Your address will show here +12 34 56 78
THE STORYTELLER BLOG
Supercharge your filmmaking with inspirational and educational content
on directing, visual storytelling, film distribution, leadership, producing, and more.
Film Distribution

Q&A: Future of Filmmaking – Building an Audience, Film Financing, Gaining Experience

June 23, 2024

In this episode of the “Don’t Suck at Video!” podcast, I cover a variety of questions posed by members of the filmmaking community. ...

Business

How to Make Money as a Filmmaker When You’re Stuck at Home

December 29, 2020

The pandemic has decimated some industries, with the film industry in particular feeling the economic effects. Movie theaters have been boarded up, an...

Directing

Interview: 4 Valuable Tips for Shooting Your First Feature Film

November 19, 2020

This is an interview with director Pearry Teo – I asked him to give 4 tips for filmmakers interested in making their first feature film.I knew that he...

Directing

Indie Filmmaker’s Guide: How to Hire a Cinematographer

July 9, 2020

Whether you’re directing your first film, your 4th film, or even your 43rd film, knowing how to hire a great cinematographer is of key importanc...

Directing

Interview: 4 Valuable Tips for Shooting Your First Feature Film

May 26, 2020

This is an interview with director Christopher Sheffield – I asked him to give 4 tips for filmmakers interested in making their first feature fi...

Casting

Ultimate Guide: How to Cast Excellent Actors for Low-Budget Films

May 23, 2020

The more films I make, the more I find learning how to cast actors for low-budget films is one of the most difficult parts of making a good film.I als...

Directing

How to Use Color & Light to Set the Tone in Your Film

April 13, 2020

I recommend you spend time thinking about these aspects for your next film. How can you use color and light to enhance your story?Lighting and color a...

Directing

Storyteller Podcast Ep. 3 | From 1st feature film to Netflix w/ Joseph Mbah

January 7, 2020

LISTEN TO EPISODE 3 HERE.The Storyteller Podcast can be found anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc.). A quick way to find it ...

Networking

Film Networking: How to Make Connections Without Being Fake

October 14, 2019

Do you struggle with film networking? You aren’t alone. In my experience, many creative people are not extroverted and would rather work at home on a ...

Directing

How to Use Shot Sizes & Camera Angles: 4 Ways They Affect Perspective

September 15, 2019

How do you pick your shot sizes and camera angles?Are you picking what looks cool? Are you picking what is easiest or most practical?Maybe you’re just...

Directing

19 Attributes You Need to be a Great Film Director

August 8, 2019

A filmmaker – a great director – is more than a guy or gal who makes a movie.Regardless of a feature film’s budget, a great director has m...

Directing

5 Story Elements You Need to Make a Great Film

August 2, 2019

What are the bare-bones essentials of a good story?[Podcast discussion of this topic now available here.]What makes for a good story? When you start w...

Directing

A Breakdown of Why the First & Last Images of a Scene Matter

July 21, 2019

Start and end with the images you want your audience to remember.I’ve told people (inspired by the advice I’ve read) that they should choo...

Self-Development

How to Win the Filmmaking Game by Embracing Discomfort

March 30, 2019

Some nerdy statistics, first…Ever heard of the 80/20 principle? (AKA the Pareto principle)In the past, I’ve explained that there are a small num...

Self-Development

3 Reasons Filmmakers are Lazy, Shortsighted Time-Wasters (but don’t have to be)

March 30, 2019

With hard work, we can change. Here’s how.I’ll tell you a sad story. This is the story of past Nick, who wasted countless hours on things that w...

Directing

24 Filmmaking Video Essays that Will Make You Think

January 14, 2019

Video essays are a great way to stimulate your creative mind.Video essays aren’t really ‘instruction’, but they give you a new perspective on various ...

Filmmaking

92+ Links: Huge Directory of Free & Cheap Filmmaking Assets

December 14, 2018

I hate wasting time – and I like saving money.I originally created this list because I was sick of wasting so much time looking for that one per...

Filmmaking

20 Insanely Helpful Videos New Filmmakers Should Watch

November 17, 2018

I’ve rounded up some of the best content in every category.We’ve all spent hours sifting through dozens of tutorial videos on YouTube (don’t deny it)....

Visual Storytelling

Case Study: How to Avoid the Failures of “Sacramentum”

November 13, 2018

What kills pretty much any short film?I recently created a commentary on my old short film “Sacramentum”. Back when I made that film, I le...

Directing

How to Fail Up: BTS from my Directorial Debut

November 12, 2018

Ah, the good old days. My first feature film.It’s crazy to look back and see all the things I’ve learned. There was so much we didn’...

