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Networking, Self-Development

Film Networking: How to Make Connections Without Being Fake

By on

October 14, 2019

- Networking, Self-Development

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 script than to mingle with strangers.

So as someone who has to work hard to meet new people, how do you find great people and form connections with them, so you can become steadfast collaborators?

Networking isn’t easy, but it is possible, and it is necessary.

Here’s the unavoidable truth of networking:

You have to leave your comfortable space. Get uncomfortable. You’ll be glad you did.

How can you do that? Here are some tips for film networking with intention, so you create genuine connections, don’t come across as desperate, and form real relationships.

1. Go to networking or group events

These can be useful – if you approach them the right way.

Treat a networking event like it’s the local bar. That’s right. Treat the person you’re talking to at the networking event like they’re some random person you’re chatting with at the bar. Just be real and enjoy conversation with them.

People help people they like, not people who are trying to get something out of them.

Genuinely connect with a few people by doing the following:

– Be curious; make yourself truly interested in what they do

– Ask them about them and what they do

– Ask detailed questions; it shows that you are paying attention and are curious

– Let them talk about themselves; people like to talk about what they like/love

If you’re being fake or only asking them about themselves so you can transition to talking about yourself, the person you’re talking to will notice. People can tell when you aren’t being genuine.

(It’s called conversational narcissism, by the way. You should read about it.)

Film Networking: How to Make Connections Without Being Fake

These deeper connections you make while film networking will serve you much better than this common scenario:

“Hi, I’m Nick.”

“I’m John, nice to meet you Nick.”

“So what do you do?”

“Well, I’m actually a sound designer, I’m pretty new, only been doing it a couple years.”

“Oh cool, that’s great. Do you have a card?”

“Yeah, here you go.”

“Great – I actually direct films and commercials – here’s my card. Nice to meet you!”

Lame.

Yeah, sure, you have each others’ cards now… but how good of a connection was that, really? It doesn’t really seem like John or Nick cared to really know about one another. They just wanted something out of each other.

That’s not an effective way to approach film networking.

Did Nick really stand out to that person in that scenario? What kind of impression did Nick leave on John? Perhaps none at all.

They may recognize each other if they meet again, but they certainly won’t know each other any better than they did the first time.

You want people to leave your conversations thinking, “Huh. What a nice guy. Seems like someone that would be great to work with. I wish I would have asked him about his work more.”

It’s better to have 5 great conversations than 20 shallow ones like the above.

2. Work on film sets (in any role)

Networking and group events can help, but all the strongest connections I’ve ever made were from working with someone on set.

There’s something about working hard with someone else for 8, 10, 12 or more hours that forms a strong bond based on shared experience.

This doesn’t work if you isolate yourself – so be sure to make an effort to talk with people and be conversational (when appropriate) during downtime and connect with your fellow crew.

I can’t recommend this method of film networking enough.

In fact, it is how I’ve met the vast majority of my strongest collaborators, including my good friend Joe, who I made my first and second feature film with. I actually wrote an entire article about that experience and why I think finding a producing partner is important if you’d like to check that out.

Film Networking: How to Make Connections Without Being Fake

So other than being on set, what can you do?

3. Connect with people online

I have to work extra-hard to do film networking because I have limited time and am often at home writing or doing pre-production.

So how can you network with other filmmakers if you’re in that position?

Reach out to new people online.

Facebook, LinkedIn – whatever. If you see some work someone posts online and you like it, send them a message and tell them what you liked (be specific) about their work you saw.

Tell them you ‘just wanted to make the connection’, and that you might like to work together in the future. Bam. You’ve just made a connection – that’s a start.

Now you need to nurture that relationship by doing things like:

– Reach out to them periodically; ask how they’re doing

– Talk about something they’re working on

– Share information, an article, or something else they’ll like

– Ask them about their life, family, etc. (as appropriate)

– Ask for their opinions and advice on things

– Introduce them to people that can help them (and vice versa)

– Give them a small gift (if you’ve known them a while) that you know they’ll appreciate

– Involve them with your projects & work with them when possible

One of the best things you can do is introduce people to others that can help them. People really appreciate that, and sometimes they will form a strong, long-term connection with those people. You just helped out two fellow filmmakers simultaneously. How cool is that?

