Since I became a filmmaker and producer, one of the most common questions I get asked is: “How do you find stories to make films about?” It’s a great question, and there is no simple answer.
But what I’ve learned from my experience so far is that often the best way to find a story is to think globally and act locally. Here are some tips for finding and developing great stories for films.
Think Globally
In today’s world, we have unprecedented access to information about topics, people and places around the world. When I became a producer, one of the things that excited me most was being able to explore new parts of the world through my work as a filmmaker. So I started reading as much as possible about countries and cultures that interested me – China, Japan, Cuba, Sri Lanka, France – and looking at blogs, newspapers and magazines online. This helped me learn more about these places but also kept me updated on news stories that might make good films.
Act Locally
While it’s important to keep your mind open to new ideas all over the world, I’ve found that some of my best stories have come from places much closer to home – in fact right where I live in New York City! For example, in
How-To: Think Like A Filmmaker, Act Like A Filmmaker
This is the first of a series of articles for filmmakers and producers.
Think Like A Fisherman – Not Like A Hunter
So many young filmmakers (and some older ones) are so obsessed with their own thing that they lose sight of what’s going on around them. This is especially true in Los Angeles, where it often seems that everyone feels like if they just work hard enough at their script, they’ll be discovered and become a success. But in the real world, even Hollywood, people don’t want to hear about how great you are; they want to know what you’re doing right now.
Filmmaking is like fishing: there may be a big catch out there for you, but it takes time, patience and skill to find it. Ask yourself: Am I being a hunter or a fisherman?
When I was a kid, I was a filmmaker. And still am.
I wrote stories, shot movies, and dreamed about all the places I would go and all the people I would meet when I “grew up.”
I had no idea what my path would look like. But, it’s funny how things work out.
I’ve been traveling around the world, doing just that — meeting people and telling their stories through film.
The journey has taught me so much about filmmaking and storytelling, it’s hard to know where to begin. So here are some of my favorite tips:
Don’t be afraid to get lost in a city you’ve never been to before. That’s where you’ll find the best stories.
You can’t do everything on your own. Learn how to ask for help from others; they may have skills that you don’t have!
Failing is part of filmmaking. It means you’re trying new things and pushing yourself to learn more. Don’t let failure get you down!
Filmmaking can be scary sometimes — you might even think of quitting at times — but if you believe in your story, keep going! You’ve got this!
We’ve been producing and directing short documentary films for the last 10 years, and have also worked as editors and cinematographers. We’ve learned a lot of lessons during this time, and we still learn new ones every day. And while some of them may seem obvious, we think that it’s worth sharing what we’ve learned from our experience.
1) Lead with your story: The most important thing is to be clear about your ideas for the film, what you want to say, how you want to say it.
2) Think globally, act locally: Find a way to make your story relevant in a universal sense. Don’t just try to make a film about something crazy or outrageous that happened in your town. Everyone has crazy stories — find a way to make yours meaningful beyond its local context.
3) Use the right tools for the job: When it comes to cameras and other equipment, don’t feel like you have to use the most expensive stuff out there. There are plenty of ways around budget limitations. If you’ve got an idea for a film, but don’t have access to fancy equipment, don’t let that stop you! Just be creative (and consider crowdfunding).
4) Be ready to improvise: Things will go wrong —
WELCOME TO THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE “GLOBALLY LOCAL FILM FESTIVAL”
The world’s first online film festival!
We are a community of filmmakers and film fans who live and work in the area.
This website is designed to promote and encourage filmmakers to submit their films to the “Globally Local Film Festival”.
The aims of the festival are:
You should think globally and act locally.
When you’re telling a story, you want to engage your audience and make them feel like they are there with the main character. A great way to do this is to use specific instances to highlight the major theme of your story.
The first rule of filmmaking is that you have to show, not tell. The second rule of filmmaking is that you have to show, not tell. The third rule of filmmaking is that you have to show, not tell. You get the idea. This rule applies to every single aspect of storytelling.
Here’s what I mean: I once read an article about a writer who was having trouble writing a scene where his main character cries because she’s sad. The problem was that he didn’t want her to cry because he was afraid it would ruin her image as a tough female lead. So instead of writing the scene, he spent pages describing how she felt sad without actually showing it in the scene itself.
This article was written by an editor named Paul Graham, who gave me some valuable advice on how to write more compelling scenes in my own stories: “When you’re telling a story, you want to engage your audience and make them feel like they
Think globally, act locally.
The world is a big place. And it’s getting bigger every day. There are more filmmakers today than there have ever been before. This can be a good thing, but it also means that the competition is steep and the chance of being noticed is slim. So how do you get people to notice your tiny little film?
One answer: Don’t make your film tiny. Make it as big as possible.
As a filmmaker, you should always be thinking about your audience. The only way to succeed in this business is to build an audience first, which takes time and patience and an enormous amount of hard work — and then make sure that your film gets in front of them.
What do I mean by “big”? Well, let me put it another way: What does “big” mean to you? If you’re making a documentary about the history of cheese, then big for you might be all of France or all of Europe or maybe even all of the world (cheese is pretty popular). But if you’re making a film about a small town in rural Utah, then big for you might mean just that: the entire state or maybe even the entire country (assuming you’re interested in an American audience).
And
