DEREKH FROUDE/Arizona Daily Wildcat Above, Gene Adams, left, and Ben Turner, both media arts juniors, mount one of the department's 16 mm cameras onto a tripod at a media arts lab Tuesday afternoon. Below, Media arts junior Ben Turner prepares a 16 mm camera for shooting at a media arts lab Tuesday afternoon.

Millions of people pack into movie theaters across the nation every week to see their favorite stars act out a larger-than-life play right in front of their eyes.

Some people view going to the movies as a form of escapism, some as a regular weekend entertainment activity.

Others, however, watch films and think, "Hey, I can do better than that!"

Every year, film festivals around the globe celebrate the art of filmmaking in what could be considered its most pure form, the independent film.

What is an independent film? Typically, an independent film is one that is funded by the people creating the film, instead of by a movie studio. This lack of corporate backing allows the filmmaker the freedom to make the movie he or she wants to see, not what a studio dictates. With this freedom, filmmakers can try to sell their work by publicly showing it, especially at film festivals.

Some festivals have strict entry guidelines. The Sundance Film Festival, organized by the Sundance Institute, accepts only 15 to 20 independent projects a year and has specific times in which submissions can take place. Other festivals, such as the Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, only require a $20 entry fee and a preview screening of the film.

The difference between the two types can be seen in past premieres.

DEREKH FROUDE/Arizona Daily Wildcat Media arts junior Ben Turner prepares a 16 millimeter camera for shooting at a media arts lab Tuesday afternoon.

The Sundance Film Festival reads like a who's who of independent films. Powerful social commentary films like "Requiem for a Dream," the Oscar-winning "Boys Don't Cry" and "Smoke Signals," based on University of Arizona alumnus Sherman Alexie's book and screenplay, are just three movies the Sundance Institute has supported through its various programs.

From actors to set designers, distributors to editors, an assortment of jobs in the film industry can be obtained. So why would someone actually want to make a movie? For some, the obsession with filmmaking starts early in life.

"When I was 9 years old, my folks took me to see 'Jaws,'" said Clarke M. Smith, a 1992 media arts graduate. "It got me fascinated with how films are made, and as soon as I saw behind-the-scenes pictures of 'Jaws,' I had to make my own."

Smith's bizarre film "The Ethereal Plane," is entered into"The Reel Frontier Film & Video Competition," in the feature-length film category of the annual Arizona International Film Festival, which starts tonight. The sci-fi action thriller will play Saturday at 10 p.m. at the Screening Room, 127 E. Congress St.

The goal for any independent filmmaker is success, but how success is defined varies greatly from artist to artist. Many make movies part-time with the dream of making it their full-time job.

"My ultimate goal, or perhaps dream job, would be to be paid for what I do and to keep making movies, and actually have a budget, pay the actors, et cetera," Smith said.

The first step in making a quality film is education. The UA, for example, offers a media arts program that emphasizes three areas: media productions, media cultures and media industries. The school has a small bachelor of fine arts program that focuses on the production aspect.

"The BFA students shoot short films and videos, ranging from 30 seconds to 15 minutes," said Yuri Makino, associate professor of media arts.

The media arts program provides instruction in a variety of film-related fields. Knowledge of screenwriting, lighting, film distribution, editing and advanced film production will put an aspiring filmmaker on the path toward success.

But even armed with the information obtained from these classes, the filmmaking industry is an incredibly tough business on many levels.

"Filmmaking is an amazingly draining process," Smith said. "As a career, go for it only if you have the personality for it. Hollywood demands aggressive personality traits."

Two essential ingredients to a successful film project are ample time and lots of money.

The time available for actual filming is critical - time constraints almost derailed "The Ethereal Plane."

"We were only able to shoot on the weekends and had to shut down for winter," Smith said. "From day one of shooting to the end of editing was 16 months."

But it is the expense of making a film that can factor heavily into a person's decision to enter the field as an independent filmmaker.

The short student projects created in the BFA program, Makino said, cost "between $100 and $8,000." Feature-length films cost much more to make.

"I was fortunate in that the entire cast and crew worked on a volunteer basis," Smith said. "But I bought a new camera and editing equipment, plus lunches and tape stock, came to about $7,000."

Above all, most filmmakers agree, making an independent film should be about having fun. It's about taking the time to make a product that you can proudly attach your name to. Any success that follows is just icing on the cake.

"It's a wonderful feeling to see your work up on the screen, and have people enjoy it," Smith said. "It's a great way to express yourself. Get out there and do it and see it through."

For more information about the Arizona International Film Festival, including screening times and ticket prices, visit www.azfilmfest.com.