For example, let’s say you’ve been chatting with someone who creates costumes. Sci-fi is their thing. Great. Your heard that a friend of a friend, Julie, is looking for a costume designer for her alien short film.

Introduce the two of them. They’ll both thank you.

Okay, so now you know how to approach film networking in a smarter, more genuine way.

But how do you know this is a person you should work with?

4. The kind of people to look for when film networking

1. Seek people with integrity and good character

This is the most important. Not experience. Not intelligence. Character. Why?

A person with character and integrity will follow through on promises. They will be trustworthy, reliable, and honest. They will likely be pleasant to work with and willing to help others.

You might find a prodigy, genius, amazing person… but they’re an ‘A-hole’. You don’t want to work with them. Neither does anyone else.

There are plenty of people like this in the film industry. They are self-centered, narcissistic people who partake in filmmaking to satisfy their own creative ego and soak up as much of the limelight as they possibly can.

This is the type of person who will abandon your project last-minute after committing because someone else offered them something better.

This is the person who will talk behind your back instead of being transparent. The ‘A-hole’ is the person who seeks their personal benefit at the expense of relationships with people.

They may be helpful at first – if it happens to benefit them – but it won’t be worth the hassle in the long run.

There are obviously varying degrees of this type of behavior. Many people struggle with a bit of ego. That’s normal.

You need to know what you will and will not tolerate before you commit to a project with someone, but it helps to screen out people that are a bad fit for you before you get to that stage.

The above traits are something to look out for when you’re film networking and want to find reliable, long-term collaborators with whom you can enjoy making films. This brings me to my next point…

2. Seek people you can grow with

You might be surprised where you find your best collaborators. Don’t assume that because someone is technically inexperienced that they aren’t a potentially valuable teammate.

A dedicated, passionate, quick learner is great to work with, especially if they are trying to continually improve their craft.

Film Networking: How to Make Connections Without Being Fake

Remember that even if you are more experienced than the other person, you are still learning as well, so think of this person as ‘someone you are growing with’.

Don’t discount anyone when you approach film networking.

You might be pleasantly surprised to find that the newbie producer you met is actually a greater asset than you realized.

They’ve only produced one short film – but they have spent the last 10 years doing project management for a construction company.

Don’t you think those skills are applicable to filmmaking? Be on the lookout for people like this. You can help them grow their skills and meet other people in the film community. They can help you by providing their assistance on your films.

Master list of tips to strengthen your filmmaking relationships:

Like any relationship, the key is to steadily build trust by doing what you say you will and giving value to that person (time and/or resources).

– Reach out to them periodically; ask how they’re doing

– Talk about something they’re working on

– Share information, an article, or something else they’ll like

– Ask them about their life, family, etc. (as appropriate)

– Ask for their opinions and advice on things

– Introduce them to people that can help them (and vice versa)

– Give them a small gift (if you’ve known them a while) that you know they’ll appreciate

– Involve them with your projects & work with them when possible

– Be curious; make yourself truly interested in what they do

– Ask them about them and what they do

– Ask detailed questions when chatting; it shows that you are paying attention

– Let them talk about themselves; people like to talk about what they like/love

– Avoid conversational narcissism, which you can read about here

– Spend time with them and show you care about them as a person

– Talk to them on the phone; give them a call here and there

– Invite them to go places

– Get to know them, what they need, and what they desire in life

– Don’t message them only when you need something

I hope these film networking tips help you find some wonderful collaborators. My best filmmaking collaborators have also become some of my greatest friends, and I’m sure you can find people like this too.

If you’d like to connect with a great group of filmmakers right now, you should join the Storyteller filmmaking community on Facebook.

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Directing, Leadership, Self-Development

19 Attributes You Need to be a Great Film Director

By on

August 8, 2019

- Directing, Leadership, Self-Development

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 many admirable qualities. Each director has their own strengths.

Do you possess the qualities of a great director? Where are you weak? Where are you strong? Where and how can you try to improve yourself? We can all work on strengthening our weak areas while further increasing our strengths.

Self-improvement is key to being successful. Those who fail to adapt and grow are always outstripped by their competition.

I wanted to share some attributes that successful people, including leaders, mentors, business owners, and filmmakers, share in common.

