Hi Henry,

Looking at the name of the group "Amateur and Independent Filmmakers" I am not sure if I belong in that category.

I think of Independent Filmmakers as people who (more or less) have an idea for a project, raise money and do all the production work to make the program. Many have complete editorial control over the work.

In addition, they often have to find an outlet for their work which may be film festivals, screenings on campuses, online or broadcast. They generally are in charge of any effort to generate press coverage.

James Rutenbeck is a great example of an independent filmmaker (and I greatly admire his work.) Many of his projects rest entirely on his shoulders from concept to distribution of the finished work. It takes enormous effort and dedication to do that kind of work.

In contrast, for my entire career, I have been a "hired gun," mostly doing work for PBS through GBH. Sometimes that has been as a producer/director/writer/editor working on a project contract for a limited series. (In other words, going into GBH on a daily basis and being treated as an employee.) Other times, the contract for the production is with my company.

In both cases, the only thing I do is receive or control someone else's money, develop and propose in practical terms what will be covered, make the film and deliver it to their specifications. 

Other folks decide the concept for the program and other folks raise the money for it. The program is subject to the editorial control and standards of the institution paying me. They have final "say" about what is in the program. Once I deliver the program, other folks handle the publicity for the project and its distribution. I generally have very little to do with any of that.

To me, and using James as a counter-example, my work doesn't seem very "independent."

Here is the most recent example:

https://youtu.be/t06aTX9jM34?si=RhCIQhS_GlvSyoVp

So maybe I am not really part of the group you want to be talking with. Amateur and (truly) Independent Filmmakers is already a huge population to try and get a handle on.

Let me know your thoughts.

Best,
Dan


On Thu, Feb 19, 2026, at 12:22 AM, Henry Tejada wrote:

Hi Dan,

Thank you for the swift response! Our goal is to learn about human centered design through experiencing the process of interviewing, gathering information about a group of people, codesigning with that group of people, and then selecting what this group of people needs based on our understanding that we get through these interviews and codesign sessions. Our deliverable in the end will be a design proposal in which we will take into account all the information that we have. The purpose of this project is to learn how to design the right thing for people and not necessarily go through the design process for something we think this group of people needs. To be clear, we are not making a product or service. So yes, it is a bit vague and we don’t know quite yet what our proposal will be but that is where our help comes in! Your perspective and experiences are valuable to us in helping us better understand the Amateur and Independent Filmmakers group of people.

 

We are open to both Zoom or an in-person chat. We prefer to meet you in person (it doesn't have to be at Olin though; we can meet you where you are or in a café near you!). Our availability is as follows:

Please let us know if these times don’t work for you, we have additional availability!

 

Thank you for your time,

 

Henry, Tchenzie, Liam, Ben, Jake

 

Henry Tejada Deras

B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering

Second-Year Student | Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering

 

Email: htejada@olin.edu

 

Firma Principal, Versión 1.8 - 19 de Agosto, 2025 a las 14:49 CST

 

From: Daniel McCabe <dan@bighouseproductions.com>
Sent: Wednesday, February 18, 2026 4:53 PM
To: Henry Tejada <htejada@olin.edu>
Cc: Amateur Independent Filmmakers CD Group - 2026 SP <filmmakers.olincd@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: We'd like to meet you!

 

[FROM AN EXTERNAL SENDER]

Hi Henry,

 

I would be happy to help out. Can you tell me more about what your goals are? For example, is the purpose to come up with the design for a potential app?

 

There really isn't anything to see here where I work. My workflow with my production team has been remote without a central office for about ten years. Also I am currently between projects so I don't even have mid-production examples.

 

For those reasons Zoom may make the most sense. If you are all located on the Olin campus I could come to you if that sounds better.

 

Best,

Dan

 

On Tue, Feb 17, 2026, at 6:06 PM, Henry Tejada wrote:

Hi Dan,

We got your contact through James Rutenbeck, and we (5 undergraduate students at Olin College) are very interested in learning about independent and amateur filmmakers! As part of our collaborative design course, we are engaging with filmmakers to both learn about the experience and practice user-oriented design. We are interested in all things related to how you make your films, from casting to production to audio. We would love to ask you questions in person and see what you do firsthand, ideally for about 60 minutes. If in person doesn’t work, calling online would still be hugely helpful.

 

Thank you for your time and consideration,

 

Henry Tejada Deras

B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering

Second-Year Student | Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering

 

Email: htejada@olin.edu

 

Firma Principal, Versión 1.8 - 19 de Agosto, 2025 a las 14:49 CST

 

 

 

Big House Productions Inc.

3 Florence Ave.

Arlington MA  02476

(781) 223-0047 mobile

 



Big House Productions Inc.
3 Florence Ave.
Arlington MA  02476
(781) 223-0047 mobile