Digital Film Makers Need Heroes

Digital Film Makers Need Heroes

Ask any athlete about their swing or their shot or how they throw the ball and they will refer back to a hero or an influence from their early days. Being a digital film maker is no different. Writers learn from other writers, actors from other actors and directors from those who came before them.

No man is an island no matter how much he may pretend to be. My favorite film maker (my hero) is Alfred Hitchcock. He would claim that he did not learn his craft from anyone. That he was self made. I have studied him enough to know that was not true. He spend some time before he became a director for his English studio working for their Germany counterpart. He spent a great deal of time studying under the great film maker F.W. Furnau. Watching Hitchcock’s early work, particularly the silent films and you can see the influence clearly.

Who are your hero?

What are the names of your favorite films?

Who made these films?

You will probably find that if they made one good film they made many more. You look forward to seeing their next film. Maybe you can begin by making films in the style of your favorite film maker.

I am becoming a fan of a Japanese film maker named Takashi Miike. The more I see of his work the more that I want to study his work. Watching his films makes me excited to make my own.

Who is it that excites you about the digital feature film making process? Take some time to find out why and how do they make their movies. What is their work process? How do they go about crafting the story. Finding and working with actors. Study these things and you will be well on your way to becoming a better film maker.