Contents Ray Carney on The State of Independent Film, Part II
MovieMaker's favorite independent film pundit takes a few jabs at the motion picture establishment and attempts to get us to stop taking true indie film artist for granted.
by Ray Carney

Bridget Fonda On Her Own Terms
She believes that to define is to diminish, but nothing can diminish the fact that the actress who plays Jackie Brown's raunchy party girl is the definition of laid-back California cool.
by Tim Rhys

An Overview of Desktop Moviemaking
Digital moviemaking didn't take off un't take off until 1992, but now about 80 percent of Hollywood movies are edited digitally. As costs come down, the indies are beginning to catch up.
by Michael E. Phillips

Columns & Departments

How They Did It: The Daytrippers and Fearless Filmmaking of Ocean Tribe
Sex,lies team saw gold in Greg Mottola and Will Geiger shoots for the stars in Mexico.
by George Wing

The Right Direction: Casting: What To Look For
Author and educator Judith Weston offers insights from her many years of casting for the movies.
by Judith Weston

Contents Up and Away with Michael Apted
The acclaimed, enigmatic British director of the 28-Up series reflects on his career and his unique new documentary film, Inspirations.
by Pamela Klaffke

Columns & Departments

Home Cinema: Rus Raves and Rants
The best and worst of 1997 on video. Indie writer and director, Rus Thompson, reviews 14 indie films of transfixing beauty and mystical exploration as well as some flops that are embarrassing to watch.
by Rustin Thompson

Flash Forward: Julia Stiles
A veteran at the tender age of sixteen, Julia Stiles tells MovieMaker how she's working her way into The Industry.
by Timothy Rhys

How They Did It: MovieMaker Breakthrough Award Winners Tell Their Stories
Done's Sand Trap wins at Hollywood Film Festival and Higby's Matters of Consequence wins at New Orleans film Festival. Read how these indie filmmakers survived and flourished in the grinding ordeal of low-budget moviemaking.
by Harris Done

Profiles: Lesli Linka Glatter
A conversation with Lesli Linka Glatter, director of the indie film, The Proposition.
by Erich Leon Harris

Coming Attractions: Smart, Clean, Raw
What an indie movie should be.
by Kathleen McInnis

Contents Cover: Shooting Stars: Interviews with the World's Greatest Living Cinematographers
From Storaro and Wexler to Hall and Nykvist, they're all h, they're all here. Geffner tracked down cinema's most revered light-painting legends and made them talk about art, film and some favorite moments.
by David Geffner

Best Cameras For The Independent Moviemaker
Light years beyond film theory, an eclectic sampling of working DP's share the nuts-and-bolts details on the cameras they prefer for independent moviemaking and why.
by Justin Clayton

Titanic's Cinematographer Russell Carpenter
The 15th of the world's greatest living cinematographers featured this issue, Oscar-winning DP Carpenter discusses James Cameron, arduous shoots, and the 'little pictures' he'd like to tackle next.
by Christopher Zack

Columns & Departments

Ask Mr. Hollywood: Self-Distribution Secrets
No distributor? You're not out of the game yet.
by Dov S-S Simens

Home Cinema: Myth-making With Natural Light
The artistry of late, great cinematographer Nestor Almendros.
by Rustin Thompson

Contents Micro Budget Movement and the Digital Revolution
Peter Broderick is determined to empower indie moviemakers. His company's philosophy may represent the Next Wave in the micro-budget feature movement.
by P. Broderick, J. Bachar, S. Noegel, G. Wing, and C. Zack

Billy Bob Thorton: The Hillbilly Orson Welles
From Arkansas to Armageddon, Billy Bob Thorton reflects on what a long, strange trip it's been.
by David Geffner

Getting the Most out of Film School
You'll be graduating from film school before you know it. What happens then? Or are you thinking of taking the plunge and have a few programs to check out? What should you look for?

Demystifying Deliverables
You're finished with your film and you think you've really accomplished something. You have. But don't gloat until you're sure your movie is completely deliverable. Here's a checklist.
by Paul Tarantino

Columns & Departments

Ask Mr. Hollywood: The Three-Week Screenplay
How to write your first draft in 21 days.
by Dov S-S Simens

Contents Walter Murch: Cutting from the Heart
The Academy Award-winner explains why timing and instinct are everything.
by Victor Wishalla

Strategies for Selling Your Film
Director-producer-author Eric Sherman tells us what he's learned over the years on the fine art of getting someone to buy your art.
by Eric Sherman with Karen Holly

Bryan Singer, Confidence Man
His first feature, Public Access, won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize. His second, The Usual Suspects, achieved extraordinary commercial success. His new movie, the risky, controversial Apt Pupil, should sin its unusually self-assured young director new fans and new respect for a vision and style all his own.
by Patrick Francis

Columns & Departments

Crossing the Line: The Director's Heart: Akira Kurosawa, 1910-1998
His films stand out as some of the most visually arresting of all time.
by Carmen Ficarra

Home Cinema: Beauty Beneath the Brutality: Japanese Masters Mizoguchi and Ozu
Kurosawa's contemporaries nearly forgotten by American audiences.
by Rustin Thompson