Be the Camera, Find Your Poetry, & Tell Your Story
Let no budget, nor any barrier hold you back from telling your tale!
A WORLD OF RHYTHM AND VERSE
“A film is never really good unless the camera is an eye in the head of a poet.” ― Orson Welles
This world is built on poetry. Every bit of life happening around us is infused with the rhythms and rhymes of the universal truths and foundations of the human condition and our experiences.
One need only tap into them with that deep awareness of their flow, and act as the camera capturing their dance of life. Once you have those moments captured, you filter them through the tech of the cinematic lens.
Convey their truths. Tell those stories. And boom, you have a resonant bit of cinema on your hands. And yes, the “boom” is admittedly a bit of the rest of the effing owl, but just focus on the poetics, and you’ll get there.
And while Welles’ famous quote holds truth, one needn’t write poetry of their own to qualify. One need only be able to see and visually translate the poetics of the world into the frame.
When it comes to the no-to-low budget game, or just filmmaking in general, the passion that drives you should also inspire you to continue along a path of growth and learning. To see things in a different way.
This will to create feeds us. And through its potent roots we grow. We use every opportunity we have to hone our craft and our voice. Through trial and error. We falter and fail so that we may learn and find our way forward.
OUR FIRST FILM
Cashing Out, from 2012, is what began it all for Whatsabudget Films proper. Not only a headfirst dive into guerilla filmmaking, but a hands-on crash course in Digital Filmmaking 101.
The story itself was a cathartic exploration, and intervention of sorts, as I faced down and purged the part of myself that was standing in my own way as a storyteller. The one who needed to adapt to his barriers and blocks.
The film was also a bit of a test in dedication and commitment. I shot the film on a borrowed camera, only to end up having to reshoot the entire thing again on my phone due to an autofocus issue with said cam!
But I didn’t give up, and in fact, I doubled down to complete the project after multiple setbacks (in part, a wildfire and evacuation), because I needed to prove to myself that I could do it. And do it the way I wanted.
FROM THERE, NOTHING COULD STOP US
Once that door had been kicked open, and footing was found on the other side, there was no turning back. I kept my eyes on the horizon, on that fixed point of growth, and I ran forward.
I begged and borrowed what I could, to go even further and take the next films to new heights, and I slowly worked to build what modest base of equipment I could as I continued.
I saw my arsenal growing and my skills with these new tools improving. I was finding my voice and my style. But I found along the way, I was the lens. I was becoming the camera.
I was framing the action and setting the mise en scène in my mind long before we arrived on set. Whenever I had access to any new gear, camera or otherwise, I would study it. Manual and all. Become one with it.
And for years before I dove into these waters, I was already a decade plus deep as a poet. But that didn’t mean I was capturing and translating the poetry to film without effort and understanding.
Just being a poet didn’t mean automatic entrance into visual storytelling with a natural adeptness. But it wasn’t long after I started building my voice and style that I landed the “poetic realism” label for my work from one of my mentors.
“Poetic Realism was a film movement in France during the 1930s, known for blending the realism of everyday life with a sense of poetic melancholy.”
I was beginning to see a transformation in how I brought the world and my lens together. And there was poetry involved. Deeply engrained in my voice.
YOUR VIBE WILL ATTRACT YOUR TRIBE
As you become lead by your passion, and that drive shines through in your work ethic and your creative output, you will find others drawn to that flame which is guiding you.
And as you are working to hone and train your eye, you will attract those who are also doing, or have already done, that work on their own. And through this training you will begin to see the film as you read the words on the page.
Another sign that you are on the right path, and letting your eye be the lens.
DO THE WORK
As it turned out, owing to a little help from my friends, and even more from my family, I wouldn’t have to use my phone again to shoot a film. But I was willing to do so if I had to. And that’s what you need to remember as well.
Be prepared to do whatever you have to in order to tell your story (so long as you are not hurting or exploiting anyone). When you have that will, you will find your way. And your way to others, as previously mentioned.
So do the work. And remember that most stories and visions can be adapted to your particular capabilities and circumstances, so refine and refit it to your means, but go go go!
50 DOWN AND COUNTING
One decade to the day after we got this started with the release of our first short film, shot on a smart phone, we released our 50th short film (shot on a Z Cam by my friend and frequent collaborator, Travis Eckland).
This was equal parts dedication (or obsession/compulsion depending on how you’re driven) and equal parts finding the right collaborators to run with. Admittedly, being a writer has given me an edge here too.
I don’t have to look or wait for someone to bring me a script, I can control and create those opportunities for myself. So that naturally has contributed to being able to churn out now over 60 shorts in nearly 12 years.
KNOW YOUR ROLES
Another bit of advice that goes a long way towards making you a better, more understanding, filmmaker is knowing what each of the various roles behind and in front of the camera go through.
In the no-to-low budget side of the game, you often gain much of this experience and insight as you roll between the various hats you are wearing on set. But seek out sets that will let you explore other roles too.
Broaden your perspective and its scope so that you comprehend the expectations you’re placing on others you’ve asked to join your film. This deepens the amount of respect you already have for your cast and crew.
And it further ensures that you are not going to be asking anything of anyone that you would not be willing to do yourself. And that matters.
IN THE END, IT’S ALL ABOUT THE POETRY
It has long been said, that experience makes you a better writer. The same holds true of storytelling of all flavors. Including filmmaking. And it’s not just about your own lived experience, but in seeing the poetry in them all.
The more perspective you can bring to your own scope and your base, will infinitely improve your own visual, cinematic language. You are a poet, and it’s time you show it.
Be the camera. Use your lens. Find your poetry. Bring it to the frame. And just tell your story. The world will be a better place because of it.
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