I have to agree, the word, "amateur" is never correctly interpreted because it is most often used in derisery terms that infer a person or work to be less competant. "Professional" is equally used without full understanding of it's meaning. Amateur film makers are also tarred with the porn brush, the mere mention of being an amateur film maker has people teatering with giggles and you can see it coming, "You make porn!?"
Whatever level we are producing at, it remains that we are all film producers, directors or screenwriters, whatever, just that being at the low/no budget end we don't get the recognition of being serious industry people.
We all know we are very serious industry people, if we weren't we would have thrown our cameras in the bin years ago instead of striving ever onwards in pursuit of a completed project.
The amateur/low/no budget producer fulfils an important role within the industry in a number of valuable ways. We make films mainstream won't do, we document more of everyday life than the major players and we also provide the opportunity for the less confident to have a stab at acting for the screen and often where it wouldn't otherwise exist. I'm all for ditching amateur an opting for part-time movie director & screenwriter.
