Amateur Film

Definition

Amateur film is a low-budget film made by passionate film lovers to get hands-on experience of filmmaking and enjoyment.

Amateur film is a phenomenon directly related to the technology of small-format shooting. It dates back to the end of the 19th century, but it acquired a mass character in the middle and second half of the 20th century. For many, filmmaking is a means of creative self-expression, a tool for remembering and capturing important events in life, as well as an opportunity for leisure and interaction between people.

A huge number of films shot by amateur filmmakers still remain unreviewed due to the decline of technology and the private nature of filming. The legacy of amateur filmmakers is a huge layer of visual sources that witnessed the past from the perspective of a person's personal point of view.

Perspective of The Amateur Film

Amateur filmmaker and his work can be viewed from different perspectives. You can look at this phenomenon from the perspective of academic metaphors, such as "Man with a movie camera," "Movie buff" or an amateur film. These words imply certain institutional practices and indicate how hegemony is constructed: if there is an amateur, on the one hand, then there is a clearly defined professional, on the other hand. Furthermore, historically, technology and media have usually constructed a new type of thinking

Organizations

The international organization for amateur filmmakers is UNICA (Union International du Cinema Non-Professional); in the United States the American Motion Picture Society (AMPS), in Canada the Society of Canadian Cine Amateurs (SCCA), in the UK it is the Institute of Amateur Cinematographers. These organizations arrange annual amateur festivals and conventions. There are several amateur film festivals held annually in the United States, Canada and Europe.

The Cinema Museum in London holds a large collection of amateur films whose details can be accessed on-line.

Making of Amateur Film

Amateur films were usually shot on 16 mm film or 8 mm film until the advent of cheap video cameras or digital equipment. The advent of digital video and computer-based editing programs greatly expanded the technical quality achievable by amateur and low-budget filmmakers. Amateur films have become the choice for the low-budget filmmaker and have boomed into a very watched and even produced in the film industry.