmonds-Ronceros titled Don’t Worry that your Film might be Rubbish.

In it she relates being asked:

“Why do you make these small films that no one sees when there is so much to watch on TV or Cable or online? What is the point when everything else is so much better?”

She counters with these reasons:

• It’s fun!
• It’s never been cheaper to make moves, so now is the time to experiment and ‘fail and fail again.’
• You will learn from your mistakes which allows you to make better films next time.
• It’s all about the journey and not the end result.

“Film, especially when you don’t have money or movie stars or permits or even a car, is art, and you should expect to create bad art for a little while at least, before you can create great art. And even then, sometimes the reason something is made is more important than how technically brilliant it is.”

She concludes with this:

“As very independent filmmakers, with no one to challenge us, we have the opportunity to achieve something that means something, if only for us and those we choose to work with.”

My take: this view really speaks to me. Not because my films are rubbish, but because I believe meaning can be existential. Too often society, influenced by the media, equates value with budget. However, no-budget films can have more to say and impart more meaning than many million dollar movies. My hope is that we figure out more ways to reward artists for sharing their visions with us. And this is my gift to you: an entreaty to carry on filmmaking — because I believe what you do is important and has meaning.