TAMPA
BAY FILM
We
are not a film commission, are not affiliated with any film commission,
and we don’t support any film commission. We support independent
film, and we are selective about what we support in independent film;
to support everything is to support nothing. Everything termed “independent
film” or “indie film” may not necessarily be what they
claim to be.
Most local independent films, in our opinion, are questionable at best,
and not worth getting involved with. We are working to raise the standards,
and in changing that.
We do not issue permits and do not assist in permitting. We are a web
site with information supporting independent filmmaking. If you think
that you need to get a permit and are too clueless to find your own locations,
well, contact a film commission, and have fun with that.
You also may not need a permit. Five or less people with your crew and
cast, and you don’t need one in Tampa Bay.
04/12/26/0131/1541/ - The end game.... before a new beginning. The slate will be wiped clean.
With the indie film war in
Tampa Bay now in its 19th year, and 12 years since it entered its last
phase in 2014, we are now about to enter the final phase, where most local
filmmakers will no longer be able to afford to make films, and they give
up and quit.
There is more than that, however. A lot more.
We are playing with a completely new independent film playbook, which
took years to develop. No one on the planet will be making films the way
that Passinault and his film scene will be making them, as well as the
different type of independent films which will be made. Faster. More creative.
Low to no cost. Higher quality, with superior cinematography and sound.
Most importantly, screenplays which are superior to the best that Hollywood
can do, making films which they can’t or won’t do, and new
types of independent films, some of which are so different that they redefine
what independent films are, should be, and can be.
There will be new standards.
The future of independent film will come out of Tampa Bay. First, however,
we must serve as a catalyst for what is inevitable, as most local independent
filmmakers are no-talents who do what everyone else does, and are already
failing on their own. We need to take out the trash.
When a gang of insecure, amateur filmmakers, “filmmakers”
whom misrepresented themselves as professional and were a poor steward
of independent film, started this fight with Passinault back in 2007,
when he did what he was supposed to by networking with them and helping
them, only to be attacked as a result, they picked a fight with the wrong
person. Unlike their other victims, which they discriminated against,
slandered, harassed, and ganged up on, and which went away and gave up,
Passinault fought back. The film festival and the web site which they
lost in the first five years, as they turned on each other and turned
their fight to one another, was just the beginning.
As this conflict, now a conflict for change and reform, continues, expect
more web sites, new film festivals and independent film events, as well
as new types of those, and new types of independent films which not only
put the old filmmakers to shame (as if it takes those films to put them
to shame. An eight-year old with a video camera can do better than most
of them), but truly support local independent film.
Independent films are often not the same thing as a Hollywood movie, even
if the result can be the same, although “filmmakers” who don’t
know what they are doing think that they are. Independent film scan be
its own thing, and it will be. The potential of independent film is nowhere
near being pushed with the current neanderthals poking at things with
sticks and throwing stones at talented people who can actually make a
difference; the potential of independent film has not been realized, not
just here, but in the world. “Independent film” is supposed
to describe films, or, rather, movies, made outside of the studio system.
They can be so much more than that, however, freed from the limitations,
the format, the cliches, and the high costs of a Hollywood movie. Sure,
Independent films can’t compete with a Hollywood movie and their
resources head-to-head, but they can if you work around them and play
to the strengths of independent film.
Of course, to support everything is to support nothing. You have to be
selective about what you support. Those whom support local independent
film don’t support everything being done in the name of independent
film. Does a gardener allow everything to grow in a garden if they are
growing a successful, productive garden? Of course not!
You have to do some weeding.
The current local independent film scene here in Tampa Bay is overgrown
with weeds. It will never succeed the way that it is.
Passinault is starting his own independent film scene, and will isolate
and undermine the current independent film scene, the latter experiencing
severe problems in making their independent films as more people understand
that most of those filmmakers don’t know what they are doing and
are in violation of labor laws, as well as don’t use appropriate,
mandatory legal documents. The more people who they work with, the higher
their risk. Also, many of these “filmmakers” require help
to make their films, and don’t have the skills or the knowledge
to make a film on their own; they need the help of other filmmakers and
have to have large crews in order to make any kind of film.
