The future of We Make Movies comes down to two simple words:  Creative Freedom.

by, Sam Mestman - CEO and Founder We Make Movies

In a world where creative people are exploited, underpaid, and their work is largely taken for granted… to the point where everyone thinks it can be replaced fully by AI… many might ask themselves “what’s the point?  Why bother?”.  Well, We Make Movies exists to answer this question.

Most people I know did not enter the film industry to be told what movies to make, to be typecast as characters they don’t want to play or having the only acting they do be the endless self tape auditions they submit that no one watches.  No one grows up wanting to be making infinite variations of the same unboxing video on their youtube channel, to make marketing videos for soulless corporations, or work on an endless steady stream of film sets where not a single person is passionate about what is going on...

One of our longtime LA filmmakers and actors, Bill Ferris recently premiered his short film HERE & THERE after a year long festival run. If there was a project that was a better example of how to utilize all the resource We Make Movie's has to offer members, we've yet to find it! From workshopping in WMM writers groups, to being read during a WMM short film challenge (where he attached producer Steve LaMorte,  director Krista Amigone, and co-star Jennie Fahn - all WMM members), to accessing affordable production insurance through us, and even finding his editor amongst our WMM family, we feel honored to be along for the ride every step of the way.

HERE & THERE explores the universal balancing act of duty to one’s family and duty to oneself. Where does one draw the boundary between sacrifice and self-preservation? No matter one’s age, race, religion, or gender, these questions will come up in everyone’s life – whether inspired by death...

As with many professions, filmmakers thrive when surrounded by a healthy community of fellow artists. We Make Movies has established a chapter in NYC and even in its early years, this community has already seen a few filmmakers get projects off the ground. One of those members being Carly Wilkins. 

Carly is an actor and filmmaker based in NYC. She started writing her short series, Yellow Lines, during the pandemic lockdowns. After having all her scripts drafted the inevitable question of “What’s next?” came up. Many projects can die in this stage. Unsure where to go next or feeling overwhelmed by the uphill battle ahead to get your project made. However, Carly found the We Make Movies community which gave her a perfect next step. She submitted her scripts to the monthly NYC Writer’s Lab. The WMM Writers Labs host free, staged readings of new work that are fully cast with professional and feedback is then curated from the...

If you make a film and no one sees it, did you really make it? Ouch. This one hurts, we know. By this logic, most indie filmmakers have been made to feel morally defeated (not to mention financially compromised), however technological advances have ushered the era of VOD platforms for the indie filmmaker to be seen. Select festivals have invited access for films and series to be picked up by industry big-wigs (like HBO picking up Issa Rae's Awkward Black Girl and turning it into the sensation that is Insecure), and there are several modes of self-distribution for indie artists to gain visibility for themselves and their projects. There is, no doubt, a lot of sweat equity goes into gaining any recognition and landing on a respectable platform, but a filmmaker has to first know what the options out there actually are. In this piece, we cover the basics by outlining the three main types of streaming platforms indie filmmakers should understand to know which platform will be best for...

Princeton University and AFI alumnus, writer / director Matt Marder gives WMM the scoop behind his sci-fi western feature Gold Mine, about an up and coming pop singer who decides to enter a virtual reality program to try and recharge her dad's memories and bring him back to life from a coma. Marder reconvened with producer Sydney K., co-director Adam Chase Cohen, and actress Alanna Fox (Black-ish, Curb Your Enthusiasm, I'm Dying Up Here), who previously all collaborated on Marder's series Shifter.

The visual aesthetic of Gold Mine is a mix of Wong Kar-Wai, Alex Garland, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Denis Villeneuve. The creative team tirelessly worked to create the looks (KC Mussman), visuals (Nocturnal Designz), set decoration (Bailey Gerdy), and costumes (Roberto Andrade) for this film, heavily inspired by the works of Christopher Nolan, Stanley Kubrick, David Lynch, Kathryn Bigelow, and Edgar Wright.

WMM: What compelled...

American activist and reproductive rights crusader Gloria Steinem's words ring true through director Mark Hensley, who helmed Uncut, a short film inspired by the recent Texas abortion law. The film opens with a speech by the newly elected president of the New Republic Patriot Party, talking about the new law that requires all males over 35 to be sterilized to keep the gene pool strong. The main character, about to turn 35, doesn't want to submit to the forced sterilization. He learns about an underground railroad that helps men like him to escape the country, and he goes on the run.

Conjuring up imagery and conceptually in line with yet another feminist icon's work, novelist  Margaret Atwood (The Handmaid's Tale), the film boasts an all-star cast of Sam Meader (Pam and Tommy, Into The Arms of Danger, Bosch), Max E....

We Make Movies has provided venues and platforms for independent filmmakers of all ilks to share their work in a safe, constructive, positive environment. All of the labs in our lab pipeline provide opportunities for artists to bring in their work (at whatever stage they are in)  with the hopes that our audience of creatives will share feedback for how to improve and optimize the project. Our Writers Lab allows writers to bring in fresh pages (from portions of their scripts) for actors to stage read so the writers can hear their ideas, dialogue, and craftsmanship come to life, but this means that there is a room full of others who are also privy to these new ideas, dialogue, and craftsmanship as well. So how can writers protect their intellectual property and safeguard their originality? What constitutes a script or screenplay? What is copyright and why do writers need it? We explain it all below!

A script is a written blueprint of a play, show, or movie. A screenplay...

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...