(Note: I have an important update at the bottom of this article, so keep reading to the end)

Personal Attributes

1. Stress-Tolerant. A great director can roll with the punches, be cool in a tough situation, and still make the decisions needed while under pressure. They don’t crumble under stress and have healthy stress-coping mechanisms in place.

2. Flexible. A great director is open to new ideas so they can make the best film possible. They don’t turn their nose up at ideas that could make the film better. The director doesn’t always have the right answers and has to rely on many professionals, including actors, crew, and other collaborators to advise him/her.

3. Positive Attitude. Great directors aren’t self-obsessed divas. They’re leaders of a team. Everyone on set looks to him/her to set the standard for behavior. If the director is always gloomy, pessimistic, has low morale, etc., so will everyone else on set.

A great director is mindful of this and sets the example (see ‘leads by example’ below).

4. Uses Time Efficiently. A great director has no time to waste—there’s a movie to be made, and time is money! Great directors understand the value of time and uses it properly. There’s a time for everything. If it’s time to rest, they rest. If it’s time to work hard, they work hard.

They try to maximize the time they have available.

5. Knows How to be Diplomatic. Great directors didn’t get where they are by treating people poorly when they were in a bad mood. Great directors have self-control and can deal with people cordially, even if the situation is frustrating or someone is being unreasonable.

The great director understands that you can’t always take a sledgehammer to an issue and call it a day. Sometimes you need to use more delicate tools; approach people with finesse.

6. Knows When to Speak Up (or Shut Up). This is basically an extension of being diplomatic. Sometimes that thing you really want to say, you don’t say. The great director knows this and exercises restraint in what he or she says.

7. Thinks Outside the Box. The great director doesn’t feel constrained or threatened by others creative ideas/input. Instead he or she uses them to his or her advantage. The great director is willing to try new things and take risks to get great results instead of only okay results.

8. Problem-Solver – Not a Problem Creator. There are those that focus on pointing out problems, often in a complaining manner. They want to be the first ones to point it out but don’t offer any solutions. There are also people who create problems where none need exist. This is counterproductive.

The great director identifies problems before they occur and current problems, but he or she never walks away without offering one or two solutions. The great director is always working to move the team forward one step.

He or she doesn’t unveil a brick wall in the path, only to walk away and tell others, ‘good luck’.

9. Takes Responsibility. The great director understands the distinction between fault and responsibility. He or she understands that everything that goes wrong or right about their film (as the leader of the filmmaking team) will be attributed to the director.

The great director accepts the risk and possible reward, his or her own mistakes, and always works to correct them without blaming others, because it is a waste of time to play the blame game.

Lastly, the great director isn’t afraid to attribute a ‘job well-done’ to members of the team that deserve recognition for their good work.

Relationships & Communication

10. Focuses on Fostering Relationships. The great director got where he or she is because he or she understands that business is largely about relationships. Therefore, the great director spends time building genuine relationships with a variety of people.

He or she networks, meets lots of people, and stays in contact with many of them regularly.

11. Communicates Effectively. The great director understands that communication is absolutely essential to efficient and pleasant working conditions. He or she has spent a lot of time learning these skills and making sure he or she communicates as clearly as possible at all times.

12. Motivates and Inspires. The great director inspires people to give their best effort, even when they aren’t feeling energetic or particularly invested. Their passion is contagious.

13. Creates and Shares a Common Vision. The great director knows that creating a strong vision and sharing that with his cast and crew is important step for inspiring people’s commitment and best work to a film.

The director does this through multiple methods, including doing thorough director prep, creating visual references, and more.

14. Leads by Example. The great director understands that leading teams to make great films requires sacrifice and hard work from everyone, and so he or she does what it takes to set the example of how others should behave.

He or she is always the first one on set, ready to work with coffee in hand, and the last one to leave set.

Storytelling Skills

15. Understands the Filmmaking Fundamentals. The great film director understands why they say, ‘you need to know the rules before you can break them’. Only then can you break the rules in order to get specific, desired results.

If you don’t know why you are breaking a ‘rule’, then you’re just shooting from the hip. You don’t know what you are doing and can’t predict the result. That’s fine on a passion project, but if there’s any money at stake, you should be surer of what result you will get.

Additionally, understanding the fundamentals will help you communicate and work with your crew since you’ll speak their language.

