We asked three TikTok filmmakers — Elise Schatz (@elise.mov on TIkTok), 23; Ben Christensen (@dangerbean55 on TikTok), 27; and Danni Juhl (@dannijuhl on TikTok), 28 — if they want to make films for the big screen, or if they’re happy distributing their own work online.

Here’s what they told us.

“In terms of taking the more traditional route or not, I feel like I’ve been able too, with that approach, make projects just because I’ve wanted to. And I feel like there’s a lot more independence in that which I’m very grateful for, because I’ve been able to just link up with my friends make something really great and then continue that process,” Schatz says.

“But I’ve also still engaged in maybe the more traditional things like going to a film festival and going to screenings and premieres and film events like that, which I still feel like that side of the industry is very alive and well. But I’ve always been interested in making my own wave and following through with that as much as possible.”

Schatz, based in Los Angeles, primarily makes music videos, and has recently worked with artists including Rehma, Hyra, Alex Banin, Rhea Raj, and Trevor Spitta, and documents her filmmaking process with TikToks. Her most-watched video — which shows her squeezing what looks like a real cheeseburger, but is in fact a foam prop on a film set — has more than 38 million views. Her second-most watched video, with more than 6 million views, is a moving story of how she carved out her own path as a director after film school rejection. She collaborated with friends while attending community college and working a 9-5 job.

Juhl spoke about having a sense of optimism about the film industry.

“There’s a lot of, I guess, scary headlines out there about how ‘no one’s working’ and ‘film’s dying’ and all this stuff. And I think that that’s just a sign that a rebirth will probably be happening. That’s the positive spin I take on it, is that things are definitely changing,” Juhl says.

“And during that period, there’s going to be a lot of turmoil. But I think that something better is hopefully going to come on the other side of it. And I have a strong feeling that it will have something to do with what we’re all doing on the internet and artists taking their work into their own hands and making something that has their fingerprints on it. So that’s kind of my vision for the future.”

Also Read: Moviemakers of TikTok: Elise.mov, Dangerbean55 and DanniJuhl on Film’s Future

More From Our Conversation With Three TikTok Filmmakers

Juhl, a graduate of the NYU Tisch School of the Arts Film & Television Production Program, is a New York City writer, director and editor who makes what she calls micromovies on TikTok. One, “The Girl in the Oxfords,” has roughly 800,000 views. In it, Juhl daydreams about reinventing herself, imagining who she would be if she wore different shoes. Set to dreamy music, it’s both tranquil and thought-provoking, like a contemplative moment in an indie film. Juhl also makes longer- form short films on YouTube in which she blends narrative and documentary styles of filmmaking, including “How To Disappear Completely” and “The Grief Tape.”

Christensen feels similarly to Schatz and Juhl. Based in Vancouver, Christensen has several TikToks with millions of views, but his most memorable may be “Missing Socks.” It tells an Interstellar-style story of two friends who travel to another dimension to find the socks that get lost in the dryer, then discover that only one of them can return. In keeping with Christensen’s style, it’s full of more than one satisfying twist, and surprisingly emotional dialogue.

“I totally agree with you guys, and I like the optimistic note at the end of that. I like the rebirth idea. I’m kind of the same. I mean, I wouldn’t hate to be TikTok and Instagrammer forever, but ideally, I’m not doing this when I’m, like, 50. Which, I could be — I could rock it. I don’t know. But I I kind of look at it as like a portfolio like similar to you guys,” Christensen says.

“There have been a few instances where like, indie filmmakers, like I’ve helped. I’ve co written a few projects now. Like, just through people reaching out and being like, Hey, I’d love to have you. You know co write on this or like, direct this. Sometimes they don’t work out whatever. If yada yada but it is a cool like jumping off platform to meet other creators, which I don’t think I also live in Canada, which is like, I’m like sometimes feeling a little isolated up here. Like there’s a film scene. But like, it’s cool that I get to meet people all over the world.”

Above, you can watch our interview with the three filmmakers.

Main Image: Schatz, Christensen and Juhl’s TikTok grids.