Filmmaking: Do Something Every Day
By Scott Shaw
Everybody who wants to make a movie wants to make a movie. They will think, plan, dream, and talk about making it. They may write and rewrite a script. But, few will every put anything to film. This is a mistake, for it is the person who wants to make a movie and then makes that movie that is the one who has truly accomplished something.
As I state over and over again, “Making a movie is not easy.” But, even creating the cheapest and the worst film in the world is better than making no film at all if filmmaking is your desire. Yet, few people follow this path. As stated, they prefer to think and talk about making a film rather than actually making it. Why? Because thinking, talking, and dreaming is much easier than actually doing what it takes to get it done.
People who desire to make a film also, often, learn none of the skills that it takes to actually make a film. They see themselves as the creative force and, as such, they believe that when the time is right then they will by able to hire or bring in the people to shoot the camera, do the sound, put on the makeup, light the set, and do all of the etcetera that goes hand-in-hand with filmmaking. Again, this is the wrong ideology to possess if you hope to be a filmmaker—especially a filmmaker on the independent level.
You need to know what you’re doing. You need to know how get things, everything, done if you truly hope to get your film made. You need to know how to do everything on your set, leaving it no other person if it comes to that.
How do you do this? You do it. You practice. You try. You keep trying until you know how to DO.
For any new filmmaker, my suggestion is, do something every day. With today’s technology you no longer need to carry around large, expensive camera equipment. All you need is a DSLR camera, a point-and-shoot camera, or even your smart phone. Pretty much everyone has one of those. Then, get out there and start to learn how to make your movie. Shoot footage everyday. It does not have to be a scripted film. If you want it to be, sure, do that. But, if not, simply film images. Learn how to capture images in the way you desire them to be captured. Once you have captured a suitable amount of footage put it together in a small presentation.
There! Then! You have accomplished something! You have created something. You have made a film. You are a filmmaker and not just someone who sits around and dreams and talk about making a film. From this point, the sky is the limit.
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