Who keeps the gate?

Film is the type of industry that is so easy to break into, and yet so hard. 

A common refrain is the idea that anyone with a smartphone can make a movie. To an extent, this is true. "Tangerine" was shot entirely using iPhones. It was also director Sean Baker's fifth feature-length film.

What separates "insider" and "outsider" art is rarely the cost of materials. Instead, it has more to do with experience and knowledge.

The most expensive cameras on the market won't save you from bad shot composition. Thousand-dollar lighting setups still need to be placed carefully. Throwing money at Adobe Inc. is not an effective use of Premiere Pro or After Effects.

So who keeps the gate? Do we privilege those who went to film school, who took the time and maybe even the loans to get more comfortable with their skills as artists? What about those with on-set experience, which up until recently has been hard to come by in Northern Colorado?

Filmmaking isn't just about resources, it's about time. Do freelancers have privilege over those with day jobs, able to go out and shoot whenever they want? Or do the weekend warriors have a leg up, with the steady income and benefits that come from not relying on a film scene still taking its baby steps?

All of this says nothing about the connections people need to make it in the industry, whether they come from an uncle in Hollywood or a friendship struck up over beers at filmmaker meetups on the Front Range. And aren't festival judges and film critics gatekeepers of their own?

I think we should turn our attention into opening the gate wide. From students putting their first films on Vimeo to grandfathers getting started in their retirement, longtime residents and people who just moved here, aspiring PAs to seasoned directors. All of us are Northern Colorado filmmakers.

Upcoming Events

Monday, June 20

  • Movie Trivia Monday
    • 7 p.m.
    • Kress Cinema & Lounge in Greeley
    • Weekly event testing movie knowledge

Wednesday, June 22

  • Boulder Film Commission launch party
    • 5:30 p.m.
    • Junkyard Social Club in Boulder
    • The new film commission serving Boulder County launches this week. Tickets here.
  • "Support Local Film" Podcast airs
    • On YouTube
    • This weekly podcast features interviews with local filmmakers and fun trivia challenges
  • Longmont Public Media members meeting
  • Cult Movie Night
    • 8 p.m.
    • The Lyric in Fort Collins
    • Every week a new cult film is chosen for a free screening. Not child friendly

Thursday, June 23

  • NoCo Visual Artists meetup
    • 7 p.m.
    • Avanti Food & Beverage in Boulder
    • Meet up with visual artists in a variety of media

Sunday, June 26

  • "This is Not Who We Are" screening
    • 6:30 p.m.
    • Louisville Public Library
    • A screening of the film which captivated audiences at the Boulder International Film Festival. Tickets here

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