Filmmaking

How to Get Volunteer Cast & Crew to Show Up

October 6, 2018

Volunteer cast and crew aren’t necessarily known for their reliability.Sometimes, people fail to show up, for whatever reason. Other times, they...

Directing

Becoming a Movie Director – 9 Tips for Success

September 29, 2018

You dream of directing. You can see the lights, the camera… the action!Whether it be directing commercials, short films, or one day, directing feature...

Directing

5 Challenging Scene Types and How to Conquer Them

September 15, 2018

Practice, practice, practice!As the saying goes, you need to put 10,000 hours of practice into something to become a phenomenal practitioner of that t...

Leadership

Filmmakers: Try the Army’s Proven 4-Step Feedback Method

September 1, 2018

“Alright everyone, great work today. That’s a wrap!”A very familiar phrase. Without hesitation, the crew is packing the gear. They’re eager to get hom...

Filmmaking

10 Vital Life-Skills Filmmaking Will Teach You (Part 1/4)

August 18, 2018

Doing the stuff you don’t feel like doingFear. Laziness. Discomfort. Weariness.Filmmakers often face these obstacles.I’m no exception. Especially when...

Filmmaking

10 Educational Resources Filmmakers Need to Know About

August 11, 2018

Become a life-long learner & stay on top of your gameYou should be constantly educating yourself, then applying that knowledge. This is important ...

Directing

[Free Film Questionnaire Form] 3 Foolproof Steps to Apply Feedback to Your Film

July 14, 2018

Clear feedback is key to pulling together an effective final cut of your film.You just finished the cut of your recent film and are feeling oh-so-comp...

Filmmaking

10 Vital Life-Skills Filmmaking Will Teach You (Intro)

June 30, 2018

Making your very own movie: the holy grail of filmmakers.Or at least, that’s how I felt (and do still, to an extent) about making a feature film. I sa...

Business

4 Facts You Need to Know about Profits for Your 1st Feature Film

June 23, 2018

Money matters can be quite complicated……and I aim to sort them out in a comprehensible manner to help you get ready to launch a bigger project (...

Business

Film Distribution: 5 Things You Need to Find a Great Deal

June 16, 2018

When I made my first movie, I was clueless about film distribution.I wondered how we would figure it out. How does film distribution work? What is a f...

Film Distribution

Q&A: Future of Filmmaking – Building an Audience, Film Financing, Gaining Experience

June 23, 2024

In this episode of the “Don’t Suck at Video!” podcast, I cover a variety of questions posed by members of the filmmaking community. ...

Business

How to Make Money as a Filmmaker When You’re Stuck at Home

December 29, 2020

The pandemic has decimated some industries, with the film industry in particular feeling the economic effects. Movie theaters have been boarded up, an...

Directing

Interview: 4 Valuable Tips for Shooting Your First Feature Film

November 19, 2020

This is an interview with director Pearry Teo – I asked him to give 4 tips for filmmakers interested in making their first feature film.I knew that he...

Directing

Indie Filmmaker’s Guide: How to Hire a Cinematographer

July 9, 2020

Whether you’re directing your first film, your 4th film, or even your 43rd film, knowing how to hire a great cinematographer is of key importanc...

Directing

Interview: 4 Valuable Tips for Shooting Your First Feature Film

May 26, 2020

This is an interview with director Christopher Sheffield – I asked him to give 4 tips for filmmakers interested in making their first feature fi...

Casting

Ultimate Guide: How to Cast Excellent Actors for Low-Budget Films

May 23, 2020

The more films I make, the more I find learning how to cast actors for low-budget films is one of the most difficult parts of making a good film.I als...

Directing

How to Use Color & Light to Set the Tone in Your Film

April 13, 2020

I recommend you spend time thinking about these aspects for your next film. How can you use color and light to enhance your story?Lighting and color a...

Directing

Storyteller Podcast Ep. 3 | From 1st feature film to Netflix w/ Joseph Mbah

January 7, 2020

LISTEN TO EPISODE 3 HERE.The Storyteller Podcast can be found anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc.). A quick way to find it ...

Networking

Film Networking: How to Make Connections Without Being Fake

October 14, 2019

Do you struggle with film networking? You aren’t alone. In my experience, many creative people are not extroverted and would rather work at home on a ...

Directing

How to Use Shot Sizes & Camera Angles: 4 Ways They Affect Perspective

September 15, 2019

How do you pick your shot sizes and camera angles?Are you picking what looks cool? Are you picking what is easiest or most practical?Maybe you’re just...