That will be their undoing.
What happens when people find out that those filmmakers lied to them about
Passinault? What happens when they realize that Passinault is the real
deal, and that he is smarter, more creative, and more skilled than those
filmmakers are? What happens when they discover that Passinault negotiates
from a position of strength, and that he is selective about who he works
with, and that he is reluctant to work with anyone associated with them,
as he considers them to be a security risk, compromised, and tainted?
What happens when they realize that Passinault has invested in full vertical
integration, that he can make innovative independent films on his own
entirely in-house, that he is free to make the films that he wants to
make and doesn’t cater to any perceived audience to market (Passinault
states that good films will find their own audience, and that they should
be uncompromised), that crewing-up is an option and not a requirement
for him to make an independent film, that (unlike current filmmakers,
who will find that the costs of making films the way that they make them
will increase ten-fold as their legal risk goes up), he can make them
at low to no cost, and that this enables him to take risks (never at the
expense of anyone involved, however, unlike current filmmakers) and experiment?
What happens when they realize that Passinault can go around them and
find his own people and talent (Passinault, a casting director with far
more experience and skill than any local filmmaker, can literally find
and train his own actors and talent, and will be able to audition people
on the spot, anytime and anywhere with his Film Sides program, which is
an ongoing screen test audition program which, if the audition goes well,
can generate a no-cost short film in hours, with the audition and the
capture of scenes of performance coverage taking less that an hour, with
Passinault leaning more into performance-centric independent films than
anything locked into any location. Passinault has already made complete
short films in less than an hour at no cost, and you shouldn’t have
to have a permit in order to pick up a camera and capture footage that
can be used to make a film. Of course, Passinault also has skills in other
professions, such as photography, which enhances the production of independent
films. On the subject of photography, Passinault is a master-level professional
photographer with over twenty-six years of experience shooting models
and talent. Good luck getting better coverage as a cinematographer than
he can).
Then we have the comprehensive security measures baked into and integrated
in every facet of everything that he does. Many local independent filmmakers
have proven that they lie, cheat, and steal, and they will rip you off
if you allow them to. They won’t be able to learn from Passinault
and his people against their will and without their consent, as they can
only see the results, which they are allowed to see, instead of the process.
They will be unable to adapt and compete on any level. Passinault will
also teach his people, including the actors whom he finds and trains,
now to evaluate others and if they are worth working with or not, as well
as to use pseudonyms professionally, and not their real name, in order
to protect their privacy. So much for poaching the people of other filmmakers!
Passinault has stated that he doesn’t have to name his filmmaker
opponents, and that he doesn’t have to do anything to them, as they
fail on their own. He won’t, either, with the exception of addressing
the market as a whole and forcing change which they won’t be able
to adapt to.
He won the war because he will no longer help them.
There is something else. This web site, the Tampa Bay Film web site.
The independent film war started with this web site many years ago. This
site is no longer the main independent film resource site, however. While
is has been restored in its original design with new content, has been
updated, will continue to be updated, and will have a lot of useful content
on it, it’s now a third-tier, expendable support site. It’s
no longer the front-line, flagship, main site.
Our current web sites are positioned perfectly in relevant search engine
results for what is to come. We even have talent support sites which will
support our independent film resource web sites by educating actors and
talent about independent filmmakers and the risks of working with them..
In the next six months, though, there will be web sites which currently
do not exist, which we are working on right now. These sites will flood
the Internet with information which will make it difficult for most current
filmmakers to get anything done, as people will learn that information,
and this will change everything.
10/28/25/2035/ - Check out The Connected Film Festival (Formerly The Tampa Bay Film Online Film Festival, EST 2007, which ran until 2013. Click on a thumbnail above to start watching an independent film).
