WMM BLOG
"So, what are you working on next?" How Tyler C. Peterson found his next project.
Picture this... your latest film is finally done. You're onstage at a festival, in the thick of a Q&A. An audience member leans into the microphone and clears their throat. “So, what’s next?”
What’s next? You don’t want to talk about the project you just saw? The one I’ve been pouring my soul into for years?
As a film director, this is a dreaded question you’ll always be asked, and you better have an answer. The last thing you want people to think is that your career lacks momentum and trajectory. While gearing up to tour my latest short film “Copper & Wool” across festivals in 2022, I took some time to really think about where my energies should be directed.
When you’re early in your career and still financing your own work, in some ways the world is really your oyster. There’s no manager telling you what your next step should be. No studio executives asking you to make your biggest hit again, but just...
Films We're Excited To See At The 2022 WMM International Film Festival
The past two years have had WMMINTL offering the ubiquitous hybrid festival, a mix of virtual screenings and Q&A sessions, with a few in-person screenings and special events sprinkled in. We delivered cinematic excellence despite the restrictions of the pandemic, but for our 4th annual We Make Movies International Film Festival we’re rolling out the red (well, blue) carpet from October 6th through the 9th with another stellar lineup of films from around the world, a few illustrious panels, and of course, an opening and closing ceremony.
This year’s slate underscores some highly original and impactful features, shorts, documentaries, pilot episodes, music videos, experimental film, and everything (have we left anything out?) in between. From the intellectual and philosophical to the witty and absurdist to the unpredictable, personal, and political, our Festival Director Eric Michael Kochmer, Programming Director Whit Spurgeon, and Assistant Director Tehana Weeks...
Marketing Tips For Indie Filmmakers - Why Is BTS So Sexy?
One of the worthwhile ways for independent filmmakers to build their audience for their projects is to procure entertaining, shareable BTS. To be clear, we are not referring to the K-Pop sensation that has swept the world over, but instead, the behind-the-scenes snapshots and footage that showcase the developmental stages of your project, offer a sneak peek into your world, and unleash the potential of attracting partners, investors, and everyone else you hope sets eyes on your work. For a production company and filmmaking collective centered around helping artists practically, efficiently, and authentically materialize and deliver on their dreams, sharing the story behind the story is just as essential as cultivating a voice or expressing a point of view.
Filmmaker Allen Cordell Takes Indie Comic to the Festival Circuit
Allen Cordell's narrative debut The Lizard Laughed enjoys its world premiere at the Oscar-qualifying Florida Film Festival this week (April 8-17). Hailed as "a breathtaking love letter to New Mexico’s backcountry," the 21 minute film tells the tale of an awkward, confrontational reunion when Harvey gets an unexpected visit from Nathan, his son he hasn’t seen since abandoning him years ago. A comedy about feeling disconnected from the people who should be most important to us in life, the film is based on Noah Van Sciver's acclaimed indie comic of the same name.
The film stars cult comedy gem Sky Elobar (Greasy Strangler, Tropical Cop Tales, Under the Silverlake, Don Verdean and Lady Dynamite) as Harvey, and longtime WMM member and award winning actor Jared Boghosian (The Channel, The Witch Files, Jane the Virgin, SWAT) as Nathan. Cordell's previous projects includes music...
Oscar-Qualifying Filmmaker Clare Cooney Strikes Again
The Oscar-qualifying Cleveland International Film Festival welcomes Chicago filmmaker / actor Clare Cooney for the world premiere of her short film After: A Love Story, an intimate story of a couple trying to bridge the space that has emerged between them after surviving a violent event, this week. Cooney previously wrote, directed, edited, and starred in Runner, a chilling short film that played at 15 film festivals, collected six awards, and garnered her a “Filmmaker to Watch” nomination from the Oscar-qualifying Atlanta Film Festival. Her followup Pick Up made its festival premiere at the Oscar-qualifying Indy Shorts Film Festival last year after already having received a half a million views on Omeleto. Detect a pattern?
The 15 minute short, filmed with a skeleton cast and crew, is about ex-lovers who reconnect on a car ride during the pandemic. Then their masks come...
Tyler C. Peterson's "Copper & Wool"
Director, producer, screenwriter, and editor Tyler C. Peterson found We Make Movies through the inaugural We Make Movies International Film Festival where his award-winning short film Summer Hill (Best Narrative Short - North Beach American Film Festival, Audience Choice for Narrative Short - Cecil County Film Festival) was screened. Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, he graduated from Towson University with a Bachelor's Degree in film and "a thirst for challenging industry ideologies." Exploring his own queer identity led him to place diversity as a priority both in-front of and behind the camera and found his own indie production company Lux Daze Media in 2015.
Based in Los Angeles, Peterson co-produced memorable documentary feature Mom & M, which screened at WMMINTL 2021 alongside several other festivals, including the prestigious Bentonville Film Festival founded by Geena Davis. He is...
Why You Should Submit To The WMM International Film Festival
The WMM International Film Festival is in its fourth year! Known for celebrating the Do-It-Yourself filmmaking aesthetic, WMMIntl serves to highlight DIY filmmakers across the spectrum of the industry in every genre. From horror to drama, comedy to documentary, experimental and underground to video art, we salute filmmakers who embrace the true indie spirit by making quality art on their own terms. The festival provides networking and social events, industry panels, a showcase of shorts, features, and series from around the world, live multi-media performances, and an awards ceremony.
By bringing filmmakers of all ilks together, WMMIntl strives to bolster artists and revitalize the industry that content creators and artists want to be a part of. Yet, with so many film festivals to choose from and the cost of submissions, it can be hard to decide where to invest. We asked our festival showrunners to give us some insight into their process and show us how...
POV: Director of WMMIntl Film Festival Whit Spurgeon
Cinephile and tastemaker, Whit Spurgeon has been a gift to the WMM community since he first joined almost a decade ago. As an actor, he has flavored many staged readings with his unique presence and sturdy character work, and graced dozens of projects that have come out of the Lab pipeline. As a filmmaker, he has used WMM the way one should -- by absorbing as much knowledge from those with more experience, surrounding himself with equally proficient and determined artists, contributing to the creative conversation, and then going out there and actually telling bold and colorful stories to the best of his ability.
As the Director of WMMIntl Film Festival he incorporates his voracious appetite for all things film, management prowess, foresight, and unadulterated enthusiasm into cultivating a stellar experience for both the audience and filmmaker alike. We are excited to introduce you to the talent and soul of our friend and constant collaborator Whit...
Why Become A Member? What WMM Can Do For You
What Level of...
POV: Slamdance Premiere for WMMIntl Alum Skinner Myers
