Becoming a Filmmaker
My name is Michael Hatfield. I’m 21 years old and a freelance videographer born and raised in Newcastle. Growing up in this beautiful neighborhood led me down a path I never thought I’d discover.
With an adventurous attitude and an appreciation for capturing special moments, I discovered the track toward my future.
My adventure started when I purchased my first camera — a Panasonic GH7. It sparked my love for filmmaking. Because I have always loved adrenaline-related activities, I thought it would be cool to showcase our adventures to the rest of the world. I started with endless YouTube tutorials and ate up everything I could get my hands on to learn more about the film industry. I was also graduating from high school and planning to attend Missouri State University.
In college, I continued to pursue film as a freelance videographer, offering my services to interested clients, including Missouri State's marketing team, Missouri State lacrosse, and various nonprofits and small businesses in the Springfield area. These experiences led me to meet someone who would change my life.
On April 7, 2022, a French hockey player, Louis Chaix, reached out to me. He had seen a recent video I had created, and he offered me the opportunity of a lifetime — the chance to film a story of survival, resilience and hope. Louis is a survivor of Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (a life-threatening skin disease), and he wanted to create a documentary to raise awareness of his disease. Rollerblading across America, going from LA to New York City, was his plan. We started by creating a short video about this story and sent it to a movie producer, Ryan Delaney. Two days later, we heard back. Delaney was in, and we would share this story with the world.
I was offered the position of Director of Photography and worked under the production company Mia Films Production. The documentary and journey was called 10ForTen. Movie producers Ryan James Delaney and Jennifer Cox were on board.
With a challenge so complicated, it took all hands on deck. We were following Louis around the country, filming him as he rollerbladed across America. Let's just say, it was hard to think about my studies while so immersed in this experience. I took a gap semester to fully focus on this film that we were creating. It was an amazing experience. Companies sponsored our journey, and we worked through Vanderbilt University to raise over $7,000 for skin disease. The documentary — Rollerblading across America — took 45 days. Our team persevered through many obstacles that showed us all what we were truly capable of. And it changed my life.
I learned many things on this journey, but one of the biggest is the importance of empathy. As I continue pursuing my passion for film, I hope to keep learning and understanding new and different perspectives. These help me learn more about myself and the world we live in today and make me a better human.
Now I'm 21 years old and have started my own LLC, Hatfield Media Productions. I'm creating videos for local business areas in the greater Seattle area. I also work part-time under Adavanza media, primarily editing for TV shows and corporate videos for local businesses. But as I start this new path as an entrepreneur, I will be forever grateful for the lessons I learned filming this documentary and helping Louis rollerblade across America.
To find out more, google 10forTen Journey. You will find podcasts, videos and more.