Setting up our puppet for “Chip & Bernie’s Zomance”

I’ve fought the title of “independent filmmaker” since I was twelve. Back then, I didn’t even know what Hollywood storytelling from an independent filmmaker looked like. I just knew I didn’t want my films lumped in with the indie movies that made me want to hug a puppy afterward.

I remember one California film festival that sealed my dread. One of my thirty-minute shorts was being screened there, and I sat through hours of beautifully shot but soul-crushing indie flicks. Seven ended in suicide. Four ended with the lead character dying in a way that left you staring into your stale popcorn, feeling emptier than when you walked in.

Then came my absurd little comedy, second to last in the lineup. Sweating is an understatement. I was sweating so much you’d think I’d swallowed a sprinkler — Nixon never had it this bad.

My film? A short about a drunk, a womanizer, and a once-successful painter on a downward spiral. I was convinced I’d walked into the wrong festival.

When My Comedy Crashed the Depressing Indie Party

I can still hear the start of my film: the titles flickered up, and a very proper professor introduced my story, calling my character “brilliant” and then explaining how he ruined his life. Moans rose from the audience. One older man muttered, “Not another one.”

Then the screen cut to our “tragic” main character: a two-year-old toddler. Painting on a canvas, booze bottle in hand. Confused laughter bubbled up — and then exploded into the best kind of hard laughter. No confusion left. No heartbreak, no empty stares.

I’m not going to bore you with a story that leaves you sad, confused, or desperate for a therapy dog. I want you to laugh. That’s what I’ve always loved about Hollywood storytelling — it isn’t afraid to entertain you. That short film ended up winning five top awards at that festival. Not bad for a so-called misfit comedy.

Why I Embrace Hollywood Storytelling from an Independent Filmmaker

For years, I rejected the indie label because too many filmmakers wear it like a badge of gloom. I wanted to entertain you, just like Billy Wilder or Ernst Lubitsch did. I would spend hours in the library between film classes, ignoring professors who bashed Clint Eastwood or Steven Spielberg for being “too Hollywood.”

Those same teachers — many who never directed a scene in their lives — preached that independent filmmaking must rebel against all things Hollywood. It had to be dark, gritty, and strip away the happy endings. Not me.

So, what does Hollywood Storytelling from an Independent Filmmaker mean to me now? It means I might not have a big budget or studio lot. But I do have a story. And that story deserves to be told in a way that entertains you, no matter how tight my wallet is.

Today, I proudly call myself an independent filmmaker because it means I won’t let a lack of money silence a good story. I’ll keep writing, directing, editing, shooting, and producing my films for as long as you’ll laugh, gasp, and stick around for the ending.

Keep the Hollywood Ending Alive

If you want a lesson in doom and gloom, you can find plenty of indie films for that. But if you want to laugh, to escape, and to remember that a two-year-old toddler with a paintbrush and a whiskey bottle can make you smile, then you’re my audience.

This is Hollywood storytelling from an independent filmmaker — and I’m just getting started.

My gal Autumn took this photo at one of our favorite spots, Yosemite National Park