The great director knows many of the great number of storytelling tools at his or her disposal—both the technical and creative. He or she is familiar with them and can mentally flip through that toolbox to make great directorial choices.

However, the great director is always open to new techniques and isn’t afraid to lean on the expertise of the crew.

16. Understands Real Human Behavior. If one doesn’t understand how people react in real life to various events, how can one portray them believably on film? A great director can anticipate how someone might react in a real-world situation and transplant that into the fiction of his story.

Especially if the director is young and relatively inexperienced, he or she tries to experience the world and examine human behavior in order to learn.

17. Understands Film Conventions. It’s not enough to know about how people actually act in reality.

The great director knows that reality is sometimes perceived differently than the equivalent in film, and can adjust how he or she presents events, conversations, and storytelling techniques in order for the audience to see what he/she wants them to see and feel what he/she wants them to feel.

The great director understands various film conventions, from the most broad (genre) to the very specific (grenade explosions in film versus reality).

18. Can Walk in Others’ Shoes. The great director knows how to create believable performances from a variety of characters and perspectives because he or she understands how people tick, and has enough empathy and creativity to put him or herself in others’ shoes.

19. Understands How Humans Learn. The great director understand that film story arcs (and stories in general) mimic the process in which humans learn (deep personal flaw, inciting incident, ensuing struggle, a realization, and finally, change or growth), and applies that to his or her films in order to create believable characters and moving stories.

No one starts out with all these traits / skills / knowledge.

I’d like to add that no director knew all these things when he/she got started—or even many of them.

So don’t freak out. If you don’t possess the above qualities, you can learn them. We all have room to learn and grow.

If you aren’t sure where to start learning and growing, read this article for specific tips that will help you become a movie director.

The process of making films will help you grow as a person and over time you’ll get better at doing it.

Additionally, you should go out of your way to find and spend time around people who have the above qualities. The people you spend time around affect you greatly.

Personally, filmmaking has been one of the best things I’ve ever pursued. Along the way, I’ve learned many life lessons. If you haven’t yet, I’m sure you will! Get out there, learn to be a better Human, and make great films.

UPDATE:

Since the film industry is changing, it is more important than ever that filmmakers that want to direct their own work and make money from it need to understand the following key skill…

Audience building.

For the modern indie filmmaker, knowing how to build an audience is an absolutely essential skill, because the harsh truth is that most people never make it to mainstream Hollywood success. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make work you care about and make money from it.

Filmmakers have always been subject to middlemen in this industry, but affordable equipment and the internet changes that. All the tools are there – we just need to learn how to use them. This involves understanding how to tell stories for a niche audience, build excitement around your content, and design a method for selling your films to your audience.

So if you are interested in learning how to build an audience and make income from your filmmaking work, I personally vouch for the skills taught in the Film Audience Accelerator course by Rob Hardy. If you want to hear my explanation on why this is one of the best set of skills you should learn right now, you can go here.

If you want to skip that, go straight to checking out the Film Audience Accelerator course.

Stay strong and focused, fellow Storyteller.



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Self-Development

How to Win the Filmmaking Game by Embracing Discomfort

By on

March 30, 2019

- Self-Development

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 number of tasks you do that create the majority of results for you and why it’s so hard for us to do those things. This is a universal law. You can’t escape it.

So it stands to reason that if you want to be successful, you have to figure out what 20% of tasks get you the most bang for your buck… but how?

How you can tell what you’re doing is worthwhile

A while back, I closed a deal with a non-profit called HEAL (which you should consider supporting, by the way) that provides community and financial support to mothers who are recovering from cancer.

I claim to be a storyteller and all that, but at the time, I hadn’t injected many of those skills into my commercial video production work. (Shame on me!)

This was a problem for me. There are a lot of people who can make nice-looking videos; pretty pixels. I needed a way to differentiate myself.

So, what I did was jump headfirst into learning new story structure techniques, interviewing skills, and completely changing how I look at commercial video.

This took many weeks and no small investment of time and money. It was challenging and it would have been easy to quit halfway through and let other ‘priorities’ take over.

Naturally, after I closed the deal with HEAL, I went about preparing for the interview…

But I made a few radical changes to my usual practice.

First, I sat down and figured out what the story beats were going to be for this interview.

Second, I focused on hitting those important story elements by guiding the interview naturally.

