OPINIONS - POST OPINION - PREVIOUS - NEXT
OPINION
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Celebrating Tampa Indie Film
I met with friend
and entertainment producer C. A. Passinault the other day regarding
the tough subjects that I should tackle with the debut of the Opinion
section launching here with Tampa Bay Film, and we decided that we should
start on a positive note. With some tough battles ahead in the Tampa
Bay independent film community, we might as well.
So, I will start by introducing the Tampa Bay Film web site and what
we hope to accomplish with it in our first year.
As a professional actress, it has been difficult finding worthwhile
indie film projects to do. Sure, there are talented film makers in Tampa
Bay, but they are not as common as most would think. After years of
looking at many of the local film makers and the decided lack of quality
with much of the work, many actors have opted to avoid working on film
in this area and either seek castings in Orlando and Miami or do theater
instead.
Now, I really do not want to say much which could be construed as negative,
but change is really needed in the film community here. When newspapers
and the media all but ignore independent film in Tampa Bay, it is really
easy to look at those actions and ask why when the underlying cause
should really be addressed. Why is it that indy film here is so often
ignored? While it is true that the film-making community here is doing
something, the underlying issue is that it is doing more of the same.
Most of the time, films made here have bad scripts, bad lighting, and
have production stadards which are decidely unprofessional and uninspiring.
If you want respect, you have to earn it. Be creative. Learn what the
hell it is that you're doing or what you're trying to do. Take some
chances and try new things. We need films that, despite their low budgets,
shine with creativity, professional production values, and patient attention-to-detail.
We need work here that will attract the attention and the respect from
the media and those who would buy our films. We also need networking
and self-publishing alternatives, so film makers can actually make a
living from their craft. We are getting ahead of ourselves with that,
however. Before you can sell anything, you first need something good
to sell. As an actress, I can say that putting out quality work will
do far more than give indy film makers something to sell. You will also
find many more professional actors, talent, and production professionals
willing to professionally collaborate with you or work on deferred pay
simply because we would be involved with something that we can be proud
of. How long has it been since many of us could say that?
Things are goiong to change, and it starts with this new site. Actors,
talent, and a new generation of independent filmmakers are organizing,
and we are determined to improve the indy film community in Tampa Bay
from leading by example and introducing waves of revolutionary ideas.
For those who are apathetic about film in Tampa Bay and are waiting
for things which are truly respectable to emerge, your wait is almost
over. These are exciting times. With film makers paying attention to
professional quality, many of the issues haunting independent film in
the Tampa Bay area will evaporate. Success will become a self-fulfilling
prophesy simply because progress will snowball. We are dedicated to
helping this market change, and if anyone has questions about just how
to do that, we will help them with answers at no charge. We realize
that, by helping the indy film community here, we will be investing
in our futures as well, and this is exactly what we need here in Tampa
Bay.
Where should I start?
Our first contribution to the independent film industry is a free online
film festival, which this site is built around. Our online film festival
begins now, and it is always open anywhere there is an Internet connection
and at all times. Our online film festival is just the beginning, too,
as it will lead to an event counterpart later this year. The event-formatted
film festival, which will tie into our existing online film festival,
will be a MONTHLY Tampa Bay film festival unlike anything ever seen
before, and this monthly event will be planned and executed by professional
event planners and talent. Our Tampa Bay Film event will become the
market standard in Tampa Bay, and it is our intention to lead by example
and teach others how it is done by showing them. After all, most are
not inspired to actually improve unless they have competition, and our
kind of competition will lead to changes throughout the independent
film community. It is our hope to see widespread changes so that everyone
can benefit.
It has begun, and we cannot wait to lead the way to the future which
inspires professional respect, new production standards, and trends
where more Tampa Bay film professionals are able to make a living doing
what they love to do. There is so much potential here in Tampa Bay,
and we intend to inspire everyone to meet and eventually exceed that
potential. You don't really need a large amount of money and large production
resources to make a great film. You simply need to have some skill,
a good amount of talent, a measure of creativity, and the desire and
means to work hard at making films. Most of us are almost there. Some
simply need to be inspired and shown the way.
Lauren
Moss
Editor
Tampa Bay Film
OPINIONS - POST OPINION - PREVIOUS - NEXT
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