Jessica Hershatter

Independent Filmmaker's Guide: a Journey Through the Independent Filmmaking Process Jessica Hershatter

Given the advances in camera and editing technology, and the proliferation of YouTube uploads that go viral, it seems that anyone can create video content. However, people don?t inherently know how to make movies. Perhaps you have watched enough films that you believe you have an understanding of how it is done, but there is much more to it than simply turning on a camera and filming a subject of interest. With each new filmmaking experience, different perspectives, capacities, challenges, and nuances emerge. With each film class, it becomes possible to not only develop an understanding of film as a narrative and cultural form, but also to appreciate and begin to learn to utilize the various techniques and approaches that great filmmakers have developed. This journal is a chronological outline and set of reflections, intended to not only capture my current understanding of the filmmaking process, but also to serve as a guide for others who would like to embark on a similar artistic journey.