Who are you and what’s your filmmaking background?
I’m an independent filmmaker and photographer living in Missoula, Montana. I have an MFA in Science and Natural History Filmmaking from Montana State University. I do a lot of conservation oriented work and a lot of underwater camera work, but I enjoy making films about all sorts of things.
What are you working on right now?
I recently took on a new role with the Ocean Media Institute and am working on putting together a promotional piece for them using ocean footage that I’ve collected over the last few years.
What do you want the audience to take away from your films?
Every film is different. Sometimes I just want people to look at something in a different way. Sometimes I have a very pointed message that I’d like to get across. Almost always though, I want people to be inspired. I want them to watch one of my films and feel excited about what they go do next.
What are your wildest dreams for your filmmaking career?
I feel very fortunate to spend my days working on my own projects that I care about and am invested in. It’s always nice to reach a larger audience with your work, but I’m so grateful to live in a place like Missoula, MT and film beautiful things in the mountains and the ocean and work on projects that I’m passionate about. I’m living my dream!
Still from Strands Of Consciousness: A Portrait of Montana Artist Mark Strand
What currently inspires you?
I’m constantly inspired by things all around me. Other filmmakers’ work inspires me. Human emotion inspires me. And the internet is a seemingly endless source of art and talent and inspiration.
What’s your best advice for an aspiring filmmaker?
Use the internet to learn. Filmmaking requires an extensive skill set and there are more resources than ever before to teach yourself these things from a computer. And be social when you’re not holed up doing online tutorials- cultivating a community helps get your work seen and reaching an audience is as important as crafting the film itself.
Vote for Colin’s Art Montana competing film “Strands of Consciousness: A Portrait of Montana Artist Mark Strand.”
Visit Colin’s website at www.ColinRuggiero.com
View his most recent film about the Bahamas at www.ExumaFilm.com
Follow Colin Ruggerio’s career at The Audience Awards.
The Audience Awards is film’s social network connecting audiences to films, filmmakers, film schools and film festivals. The Audience Awards hosts short film competitions where the audience chooses the best films.
