Filmmaking Tips for the Independent Filmmaker

Character Breakdown List After reading the script, making notes about the story structure and doing your scene-by-scene analysis, the next part of the Director’s preproduction homework is figuring out the development and objectives of the characters through detailed Character Analysis. To find the “heartbeat” of any script, a director needs to understand the “subworld” of […] Read the full article →

Once you understand the story, who the characters are and what happens to them, you now need to analyze each individual scene by digging deeper into the story and its structure. (NOTE: You will use many of the same story analysis points I mentioned above but now they are specifically designed for each scene.) What […] Read the full article →

Once you understand the story, who the characters are and what happens to them, you now need to analyze each individual scene by digging deeper into the story and its structure. (NOTE: You will use many of the same story analysis points I mentioned above but now they are specifically designed for each scene. STAGE […] Read the full article →

Now that you have answered some general questions about the story, it’s time to go into specific detail about the overall story. What is the PLOT? (This is the A-Story that carries the action.) What is the SUB-PLOT (This is the B-Story that usually carries the theme.) What is the INCITING INCIDENT? (This is the […] Read the full article →

(A) Your First Impressions of the Story When you first get your script, read it through once so you can quickly discover what the story is about, where it takes place, who the characters are and what happens to them. This quick reading is very important because it’s when you form your first impressions of […] Read the full article →

I will be teaching my new “Directing the Film Actor 3-Day Masterclass” in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on December 3, 4, 5, 2019. If you are interested in more information about this three day event, please email:  MP Nathan Pathma mpnathan131@gmail.com Read the full article →

The Director and the Story There are many phases of the Director’s preproduction on any film – from location scouts and creative meetings to casting and shot listing – but the first, and most important part of your job is to understand the Story. Understanding the story requires a lot of work on your part […] Read the full article →

The Classic 3 Act Story Structure Whenever I begin my script analysis process as a director, I use the three-act story structure model because it’s the simplest and most common film narrative story structure there is. This is because no matter what your story is about, or your visual style in shooting the film, or […] Read the full article →

Text, Subtext and Context Contributed by Michael Bruce Adams “Text means the sensory surface of a work of art. In film, it’s the images onscreen and the soundtrack of dialogue, music, and sound effects. What we see. What we hear. What people say. What people do. Subtext is the life under that surface – thoughts […] Read the full article →

Drama and Conflict Conflict goes to the very heart and essence of storytelling – without conflict, there is no drama! Good drama shows characters in confrontation with each other as a result of their having opposite objectives. And when you put characters in conflict with one another, the audience experiences this conflict and they are […] Read the full article →