Filmmaking / Directing : Why do you feel independent filmmakers are important to the world of film? by Laura Margosian

How else would a person start a filmmaking career without doing it on their own first?

...Important to the world? They're not, but to the film world, the up-n-coming independent filmmakers are the very foundation of the evolving film industry. I think it's still possible for a person to enter the filmmaking career path by starting as a 'mailroom clerk' at a major studio and working his way up but few posses the patience to do so.

I think they are important to the world because they allow those without a strong voice, or those that are underserved / underrepresented, a chance to get their message out there. These types of films lead the way for subject matter to become more accessible. This can then lead to oversaturation as the studios may jump on the bandwagon eventually, but I think a lot of it starts with indies now.

ALL "GOOD" filmmakers are important, whether they be individual voices or part of some bigger institutionalised studio machine. The Art will out. Hot on peoples lips now, are films made before sound was even invented (Chaplin an example) and the TV Horror channel/most web platforms etc are a mixture of Indie and Big Studio.

Filmmakers are important to the world. Many films and filmmakers have historically impacted people, cultures and society.

I'm pretty sure everyone starts as an indie filmmaker. I've never heard of anyone who made a studio-financed film their first time out of the gate. The vast majority of films are not studio films, and many filmmakers stay in the world of non-studio financed films for their entire careers.

There is probably no harder mountain for an artist to climb than to get an indie film (financed and) shot. It's easy for a writer to sit at their desk alone and write a story, and to even self-publish it and to try and sell it. It's easy for a painter or sculptor to get their material and make something alone, and to try and sell it. It's easy for a musician to sit down alone and write a song, and to try and sell it. It's not so easy for a filmmaker to make a film alone (although some short filmmakers do that), and then to try and sell it..

You have to give a lot of credit to the independent filmmaker, and to the independent producer. They bring a lot of joy and happiness, and even foster personal, political, societal and other types of change in this world that is dark in so many ways (as do their studio counterparts). Artists help keep the world a bright place.

Best wishes to you in your creative endeavors, Laura!

I think filmmakers/storytellers of all kinds are important becuase fundmentally storytelling is a form of communication. It's puprpsoe is to enlighten others to an experience or feeling. Deoesn't matter if it's a hundred million dollar budget or hundred dollar budget. Both movies have the same core goal, to comminicate to an audience. Why do you think people first started painting on cave walls, they wanted to comminicate something, tell their story.