Some weeks I sit in front of the computer and wonder what I’m going to put in this newsletter. This is not one of those weeks. The IFP's Independent Film Week wraps today, Toronto finished last week, and the New York Film Festival is coming up. I’ve seen tons of movies, attended events, and moderated panels, any one of which would provide the grist for a lengthy meditation here.

No, the problem this week is time -- we’re at press on our Fall issue, and I should really be focused on that. Besides, I haven’t processed it all. (I know, that’s a novel concept in the Internet era of instant response.) For example, I moderated a panel on Sunday titled, “Independent Film: Is it a Hobby or a Business?” The panelists were producers Ted Hope and Mynette Louie, and one person tweeted afterwards that it was both “depressing and invigorating.” It was hard in just under an hour to fully embrace the question, the answer to which I think is “neither.” Or perhaps “both.” I mean, it depends on who you are, and your ability to know yourself. There are certainly people making a living as independent filmmakers and producers. And there are people who make films but rely on income from other activities to sustain themselves. I do think there are specific reasons why it’s harder today than it might have been 20 years ago to make a career out of independent film, but these same reasons are ones affecting creators in every content industry. And, as much as things are harder to make a living, I also think it’s actually easier to enter the field today and do your own thing.

I guess what I wanted to talk a little more about were the personal decisions in our lives that make filmmaking a hobby or a business. There are people whose tastes and personalities sync naturally with the industry. They gravitate towards material that has a commercial appeal, and their personality and skills are such that they can easily live within the system that produces this work. For others, though, the material chosen is more difficult, or idiosyncratic. Or, maybe, it’s what is dubbed “execution dependent” -- which means you have to see it before you know it’s good. Some people have great ideas but aren’t as great at navigating the business. Other people are hardwired against the personal instability that a career in film can mean.

It’s a big topic... and one that, amidst everything else going on this week, is hard to wrap my mind around. For a future newsletter -- hopefully, with your comments.

See you next week.

Best,
Scott Macaulay
Editor

IFP's Independent Film Week wraps up today. By the end of the day, filmmakers from the 145 selected projects of the Project Forum will have taken 2000+ meetings with the industry. To get an inside look at what happened this year, read the posts by IFP’s own Dan Schoenbrun and by some of the attending filmmakers who blogged on Filmmaker's website during IFW: Helen Alexander, Samantha Buck, Maris Curran, Penny Lane, Julia Meltzer, Tommy Minnix, Gillian Robespierre, Ron Simons and Tim Sutton.

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