5 Simple Ways You Can Become a Better Filmmaker
As a filmmaker, DP, videographer…whatever label we want to use…I’ve found that to stand out in a crowded industry that this is a career that requires constant learning and improvement. Each new year, I determine ways that I can improve my work and grow my business by making a plan, a road map if you will. Today, I’m sharing that road map with you in hopes that you can take something away from this video that will improve your work. I also did a video on this topic for my YouTube channel if you’d like to check that out.
Simplify Your Camera Gear
Being someone who loves camera gear, and coincidentally having a YouTube channel where I review…camera gear, I admit that it’s sometimes it has been a struggle for me to settle down on a camera system, let alone the rest of my kit.
I think that every camera system has its own learning curve. Whether it’s the menu system, how to expose that manufacturer’s LOG curve, how to rig the camera or simply learning where its strengths and weaknesses lie, I realized that me being 100% comfortable with a camera system is important to doing the best work I can without having to worry so much about the technical aspects of the job.
While I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some first AC’s this year, I didn’t always have the benefit of having someone else on jobs that could troubleshoot cameras for me.
So, I made the decision to do my best to stick with one camera system and learn as much about it as possible. In this case, the camera just so happened to be the RED Komodo.
By spending the time up front learning how to properly expose on the camera, how to set it up properly for different jobs, learning the menu system inside and out I found myself focusing more on mastering the shot, rather than mastering the camera.
This meant that even on shoots where the Komodo was overkill, I’d bring it out and use it. Shoots where a small mirrorless camera would have sufficed, I brought the Komodo instead. It meant testing the camera in the studio and practicing. It meant spending hours watching RED’s official videos and hanging out in the RED facebook groups to learn as much as I could about this camera.
I feel that knowing how to use a RED camera and how to properly expose and ultimately color grade REDCODE Raw footage allowed for me to step up to the plate when it was time to shoot on RED’s higher end cameras.
When my studio landed a job for Peterbilt Trucks, the client requested that we shoot on either a Gemini or V-Raptor. Knowing the RED ecosystem allowed me to jump right into a larger scale project that required me to rent and operate the RED V-Raptor without any issues.
I was able to pick up the camera, fire it up and get accustomed to the menu system within a few minutes. This allowed me and the rest of the crew to get the job done at a high level and walk away with some nice shots for a very well-known brand to go into the demo reel.
I couldn’t imagine having to jump into an entirely new camera system at a client’s request without having at least some basic knowledge of how that manufacturer handled their cameras.
So while sure, I’d love to have tried out all of the new cameras out there, I stuck to my guns and shot almost entirely on the RED Komodo this year. I’d say that keeping things as consistent as possible really allowed me to focus on the work and not the gear. In other words, learning how to use my tools inside and out has improved my work.
After purchasing the RED Komodo, I made the decision to stick with the camera and learn it inside & out.
Take Your Time
Another goal I had last year was to simply slow down when on shoots. There are times when I had to move quickly when setting up gear, and there are others where I had a job where I’ve budgeted plenty of time to setup. There are also times where things are out of my control that throw a wrench in things.
What helped me the most was that no matter what the situation, I did my best to take a step back and then take a deep breath. I assessed the situation, thought through what I needed to do to get the job done at a high level and then got back to work.
Sometimes this meant working with my team to delegate tasks, and others it meant simply slowing down my own thoughts and taking my time to make sure I did things right.
In the past, I had a self-imposed feeling of being rushed, and I admit that I still struggle with this feeling every now and then. This led to me not taking the time to dial in lighting setups to where they were perfect, or at least as perfect as they could be given the resources available.
It was after I allowed myself to slow things down that I noticed my work improved. Composition became more consistent. Camera moves were cleaner. Lighting setups became more professional and sometimes more complex. Less mistakes were made on set. Everything just started to fall into place…and it started to show in my work.
Determine and Limit Your Areas of Improvement
Being in a career where there are so many things to learn…whether it’s the equipment, the software or the actual techniques used to film, I found that sometimes it can feel very overwhelming…especially as someone working in a small team.
