Qualities Of A Good Filmmaker

Estimated read time 5 min read

About Qualities Of A Good Filmmaker :

Film making is never been an easy task. It takes a whole lot of effort and perspective. Anyone with an idea and resources can make a short film, but what makes that short film stand out. Some people have a natural flare of narrating as well as putting that narration down to action. Some don’t. But that is alright. Practice and experience makes them a better maker. So what can give an aspiring film maker to follow the right practice and get the right exposure?

There are a few factors that can aid..

1. Clarity of your idea:
The fundamental of any film is an idea. When the idea has clarity, the resources needed will be clear. Though there is another factor to the idea. In terms of making a short film, resources are limited and so make sure the idea revolves around the resource you can lay hands on. Ideas are in abundance, so chose a concept that is clear as well as a well facilitated one. This is one of the qualities of a good filmmaker.

2. Research:
Dig, dig and dig deeper. To make a good film, watch as many as you can feast your eyes on. The more you watch the more you actually SEE. The camera has got to capture the feel of the movie. The angle of the camera, the lighting, the BGM, the silence and the pause duration before a jump scare makes the film perfect. In order to acquire this knowledge, the maker has to observe the techniques and the psychology of the viewer. This is one of the qualities of a good filmmaker.

 3. Time management:
Time management is a vital aspect in short film making. The film maker might have a lot to say through their movie but knowing what goes on screen and what doesn’t, makes the film a better one. A short film is about saying less and expressing more.

4. Audience:
Always screen the film to various people, known or unknown. Learn to take positive criticism. The famous spiritual poet Kabir Das quoted to keep your critics closer as critics help clean oneself from within, sans water and soap. At the same time, the filmmaker needs to know where to draw a line. The audience will point out various perspectives but the maker has to choose on implementing the necessary change without altering their baseline idea.

5. Know the fundamentals:
If an engineer isn’t strong with his fundamentals, the bridge is bound to fall. Similarly, fundamentals of film making such as shot composition, sound design, cinematography, editing etc. is a must. The audience will not be aware of these terms, but they can spot that there is something faulty with the making. This is one of the qualities of a good filmmaker.

6. Keep it original:
Originality is the key to authenticity. And when the final product is authentic, it sells. Take Christopher Nolan for instance. He made the batman trilogy, but what made it a grand success is not just the props and the actors, but the portrayal of Batman through Christopher Nolan’s eyes. While making a film, taking inspiration from various movies is a good practice. But that inspiration must remain a muse and make the movie bloom in its own way. And don’t feel let down, if you don’t have the finances to produce a grandeur movie. The beauty of a short film lies in its limited resources. The film maker’s talent lies where he can take the least resources and make the best of it. Last but not least…

7. Have faith in your idea:
However important it is to show the film to an audience, it is equally important to follow your instinct. People always have a different point of view and most of them are out of personal experience. That’s what differentiates between a judge and an audience. There will be many ‘judgements’ passed after you showcase your film, but the best judge is our instinct. It never lets us down. That doesn’t mean, don’t take criticism, it means have the clarity to take what is needed. Be bold, be clear, work hard and have faith. That’s what gave us the greatest filmmakers of all times.


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Shortfundly is an online media company that curates and shares the best short films and stories from India through our global multi-platform network. Our video and editorial platform enables a global audience to easily discover, watch and share unique stories from India anywhere on their desktop and mobile devices.

Our vision is to continually grow the community of short film audience to enable a wide and accessible market reach for short films and become the leading micro-cinema/short film platform for India. 

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