Lights, Camera, Presents! - Affordable Gift Ideas for Young Filmmakers

Buying a brand new top-of-the-line camera or video editing system for that aspiring young filmmaker on your Christmas list seems like a great idea… until you start looking at price tags. Don’t worry. I know the cost of filmmaking equipment can be scarier than the latest M. Night Shyamalan flick (okay, so pretty much anything is scarier than an M. Night Shyamalan movie; leave me alone, I'm just trying to be clever.) But there are plenty of ways to let your little Tarantinos and Spielbergs know that you support them and believe in their vision without blowing your entire Holiday budget. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. Movie Tickets
Your little filmmaker wouldn’t be making movies at all if he didn’t love them. Instead of trying to help by buying filmmaking equipment he might not want or need, help by inspiring him with a night at the theater. Take him to the opening of a new movie he’s been waiting to see.

Plus, giving a gift that you can enjoy with the recipient is always a good idea. Like anybody with a passion, filmmakers (and film-lovers) want to share that passion with the people in their lives. Giving somebody movie tickets as a gift also gives them something to look forward to once the hustle and bustle of Christmas day is over.

Websites like Fandango.com now make it easy to purchase movie tickets ahead of time; just print out your receipt/confirmation and put it in a card as a gift.

2. Costume Materials
Costumes are a great idea and fun to shop for, especially if the filmmaker in your life is primarily interested in the horror, science-fiction, or western genres. Spend a day at Goodwill or St. Vinnie’s; as little as ten or twenty bucks can get you an armload of really interesting pieces.

If you don’t feel right about getting your loved one a bunch of used clothes that smell like fried food and cat pee for Christmas, skip the secondhand stores and check eBay for novelty wigs, glasses and other accessories.