10/07/25/2145/ - ENTIRE SITE UPDATED FOR 2025. LOTS OF CONTENT ADDED TO NETWORKING SECTION, WARNING OF NETWORKING SCAMS.
12/27/23/0357
- ALERT
AND WARNING! DON'T MAKE OR SELL INDEPENDENT FILMS BEFORE YOU READ THIS!
Is
independent filmmaking illegal?
By C. A. Passinault
Publisher
Tampa Bay Film
Remastered original independent film resource web site. Fortified with new content, resources, and tactics. Built to support checks and balances and professional accountability in local independent films.
Any use of this web site requires that you read and agree to our terms of use and read our legal disclaimer. Do so before reading further. Thank you.
Welcome
to the 2026 Tampa Bay Film web site, rebuilt
and launched in 2023, which is an upgraded remake of the original site
which launched on January 11, 2007. This site is the original site, completely
redone, although it retains its original look, and which will, eventually,
have next-generation talent and industry web site technology and tactics
added. It contains the original Tampa Bay Film content, updated, of course,
and will serve as a preview for what is to come with our other independent
film industry, Tampa Bay and Florida independent film market, and talent
resource web sites, which are the successors of this one; those other
sites will be even larger, more comprehensive, more effective, and more
advanced than this one.
That said, there will have unique content and information on this site
that the others will not have on them. This site has been updated for
the current and future industry and market environments, and is designed
to be highly and quickly adaptable, also being modular and scalable.
This web site will also share in a strategy that will be emphasized in
our sister site, to help filmmakers, talent, and other industry professionals
identify, avoid, work against, and disrupt independent film scams, unethical
filmmakers, people whom lie, cheat, and steal, people whom exploit others
for their own gain, reckless ambitious people whom think that they can
do anything that they want while ignoring the consequences and at the
expense of others and the market, and independent film projects that are
not good for the careers of anyone involved.
Welcome to the beginning of the future, from our foundation in the past.
Tampa
Bay Film is NOT a business or a government organization. We are not affiliated
with or connected with any local film commission. We do not issue permits
and will not directly assist with your independent film, as we do not
do that.
If you are looking for permitting or a film commission, you at the wrong
place. Keep looking. You’ll find them.
This is a web site for informational use only. It is not our intention
to confuse the market with similar branding, as there was no other web
site or organization using anything close to our branding when we started
using it in our operational web site in January of 2007.
“Tampa Bay Film” is a keyword domain name, and is used by
our web site.
Others who are using similar, potentially confusing branding should have
done their research before deciding to use the branding which they are
using.
We will NOT stop using OUR branding just because someone else is using
something similar. Deal with it.
Opinions expressed on this web site are those of the author, and (let’s
be realistic), may not be shared by those other parties (actually, we
can say that they are opposite of their opinions).
We support local independent film. We do not support Hollywood coming
to Tampa Bay to use our locations at the expense of local independent
filmmakers. Hollywood can stay away, in our opinion. We also don’t
support all independent filmmakers, as to support everything is to support
nothing. We support local independent film by curating support for things
and resources which are actually good for independent film and filmmakers.
There are a lot of wannabe filmmakers, con artists, petty nobodies, fanboys,
and fakes posing as filmmakers, some of which sabotage others and do trashy
videos in the name of independent film which are made as the expense of
others who are involved, especially actresses. Trust no one until they
have earned your trust. Do not help anyone until you trust them, as no
good deed goes unpunished.
Currently, it our opinion, and it is our experience, that the local independent
film market is weak, unprofessional, and full of people who not only don’t
have your best interests in mind, but are not worth knowing. Look at their
work and make up your own mind, and stay off of their radar.
Additionally, if all that they do are horror films, it is our opinion
that they should be avoided, unless they can demonstrate competent work
in other genres. Independent horror films are currently too much of a
risk, and some of these people ruin careers and reputations.
If they try to pass off alternative lifestyle models as “actresses”
in their films, you may not want to be associated with that if you want
to be taken seriously as a professional.