Third, I treated the interview like a genuine conversation, not an interview. My goal was to make the interviewee feel like she wasn’t giving a performance.

Lastly, I didn’t use any notes for my interview. Instead, I memorized a series of images that represented the story beats.

The goal of these techniques was to draw out genuine responses from her. Deeper thoughts on her experience – not the rehearsed answers she’s to giving everyone else.

So the morning of the shoot arrived.

The interviewee walked in, and I started trying to build some rapport with her.

I’d never met this woman before. We’d never even spoken before.

Not only that, but this socially awkward dude (me) was about to…

– Delve deeply into a stranger’s personal and medical life
– By asking her to share a ton of intimate details of her life with a total stranger
– About a heavy and emotional topic
– And using a bunch of techniques I’d never used before (you know how you feel less confident when you’re doing something new?)

Sheesh.

The interview lasted about 45 minutes.

After the interview and she left, I collapsed onto the couch. I was mentally exhausted.

That was incredibly uncomfortable. And painful.

But you know what? I think it’s going to be a great interview. Heck, even if it’s only decent, that’s still a victory, because the experience took me far outside my comfort zone and that’s how you grow. Next time, I’ll do even better.

All of us have different goals. Some may want to direct feature films, some want to make documentaries, and so on.

But one thing that remains consistent is this…

Discomfort can be your compass.

You can use discomfort as a guide for growth, and subsequently the value of the task.

If you naturally flinch away from something, and find excuses to avoid it…

Maybe you should embrace it.

If you aren’t good at talking with people, but that’s a key part of getting good paying clients, and interviewing for their projects…

Maybe you should make yourself do it.

If you would rather stay home rather than go to a networking event (I too, am an introvert), maybe you should just go do it anyway.

If you only ever do the things that don’t challenge you, that you feel comfortable with, chances are you are not growing. This is very bad.

Pretty much everything I’ve ever done that felt like a really big step forward was very challenging, uncomfortable, or outright painful. I may have had apprehension going into it. A feeling that it’d be great just to take the easier path, or just quit altogether.

But I didn’t – and I reaped the rewards of persevering.

This is like the 3rd time I’ve cited this article, because it’s just so good:

“‘Nearly everything that generates enduring value requires effort, focus and discomfort’

– Thomas Oppong

Aspiring [filmmakers] quake in fear when they hear this. Or, they secretly hope that they’re smart enough that these rules apply to everyone else, not them…

The wannabes become real [filmmakers] when they realize the only “secret” they’re missing is the courage to act. They realize that execution is everything. That entrepreneurial discomfort itself can serve as a compass, pointing to the true north of genuine value creation.

And there lies real, concrete success.

To get comfortable with being uncomfortable is as simple as realizing: Discomfort is where the value lies. Follow it and you’re headed in the right direction.”

Remember these things. Embrace them, and you will grow.

What else should you be doing?

You should be making films.

You should be doing things that you find painful and challenging…

And you should be making films. It’s really that simple – though not always that easy.

Get out there and consistently practice your craft. If you want to be a great filmmaker, make films that people enjoy. This will get you noticed.

In order to make films that people enjoy, you need to practice, practice, practice.

Each film is a chance for you to stretch your filmmaking muscles, but also to show off what you can do.

Embrace discomfort. Challenge yourself. Practice making great films by making films and risking failure.

And through it all, remember that “For [filmmakers] especially, becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable gets easier when you realize that the competition vanishes when things get tough. That there’s no traffic on the extra mile.” – Peter Shallard

Let’s make great films, even when it’s tough. I’ll be in the trenches with you.

A method to get outside your comfort zone

One way to get out and practice your craft while challenging yourself is to try filming a scene type you aren’t familiar with, or where your skill is lacking. There are 5 challenging scene types that you could consider practicing.

I go over some common scenes that are deceptively simple but can be powerful tools in your storytelling arsenal if used well.

I find the dinner scene to be particularly interesting. On my first feature film, we had an awful dinner scene that we decided to remove entirely. It just didn’t offer anything of value to the story.

It lacked drama, and instead of revealing things about the characters in an intimate dinner setting, just ate up screen-time. Boring!

Don’t be boring.

“There are no rules in filmmaking. Only sins. And the cardinal sin is dullness.”

