A message from Timothy E. Burke.

I've worked in film and television for more than 22 years, and after everything I've experienced, I genuinely believe we're living through one of the biggest changes filmmaking and has ever seen.

With films like Iron Lung, Obsession and Backrooms, films are now being born on the internet - so I'm inviting influencers, creators and filmmakers to join the FilmCrowd & Bigger Picture Studios to help fund, produce, create and distribute their own projects.

The film industry is evolving. New technologies are emerging. Artificial intelligence is here. And as distribution continues to open up, new independent filmmakers finally have a genuine opportunity to compete.

I live for independent cinema. I love guerrilla filmmaking. Genre pictures. But, most of all I thrive being on set on a indie production.

When you're putting out fires, you have to think on your feet - managing a hundred problems and personalities at once! It's exhausting, but it's also exhilarating. Problem solving on the fly and doing whatever it takes to get “that perfect shot” or angle. Changing lens, focus lengths and camera settings on the fly as you “run and gun” - you haven’t lived until you’ve been on a fast paced indie shoot and life is all about experiences. And, there is no greater experience than when you're on the frontline, right in the middle of the action. I say this from recent experience: I just spent four months in rural Kentucky filming in a 1930s hollow (with no phone reception), freezing, in a flea-infested field, lying down, shooting through corn on an iPhone at two in the morning with tanks and more than 30 cast members…to get that perfect shot.

Low-budget independent filmmaking ~ which is how so many great directors began ~ is one of the hardest jobs in the world. In fact, you have to be slightly insane to even attempt it.

That's exactly why I created Bigger Picture Studios: not just to make movies, but to help build a new generation of independent filmmakers.

Years ago, I pioneered a new style of guerrilla reality filmmaking on MTV Europe. I was one of the first to bring POV filmmaking to European television around the same time Jackass and The Osbournes transformed the genre.

Since then I've directed feature films, worked with actors at the beginning of their careers, helped launch independent productions, spoken at Digital Hollywood, and spent decades learning what truly works - and, more importantly, what doesn't.

Today, I can honestly say I've “finally cracked the code” on a new filmmaking system that I want to share with you through my new documentary, #FilmorDie.

I've made every mistake imaginable, and if I can help other filmmakers avoid those same pitfalls, it will all have been worthwhile. A new era of filmmaking is here. I call it the “Burkeoff Technique”. It's radical. Different. It's unconventional. And, it’s certainly not for everyone. But somehow, it works.

I've always believed filmmaking shouldn't belong only to people with $5 - 20 million budgets.

Some of the most exciting films ever made existed because someone simply picked up a camera and refused to wait for permission. Got bored of waiting for the gatekeepers. They just went for it! No money. No script. No crew. No excuses….Just go and make something. And, that’s always been my techniques philosophy…a that’s what I plan to teach in my masterclass.

Our latest feature, Grover's Mill, is probably the best example of that philosophy. It's our reimagining of the War of the Worlds legend, combining practical filmmaking with cutting-edge AI technology. Every actor was filmed on location. The AI wasn't used to replace performances (I believe in capturing real performances, no actor wants to be replaced by AI). But, AI was and should be used for special effects - as advanced visual-effects technology, and, in our case to create the point of view of the alien tripods, something never before seen in a science-fiction film (especially one set in the 1930s).

We produced the physical production for a fraction of what people would expect using the new Blackmagic Pro with vintage Zeiss lens from the 1950s.

In fact, I don't think the industry will believe the budget. That's why we're documenting exactly how we did it in our feature documentary, #FilmorDie.

We'll share every success, every mistake and every lesson we learned making a cinematic feature on a ‘micro’ independent budget.

You can support the documentary today by purchasing festival and premiere tickets, VIP previews, producer credits, film roles or even cameo appearances in the sequel or some scenes we are yet to shoot in NYC.

But Grover's Mill is only the beginning.

We're building something much bigger ~ a community where filmmakers don't just watch movies; they help make them. They collaborate. They contribute. They support each other. They appear in productions, earn producer credits and become part of the creative process.

More than a year ago, I had the idea for Vertica, and now it's finally becoming a reality. It's our own distribution platform built specifically for social content, vertical and independent film creators. Every filmmaker knows how difficult it is to get a project onto platforms like Netflix or Amazon.

Our goal is to create another path ~ one that's more accessible, where filmmakers can upload their work, build an audience and earn meaningful revenue while remaining part of a growing creative community.

I know how hard it is to make a film, which is why Vertica is being designed to offer some of the best streaming payouts in the industry.

Over the next few years, Bigger Picture Studios will be producing projects including Grover's Mill, Shadow State (a scripted television series exploring the history of the UFO phenomenon), Planet X, Echoes of Eden, The Blob reimagining, Atocha, Tranukta (inspired by classic 1950s monster movies), and many more.

This crowdfunding campaign isn't just about helping us finish one movie. It's about proving independent filmmakers can build something different: a studio, a community and a distribution platform where creators genuinely help creators.

If you've ever dreamed of making films… if you've ever wanted to be in or see your name on the big screen… if you've wanted to visit a film set ~ or even appear in one of your or our productions ~ you're in exactly the right place.

This is filmmaking for a new generation.

No gatekeepers. No waiting for permission. Just people who love telling stories.

Welcome to Bigger Picture Studios.

Message the team on WhatsApp or support the campaign today ~ and I'll see you on set.

The future of independent cinema starts here.