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At Akida, our main goal is to network and meet new filmmakers and film professionals, but our second goal is to prepare them and teach them about how to get things done correctly.
This blog is by Nick Kremm, CEO of Akida and film director, explaining in simple words how to start with your movie.
FILMING: A Small Guide on how to make cinema and make a difference.
Cinema is an entertainment for most people. But I perceive cinema in a deeper way. Cinema is a way to describe our problems as humans. We indicate and we find solutions through a film. I personally make films about concepts that worry me in an intelectual level. Life, death, success. All these are themes that I am interested on analyzing through a film.
I started this blog because I wanted to share with people the true passion of the art of cinema, and teach them (to whoever really wants to know) how to express their emotions and true feelings through a film.
The first thing I could say when it comes to cinema, is the next quote: "A movie is pure entertainment, a film is pure art". And I go with that quote everytime someone asks me about what I do. I make films. I don't make movies, for people to have fun watching. And that is my first goal when I make a film. The ending HAS to be in a way emotional, mainly in a bad way, and sometimes in a good way.
I think cinema is all about perspective and the way the writer and the director see things. There isn't a true way of filming, but we certainly have some rules for trully GOOD cinematography.
Okay, I will be honest, I am not the best scriptwriter of all time (of course), neither I know a lot about it to go into details. But I have written some scripts myself and have collaborated with other scriptwriters as well. I know the basics.
So. How can you start writing a film? I mean, that's an easy question, right? A lot of things affect the script in a way, but you need to be ready to change the story in some way. Let's take it from the beginning. You watch a film, you love it, and it gives you 1000% of motivation. WOW! You now want to make a film like that. If that's your case, then my friend, you are a true filmmaker. You start writing your script, but suddenly, oops, you don't know how to start. And that's because you took it the wrong way from the beginning.
NEVER! Never start with the script. It is so wrong, and it is going to bring you more problems. Because the first thing you need to know is what you want. You need to be sure about your story and exactly sure about how you want to develop it. My advice is that:
Begin with writing a very very short idea of the story. Not even dialogues. "Maria was very sad, her life was completely destroyed, but then she found John, a handsome, powerful guy. They fell in love and John helped her overcome her depression, but then, blah blah blah...".
Now you understand? It is all about keeping it simple in the beginning. Then, when you finish the short synopsis, you should go for a longer one, with more details, and then develope the story. And when you have everything, and you know exactly how you want each second of the film to go, you start with the script.
Another piece of advice I would give you is that: If you are a beginner, DO NOT write scripts alone. Why? When I first began writing, I was so confident about my ideas and stories that I thought I was awesome. But that is just not true. You can't be awesome in the beginning and of course, there are exceptions. But what I mostly do now, after some years of practice, is to grab one of the writers from my company, Akida, and work with them into developing a good story. And I am sure I will say that in the future too, working in a team is amazing when it comes to movies. Because you get A LOT of feedback and you can overthink some parts and maybe some problems.
And you'll tell me "Nick, I don't have writers to help me with my stories", and I will say "Fair enough". Cause I got you the solution. Again, when I first started, I grabbed friends of mine to help me develope the story. Even though they weren't professionals, they gave an idea, and an opinion. "OPINION", that word is the most important in cinema, because sometimes you either have to ignore it, or take it very seriously.
When it comes to a script, I would recommend taking opinions. EXCEPT! If you really really really believe in your story and you are confident on your result. Well, now you know how to start, or don't you!? It's all about getting yourself up and if you really have big motivation, go for it.
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