Something I learned from the author John Maxwell in his book “Make Today Count” was that while I might want to improve in various aspects of my life or my career, it’s sometimes better to focus on just a few areas at a time.
To become a better filmmaker, I know that I need to be better at lighting, directing a crew, editing, color grading, camera movement, audio, writing or the hundred other aspects of filmmaking. However, with John Maxwell’s advice in mind, I felt it would be far more effective to focus on just a few areas and give those skills the best effort I could.
So, with that being said, I made it my goal to improve both my lighting and my editing…two skills that cover both production and post-production.
This meant spending time watching and analyzing other people’s editing. It meant reading articles, watching hours of lighting breakdowns on Youtube and dissecting lighting diagrams and cinematography breakdowns on Instagram.
It also meant taking what I’ve learned and putting it into practice in my work. There were projects where the budget didn’t cover complex lighting setups, but I put in the effort anyway. I took the approach of using any project I worked on to prove that what I had learned sank in.
When taking the time to reflect on my work from last year, I can confidently say that both my editing and lighting have improved…but here’s the thing…in any creative field, you’re never done learning and there’s always so much more you can do to improve.
I know that if I’m creating videos, I’m always going to be improving in different areas. So, with that said, every year I’ll take on one or two new areas to make my focus to improve on.
Shoot More Work Than You Did Last Year
You know the old saying “practice makes perfect”? Well, it wouldn’t stick around if it weren’t true. As with anything, the more you do it, the better you’ll get at it.
I’ve taken this approach with my video work and in particular, filming. Whether client work, personal projects and even youtube videos, I’ve pushed myself to film as much as possible and I’ve ended up shooting more work last year than the previous two years combined.
If I didn’t have client work, I did my best to find something to shoot. What I mean by that is doing passion projects like short films or even helping friends out with projects they had. If I didn’t have any of that going on, filming the occasional YouTube video filled in the gaps.
I’ll admit, I didn’t fill every single week with shoots. There were weeks where I didn’t have the motivation to shoot, or maybe I was just flat out tired and needed a break…but I didn’t beat myself up over this because I can look back at last year and confidently say that I’ve made a massive difference in my work.
I think that’s a great feeling to have and I hope that if you’re watching this, you push yourself to go out there and shoot as much as you can.
During downtime from my Production Company, I took advantage of that time and worked on personal projects.
Collaborate With Others In The Industry
One of the biggest ways I improved my work this year was by allowing myself to let go of the feeling that I need to do everything myself. Last year I was blessed with the opportunity to work with a bunch of very talented people, and I truly believe that this has elevated not only my work as an individual, but also as a production company.
This isn’t to say that I wouldn’t have done well on my own but I found that the benefits of collaboration far outweigh being isolated and doing work on my own.
I found that not only did working with others provide the best possible final product for the client, but it also gave me an outside perspective on things that I may not have thought about. That means anything ranging from making small adjustments to lighting setups, to getting unique and exciting angles that I may not have considered in the moment. It also meant that it pushed me to do better out of friendly competition.
But with all that being said, I think that the biggest benefit of working with others isn’t just what they brought to the table in terms of their skills, but also how their personalities helped bring positivity and excitement to the jobs we were on.
While sure, I could’ve handled some of these jobs solo and made more money, I think I would’ve robbed myself of all these benefits of collaborating.
When our client Peterbilt approached my production company to film a commercial for their new Semi Truck, I called on my buddy Krispy to help get the job done.
Conclusion
With all these things combined, I can confidently say that I’ve seen an improvement in my work. Sometimes I look at my career and assume that it’s the technical stuff that will make me a better filmmaker, or that it’s simply mastering my gear…but this year has made me realize that it’s been and always will be a combination of several different things.
I hope that you’ve taken something away from this video and can apply one or even a few of these lessons I’ve learned to your film or video career and see some growth and improvement, because in my opinion…that’s the most exciting part of being in this industry…getting better each and every day.
Until next time…take care.