In case you missed it, we enlisted Fellow Ryan Velasquez to help create a series of videos designed to better showcase our face (or more accurately, multitude of faces) to the wider world. To that end, Velasquez—a veteran of the Project Involve Class of 2014—shot interviews with nearly two-dozen Members (also: Members) of the Film Independent community: working filmmakers, LA Film Festival alums, Spirit Award nominees and winners, staff, Fellows—you name it.

The first I am Film Independent trailer actually premiered before the 2016 Spirit Awards ceremony way back in January. But we felt there was simply too much good stuff left on the cutting room floor, so we decided to dig back in and see what else our amazing gaggle (flock? murder?) of interviewees had to say about a life spend thinking about, making, watching and loving independent film. Naturally, it didn’t take long for our subjects to start waxing rhapsodic about their favorite films:

Of course, one of the notable side effects of watching movies is the occasional strong desire to actually make them, a course of action definitely not recommended for the faint of heart. Thankfully our brightly-backdropped panel of upstart auteurs somehow lived to tell the tale, recounting their freshman filmmaker experiences for the camera:

Luckily, there’s one way to make that debut directorial experience a little less madness inducing—several ways, actually. We’re talking about Film Independent’s myriad curriculum of elite filmmaker labs and artist development programs. For some, these labs and programs have provided the framework for their entire careers. Don’t believe us? Just watch:

A few paragraphs ago, we heard about our interviewee’s favorite films. But what if you could Frankenstein all of these titles together into one enormous (and egregiously incoherent) mega-monster single narrative? Well, seeing as Halloween is just around the corner, we put on our Igor goggles and led smock to try and find out:

And last but not least, here’s the trailer that started it all. Not much else to add here, except a comment and a question—I am Film Independent… are you?

To learn more about becoming a Member of Film Independent, click here. To learn about Project Involve as well as other Film Independent artist development programs, click here.

Learn more about Ryan Velasquez by visiting his website. Don’t forget to subscribe to Film Independent’s YouTube channel and be sure to follow us Facebook and Twitter.