– Frank Capra

Wrapping up…
  • 20% of tasks you do yield 80% of the results according to the Pareto principle.
  • Use discomfort as a compass to what is worth spending your time on.
  • Embrace discomfort! Don’t shy away from challenges. Instead, seek them out if you want to grow and become a great filmmaker.
  • Get out and make films and become a better storyteller with each project.

Learn, grow, create… and have fun, while you’re doing it. Good luck!

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Self-Development

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

By on

March 30, 2019

- Self-Development

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 weren’t that important. This is the story of a lazy, shortsighted time-waster.

The sadder part? He kind of knew he was wasting time. But he was lying to himself. After all, it sure seemed like he was being productive. Past Nick thought, “I want to have a successful production company. Also, I would love nothing better than to be an amazing movie director.”

Suddenly, an amazing thing happened. His wish was so strong, his dream so incredible, that a magical genie appeared and granted him 3 wishes.

(And he did not let Nick wish for more wishes, by the way.)

Nick’s now a millionaire, has every breakfast delivered to his bedside via drone, and is chauffeured every day at a lazy 10am to the set of his 300 million dollar film sets!

…and then he woke up from his dream fantasy.

I want to yell at past Nick, “Oh yeah, do you really want those things? Then stop taking the easy way out, you DOLT!” Because what was past Nick doing?

Well, he wasn’t out hustling, making as many films as he could to gain experience. He wasn’t cold-calling clients or building business relationships. At least, not nearly enough.

He was spending hours and hours and hours building his website. Constant iterations, ‘improvements’, tweaks, feedback, fixes, additions, subtractions… past Nick spent SO much time on his website. Days and days, in between ‘learning filmmaking skills’ by watching endless tutorials and whatnot.

At least, that’s one example of what I spent my time on back then.

If this is you, I urge you to STOP!

But I’m not telling you to stop doing those things at all. Far from it. What I am saying is you need a shift in mindset. And if you make this mindset shift, it will change your life.

I want to tell you 3 very, very important things.

VERY IMPORTANT:

1. Living an illusion of progress. We naturally pick the easiest task in front of us to work on that will make us feel like we are doing something productive

2. Using time inefficiently. Some of those things are beneficial, but we should be focusing the majority of our time on the small number of things that give us the most results. (This is called the 80/20 principle, or the Pareto principle. Basically, 20% of our effort yields 80% of the results.)

3. Picking the easy road and procrastinating. The things that give us the most significant results are very often the things we least want to do. If you think to yourself, “I really don’t want to do this. I’ll do that later”, you are putting it off because it’s important, and therefore difficult to start and push through.

Of course, effective time-management techniques do a world of good, but there’s a reason why everyone struggles with these things.

Why? Well, I’ll tell you a secret.

It’s totally normal. And the reason we do the above things is that everyone you meet has the following three qualities…

THE THREE QUALITIES:

1. Seeks short-term gratification. We all look for things that will satisfy is as soon as possible. (This accounts for being inclined to pick something that makes us feel accomplished today.)

2. Very lazy. We don’t want to do anything that we don’t feel like doing. (This accounts for not doing those tough things we should be doing.)

3. Shortsighted. We don’t sit and think through goals, considering where our time investment will take us in the long-run. (This accounts for not seeing how doing those key 20% tasks will allow us to reap future rewards, and being motivated by that vision.)

Seriously, there’s maybe less than 1% of people who don’t have the above qualities.

Probably not even that. I suspect they’ve learned to fight those weaknesses, not get rid of them altogether.

This is really exciting news though. Why?

It means that what you admire in that person you know (we all know one) who is a total workhorse, gets all the right things done, and has masterful work ethic…

That’s something you can learn.

You can become like them. You can accomplish great things. But you have to stop being a lazy, shortsighted time-waster!

You have to fight the 3 instincts/qualities I mentioned. Being conscious of them is the first step.

You have to focus most of your time on the 20% of tasks that will make you a successful filmmaker, and less time on the 80% that won’t.

Closing notes

What we all do:

1. Pick the easiest task in front of us to feel like we’re being productive.

2. Use time inefficiently – putting it into the wrong things, per the Pareto principle.

3. Procrastinate and avoid the tough stuff.

3 qualities we all have:

1. Seek short-term gratification. This accounts for being inclined to pick something that makes us feel accomplished today, but not in 6 months or a year.

