Utilizing my writing background, which has proved very helpful
to me when making a film, I am perplexed about why it is so
difficult for many filmmakers to put together a coherent story
in their films.
I have no problem with putting together a story, and again, it
is based on my writing background. In the conglomeration of
film, tape, stills, etc., the story is fun to put together. Even
if the filmmaker wants to make a non-linear film, it must tell a
story so that viewers can get a grasp of what the film is. A
beginning. A middle. An ending. A main theme that holds
everything together. A compelling subject matter or character
that goes through a transformational arc in the film. And, thus, a
coherent story.
If the filmmaker who is having difficulty with putting a story
together, then, the filmmaker should look inside of themselves
for the story. I mean, the story idea came up. From where did
it come? Your foot? Maybe your nose? How about your brain
and heart? And I don’t mean, to tell a story about yourself,
unless that is your intention. I mean, you, the filmmaker and/or
the writer, should ask yourself questions like, who was I when I
got the idea for this film? What was I doing at the precise time
the idea popped up in my mind? Where was I? When did I come
up with this idea? Why am I making this film?
If the filmmaker and/or writer writes down the answers to
these questions, she/he will discover the story. And, I
emphasize, write down, the answers. Don’t think them down.
Write them down. By writing them down it will cause thoughts
to surface in your mind that of which you have no conscious knowledge.
The story is about passion. Every story is about passion.
The passion is inside of the writer and/or filmmaker’s mind and heart.
If the passion is slaying a dragon, say being unhappy about the
way our earth is decaying, then, being unhappy about it
is the passion. You gotta’ go out and slay that dragon via making
a film about it or writing a story about it, or both. Identifying and
understanding your passion for the film, should become the main
theme for the film. And so on.
I hope this sheds some light on an issue that can be very complex,
if we allow it to be that.
