Hi, Morgan here. I would like to thank everyone that participated in Wednesday’s “I am a Michigan Movie Maker” interviews. In all there were 22 people that sat down for interviews including our three wonderful videographers Jeff Morgan, Bill Latka, and Justin Warnes along with lighting and blackout gear provided by Rich Brauer. Everything moved along smoothly and I hope everyone got a chance to connect with some new faces.
We will now be moving “I am a Michigan Movie Maker” to the next phase, pulling selects. We’re going to try a “Manhattan Project” edit approach – a core group of crack editors will be gathering at Brew over the next 2 weeks to find the best moments of footage. If any filmmakers have video or pictures of themselves working in a professional setting (i.e. film set) please either email attachments to Morgan [schedule AT michigan movie makers DOT com] or drop them off with Joe Carter at Up North Media.
Survey Results
For those that took the time to fill out the surveys thank you. Here’s what we learned…
___________________
Question 1 asked in format you would like a resource list of local filmmakers?
7 of the 10 people wanted BOTH a Google Doc type database or spreadsheet and a searchable directory.
Question 2 wanted to know about your favorite way of receiving M3 information.
7 people chose email
1 said social media
1 said the M3 blog
and 3 said ALL of the above
Question 3 was inquiring about way in which you get information about regional film making.
7 votes for M3
9 for word of mouth, social gathering and peers
1 for newspapers
2 for www (the internet)
and 1 write in vote for the Michigan Film Office
Question 4 was the big one for what M3 will be looking to accomplish next. We wanted to know what should be M3’s next high quality outcome be.
1 vote for the 5-10,000 sq ft cooperative production, meeting and basic sound stage space.
7 votes for the regional talent pool for those willing to work with other regional filmmakers at a discount to gain experience.
1 vote for developing a distribution channel using local independent theaters, social media expertise and home theater parties.
4 votes for a network of local givers to fund local projects that demonstrate a social good including employing professional crews who are between projects in the area.
___________________
So what do these survey results mean?
In addition to looking into forming M3 into a non-profit that will continue to assist the regional film making community, we will also be figuring out the best way to create an easily accessible database of the local filmmakers and businesses that support the film community. We’ll be researching how to best implement the talent database and we want everyone’s feedback about what should be included. “What about the rest of the options from question 4?” As we complete projects we will continue to assess the needs of the film community here in Northern Michigan to determine the next priority to tackle. All of those options are still on the table! Let’s do whatever it takes to solidify a thriving film industry here in Northern Michigan.