2. Very lazy. This accounts for not doing those tough things we should be doing.

3. Shortsighted. We don’t craft a vision of the future and subsequently lose out on a great motivator.

You ARE past Nick. So, if you really want to achieve your goals, your filmmaking dreams, then “stop taking the easy way out, you DOLT!”

I’ll be right there alongside you, telling myself to do the same.

Adapt. Grow. You can accomplish great things. So do it.

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Filmmaking, Self-Development

20 Insanely Helpful Videos New Filmmakers Should Watch

By on

November 17, 2018

- Filmmaking, Self-Development

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).

But when you are first getting started, it can be a bit overwhelming. Some videos might delve too deeply into a topic or miss key elements, causing confusion, not providing clarity.

As someone who’s been through those stages, I thought I’d do a roundup of some of the best videos out there covering what I believe to be the fundamentals for those getting into filmmaking.

First off, Moviola

I’ve talked about Moviola before. It’s one of many great educational resources for filmmakers, and I’m surprised more people don’t know about it.

It’s chock-full of totally free video courses on every topic of filmmaking, from cinematography, to sound, to visual effects, and covers a range from beginner to moderately advanced skills.

These videos that are great for beginners but also wonderful recaps for those looking to brush up on a skill they haven’t used for a while.

I highly recommend checking out the free Moviola video courses.

Film set safety

First thing’s first!

It’s important that you do everything you can to keep your cast and crew safe while they work for you.

Filmmaking can be a fulfilling activity, but no movie or short film is worth getting someone hurt over.

Your conscience – and your wallet – probably can’t afford someone getting badly hurt on your set, so take care of your team. This means providing adequate hydration, food, shade, avoidance of overly risky filming practices, and protection from environmental hazards of all kinds.

Writing and formatting a script

The screenplay/script is the canvas on which you paint your film. It’s the blueprint for what goes on screen, and the way in which it is formatted has a long history – and specific purpose.

Don’t be fooled – proper script formatting will be important later on.

Learn about the origins and history of the screenplay.

And, more practically, here’s how to format your script.

I recommend using CeltX script software. It’s cloud-based and there’s a free version.

Breaking down the script

In order to properly schedule, budget, and plan out the details of your film shoot, you need to understand the basics of breaking down a script.

Essentially, this involves figuring out how long each scene is as well as the who, what, when, where, and why of each scene, in order to figure out what you will need to shoot each scene.

Here’s a great video about breaking down a script by RocketJump film school. (I’ll be sharing more of their videos because they’ve done a great job explaining a number of topics.)

Scheduling your film shoot

After you’ve written your script and broken it down into its elements, a natural next step is creating a schedule for your film.

You can do this even if you don’t have everything figured out yet.

The schedule is a living and changing document and you can adjust as needed, but doing an initial schedule will tell you how much time you need to make your film.

There are a lot of tricks that go into creating an efficient schedule – I might have to create a video about that process myself (no promises, though)!

However, what it really comes down to, and is explained great in the below video, is this question – ‘how much can you film in a day without killing people [your cast and crew]’.

How much filming can you pack into a day while still getting good results and without wasting too much time?

Another important tool in the filmmaker’s toolkit is the call sheet. It’s one of the most common film scheduling tools and used by all professional productions to tell their cast and crew where to be, when to be there, and other important details.

I think that staying on schedule is very important to maintaining good long-term relationships with your cast and crew and making a good reputation for yourself.

Budgeting your film

Whether you have a lot of money, or very, very little money to make your film, this is still an important step. Even on a ‘no-budget’ film, it’s good to not be struck with any surprise expenses.

So, by thinking through what may cost you some of your hard-earned cash, you can anticipate and plan for/avoid expenses.

Even the smallest shoots usually cost the little amount needed to provide water and food or snacks for the cast and crew.

That said, $0 or $200 million, you should understand film budgeting.

Finding cast and crew (collaborators)

Without cast and crew, you are going to have a hard time. Not to say you can’t use friends or family to fill these roles. (That said, getting volunteer cast and crew to show up is another issue.)

But I’ve tried running sound and camera at the same time – and also being in front of the camera. Good luck!

