It is with great sadness that the artist, musician, voyeur, author, publisher, producer and filmmaker, Michael Wiese, has passed. He is the founder of Michael Wiese Productions, a production company that specializes in producing films and documentaries.
Wiese has also authored several books, including the highly influential “The Independent Filmmaker’s Handbook”
This seminal book has been a popular resource for aspiring filmmakers since its publication in 1983.
Michael Wiese has been involved with the Raindance Film Festival, an independent film festival in London since 1992. He was a staunch supporter and collaborator since I founded Raindance in 1992. Thanks to Michael’s guidance and support it has since become one of the largest and most respected independent film festivals in the world.
Michael Wiese Productions has also collaborated with Raindance on several initiatives, including the publication of the “Raindance Producer’s Lab: Lo-To-No Budget Filmmaking” book. This book, which was written by a team of experienced independent producers, provides practical advice and tips for making a low-budget or no-budget film.
Wiese has also served as a judge for the Raindance Film Festival’s “Web Fest” competition. Raindance Web Fest showcased web series from around the world. In addition to his involvement with Raindance, Wiese has also been an active member of the independent filmmaking community in the United States. He has been a frequent speaker and panelist at film festivals and conferences.
His official bio is full of major achievements:
After producing the highly popular “Hardware Wars” (a Star Wars parody), Wiese was an entertainment executive with Showtime and later Vice President of Vestron Video. He launched comedy lines with Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg, Billy Crystal, and over 300 other videos. He was responsible for creating video lines for National Geographic, Smithsonian, NOVA, and PBS.
He oversaw Michael Wiese Productions which publishes a line of over 140 professional filmmaking books. These titles include The Writer’s Journey, Shot by Shot, Directing Actors, Save the Cat, and Cinematic Storytelling. They are used in major motion picture studios and in over 600 film courses throughout the world. For over 25 years, he has presented filmmaking seminars for Kodak (at the Cannes Film Festival), The AFI, The International Film & TV Workshops, Raindance, and many others throughout the world.
He recently released The “Sacred Sites of the Dalai Lamas” (Tibet), “The Shaman and Ayahuasca” (Peru) and was in post-production on “Talking With Spirits” (Bali).
Michael! You are missed! But knowing you, I know you’ll always be on my shoulder in your altered state.
Rest in Peace.
Elliot Grove
Photo Credit: Bertie Watson
I founded Raindance Film Festival in 1993 because the British film industry was closed, polite, and congratulating itself while shutting new filmmakers out.
I co-founded the British Independent Film Awards in 1998 because British indie film deserved more than a shrug, a pat on the head, and a Tuesday night screening.
Raindance didn’t start as a brand. It started as a rebellion: film training without gatekeepers, a festival without permission, and a community built by filmmakers who weren’t waiting to be invited in.
Later, we took it global: Toronto, Vancouver, New York, LA, Berlin, and Brussels, because independent film doesn’t belong to one city, one class, or one accent.
I’ve produced 700+ short films and seven features, including Deadly Virtues (2014) and ALICE, which won the SXSW Grand Jury Prize (2019) not because someone “discovered” us, but because the work earned its place.
I’ve written three books used by filmmakers worldwide because too many courses taught compliance instead of survival.
In 2009, I was awarded a PhD for services to film education, ironic, given that most of my career has been about tearing down the rules that education insisted you follow.
I don’t believe in waiting for permission.I believe in making work, building systems, and forcing the industry to catch up.
Specialties: Independent Film (the real kind) · Producing · Writing · Film Education · Festivals · Breaking Broken Systems
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RIP Michael Wiese. I went to a couple of his seminars when I lived in the US. He was highly knowledgeable and a genuinely nice guy. I’ve always found his books to be a great source of information which have really helped me a lot over the years. Condolences to his family and friends.