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The article discusses the filming of the Iraq War documentaries. The first group of films focus on the war's effect on U.S. soldiers and their families. They include "Gunner Palace," by Petra Epperlein and Michael Tucker, "Last Letter Home," by Bill Couturié and "Occupation: Dream Land," by Ian Olds and Garrett Scott. The second group consists of films that document the effect of the war on Iraq and its people. They include "The Blood of My Brother: A Story of Death in Iraq," by Andrew Berends, "The Dreams of Sparrows," by Hayder Mousa Daffar and "My Country, My Country," by Laura Poitras. The author states that the unifying thread of Iraq documentaries is a commitment on the part of the filmmaker to allow the subjects to tell their stories in their own words.

The article discusses how independent filmmakers can make use of magazines and newspapers to promote their movies. They should realize that the nature of the coverage is dependent on the nature of the publication. A weekly city newspaper is focused on its calendar section because its readers are mainly interested on what they can go out and see or do during the weekend. Meanwhile, quarterly journals such as "Filmmaker," usually strive to promote emerging artists. The magazine's main source of income is filmmaker profiles and articles on how an independent film was made.

The article focuses on Los Angeles, California-based SoCal Film Collective. It was founded in 2001 when Steve Barr and several of his friends on screenwriting website wordplayer.com were inspired by the advice of site founders Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott. Most members of the collective live in Hollywood or the San Fernando Valley and half of them hold down jobs in the entertainment industry. The collective counts roughly $60,000 worth of film equipment among its members, including two Panasonic DVX100 camcorders, an ARRI ENG lighting kit with five units and a van full of grip and lighting equipment. Films produced within the collective have screened at various film festivals and twice the collective has shown a 90-minute slate in the Silver Lake Film Festival.