These days the phrase “everyone is a critic” runs parallel to “everyone is an artist.” The technological age has carved a portal for the inflow of creative ideas from zero budget artists who were previously left at the curb. The Disposable Film Festival has coined the phrase “democratization of film” to testify to this transition, but the Festival’s cofounder Carlton Evans says putting the future of film into the hands of the masses is only the beginning.

The theme “democratization of cinema” perennially arises in the media when mentioning the Disposable Film Festival. What constitutes this democracy? Can mainstream filmmaking also inhabit a sense of democratization?

Evans: The democratization has come about fundamentally because the technology has gotten so much cheaper, and more experimental with filmmaking technique. Disposable filmmaking is at the cutting edge of this movement, but if you look at the industry as a whole, the costs of production keep dropping. Unfortunately, so have the potential revenues for independent films. So a lot of that cost has been transferred over to the distribution side, which has now fallen on the shoulders of the filmmakers and producers themselves. It means that the same techniques that disposable filmmakers use to help spread the word about their work by engaging with online communities is now what independents are doing, with varying degrees of success. The cost of filmmaking still has to come down in order to ensure a healthy independent filmmaking ecosystem.

Does the competitive nature of filmmaking overshadow the democratization process at all?

Evans: I don’t think so. In fact, I’m very encouraged by the newer, supportive filmmaking, especially what we’re seeing on Vimeo, which is completely unique in the history of film. I’m seeing a younger generation of filmmakers who are coming up through this community and that’s creating a more collaborative, supportive environment in the film world. 

The subject of piracy seems to have reached a new threshold this year with consistent floundering of global economies. The prevalence of pirating “rogue sites” has prompted one anti-piracy website to announce that “websites trafficking stolen film and TV content get more than 150 million hits per day.” Do “rogue sites” work for or against the democratization of film?

Evans: As an independent artist, your problem isn’t pirates, it’s obscurity. I think independents need to think of the pirate sites as a vast, efficient and influential network that can actually help to promote one’s work.

Could the same advice be given to mainstream films?

Evans: I think it really depends. With the right branding and creative marketing plan I think it could work. The truth is that the pirates are going to get their hands on the material anyway, and the more mainstream the work, the faster it will get distributed through those networks. So why not use it to the producer’s advantage?

“As an independent artist, your problem isn’t pirates, it’s obscurity.”

When socially impactful films are released in America, they usually fill the seats in selected theaters. Why not mainstream? Is the lack of socially provoking films in mainstream theaters indicative of a deeper lack in American society?

Evans: I’m not sure this is completely true. I think it’s really a matter of imagining a wider audience when making socially impactful media. Michael Moore‘s films are highly politicized and do very well commercially. And we’re seeing more and more docs and narrative features with social messages that are commercially successful, like the work produced by Participant. I’m currently working with director Matthew Lessner on a very entertaining, engaging, but nonetheless thought-provoking satire of the intelligence shadow industry in America. It will be aimed at a wide audience, and designed in a way to make audiences think critically and act on the issues it covers.

Have there been any submitted films that didn’t make the Festival cut that you lament over in retrospect?

Evans: Always. We always get far more great films than we can show. Every year we’re amazed by the creativity of the entries, and every year they get better.

Practice Fusion’s cofounder and CEO Ryan Howard recently said “health is an edgy and emotional theme in America.” Would you agree? How important is film in lifting the veil on the many social issues facing the world?

Evans: I do agree. Everyone has a health story to tell. It’s a subject that affects us all directly. One could even say that health in some sense is at the center of every gripping story – life or death. In the United States it’s a hot button issue because of the health care debate. In other countries, where health care is considered a basic human right, it’s not as politicized. But it remains one of the fundamental themes of all art.

What’s the trick to getting audiences as excited about socially conscious films as they are the proverbial Hollywood blockbuster?

Evans: There’s no trick – use the same methods that are used in Hollywood blockbusters – great stories, great performances, great visual technique. You don’t need a lot of money to do that, but you have to be aware of those elements. Listing stats isn’t going to cut it. You have to appeal emotionally, with engaging media. Many Hollywood blockbusters are engaged in the same struggles. If you look at the biggest grossing film in recent years, Avatar, it tells a story of the collusion of politics, the military and commercial interest to exploit a region, degrade the environment and displace and impoverish the native population. And without undermining the difficulty in overcoming these formidable forces, the film delivers an inspiring tale of triumph over injustice.

“We’re seeing more and more docs and narrative features with social messages that are commercially successful.”

How could this formula be applied to a good old-fashioned documentary as far as market and message appeal?

Evans: Strong, character-driven stories, exciting visual technique, emotionally gripping, engaging story structure. There is a tendency to think of docs as an entirely different beast than narratives, and in many ways that’s true. But in both cases filmmakers are crafting a story, finding compelling characters and trying to engage their audiences on an emotional level. Doc filmmakers need to work from the same toolbox as narrative filmmakers.

The Disposable Film Festival is open to anyone with a recording device and knack for compelling storytelling. For more information, check out its website.

-Li St. Michael