A Camera For Mig!

Hi, my name is Mig Windows and I'm an independent filmmaker in the Rogue Valley... and I don't own a camera.

What? Why? HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?! (you may be asking.)

Well, I have been very blessed in being friends with some truly amazing cinematographers, film students, and just all-around camera wizards. However, as much as I love working with these guys, I would like to make movies whenever I want, however I want, without it depending on a camera operator's schedule. I have at least 80 ideas for small projects every day but don't have the capability to make them without, uh, phoning it in, so to speak...

(And my phone's camera is terrible, if this is any evidence:)


(Pictured: Me with a better camera (Michael Bryant's) taking a selfie with my awful phone!)

The other day, I went to a screening of the film Captain Fantastic. It was a very special screening because the writer/director, Matt Ross, was there in the audience and had a Q&A afterwards! I sat in the front row, getting a prime view of Viggo Mortensen's magnificent nostrils. I had never seen a movie quite like it and was blown away by the raw, unique way in which the story was told. During the Q&A I asked Matt Ross if he had any advice for emerging filmmakers and his words were basically "Get out there and get yourself a camera. The CANONs are a couple thousand bucks." 

(He also told me to keep writing because "[your] first 10,000 screenplays are usually pretty bad." Yes, Matt, I thought to myself as he talked, the first 10,000 scripts I wrote WERE pretty weird. (Little does he know I've been writing a script every week since I was 12.) (Some of them are still pretty weird. That's okay though.) 

BUT, he wasn't the first person to tell me this. I've actually thought it myself. There are shoots you don't need a DP and a full crew for. I want to be able to make movies on the weekends and get pickup shots without having to assemble the cavalry or doing a rental. 

A friend suggested I start a GoFundMe to raise funds to buy a cheap DSLR. I usually raise funds through indiegogo, but I figured I would give GoFundMe a try since this is not for funding a particular project - this is just for the very selfish task of helping me dethrone Woody Allen as the most prolific filmmaker of all time. And do what I love more often! :-)

These funds will go purely towards me buying a camera and other camera-related costs. I will be extremely thankful, and if you're a fan of my stuff, you'll get the reward of seeing way, WAY more videos from me.

And for my DP/Cinematographer/Camera Genies out there, don't ye fret! I will still come to you guys with work when I need the big guns :-)

Here are some samples of movies I've made with other people's cameras:

"NOT A BENCH"

(Shot by Ross Williams) 

Winner: Grand Jury Prize, Klamath Independent Film Festival, Audience Choice Award, Southern Oregon University Student Film Festival. Nominated: Best Narrative Short, Southern Oregon University Student Film Festival.

a short romantic comedy about the power of imagination, starring the late Jimmy Dix (who later had an award named after him, which I was nominated for later on. Crazy!)


"EXPOSED" 

(Shot by Rory Owens)

Nominated: Jimmy Dix Award for Special Achievement in Casting and Performance, Southern Oregon University Film Festival

a short film about a female model who is pressured to undress by a male photographer. 


"I NEVER CAN"

(Shot by Rory Owens)

Honorable Mention:  Audience Choice Award, Southern Oregon University Student Film Festival. Official Selection: Klamath Independent Film Festival, Killer Valley Horror Film Festival, Silver Dollar Independent Film Festival.


a short paranormal thriller about a man who treats his girlfriend badly and is too late to 'pologize. Based loosely on a Japanese ghost story, this is the first of three films that make up the "I Never" trilogy. 


How To Marry A Vampire (Trailer)

(Shot by Sean Marc Nipper and Michael Paul Bryant) 

This wicked Bachelorette parody is one of the main reasons I'd like a camera to get pick-up shots for. Would love to get more episodes of this out by Halloween! 

OTHER SCRIPTS YOU WOULD BE HELPING ME SHOOT

All Your Favorite Colors an inspirational story of a tie-dyed shirt that changes peoples' lives.
Two Young Men a hilarious short about slackers who respond to an ad on craigslist and wind up locked in a basement in a kill-or-be-killed scenario. 
Callback a chilling tale of racism in the world of small town theatre.
Jade Is Typing a writer and her actress girlfriend have an impactful fight over social media, where they learn that some words hurt more than sticks and stones ever can. (And with more accuracy!)
Messages a grieving young woman finds hope in the form of a strange hiker on a spirit journey who introduces her to the wisdom of Ayurveda. 
My Name is Charlotte Keplar a mysterious woman with a troubled past teams up with a group of nomadic street performers who try to help her overcome her stagefright.
London Fog For Here (by popular demand) chaos ensues when a couple tries to break up in a coffee shop inhabited by eccentric people.

 
There are many, many more. Too many to mention. Feel free to ask me about any of them, though!

So, if you'd like to help, please help the advice of Matt Ross come true and pitch in a few dollars, I will really appreciate it! 

Best,

Mig Windows

ROW 211 Films

Actor/Writer/Director/Producer/Eventual Camerawoman