If they try to entice you with pay, make sure that it is at least minimum
wage, and that overtime is also paid. Make sure that they comply with
Florida labor laws before you contact them or consider getting involved
with their film projects.
You need to be selective about whom you associate with and work with.
To support everything is to support nothing. Does a Gardener allow every
plant to grow in their garden? To be successful, you need to do some weeding.
UPDATED 03/05/23/1530 - 03/06/23/0225/ - 03/08/23/0217/ - 12/27/23/0400 - 10/06/25/1136/ - 10/07/25/2050/ - 10/07/25/2145/ - 10/09/25/2104/ - 10/23/25/2108/2117 - 10/29/25/2042/ - 04/05/26/0749/ - 04/12/26/1541/
LEGAL DISCLAIMER - TERMS OF USE
© Copyright 2007-2026 Tampa Bay Film. All rights reserved.
Please go the bottom of this page for more information and options. Thank you.
Tampa Bay Film
Exposing local independent film
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Tampa Bay Film is a web site, an independent filmmaking resource web site, for the Tampa Bay area of Florida. We are not a business or an organization, nor is it our intention to be confused with one. We are not affiliated with any organization, business, or party using a similar name, and it is not our intention to confuse ourselves with any brand, nor is this site intended to be used to dilute or undermine any brand. This web site brand consists of key words, and we have been using this keyword brand since 2007. In 2007, no one else was using this brand, or anything similar, so we invested in it and started to use it.
Since our brand has the risk of being contested, we have invested into a wide variety of other independent resource web sites with different branding. This site is now a third-tier independent filmmaking resource site and is, basically, expendable, if it comes to that. Despite this, we have useful information and resources on this platform and will continue to support it with useful content.
You must read and comply with our Terms of Use before using this web site or reading anything else on it. Use of this web site also requires that you read our legal disclaimer. Use of this web site is tracked and use is considered to be consent. The content on this web site is for informational use only and is not advice or presented as fact. It is a publication of professional opinion. Anything printed from this web site and used should be evaluated by a licensed legal professional before use, as we assume no liability for any use, and you assume all risks, responsibility, and potential liability. We are waived of any claims of damages or liability for the use of this site. Use at your own risk. This said, we use this site to support our own careers, and it is our opinion that if the site is good enough for us, it will be good enough for others. No guarantees or warrantees are expressed or implied. Writers on this web site reserve the right to publish under a pseudonym; do not take names as fact. Opinions expressed on this web site are those of the author and may not necessarily be shared by the owners of this web site, anyone affiliated with this web site, or our advertisers.
READ. COMPREHEND. AGREE TO OUR TERMS, OR LEAVE THIS SITE.
TERMS OF USE - LEGAL DISCLAIMER
© Copyright 2006-2026 Tampa Bay Film. All rights reserved. Presented as-is, with no guarantees expressed or implied. Informational use only. Tampa Bay Film is not legally liable for the content on this web site, and use of any content waives us from liability. Anyone using the content on this site or attempting anything described on this site assumes all legal and civil liability. Please be familiar with with your local laws before using this site. Information on Tampa Bay Film is not to be taken as legal advice or advice which may be covered under any licensed or regulated profession. Opinions expressed on this web site are those of the individual contributor and may not be shared by other contributors who may be involved with this web site or our online community. Tampa Bay Film is a free, no-obligation professional independent film and talent resource web site operated from Tampa, Florida, by a team of professional independentfilmmakers and talent. For more, please read our Disclaimer.
Web site originally launched on 01/11/2007. Remastered and updated web site commissioned 030623.1100 hrs.
Update log: 03/05/23/1530 - 03/06/23/0234/ - 03/07/23/0246/ - 03/08/23/0230/0423/0450/ - 10/06/25/0440/0453/0459/1128/ - 10/07/25/2145/ - 10/23/25/2109/ - 10/27/25/0922/1118/ - 04/05/26/0749/
© Copyright 2006-2026 Tampa Bay Film. All rights reserved