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• Champaign Movie Makers helps aspiring filmmakers get a start

Living in Champaign, it can be difficult for aspiring filmmakers to get a movie made. Beyond finding a way to pay for it, getting in contact with actors and crewmembers may be a major chore. However, the Champaign Movie Makers looks to remedy these problems.

The Champaign Movie Makers is a club that seeks to give anyone who wants to get involved in the art of filmmaking a start. The club has members from each aspect of movie production, from actors to editors. By providing a place for filmmakers to meet, the group is able to give new people experience and work with people who can help you out. The group does both short and feature length films, with two members having already shot feature length films.

“The primary purpose of the Champaign Movie Makers is to provide a place for all parts of a movie production to meet each other,” John Robinson said, the creator of the group.

Robinson started the group a little over a year ago, using Craigslist and grapevine connections to find people who would be interested in helping out the club. Once he did that, word got around town about the club and now there are 60 active members with the number constantly rising. Robinson’s reason for starting the club came.

“I moved here just this June, but I’ve been coming here for three years and have a lot of interest in filmmaking,” Robinson said. “But it was hard for people who wanted to make movies to get together.”

On the third Tuesday of every month, The Champaign Movie Makers have a meeting with all of the members. There is no definitive place for the meeting; it has been at places from group member’s houses to the WILL building. Meetings generally follow the same routine. The first thing on the agenda is that you introduce yourself, and what you’re working on or want to work on. Then, there is a presentation on a certain aspect of filmmaking. Some topics covered in these presentations include screenwriting and voice dubbing. Or, there may just be a presentation on a film someone in the group made and what the shoot was like. Finally, the group discusses their future plans, such as making a film with the whole group instead of everyone working on their own work. The club is in the middle of a group shoot this summer. They also plan one-day shoots in which they film an entire short film on that day.

Besides meetings, the group has other events, though not on a monthly basis. There are workshops that focus on a certain aspect of filmmaking, and there will be one on location sound recording on September 20. Also, on August 22, the group will be having a mixer at Sleepy Creek Vineyards in Fairmount. At the party, they will show local short films and have live entertainment. The event is open to the public. There will also be overnight camping for anyone who doesn’t want to have to make the drive back.

One point Robinson wants to stress is that all levels of filmmakers are welcome to join.

“We’ve got some people who will carry equipment and hold a microphone, and others are professionals who make their living filmmaking,” Robinson said.

In order to get in touch with anyone in the Champaign Movie Makers, simply use your computer. The Champaign Movie Makers have a group page on Yahoo with contact information, photos and messages from people involved.

While the Champaign Movie Makers hasn’t been around long, it has already established itself as a great place for rookie filmmakers to get their feet wet and hopefully, make some really interesting movies.