Midwest Movie Maker

Charlie Zeneri directs Charlie Zeneri In the spring of 2021, Charlie Zeneri made a movie. Titled Haphephobia , the film was their entry in FunMill Films Fest’s second annual timed film competition. Building off a single opening script page, Zeneri had only a few weeks to conceive, shoot and edit their short film. The 16-year-old wrote a script, cast their friends, collected props, scouted sets and shot their film. Zeneri spent the better part of a week stitching together scenes, mixing sound, color correcting images and more. Then, as Zeneri was putting the final touches on their creation, the world welcomed them to the plight of many a movie maker. “I accidentally deleted it,” Zeneri says.”I was maybe a minute away from completing the film.”  Working on their edit via an online post-production service, Zeneri contacted the company to see if they could retrieve the file - or any of their previous work.  “I deleted everything besides the final project so I would have enough sto...

FunMill Films second annual film festival is accepting submissions now Technology has opened up the world of filmmaking to nearly anyone who wants to make their passion project. You can write the screenplay, draw the storyboards, shoot the footage, edit the film, and premiere it on YouTube, Vimeo or another similar service all on your phone . What technology can’t do - not yet, anyway - is give your film true industry cred. One way you can gain that stamp of approval? Have your movie screened at a film festival.  What a film festival can do for your movie Even today, most industry professionals see film festivals as an arbiter of talent. Though submission criteria vary, most festival organizers will view, select and screen the best films submitted. Large or small, festivals want to succeed. Sharing great stories with audiences is how to do that. If your film is selected for screening, it tells a producer or financier that you are serious about your passion and can create consumable...

Josh Miller and Kinsley Funari of FunMill Films Sure, those stay-at-home orders are lifted and everyone is out and about as if the pandemic never happened. But there are a few of us (many of us?) still doing the social distancing thing. And we still have a few interviews from our Filmmakers At Home series to share. And here’s one of them! Today we’re talking to filmmaker Kinsley Funari and Josh Mille of FunMill Films. The team recently celebrated the launch of its inaugural FunMill Films Fest & Competition .  . Midwest Movie Maker: How would you describe being a filmmaker locked down at home without a crew? Kinsley : Being the small operation that we are, all of our crew and collaborators are also our close friends. So it’s almost all the more difficult for us because we just miss the old days of having a few beers and discussing our next project. Josh : I think I create more effectively the less crew there is. It’s nice to bounce ideas around in the writing ...

FunMill Films inaugural event kicks off Feb. 16 Not too long ago, filmmaker Kinsley Funari reached out to get my perspective on an idea she and her collaborator, Josh Miller, had. Could they launch a new filmfest in Cleveland and tie a film competition to it? She wondered if I had any experience in that arena and, either way, did I think the effort was worth the work it would take to get such an endeavor off the ground. I had neither the experience and, truth told, I thought the work it might take - from finding a venue and vendors to unknotting the legalities of the competition - was probably just too frustrating. I didn’t tell her that, of course. Because what do I know? So I wished Kinsley and Josh luck and figured I probably wouldn’t hear about the filmfest anytime soon. Instead, we’re only a handful of days away from the inaugural FunMill Films Fest & Competition . The show opens Sunday, February 16, at 2 p.m. at Atlas Cinemas Lakeshore 7, Euclid, Ohio, and runs...

FunMill founders Josh Miller and Kinsley Funari Any filmmaker who has endured a 48 Hour Film Project knows the contest is something of a marathon sprint: a race that requires incredible endurance, tons of planning, constant movement and military precision to pull off. At least if you hope to win either audience accolades or a coveted prize. It’s a challenge for even the most seasoned professional. So imagine making two.   “I wanted to shake things up,” says Kinsley Funari, a 48 Hour Film Project vet. “This year, I found myself working with a team I knew collectively could pull it off.  I kinda didn't ask permission, I just paid the fees and registered the teams and apologized later.” FunMill Films founders Josh Miller and Kinsley Funari Funari had help. Her partner in crime, Josh Miller, came along for the ride. Together, Funari and Miller are the foundation of FunMill Films. “Kinsley approached me, telling me that I had no choice in the matter,” ...