I recently had the opportunity to interview a couple of narrative filmmakers who found huge success with their short films.
It’s for an upcoming video I’m still working on, so I won’t spoil who they are… but one ended up scoring a deal to direct their short as a feature through Speiberg’s Amblin Entertainment 😮
Until the video comes out, I wanted to share a key takeaway from our talks.
When it comes to narrative filmmaking – focus on quantity first, and quality later.
Now, this might sound counterintuitive, especially in a creative pursuit where quality is paramount, but there are serious advantages to this strategy (some of which aren’t obvious).
Learn Faster by Failing Faster
Every film you make is a learning experience, and by churning out more films, you accelerate that process.
More films = more opportunities to fail & learn. Or succeed & learn. Both are equally valuable.
Beyond that, quantity is your creative playground. It’s where you experiment, make mistakes, and see what works and what doesn’t. It’s where you stop mimicking your favorite director and discover your own style.
As each film adds new tools to your skill set, you become a better filmmaker with every project.
Therefore, quality is a natural result of quantity.
It doesn’t work the other way around.
Make it Routine
A hidden advantage of quantity, is when you make a lot of films, it feels normal to pick up a camera and make a film.
I don’t think I can overstate the importance of this trait.
If you wait around to make your perfect film, the moment it’s finally time to make that film (if it ever arrives) will be absolutely terrifying.
And rightfully so. You’re simply not used to the process.
Meanwhile, the guy who’s been churning out films set in his apartment, casting friends, and working cheap so he can still afford to make his next film, is never that scared to start filming. It’s second-nature. It’s just what he does.
This is a very powerful, and empowering mindset.
Like they say in Dune, fear is the mind-killer.
So eradicate that fear of making a big film, by making filmmaking a more casual and frequent pursuit.
Switch to Quality
Once you’ve amassed a body of work, found your voice, and built your own network & creative workflow through that early focus on quantity – that’s the perfect time to switch your focus to quality.
Those advantages from your earlier, smaller films allow you to maximize the quality of a bigger project much faster than you could if you were starting from scratch on a one-off, super-ambitious film.
This is exactly how I was able to direct my first feature film at age 20 with a $6k budget.
Compared to my previous films, that feature was a huge jump in quality for me, but I had made SO many small, fast, no-budget shorts before that, and with such regularity, that I felt very confident in slowing down, saving up $$, and attempting this big project.
And millions of views and $60k+ earned later, it definitely worked out!
Always Be a Do-er
And one last hidden benefit of starting with a goal of quantity before quality: people will start to recognize you as a filmmaker who actually gets projects done.
That means that when it’s time to slow down and make an ambitious film, they’ll know that you’re not just talking about a pipe dream, and they’ll get excited to join you.
Compare that to 95% of people here in LA who talk about projects they want to make, meanwhile they haven’t put out a single film in 5 years (or ever!)… Not who you want to be.
In every aspect of the process, the longer you go without making a film, the harder it is to start a new one.
Conclusion
Don’t get caught up in the pursuit of perfection from the get-go.
Embrace the process, let go of the fear, and just make lots of films with whatever you can find. If you can do this, quality will follow in due time.
Stay tuned for a YouTube video featuring these interviews where you’ll get to hear firsthand from these talented writer/directors about how short films gave them their paths into the industry.
Until then, keep creating. It’s amazing what even ONE finished short film can do to change your momentum, skillset, network, and confidence as a filmmaker. So why wait?
What’s one small thing you can do today, right now, to start your next film?
PS – If you want help, I guide you through every step of making a crowd-pleasing short film in only a month over at WRAPPED in 30 Days.
Imagine using the resources you already have to make a brand new film you’re proud of… And imagine having that film in the can just 30 days from today. What opportunities might that one film alone unlock for you?
The sale ends in 2 weeks! If you’re interested but too busy to start today, you may want to lock in the deal while you can. You have lifetime access, so you can always start your film later, but you won’t be able to join at this price again. Join for 33% off today!
Favorites this week:
🍿 Movie: Dune: Part Two
Late to the party, but this blew me away.
I loved the novel and thought the first movie was an excellent adaptation of a book that seemed so difficult to adapt.
Well, the 2nd movie did it even better. Do yourself a favor and see it in the biggest screen you can find. The cinematography, the sound (!!) & music, the production design, the performances, the action – all so, so well done. It truly transports you to another world, and it’s sweeping & cinematic in every sense of the word. At almost 3 hours long, I still didn’t want it to end.
That said, there were a couple of casting choices where it seemed unnecessary to put a star in this or that small role, and it was even on the edge of taking me out of the film. But they probably had to put those names in there to help market the film & justify its budget.
In this video, Denis Villeneuve (director) sheds some light on his unique approach to the script & storyboard process.
📺 TV: Shogun
Based on one of my favorite novels, I’m very surprised to see this show actually doing the book justice. Two episodes in and loving it. Part of the charm of the book was it felt like I was learning a ton about feudal Japanese history & culture, and although you don’t get nearly as much detail in the show, it’s still fun to see characters and scenes brought to life with a serious budget behind it.
That’s it for this week.
Let’s make some movies.
-Kent