Directing

19 Attributes You Need to be a Great Film Director

August 8, 2019

A filmmaker – a great director – is more than a guy or gal who makes a movie.Regardless of a feature film’s budget, a great director has m...

Directing

5 Story Elements You Need to Make a Great Film

August 2, 2019

What are the bare-bones essentials of a good story?[Podcast discussion of this topic now available here.]What makes for a good story? When you start w...

Directing

A Breakdown of Why the First & Last Images of a Scene Matter

July 21, 2019

Start and end with the images you want your audience to remember.I’ve told people (inspired by the advice I’ve read) that they should choo...

Self-Development

How to Win the Filmmaking Game by Embracing Discomfort

March 30, 2019

Some nerdy statistics, first…Ever heard of the 80/20 principle? (AKA the Pareto principle)In the past, I’ve explained that there are a small num...

Self-Development

3 Reasons Filmmakers are Lazy, Shortsighted Time-Wasters (but don’t have to be)

March 30, 2019

With hard work, we can change. Here’s how.I’ll tell you a sad story. This is the story of past Nick, who wasted countless hours on things that w...

Directing

24 Filmmaking Video Essays that Will Make You Think

January 14, 2019

Video essays are a great way to stimulate your creative mind.Video essays aren’t really ‘instruction’, but they give you a new perspective on various ...

Filmmaking

92+ Links: Huge Directory of Free & Cheap Filmmaking Assets

December 14, 2018

I hate wasting time – and I like saving money.I originally created this list because I was sick of wasting so much time looking for that one per...

Filmmaking

20 Insanely Helpful Videos New Filmmakers Should Watch

November 17, 2018

I’ve rounded up some of the best content in every category.We’ve all spent hours sifting through dozens of tutorial videos on YouTube (don’t deny it)....

Visual Storytelling

Case Study: How to Avoid the Failures of “Sacramentum”

November 13, 2018

What kills pretty much any short film?I recently created a commentary on my old short film “Sacramentum”. Back when I made that film, I le...

Directing

How to Fail Up: BTS from my Directorial Debut

November 12, 2018

Ah, the good old days. My first feature film.It’s crazy to look back and see all the things I’ve learned. There was so much we didn’...

Filmmaking

How to Get Volunteer Cast & Crew to Show Up

October 6, 2018

Volunteer cast and crew aren’t necessarily known for their reliability.Sometimes, people fail to show up, for whatever reason. Other times, they...

Directing

Becoming a Movie Director – 9 Tips for Success

September 29, 2018

You dream of directing. You can see the lights, the camera… the action!Whether it be directing commercials, short films, or one day, directing feature...

Directing

5 Challenging Scene Types and How to Conquer Them

September 15, 2018

Practice, practice, practice!As the saying goes, you need to put 10,000 hours of practice into something to become a phenomenal practitioner of that t...

Leadership

Filmmakers: Try the Army’s Proven 4-Step Feedback Method

September 1, 2018

“Alright everyone, great work today. That’s a wrap!”A very familiar phrase. Without hesitation, the crew is packing the gear. They’re eager to get hom...

Filmmaking

10 Vital Life-Skills Filmmaking Will Teach You (Part 1/4)

August 18, 2018

Doing the stuff you don’t feel like doingFear. Laziness. Discomfort. Weariness.Filmmakers often face these obstacles.I’m no exception. Especially when...

Filmmaking

10 Educational Resources Filmmakers Need to Know About

August 11, 2018

Become a life-long learner & stay on top of your gameYou should be constantly educating yourself, then applying that knowledge. This is important ...

Directing

[Free Film Questionnaire Form] 3 Foolproof Steps to Apply Feedback to Your Film

July 14, 2018

Clear feedback is key to pulling together an effective final cut of your film.You just finished the cut of your recent film and are feeling oh-so-comp...

Filmmaking

10 Vital Life-Skills Filmmaking Will Teach You (Intro)

June 30, 2018

Making your very own movie: the holy grail of filmmakers.Or at least, that’s how I felt (and do still, to an extent) about making a feature film. I sa...

Business

4 Facts You Need to Know about Profits for Your 1st Feature Film

June 23, 2018

Money matters can be quite complicated……and I aim to sort them out in a comprehensible manner to help you get ready to launch a bigger project (...

Business

Film Distribution: 5 Things You Need to Find a Great Deal

June 16, 2018

When I made my first movie, I was clueless about film distribution.I wondered how we would figure it out. How does film distribution work? What is a f...