Innovative Trends

Media-Making, Then and Now

In just over a decade, content creation, distribution and consumption has changed dramatically.  Just fifteen years ago, there was no social media, web streaming, or mobile apps. Today, over 3 billion people worldwide own smartphones. There are a myriad of ways to reach and engage viewers. Mediamaking is no longer the purview of large, and largely Western, production companies. The old model of extractive filmmaking is giving way to more equitable filmmaking. Accessibility of inexpensive filmmaking tools and distribution outlets enable more people to make films and tell their stories than ever before. Participatory processes enable stories to be told by those who experience them, with the camera in their hands. Innovative distribution techniques are providing solar pop-up cinema and other ways for films to be seen by those who participate in them, even in very remote areas. For an increasing number of films today, the ultimate goal is to create mutually-beneficial impact strategies with filmmakers and communities working together.