Shooting People is a community of 37,000+ filmmakers who share their resources, skills and experience. Members post to and receive up to eight daily email bulletins, which cover all aspects of filmmaking; add their events and screenings to the Indie Film calendars; and network with other members at parties, salons and screenings in London, New York and beyond; create dynamic, online searchable profile cards; and upload their films and reels to the site.
Shooting People are also filmmakers - we are a mixture of writers, producers, directors and other creative folk. You will find what each of us has to say for ourselves if you click through to view our Shooting People cards.
Cath Le Couteur and Jess Search set up Shooting People in November 1998 after making their first short film, believing that an online network for filmmakers to exchange info and ideas could radically enhance this collaborative process.
Shooters launched with just 60 filmmakers. Through word of mouth, the community has grown to an active membership of over 37,000. As we have spread across the UK and across the Atlantic, ambitious new attitudes and approaches to filmmaking have emerged. The advent of digital technologies and new languages of filmmaking have spawned constant growth and innovation within the community.
In May 2002, Shooting People became a completely self-sufficient community. Full members pay a small annual membership fee, helping to keep Shooters 100% independent and funding the development of new services. We believe that there is unique potential for filmmakers to develop new possibilities across film production and exhibition and we will continue to support and stimulate these ambitions.
In September 2003 we launched in New York; in January 2005 we got our own office in East London; in 2006 we launched in California; and in 2007 we published 'Get Your Short Film Funded Made and Seen: the Shooting People Shorts Directory, and made it possible for our members to upload their films to the site.
In 2006 we relaunched the website, fully integrating the UK and the NY members and we’re planning more transatlantic collaborations and events for the future. We have a full time Shooter in New York, Ingrid Kopp, heading up the US team.
'We distribute DVD, believing that it is crucial for independent filmmakers to take some control over distribution if we want audiences to see better and more creative films. We have released two volumes of our Best v Best DVDs of award-winning short films, and Volume Three is on the way, featuring a dozen more or so of the best short films from around the world.
We have also launched filmmaking competitions with Larry Clark (Destricted) and Robbie Williams, and there will be more like this to come. Our regular parties and salons have included screenings and Q+As with some of our favourite supporters: Anthony Minghella, Richard E Grant, Christine Vachon and more.
There's lots of ideas up our sleeve for 2008 and beyond. Stay tuned!
Members pay £30 a year in the UK and $40 a year in the US.
Are we rich? No - we have yet to make a profit. BUT a subscription fee means we can continue to exist (we ran for four years with everyone working for free and we had to make it sustainable to keep going). It also means we can remain 100% independent, and can continue to innovate and bring new services that will promote and support independent filmmakers in the long term and challenge existing structures.
We would if we could!. But as any creative organization knows, it is time consuming and very difficult. A few of our innovative projects have suited sponsors and we are really pleased to get sponsorship for the Mobile Cinema without which it wouldn't be possible. We will be focusing a lot of our energies into doing deals with commercial companies to get you the cheapest prices (like on FinalDraft screenplay software - 25% off!) so that your membership fee more than pays for itself.
Yes! SP is a community run by filmmakers for filmmakers and we are going to carry on doing our own work at the same time as helping you make yours. Cath is one of the Cinefondation Cannes residents and had made a number of shorts that have won key awards on the festival circuit – her latest batch of five shorts, the Normski Talking Pictures series, were commissioned by Channel 4 and have been sold to the US, Canada and Beijing. She is currently in development with three features. Jess is the exec producer of the feature doc Unknown White Male and is developing new doc features with the same producer and director. Together we are developing shorts and features which Cath will write and direct. Lee, the UK Filmmakers Editor, has made a number of short films for Channel 4 in the UK and was the star of a recent Rooftop Films screening in New York. Jesse, the NY Filmmakers Editor, is a filmmaker whose work includes Wet Dreams and False Images which has won numerous awards including the 2004 Sundance Online Film Festival Jury Award for Short Subject. She is also a regular teacher on youth media projects and workshops.
We know pain. We know joy.
And fundamentally, we believe in the power of the Shooters online community to be a real force for change.
x Shooters team
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