Finding competent, reliable crew is no joke. But having good crew makes a world of difference in quality for both your finished film and the experience you have while making it.

Even better than finding a crew one time is learning how to develop a team of collaborators that you can work with again and again – your rockstar filmmaking team.

This video covers some of the casting process and where you can find cast. Personally, I get in touch with local acting agencies, post in Facebook groups catered to the local filmmaking community, and anywhere else I can find.

It’s important to present yourself professionally, and then treat your cast and crew like professionals. You’ll build a good reputation for yourself in the community and people will want to work with you again.

If you don’t, well… people may stop working with you. Word travels.

Finding locations

As a low-budget/no-budget filmmaker, the rule of thumb is to write your script keeping in mind the resources you have available. This usually means you shouldn’t make your story take place in a military space station on Mars, in zero gravity… if you don’t have the resources to do that.

It’s good to stretch yourself, but be realistic.

Personally, my filmmaker brain never shuts off. I’m constantly on the lookout for great locations.

Camera and cinematography essentials

In the beginning, it’s likely you will have to pick up the camera yourself in order to make films. Usually, this is because it is tough to find someone who is willing to fill that role for you.

However, it’s a valuable learning experience (especially for aspiring directors) as you will learn the fundamentals of filmmaking technology and visual storytelling–which is a lot of what a filmmaker does.

In order to get the result you want, you will need to learn basic camera functions such as frame-rate, progressive versus interlaced footage, shutter angle/shutter speed (same thing, different ways of measuring it), aperture and exposure, and ISO (digital sensitivity).

Peter McKinnon covers the most essential elements in this video.

This video explains the basic shot sizes and types. Learning industry lingo will help you understand more advanced techniques as you move forward.

Lighting for film

Lighting is hugely important to getting a ‘cinematic’ look. Since films simulate a 3D world in 2 dimensions, good film lighting enhances or exaggerates 3-dimensional space within a scene.

It draws attention to certain things and away from others. It’s critical to a good film.

Editing, or ‘assembly’ (as Alfred Hitchcock called it)

Basically, editing is the connection of multiple images in a sequence that communicates information – your story.

There are a ton of techniques to accomplish this, and people spend their whole lives perfecting their editing craft.

There are also different theories behind why editing works on our subconscious mind, and these are useful to understand for creative purposes.

However, it’s important for any filmmaker (especially aspiring directors) to understand the fundamentals of editing for practical reasons: understanding editing will help you decide what to shoot and what you really need to make your film work, versus what is a waste of shooting time.

Drawing storyboards

Not everyone likes to or has skill sketching. That’s okay. Basic storyboards are important because you can use them to communicate your vision to cast and crew.

In addition, when you draw storyboards, you are going through the mental exercise of picking your shots, which will force you to make more intentional storytelling choices.

I covered in depth why storyboards are a vital part of the visual planning process for directors. I also explained in more detail how I approach storyboarding.

Getting good on-set audio

When you get started, you’ll likely only have a boom microphone and a cheap boom pole. It might be connected right into your camera, but more likely, you’ll record into a cheap recorder such as a Zoom H4N.

Whatever equipment you have, it’s important to know how to record correctly with a boom mic.

Seems like it’d be really easy, right? Wrong. It’s deceptively simple – and very important.

This video provides a good overview of different systems of recording audio.

Here are some good tutorials on how to use a boom mic setup properly.

How to ‘slate’, or use the clapboard

I’m always surprised how many people don’t understand etiquette and the purpose behind using the slate. But then again – I didn’t understand at first either.

It’s an iconic piece of film equipment – and it has two very important jobs – syncing your audio with your footage, and helping you keep track of your takes.

This is by far the best video I’ve found on how to slate.

I’m repeating myself… which means it’s important

I’ve said this many times. I feel like a broken record (but I’m also talking to myself) when I say this:

Education is great. Reading, watching, and learning theory is important.

But at some point, STOP! Don’t watch hours of videos, read dozens of articles or books, without actually getting out there and making films. You’ll never become a good filmmaker that way. 

Try writing something. Make your own film. Network and meet other people. Work on someone else’s film. That’s how you will learn in leaps and bounds.

At some point, you’ve got to put your foot down and decide to make something – and finish what you start.

Take that as a call to action. Go out and film!

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