THEMES AND TRENDS. Many of you have told us that you like our penchant for focusing each issue of MovieMaker on a particular theme or trend, and I try to keep that in mind as I plan our editorial content. During the past year, for example, we've published editions that concentrated on screenwriting/spec script sales, cinematogra­phy/new camera options, film schools/new media education, and post-production/the "Digital Revolution." This issue is no excep­tion, in that I'd chosen the theme/trend early on, but when the finished articles started coming in, I realized that a far greater overall subject was emerging.          

During the planning stages I knew that for the cover story I again wanted to turn our attention to the art and craft of cinematogra­phy, this time with the intent of hearing from some of the best and brightest women DP's in the business today. MM Editor-at-Large David Geffner took the assignment, and the result is an enlightening story not only about the talents of seven women who rose to the top of their male-dominated profession, but how there is evidence that Hollywood is at long last abandoning its female DP phobia.

That story linked up nicely with two others that were already slated for publication this issue. Mr. Geffner had contributed his piece on the surging new generation of Latino moviemakers (pg. 56) which isn't waiting around for the stu­dios' blessing before making its mark and chang­ing the way Hollywood does business. And A.G. Basoli sent us a piece with the provocative title "Inside the Digital Revolution," (pg. 52) where­in the makers of The BlairWitch Project and two other extremely successful, budget-beating independent movies describe how they made the 35mm transfer process work for them.

So how does the rise of Latino, digital and female moviemakers add up to a trend which translates to another theme for this issue? Read these stories and you'll see that the common thread is a sense of empowerment on the part of the moviemakers. As I said in this column last issue, these are exciting times to be making motion pictures. Our demographic studies show that if you're reading this magazine, the chances are excellent that you are now or soon will be making a movie. Stop for a moment to think about that. What this means is that tens of thou­sands of you are going to launch projects of all kinds in the coming months and years. In Ms. Basoli's aforementioned article we read that "video production and post-production technol­ogy have reached previously unthinkable levels of sophistication, and independent moviemakers can now use their medium to accommodate nearly any artistic aspiration within a reasonable budget." That's a profound statement, because it's unequiv­ocal in its assessment of the state of the art and of those who can practice it. It speaks to the empow­erment of the individual-and to the fact that technology and the social climate have suddenly conspired to enable diverse and disparate peoples to express themselves with this medium of mov­ing pictures, "the loudest voice ever known to man."  As we move into the 21st Century I firmly believe that empowerment of the indi­vidual will be the driving force behind the most significant advances in motion picture creativity.

This magazine was launched in 1993, which to me, in many ways, seems like last Thursday. Consider for a moment how far the mainstream movie industry has come since that year. Think about how much Hollywood has learned from guys with cheap cameras making movies in dusty backwaters in Mexico, convenience stores in New Jersey, and the woods of Maryland. And think about how many moviemakers now under­stand that the lack of a "proper" budget is no longer a reason to put off their dreams of making a movie. Think about how many now take it for granted that a project's ultimate success has far more to do with originality of vision than lines of credit. And there's still much for all of us to learn, of course, but isn't it encouraging to see that the power brokers are figuring out that if they are to survive in this new world, then voices from far-flung regions and long-ignored ethnicities and genders need to be listened to..

On a personal note, I am very pleased to report that my movie, Men in Scoring Position, was recently picked up for worldwide distribution by Creative Light Entertainment in Beverly Hills.  From development to distribution the project took four years and several buckets of blood and sweat... and I cannot wait to make my next one. See you next time. Enjoy #35. MM